Zaergenzeral

Of the main cities of Ravenguard, Zaergenzeral has one of the poorest reputations among them, partially because it is the place of origin for the Raven's Truth, much better known as the Zaergenzeral Cult. Among the three cities tied to the Cult, Zaergenzeral is the furthest north, well within the boundaries of the Eiserne Forest and isolated from all other settlements except one. The Eolin-fal overseer is Mestrious Flare, a creature as menacing as the surrounding forest.

Zaergenzeral's unique features include being one of only two official Ichauri-irin-populated areas within the entire Eiserne Forest, and having the largest library in Chirua. Being located within the forest allowed the city to utilize countless trees, inspiring primarily cabin homes and heavy use of wooden features in construction, in addition to profiting from timber exports. It is genuinely a beautiful place, but it isn't going to be included in a "Top 10 Safest Cities in Northern Ravenguard" list any time soon, for multiple reasons.

A barricade made of wood, stone, and metal fortifies the city against wildlife attacks, and must be regularly maintained and improved due to both damage from animals and pressure from new foliage attempting to grow into it. Several gates are constructed along the barricade to allow road vehicle travel between the city and civilization outside the forest. Solitary Road, the route connecting Zaergenzeral and Threshhold, is the least used route due to its lack of installed lighting and reports of suspicious activity. It has drawn people, primarily teenagers, to loiter on it and look for proof regarding multiple urban legends that surround it, despite law officials warning them of the risks associated with being on a dark and isolated path.

A Den of Scoundrels

As of late, Zaergenzeral has attracted a lot of criminals, vampires, and criminal vampires. The controversial policies and budget cuts enacted by the local government in the past couple of decades are responsible for a crime rate that had never before been at such a high level. The police force is made up of respectable members serving the community, but has no say in criminal punishment; officers find themselves repeatedly arresting offenders that had been let loose from prison after serving a short sentence, or had their charges dismissed entirely. Major criminal organizations have a noticeable presence that only seems to grow, causing citizens to question who truly runs the city.

On top of Ichauri-irin committing heinous acts against one other, there is an additional threat that the citizens must deal with in the form of vampires. The proximity to the Eiserne Forest, where silver-metal worms are numerous, has exacerbated the problem and given Zaergenzeral the highest rate of vampire attacks in all of Chirua. The majority of encountered vampires are wild animals and thus are easily dealt with, but the city residents are also threatened by the criminals who are vampires themselves. Unlike animals, some Ichauri-irin are capable of hiding their vampiric nature, allowing them to walk among normal people and not rouse suspicion until long after they've committed their crimes. Indanach is present in Zaergenzeral, but most of its members are part of a police force that is already struggling with resources, therefore is unable to efficiently investigate parasitic activity.

Although the issues have been brought to the attention of the city mayor multiple times over the years, little has since been done to resolve them. With a government serving itself and the police stretched thin due to staff shortages and low funding, citizens that choose to remain in Zaergenzeral are increasingly having to rely on their neighbors for safety. The problems have not gone unnoticed by the resident Eolin-fal, and, regardless of what the mayor thinks, has already enacted his own solution to deal with them.

Mestrious Flare has encouraged those in his coven to take matters into their own hands, and leads by example himself. The Zaergenzeral Cult thus engages in the city's bloodshed via vigilantism, taking out what it perceives as societal trash. Despite their intentions, this is not without its consequences—cultists are not exempt from being criminally charged if caught. Additionally, gang members have avenged associates killed by vigilantes, creating an endless cycle of violence between them. The actions of the Cult have been controversial, negatively impacting its reputation across Chirua due to their methods, but also raising support for attempting to preserve Zaergenzeral and its citizens when its leadership won't.

The Grand Library of Zaergenzeral

The people of Zaergenzeral pride themselves on the Grand Library, a multi-floor building constructed with steel-and-glass architecture inconsistent with the style of the rest of the city. It was the first and greatest library built in Zaergenzeral, to be a place where the common creature could learn about that which Lord Ravenienne was intentionally withholding from them... according to the Eolin-fal.

The library contains thousands of books that are rarely or never found in other libraries in Chirua. It also has original documents from old archives stored in its lowest floors, making it a valuable resource for historians and researchers. In addition to books, the library also houses unique artifacts and decorations, such as extensive murals, bleached skeletons, original manuscripts of popular books, device prototypes, and strange sculptures; making the building a museum as well as a library.

The wide range of services and resources the Grand Library has to offer has made it an important part of the community, from within Zaergenzeral all the way out to Santhor. The library is also used by members of the Grand Order, acknowledging its importance to Chirua despite its history. While anybody can freely browse and borrow the books on the main floors, all the content of the old archives is restricted material, requiring in-person appointments to look through them as a safety and security measure for the delicate papers. The same rule is enforced for viewing Rielledynam's laboratory data, stored in hard drives on the library's lowest floor.