Tazban (tawz-bawn)

Old Tazban

The Edge of Civilization

Before the Eruption of Taktaalak, Tazban was a cultural center for both a distant segment of humanity and the Tara-Jhen. It is said that dispersed folk from the Snow Rock Isles and the nearby marsh of Mot D'nir made up the entire population, giving rise to strange cultural norms and even stranger gods. The city built monuments to their humanoid and reptilian deities and prayed to Taktaalak in hopes of receiving its warmth.

Researchers have gathered that the sacrifice of citizens was a crucial part of the Tazban way of life, as corpses have been recovered in the molten castings of the volcano's "tears," which were relocated to stand among the many monuments to the gods. With the aspect of most gods resembling reptilians, it is presumed that Tara-Jhen made up the higher class of this society. Recovered art seems to affirm this, as it depicts swarms of humanity kneeling before reptilian masters.
The city serves as the furthest corner of civilization, with most outsiders looking upon it as a land of backward savages, and the elimination of those who lived there was a show of penance from the spirits that rule Laminarum. Regardless, at its time, the volcanic city cast in black stone would appear as a beautiful gem in the middle of the continent's vast deserts, as the greenery along the rivers would guide any cast astray to this conflux of a long-forgotten world.

Tazban Today

Tazban is a settlement far from forgotten, regardless of its near total destruction following the Eruption of Taktaalak . Home to government members of the Augury, the relocated Kaban people, and the occasional Tara-Jhen spiritual purist, the crumbling ruins are constantly bustling with activity. With its many new ports, the deep lodging of ancient catacombs, the highly esteemed artisans renovating the city, and the churches built upon and defacing monuments of forgotten aberrant gods, it seems as if its population will only keep growing. In recent years, rumors have spread regarding the Augury gauging interest in settlers relocating to the distant land.

Interest from the Augury?

Kazbur

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From the outside, the Augury's interest in the city of Tazban may seem strange. However, in observing recent political events, the answers unveil themselves.
After the kaban were released from slavery in Mot D'nir by order of the Augury, all individuals of the tortoise-folk community were relocated to the continent of Kazbur, where the city of Tazban rests. The kaban settlements are spread all across the continent, with Augury outposts always nearby in order to keep tabs on the growth of the historically mistreated people. Tazban serves as a center base of operations, but when observing the political map Laminarum, it is quite clear that the Augury completely surrounds the marsh continent, Mot D'nir. Many presume this to be a political tactic for them to assimilate the rest of the Tara-Jhen lands.
The implications are dour for those who wish to remain independent, as the human empire is larger than at any point in history. While Tara-Jhen authorities are always on the lookout for military activity to their west, no one can say with the many "cultural outposts" will shift into plots for military mobilization.

Never a Place so Vile, Never a Place so far from the Gods

"In all my days of devotion and discipline, never have I seen such a bastion for such diabolical habitation. All is clear in why the mountain sobs its tears of sunlit streams. The land beckons forgiveness and it is we that shall provide. In my days of prayer and humble servitude under the gaze of our merciful Ohdaufeen, never have I seen a place so vile. Never a place so far from the gods. Let us tear down their monuments to half-breed gods. Let us deface the statues and pray on the poor souls buried beneath them. Let us permit the people who were tortured, fossilized in their session of screams (undoubtedly in prayer to kinder gods), be buried in a land of proper respect and love. Let us deliver this land to salvation. May the Augurs give us strength in this endeavor."

— Priest of the Ohdaufeen in his speech to Tazban arrivals.

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All maps made with inkarnate

all art made with Midjourney*

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Decrepit Relics of the Past

This forgotten civilization serves not only as an outpost for Augury operations, but also a source of dishonest income. Anthropologists that visit the location will often hide artifacts and deliver them to sellers abroad in Trinen. These artifacts can sell anywhere from tens to thousands of gold pieces. Authorities often ignore these findings once the artifact has reached a buyer, with the only punishment following the smuggling being a large fine, essentially allowing the Augury to profit from the illegal trading as well. 
The most well known artifact sold abroad was a volcano casting of a human woman. She was well preserved before the burning and encased in a brittle, secondary substance before being cast. Her head and hands are visible from the igneous "pod," making for a truly disturbing display. This "piece" as the buyers call it went for a price of 3400 gold pieces, and was sold to the Osman family in the lordship of Eldurfjord.

Type

City