[OBSOLETE] Town: Zizlimu

[Starbeard]

Zizlimu is a small but powerful town of less than a thousand souls, built around a humble, rocky oasis. It sits directly along the Great South Road, the only reliable road that connects the fertile lands of north Hikuptah to the arid deserts of the south—and the lowland dwarves who rule it exercise a monopoly on whatever trade moves between the two.

The town is governed by a collection of minor noble families, all of them dwarves of lowland stock, and each family has kept its place in the government for five generations or more. The ruling is the headed by Hirah Shahar. He is theoretically a satrap of the Nomarch, but the Lower Kingdom holds no real authority over Zizlimu. Some other administrative families include the Folami, who maintain the town's public works and buildings, and the Worot, who oversee the treasury.



The Great Oasis lies about a league outside of town, and for several centuries the aristocratic families of Zizlimu have protected it as common grounds for all. Any farmer can buy land there, but only enough for his own family to work, and any traveller can use the oasis for the night if he gives to one of the farmers some seeds for planting, or a shekel if he has none.

[Starbeard]

October, week 3

In the early afternoon, a group of thirteen riders on horses come trotting over the shallow rise that leads into Zizlimu. When they spy the oasis town far off in the distance, one turns back and disappears back over the crest of the hill. Minutes later he comes trotting back to join the others, who mill about at the bottom of the rise with their hands on their sheathed cutlasses. Some of them scan ahead while others seem more interested in scanning the ground.

Benaiah the dwarf stands at the top of the road, where his scouts were just minutes before. The large and colourful human at his side tries in vain to keep his many bright scarves from billowing in the wind, causing his large assortment of arcane trinkets to dangle about and reflect the rays of the sun in a variety of directions.

Directly behind them a small block of armoured and scarved footmen stand guard and watch over a pack of loaded draft animals. The troops represent a mottled collection of races—men, dwarves, elves and even ratmen of all shapes and colours—their gear as variable as their faces.

Farmers ahead of them gather to gossip, some of them running to gather tools and weapons. "You say they come to capture the town, but swallow up our homesteads without incident? Have our people no pride to stand against such bandits?" says one. "You misunderstand," says another to him, "they have not attacked the homesteads. They say they come only to issue a challenge of vengeance against King Hirah Shahar himself, and no one else. I do not even know if they wish to siege the town at all. What do they want?"

[Starbeard]

The tall man wrapped in colourful scarves exchanges some words with the roughened dwarf next to him. They spend some time pointing out a few places along the horizon, and then the man nods and sends the dwarf back into the main body of guards.

The little band descends the slope and stops at a few homesteads, their weapons sheathed and packed away with the donkeys, and the man in the lead. Up close to these sparse countryfolk huddled under the shadow of Zizlimu, he appears a giant of a man, as wide as he is tall, his soft skin cracked in the dry heat. His bushy square beard hides a wide and toothy grin.

"I am Gish, magician extraordinaire," he is heard to tell them. "I fear there are rumours, but I implore you to ignore them. I am no more a dwarf than my turban is a crown, and I have no ambition to sack Zizlimu. I travel north, hoping to win the affection of more cultured satrapies after the barbarian city-states to the south have failed to recognize my talents. Your eyes will observe!" He pulls several dazzling balls of coloured glass seemingly out of nowhere, and rolls them along his fingers before tossing them into the air—they disappear into the folds of his bright and dusty gown as mysteriously as they appeared.

"As we left Akkaz we heard a great deal about a warband of dwarves lurking somewhere along the road—they are said to be led by one who calls himself Benaiah Tam Shahar, who has dared Hirah Shahar of Zizlimu to meet him in single combat at the old crossroads on the road to Akkaz; but we did not see this warband ourselves. I am deeply apologetic if my passing has caused further confusion in the matter."

Gish Most Extraordinary continues to chat politely with the villagers outside of Zizlimu throughout the day and into the evening, performing tricks and telling old tales of Hikuptah's past. The villagers are most interested, of course, in the Epic of Nin-Ellubas, the 'Lady of the Holy Sands'. He captivates them with the winged goddess' many adventures: how she masterfully tricked her husband into transforming her human head into the head of the sacred water buffalo; how she nursed from her own breast the four dwarves who survived the Great Flood; and her final, tragic death, trampled underfoot in the frenzied stampede of Yahuq's celestial herd.

[Starbeard]

October, Week 3: Goroz Folami

In the centre of Zizlimu, the House of Folami maintains a modest estate overlooking the town's oasis. The dwarf Karl, head of the house and Chief Architect of the town, walks through the estate's hanging garden with a train of slaves in tow, only half-listening to their routine administrative reports.

At the far end of the garden, his younger brother Goroz greets him, accompanied silently by his broad-shouldered human guard, Pronn. Karl greets him wholesomely. 'Allū, brother! It is good to see you; come, I am just about to take my unnecessary monthly tour of the town, in which I examine the buildings and tell my record keepers once again that no refurbishments are required.'

They walk about Zizlimu, pausing occasionally to pay a routine visit to some public building or another, and talk about the rumours about a dwarf claiming to be Benaiah Shahar. Goroz notices that the town's garrison of spearmen have been doubled at the gates.

'Outrageous!' fumes Karl. 'His claim of identity is impossible, and his challenge nothing short of blasphemy toward the House of Shahar. If I were King Hirah, I'd have sent the city garrison out to murder him at the crossroads without trial, and to be frank I am surprised that he hasn't done so already. The King seems to be choosing to fortify Zizlimu instead, and this makes me very nervous. Do you think this vagabond could actually possess an army large enough to take the town?—if it comes to war outside the town, he might even require the Folami to fight! You have always had a better way with words than I, Goroz, you should find out what's going on—and perhaps determine whether our involvement in arms is wholly necessary?' Despite being a supporter of King Hirah Shahar, it is clear that Karl is not a fighter, and the thought of being called to battle makes him distinctly uncomfortable. Karl excuses himself hastily to go 'attend to domestic matters', a remark which goes publicly unacknowledged to mean 'hiding from his duties.'

Goroz and Pronn leave the Chief Architect's train of officials and walk up the winding steps that scale the town's rocky hill. At the town's highest point they reach the Satrap's court, a large building topped with a tall tower. A nude pair of heavily muscled human slaves open the doors for them as they enter and are enveloped by the dark whispers of the court.