Tenzentak
The Rift City
Tenzentak, the Rift City. Located in The Free Cities of Alderun, the sake of its nickname comes from the topography which the city rests upon and the fact that it is built on the cliffs of the grans nothing. The wide rifts within the city house a unique geological phenomenon called Rift Iron, a valuable metal that regrows slowly after being mined. It is used to make objects that can reform after breaking.
This natural resource gives Tenzentak a stable economy, and hopeful future. Unfortunately, it also produces a toxic off-gas called Rift Smog. The city has developed powerful Iron Light air filters that utilize light from The Sun to clean the air. This ensures the city above the rifts remains clean and beautiful, but leaves those who live in the rifts to suffer.
At the cities eastern edge lies The Grand Nothing, and Gilligan’s Lift which is controlled by The Bladehammer Guild.
# Overview
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Main Opportunity | Built on the edge of The Grand Nothing, the city is full of people who seek to explore its wonder and seek out the mysteries of Zol’s past. The best parts of the city have a sense of wonder and hopefulness. |
| Main Challenge | As many of the more fortunate have their sights set on venturing into The Grand Nothing, resources are frequently poorly attributed. Leaving those who are less fortunate to scrape by. |
| Export | Rift Iron |
| Climate | Temperate/Dry |
| Cuisine | Spicy Entrees, Flatbreads, Spiced Fruits, Game Foul |
| Size | Large |
| Outer Villages | Many |
| City Leader | Lady Helseena Trodak |
| Primary Language(s) | Common, Dwarvish |
| Majority Racial Group(s) | None |
| Majority Religion(s) | Zolaen-Centric |
# Major Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Distinguishing Features | Built on the literal edge of the cliffs, thousands of feet above The Grand Nothing. The City economy is built around the export of Rift Iron which is mined from crevasses in the city’s center |
| Architecture | Round stone buildings featuring many columns and arches to buffet the high winds. Large round windows decorated with cast iron filigree, red sheet metal rooves, and many balconies decorate its wealthy districts. Its rifts are filled with ramshackle slums populated by the poorest classes who work in the mines. |
| Color(s) | White and Red |
| Symbolism | An arched bridge with a sun above in the sky. Below the bridge is a symmetrical pickaxe. |
| Defenses | High defensible walls, Eastern facing ballista set to take down airship attacks, and the Tenzentak Garrison (provided by The Bladehammer Guild) equipped with mediocre rift iron gear that provides an above average level of defense. |
# People Groups
| Group | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nobleborn | Social Class | The nobility of the city are those highly associated with trade, government, and passage to The Grand Nothing |
| Midborn | Social Class | Those who have run-of-the-mill jobs. Living in the lower city and in its Gate Town. |
| Lowborn | Social Class | Those who live in the slums of the rifts. The sick, addicted, uneducated, or just plain unlucky. Working poor paying jobs related to the mines, or begging for scraps. Many Lowborn suffer from afflictions caused by Rift Smog |
| The Bladehammer Guild | Guild | A massive guild that controls Gilligan’s Lift. The Guild operates all over eastern Zol. It is made up of many subgroups, all with unique goals that support overarching dream of the whole guild: ‘Create a better Zol’ |
| The Unhealed Dagger | Criminal | The overarching term for the diverse criminal nexus that operates in the depth of the city’s rifts. It was once an organized crime syndicate, but no longer has a sole leading party, the name now merely sums up local criminals as a whole. |
# Goods and Services
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Riftkeep | Keep | The city’s main keep |
| Cliffside Square | Market | The highest quality and prices you will find for all your general needs in the city. It contains a multitude of permanent shops and a handful of semi-permanent stands. Located at the edge of Cliffside. |
| The Narrowmarket | Market | The slum market within the rifts themselves. A fast-paced and seedy bazaar packed into tight quarters. |
| Threck’s Alchemy | Alchemy Shop | A cramped and dim potion shop run by a grump and greasy Firbolg, Threck Gurwich. Located in the Narrow Market. |
| Dangelo’s Collections | Oddity Shop | A long and narrow shop with a high ceiling. The place reeks of dust and old books. Unorganized piles of who-knows-what make the store feel like a person-sized junk drawer. Located in the Narrow Market. |
| Albojo’s Wares | Magic Shop | The sole magic shop in the city. A high class establishment located in the Rift-Top Square. Run by the snooty Tabaxi Albojo Albojo II. |
| The View | Tavern | A large and popular tavern for the middle class located on the cliff’s edge in Smogtown. Run by a soft-spoken Dwarf man called Kalb Rike. |
| Adjunct 6-1-2 | Adjunct | The city’s most frequented Adjunct. Located in The Whistles. |
| Immarum | Tavern | A high class drinking and dining establishment for the nobility. Located in the Rift-Top Square. |
| The Pit | Tavern | Located in the depths of the central Rift, The Pit is has a reputation of being a strange bar filled with shady patrons. Known for its uneven floors caused by the regrowing Rift Iron veins in the stone below. Run by a one eyed Ogre called ‘Runt’. |
| The Sheathed Anvil Tavern | Tavern | The Bladehammer Guild’s private tavern, reserved for guild members. Located within the guild campus. |
| The Bladehammer Guild | Guild | The largest operating guild in all of Zol, headquartered in Tenzentak. The guild is a place for any gifted individual to find work, or for any in need to hire help. The Guild provides a vast number of services like mercenaries, craftsmen, academics, and healers. |
| Tenzentak Station | Train Station | The city’s connection to The Iron Tracks. Located at the cities furthest reaches along the Northroad. |
| Tenzentak Convergence | Teleportation Circle | The city’s primary teleportation circle, located in the Riftkeep |
| Bladehammer Convergence | Teleportation Circle | The Bladehammer Guild’s teleportation circle, located within the guild campus |
| Gilligan’s Lift | Misc | A wonderous feat of engineering. Gilligan’s Lift is a giant elevator-like contraption that brings personnel, resources, and equipment from the city down to the surface of The Grand Nothing. Its operation is overseen by The Bladehammer Guild. |
# Authority
The city is led by Lady Helseena Trodak, the Alderian Seat of Tenzentak. Lady Trodak is a headstrong Dwarf of her later years. Her rule (in her own words) is one of ‘balance’. Tenzentak faces unique challenges being the hub of outreach into The Grand Nothing.
Lady Trodak seeks to maintain the economy to support the efforts of those who venture out into The Grand Nothing. In doing so she requires the export of Rift Iron. Unfortunately the mining and refinement of the material is the source of many of the city’s issues.
The Bladehammer Guild provides the Tenzentak Garrison, one of the guilds many subgroups, in exchange for much of its funding and tax exemption. This garrison acts as the city’s guard, or army in times of war.
The authority of Lady Trodak wavers the deeper in the rift you go. The lowborn people mostly live by their own rules and codes, only occasionally being harassed by the garrison.
# Laws
The city subscribes to the Alderian Laws.
# Modern Importance
In its current day an age, the city is the most accessible means for one to venture into The Grand Nothing. Many travel here to seek out the treasures hidden in the ruins of the old world.
It is also home to the headquarters of The Bladehammer Guild. The guild is the largest operating party of mercenaries, scholars, craftsmen, and politicians. The guild is made up of many subgroups that have legitimacy all over Zol. Those who take up arms with the guild are given the agency to do much in the kingdoms of The Three Corners of Civilization.
# Historical Importance
Tenzentak was one of the first cities to be founded in Zol. Its location on the cliffs of The Grand Nothing was instrumental in The Dragon War. This was due to the strong up drafting winds that rise from the cliff. These gusts made for difficult sustained airborne combat for dragons.
Its defensible location also caused it to be the last of the Human cities to fall in the Alderian Rebellion. Rebels were able to finally take the city by sending squads of soldiers to climb laterally along the cliffs edge and sabotage the cities defenses during the night.