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Zuffels (zoo-fels) also known as the Safe Haven is the largest city in the Sachrunin region of Vatharond. With a population of over 40,000 people within its walls, it is certainly one of Nora's largest cities. It is a major center of silver and diamond mining, culture and magical study. It features several airship mooring towers and the city hopes to own its own airshipyard.
The metropolis is home to the renowned Solvet University and well as the famous Silver Note Orchestra. Zuffel's city landscape and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for playwrights and poets. The city is recognized for its festivals, architecture, silversmithing and wealth. It is a haven for artists, authors, poets, and the elite of society.
History
The city in its current form was first created in the fourth century.
Founded centuries ago, it has grown from a crude village into today’s thriving metropolis. Zuffels is the primary mercantile crossroads in the east. Much of the surrounding area consists of carefully tended farmland that generates foodstuffs and raw materials that are exchanged for high-quality merchandise and trade goods. While the city has suffered fire, siege, and other disasters, its citizens have always survived and rebuilt the city stronger than before.
Government
Unlike most cities, Zuffels does not have a mayor, but rather an oligarichal council known as the Silver Hands.
Trade
Silver and diamonds
Defense
City Quarters
- Merchant
- Poor slums
- Entertainment
- lower class residential, farmers (possible infiltration by old cults)
- administration and guild halls
- foreign quarter
- temple / blacksmith
- middle class residential, loggers
Culture
The natives of Zuffels are used to seeing a wide variety of races and ethnicities on their streets. Visitors to Zuffels find the natives coarsely boisterous and loud, but generally welcoming to those who treat the city and its people with respect and courtesy.
Dwarves
Zuffels has a large dwarven population. Deeply integrated into the life of the city, dwarves are well regarded, and their expertise in many trades deeply appreciated. The lifestyle of Zuffels suits dwarves; they mix freely with other races and are welcomed as valued members of society. While many dwarves hold respected positions throughout the city, a large number dwell in the enclave of Undercroft, a series of tunnels and canals built directly into the banks of the River and passing beneath the city itself. Here, among the foundations of the city, dwarves carve ice and stone to amass reservoirs of fresh water, and tend enclosures of underground livestock bountiful enough to provide for the city’s population during winter.
Gnomes
The gnomes of Zuffels live primarily on the northern bank of the River, operating many of the ferry services that provide passage across the river. There are also many who love the stimulation of living in the heart of Zuffels. While some of the other citizens grumble at the gnomes’ eccentricities many in Zuffels feel they brighten the city, and enjoy their unique perspectives. The potent gnome whisky called throatburn is infamous throughout the city for its intoxicating power. Once a year, the gnomes of Zuffels hold a mock “Dragon Hunt” festival on the city’s main promenade. The hunt excites the imagination of Zuffels’s children as they search for and “slay” the beast, an elaborate dragon costume operated by gnomes and supplemented with illusion magic.
Religion
City Features
Solvet University
The Ga Lakes
Vanport Gate
Stjernensfaere
The home to the city magister.
Solvslott
Also known as the Silver palace, Solvslott sits on a small man-made lake and is home to the deliberation Silver Hands.