Zantashk

Zantashk, The Scrappy Frontier

Size: Town (5000-10,000 people)

Population: Khorvairan ancestries, primarily originating from Sharn, Stomreach, and the Shadow Marches.

Government: House Tharashk acts as the government of Zantashk through their Viceroy, Duuth ir'Velderan. Age: 150-80 years.

Purpose: Prospecting, especially Siberys and Khyber dragonshards, as well as House-funded exploration.

Organizations: House Tharashk oversees Zantashk through their viceroy, with several other Houses providing minor services in exchange. Notably, Vadalis, Sivis, and Cannith all maintain a presence to make use of the settlement’s position.

The colony of Zantashk is House Tharashk’s forward outpost for Xen’drik exploration. Far beyond the Korth edicts, the wayfinders and hunters of the House explore the profits to be found in the continent’s interior. The most reliable and valuable source of income are dragonshards; Siberys dragonshards cannot be found in Khorvaire, but are crucial for crafting dragonmark focus items. As a result, many of the house members within the city are involved in tracking Siberys showers and retrieving the bounty of crystal left behind. This extends to Khyber dragonshards as well. The active volcanoes of central Xen’drik provide (relatively) easy access to the shards, which are found in the vicinity of lava flows.

As a result, Zantashk provides a way of gathering Khyber dragonshards without descending into Khyber itself. This steady stream of riches has turned Zantashk into a budding frontier for adventurers and those seeking their fortune. It’s located closer to the heart of the continent than Stormreach, and bypasses the taxes and crime of the city. As such, the Dragonmarked Houses often use it as a base for exploration. The town is run by Duluth Velderan d’Tharashk, who has been pushing hard to increase profits and prestige. The people of Zantashk are hardened miners, hunters, and prospectors, many brought over by the House from Sharn and the Shadow Marches.

Their culture has blended into a gruff but friendly atmosphere; there’s money to be made, and drinks to be had, but everyone is working together for their mutual survival. The gnomish ruin of New Zolanberg nearby is a permanent reminder of what they have to lose. Population The reeve in charge of the House’s work, Duluth Velderan, is a canny opportunist said to be able to smell the money in people’s pockets from a mile away. His administration of the town is effective, if stingy, and his past as a hunter gives him a healthy respect for the continent’s dangers.

Velderan has ongoing recruitment drives in Sharn, Vralkek, and the Shadow Marches, which have drawn prospectors and workers to the town to make their fortunes. Accordingly, the population of Zantashk is heavily human, orc, and half-orc, with a scattering of ‘monstrous’ peoples from Droaam, and others from the docks of Sharn. Several other unmarked House members organize farming efforts, diplomacy with Stormreach, and the role of these workers in the field. Full-Time Adventure. A variety of independent adventurers and explorers use Zantashk as a base of operations for their work.

While they are free to pursue their own goals, Duuth offers regular bounties and tasks to take advantage of their skills. Most of it eventually returns to him, due to overpriced beer. These include scouting potential dragonshard fields, driving off roaming monsters, and delivering goods safely to nearby groups of giants and drow. The establishment of Zantashk came with the knowledge that many other minor settlements founded by Khorvairians have subsequently disappeared due to illness, madness or attack.

As such, one of the initial founders of the town was the linguist Leandra Lyrriman d'Sivis, who was hired to communicate with the local people. Leandra takes her role seriously, and has built a friendly rapport with the nearby locathah and Medley aarakocra (p.66). This has led to a steady stream of trade. In exchange for information and guide services, Zantashk provides a variety of Khorvaire foods, enchanted items, and Cannith-made goods. The town's general outlook towards local people is one of diplomacy first and foremost, reinforced by the management, but its actions can fall very short. Blundering efforts, environmental damage, and harmful mining have all incited well-founded aggression, and not every colonist is willing to negotiate.