Zareph

A miners' city, the great forges of iron-rich Zareph blaze day and night, causing visitors much consternation at the noise, light, and fire.

Numerous master weapon and armor smiths live and work here, continuously experimenting with the weight and strength of different alloys.

The government employs many engineers (like Anaximander) and smiths.

Various NPCs of Zareph speak with an American hillbilly accent.

Hometown of Darnell Armand and the Bloody Knuckles.

Taverns near the docks include the Cherry Tomato and the Vomit Pool.

Luther Feingold is a local tax collector.

Visited by the party in Rust Valley Chronicles, including Larae's.

The smaller city of Ghaines lies to the north.

Lyvian's Fire Descriptions

On Amazon...

Vasker Raiden was pleasantly bemused by the work of ports. As Veshna's Rose docked in Zareph, ropes were thrown, orders barked, and men labored in an orderly chaos with which he'd grown comfortable. Beyond the docks the hills piled up towards the horizon, covered in stone structures, many of which emitted a steady stream of the smoke of industry.

--

First, he had to deliver the document to Serenton. Via Zareph -- a rough-and-tumble sprawl of smokey forges and clanging blacksmiths, a soot-encrusted city of stone and steel, raucous hedonism, and narrow alleys where one was as likely to encounter a dwarven weaponmaster or an orc assassin.

The ropework complete, Veshna's Rose rested securely at one of Zareph's many docks an hour before the setting of the sun. The captain, overproud of the successful docking, approached Vasker with a smile, a crewman in tow, lugging a chest of his clothes, weapons, and papers.

--

Even at sunset, the dock district was bustling with commercial activities. Though the street merchants were re-packing their ramshackle wagons and retreating for the evening, the proper work of the docks continued. Cargo, inbound and out, was stacked and piled and laid out for transport. Crates of refined ore, weapons and armor of steel, cast iron parts destined for the mills and waterworks of the great cities of the north competed for space on the dock with supplies of leather and timber and apples and potatoes and a legion of barrels of beer from the fertile valley of the Serenflow.

His guide wasted no time navigating the maze of goods to the rough cobbled street, and soon led Vasker up a narrow alley lined with two and three story stone buildings that seemed to be primarily populated by aggressive prostitutes. It seemed obvious that his guide would have been distracted and delayed by their advances, had he not been carrying the large chest containing Vasker's effects in his arms.

--

Without speaking, the pair walked with purpose through the winding candlelit alley, ignoring the sometimes outrageous propositions coming from both sides, hiked up a side staircase, and emerged a minute later in a broad square atop one of Zareph's several hills. The tree-lined square was bordered by now-closed shops and a handful of lively pubs and eateries. A squad of city guards walked diligently by on patrol, their boots clacking on the sooty brick. A small crowd was gathered to watch a glassblower, and the clanging hammer of a blacksmith working late echoed faintly through the night.

Location: Map #5