Vahtov

Vahtov was once one of the greatest cities of the High Desert of Zakhara.

Inhabitant
During the mid 900s DR a motley group composed of dwarf nomads from the Mountains of the Lizard's Tongue and human refugees from the House of Nasr joined together to excavate rumored gem and gold deposits beneath the Pit of the Ghuls. The settlement they founded became known as Vahtov, or "fated fortune" in the dwarven tongue.

As of 1367 DR, Vahtov's leader was a centaur named Akidya, and she maintained strict law enforcement. Akidya served as judge and jury for all crimes committed in Vahtov. Centaurs also served as the local militia.

Description
The early enterprise succeeded, producing a mountain of emeralds and turquoise and tons of gold. Much of this new-found wealth was invested into improving the rapidly growing settlement. Palatial homes, streets of onyx, and silver watch towers soon dotted the cityscape.

History
Eventually the dwarf/human relationship soured&mdash;the dwarves grew tired of doing all of the hard work, and the humans grew weary of protecting the dwarves all of the time. Civil war erupted when an emerald mine collapsed on the dwarves and the humans refused to help. This prompted the dwarves to purposefully collapse all of the remaining mines. In retaliation, the humans destroyed the dwarven temples by using sorcery. Constant retaliatory strikes reduced the city of Vahtov to rubble after one year of conflict.

To cease hostilities, aid from a djinni was sought out of desperation by the humans. The djinni took their plea quite literally, shrinking every citizen of Vahtov to the size of an insect. Since no one was now able to lift their weapons, all lost the taste for war. One week later the citizens were consumed by a flock of ravens from the Pit of the Ghuls. Only a small band escaped by hiding in the wilderness. These survivors set aside their differences and founded a new city deep within a crack in the ground. This secret city was rumored to still exist, filled with the miniscule descendants of Vahtov's founders.

The ruins of Vahtov sat empty for 200 years following the great civil war, feared by many to be a cursed place. Eventually, a group of outcast refugees from the House of Tayif, led by Ali al-Adid, relocated here. Vahtov acquired a reputation as a haven for outcasts, once again causing the population to swell. Vahtov's population in 1367 of 2,000 was a mix of people from all walks of life.

Culture
To show their unity, Vahtov's citizens marked themselves with special star-shaped tattoos. Citizens were eligible for a new tattoo after every three years of residency.