Zedda

After the Second Reckoning, only one city in Tanish survived intact: Zedda, city in the mountains. The Tanish Civil War was centred around taking control of it. Today it is the seat of the Tanish government, second largest city, and site of the most important temples.

Demographics

The majority of the population are Tanishites with about 10% being from other desert groups. The small number of Kalians are mostly slaves. The higher you go in the city, the wealthier the inhabitants. The lowest level on the banks of the river is made up of working class people, and the second-highest is the domain of nobles. The highest is only home to the royal palace and temple of Rekeh.

Government

While the king rules all of Tanish from the palace, Zedda also has a local lord that oversees the city itself. The Palush family has ruled the city since The Second Reckoning. Lord Palush rules from a great house on the top tier of the city.
Each tier of the city below the top has a spokesman who is elected by the residents of that tier. The spokesmen meat with Palush once a week to discuss the issues, but have no actual power to enact change.
Law enforcement is handled by Palush's private militia. They tend to stay near the top of the city rather than patrolling the slums around the docks. There's an unspoken understanding that they are there to protect the upper classes from street rabble rather than any noble ideas about serving and protecting the populace at large. In the lower tiers, law enforcement is community run. People look out for their neighbours and vigilante justice is rampant.

Defences

Zedda's best defence is its location. The mountains all around it protect from attack from all directions but south, and the mouth of the valley can be defended by troops. Even if troops do enter the valley, the city is positioned in a place where the natural rock rises just to the south of it almost to the river, so the city is only accessible by a narrow path along the bank or bridges across the river from the east bank.

Infrastructure

Zedda has an impressive system of public water. A deep well was dug in the main courtyard of the royal palace, which then connects to a system of canals. It runs through the upper tier and then into copper piping below the streets. It splits into two and flows down the pipes to the next tier down. The pipes then split again and again, letting gravity and momentum spread the water through the city. Eventually, it meats the Zel. These fountains are in public squares, or long thin ones down the middle of major streets, and is free for anyone in the city to take for drinking or washing. The richer residents usually have their own wells rather than using the public supply.
The majority of streets in the upper tier are paved with large clay bricks. Lower tier streets are usually dirt. It hardly ever rains, so mud is not usually a problem.
To get between the tiers, several large staircases have been built. Some of them are made from brick, some carved directly out of the rock, and some a mix of both. The lower tiers, which are much wider, also have some wooden staircases that are a little more hastily built. There are also places where enterprising individuals erected ladders in areas far from a staircase and charge a few coins for their use.
The most impressive structure is the elevators to take people between the levels. There is only one per level, each connected by the main straight that runs from the port right to the palace. The elevators are built from a frame of brick with the cabs made of wood. They're operated by huge pulleys powered by slaves turning a wheel in an underground room. Nobles and royalty use the elevators freely, but everyone else pays a fee.

Architecture

More expansive buildings are made of sandstone blocks. Poor residents have homes made from mud bricks. Buildings tend to be blocky with flat, easily accessible roofs. The roof of one house might be the front patio of another. Many homes are built right into the side of the mountain and have a rough stone interior wall.

Geography

Zedda is a tiered city carved into the side of the mountains. It sits at the end of the Valley of Dreams, on the banks of the Zel river. The valley is much more fertile than the rest of Tanish, and the city and surrounding area is filled with palm trees, Ishud Trees, and shrubs.

Type

City

Population

151225

Location under

Eni Belul

Included Locations

• The New Temple of Entu

Owner/Ruler

Shar-Ben-Asir

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Tanish