Zelandia

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zelandia (泽兰迪亚)
Alias(es)	“The Land of Sin”; later reorganized as the Zelandia Free City-State 16 350
Type	Underdark refugee settlement and mining territory; later a city-state encompassing Zelandia and Minas Tirith 16 350
Location	Original settlement: a natural dome more than twenty miles beneath Gershon City. Surface city: Minas Tirith, on the west bank of the Surbrin River in the Northlands 16 203 204
Leader	Li Wei, operating through identities including Lord Hogg and Levis 90 155 192 350
Principal organizations	Hogg Mining; Zelandia Magic Research Institute; Zelandia’s military 203 309 350 551
Status	Original underground city ruined by a Drow invasion; Minas Tirith collapsed during the Saints’ Calamity. Survivors evacuated, while Ascore remained a center of Zelandian continuity 560 561 587 592
First Appearance	Chapter 16, “The Land of Sin: Zelandia” 16

Geography and Settlements

Site	Description
Original Zelandia	A vast natural dome beneath Gershon City, described as having a space of over two hundred miles. Initially a Dead Magic Domain where conventional Weave-dependent spells were almost impossible to cast 16.
Thirteenth Layer	A deep, ore-rich mining layer containing mutated creatures and an enormous armored figure initially suspected to be a Titan. The buried entity was later identified as the Deceiver, Mofite Lan 46 494.
Zelandia Satellite City	Built thirty miles north of Gershon City in Valley Calendar year 1251. Its foundations were laid by approximately one hundred mages, a dwarven corps, and eight thousand miners 155.
Minas Tirith	Zelandia’s new surface city on the west bank of the Surbrin River, also called the White City. It formally merged with the underground territory to form the Zelandia Free City-State 203 204 350 416.
Ascore	Selected for reconstruction under the Great Eastern Development Strategy. Its survival later represented hope that Zelandia’s civilization would continue in the Northlands 494 587.

• Reported origin of the dome: Its formation was attributed to wild magic unleashed when Karsus’s attempt to seize divine authority destabilized the Weave 16.
• Former sewer system: Gershon’s Drow used the dome as a sewer; these tunnels also became an escape route for slaves and other fugitives 16 27 65.
• Surrounding surface threats: Earlier attempts to settle the proposed Surbrin territory had been thwarted by trolls, Orcs, frost giants, and griffons 192.

History

Refuge Beneath Gershon

Goblins were the first recorded inhabitants of the dome, thriving on refuse from Gershon City. Drow patrols proved ineffective, partly because rival Drow used the assignment to ambush one another. Escaped Duergar slaves subsequently entered the area, initially treating it as a transit point for escape 16.

The settlement became a refuge for several escaped slave races, which formed an alliance for survival. Gershon tolerated its existence in return for regular deliveries of rare ores and the extermination of goblins. This arrangement left Zelandia dependent on the Drow’s continuing willingness to accept it 16 72.

Li Wei’s Mining Enterprise

Li Wei selected Zelandia as his new base after extensive scouting by his slimes. His offer of mining jobs initially encountered resistance from Tiger and the Duergar leadership, who feared losing the stability they had established. Li Wei proposed opening a new mine to reduce the settlement’s tax burden, while roughly three hundred Red Fang Gnolls joined his cause 16 19.

Expanded mining eventually breached a rich layer containing a large biological cluster of mutated creatures. The resulting beast tide required almost all of Zelandia’s miners to fight; Remlu’s slime army helped repel it but suffered heavy losses. Inspection of the site revealed the colossal armored face embedded in the thirteenth layer 46.

Expansion Beyond the Dome

Li Wei planned an upper-level tunnel and a second city to reduce dependence on Gershon. Zelandia’s growing strength also drew the attention of Gershon’s Matriarch Council, which summoned him while considering a proposal for Lord Hogg to build a northern defensive city against beast tides 54 90.

Zelandian troops assisted in Gershon’s defense, and the satellite city was established afterward. Its central Hero Tower commemorated those killed in the fighting. Lord Hogg’s death was publicly announced, a funeral was held, and a temporary Hogg Mining Shareholders Council was established; Li Wei continued directing Zelandia as the slime Boss 96 155.

Return to the Surface

Li Wei used the merchant identity Levis to establish Zelandia’s reputation in Silvermoon City through food donations during a grain crisis. He negotiated support for a new territory west of the Surbrin River but declined Alustriel’s invitation to join the Silvermoon Federation 188 189 192.

The subsequent “Happiness Plan” offered refugees jobs and land in the new settlement. Underground, Zelandia’s leadership staged a public falling-out to make the migration appear to be an internal rupture rather than a coordinated challenge to the Drow. Fischer opened a surface teleportation gate, through which approximately ten thousand people—mostly surface-dwellers—departed 199 203 204.

Formation of the Free City-State

After forty-six years of hibernation, Li Wei returned to a much larger organization and confronted corruption within Zelandia Construction Group. He announced his resignation as Hogg Mining’s chairman, prohibited company employees from simultaneously holding government posts, and formally merged Zelandia and Minas Tirith into the Zelandia Free City-State 350.

The first conference introduced further reforms, including the conversion of slaves to civilian status and citizen proposals. Later, the city-state fought Luskan, deployed ten legions to Moonshadow Island, participated in postwar cooperation and reparations agreements, and celebrated its returning army while honoring the fallen 351 462 481 482.

Destruction and Survival

During the later divine crisis, the underground city suffered a Drow invasion. Warriors, mages, and miners remained behind to cover the evacuation; when Li Wei returned, shattered buildings and dead defenders filled the settlement. Hogg Mining’s headquarters remained relatively intact, but its restored clock had fallen silent 560.

Minas Tirith collapsed amid the demon assault and the emergence of the Hundred-Handed Abomination. Igg supported the city with magic while helping evacuate civilians, and Rayne sacrificed himself holding a pass against the demons 558 561.

The former harbor and the Evermoors became a blue sea known as the Silver Dragon’s Tear, where returning Zelandians erected memorial crosses. Refugees found shelter at Cowell in the Moonshadow Archipelago, while Ascore survived attacks and remained a source of hope for the continuation of Zelandian civilization 569 587 592.

Government and Civil Rights

Administration

• Early corporate government: Territorial affairs were closely intertwined with Hogg Mining. The board proposed matters, with Li Wei, Tiger, and Igg making and executing decisions under Huozi’s supervision 389.
• Escalation of decisions: Routine matters were resolved below board level; issues exceeding a department’s authority or ability were elevated for discussion 350.
• Meetings around dragon slumber: The board met annually, but meetings held before Li Wei’s sleep and after his awakening carried exceptional strategic importance 348.
• Separation of government and business: The first city-state conference required officials to choose between political office and commercial employment 350 351.
• Anti-corruption measures: Li Wei ordered severe punishment in a construction-company corruption case and provided a one-month amnesty for employees to confess earlier misconduct 350.

Residency and Legal Protection

• Identification: Residents received numbered identification plates and household registration booklets. These established their status as Zelandian subjects and were required for future house purchases in Minas Tirith 206.
• Slave redemption: The city-state was to purchase slaves and convert them to civilian status, recording the redemption cost as a debt 351.
• Basic protections: Citizens could report unwanted harassment to patrolling wolf-rider supervisors. Offenders faced detention, fines of up to five silver coins, and records affecting employment and military eligibility 415.
• Paths to advancement: Military merit, Magic Academy entrance examinations, and Magic Research Institute recruitment offered routes to higher standing 416.

Population and Society

• Mixed refugee population: Zelandia included escaped Duergar, Drow, Gnolls, Orcs, humans, and other former slaves or displaced people 16 19 53 203 204.
• Gender imbalance: A severely uneven gender ratio persisted from the mining settlement into the later city-state, contributing to social tensions and influencing the push toward surface settlement 53 54 203 415.
• Half-elves: Half-elves were held in particularly high esteem in Zelandia 415.
• Cavens Rat hierarchy: Surgically modified, intelligent Ratmen occupied the highest tier. Trained courier and food-delivery rats had legally protected survival rights, while ordinary rats that failed obedience training were treated as food and materials 162.
• Loyalty and remembrance: Military recruits recited oaths before their battle-group banner and Zelandia’s emblem. Fallen soldiers were honored through the Hero Tower, funerals, victory ceremonies, and later memorial crosses 155 227 316 482 569.

Economy and Infrastructure

Mining and Industry

• Mining foundation: Rare ores supported Zelandia’s early payments to Gershon, while Hogg Mining became the central organization around which employment and territorial administration developed 16 19 350.
• Industrial diversification: Li Wei’s ten-year plan called for stabilizing primary industries, developing secondary industries, and nurturing tertiary industries. The Drow market was identified as an immediate source of service-sector revenue 156.
• Construction economy: Building Minas Tirith and reconstructing Water-Drawing City’s Port District generated enormous demand for materials and labor 350.
• Steam transport: Steam locomotives carried mining personnel and were adapted with rows of shovels for snow clearing 53 227.
• New-settler financing: Immigrants received settlement supplies, but their costs were deducted from future wages. Cafeterias provided one serving of dishes alongside unlimited rice, bread, and meat soup 206.

Fifty-Year Development Strategy

Initiative	Intended purpose
Intercity expressways	Link Minas Tirith, Water-Drawing City, and Silvermoon City, connecting towns including Red Larch, Triboar, Yartar, Longsaddle, and Naimas 494.
Year-round transport	End the near-total seasonal interruption of Northlands transportation from early winter through late spring 494.
Great Eastern Development	Rebuild Ascore and begin afforestation extending into Anauroch 494.
Moonshadow Druid employment	Employ Druids in northern development projects, allowing their wages to support reconstruction of their homeland 494.
Connor Stone deployment	Develop a Netherese technology whose raw material, chardalyn gems, had been conclusively found in Anauroch’s mountains 494.

Education, Magic, and Research

Educational Institutions

• Mining education: Li Wei promised a Mining Industry School offering subjects including magic, science, and mechanical dynamics 53.
• Primary schooling: A Zelandia Mining Workers’ Primary School appeared as the underground city expanded 162.
• Higher education: Zelandia Magic Academy examinations provided an advancement route, while Minas Tirith Magic University later expanded enrollment 416 525.

Zelandia Mobile Dreamweave

• Local restoration: A tower spirit brought from the Netheril Magic Ship used Mythallar energy to reactivate a surviving portion of the local Weave 171.
• Initial limit: The restored system could reach the seventh layer of the Weave 171.
• Research benefit: Restoration allowed experiments to remain in the secure underground laboratories rather than requiring relocation to the satellite city 171.
• Administrative application: Dreamweave supported authorized data-computation services, including Igg’s demonstration of a mutual-preference matching system 203.

Medicine and Biological Engineering

• Surgical medicine: Thirteen years of development produced treatments that helped compensate for Zelandia’s shortage of clerics 234.
• Enhancement surgery: Research included additional hearts and lungs, bone and muscle augmentation, and blood reconstruction. Modified Cavens Ratmen demonstrated several implanted organs 162.
• Warrior transformation: Huozi and Drolu underwent laboratory enhancement, and Li Wei later ordered preparations for trials converting lower- and middle-ranked warriors into Extreme Warriors 234 235 294.
• Intelligence enhancement: “Ape Intelligence Enhancement Surgery” improved memory and processing speed, raising intelligence by one or two points under the institute’s professional-stat framework 525.

Constructs and Equipment Research

• Golemcraft: Zelandia maintained a Golem Workshop that produced a Diamond Golem for testing in the Griffon Mountains 352.
• Weapon development: Researchers worked on alternative-energy chainswords and developed the enchanted Demon-Rending Repeating Crossbow 39 300.
• Technical limits: Early power-armor knowledge exceeded local manufacturing capabilities; at that stage, Zelandia could produce only a braced exoskeleton adding a few dozen pounds of force 312.
• Major construct investment: A later alloy-dragon prototype consumed part of decades of steel reserves, bank funding, Netherese golemcraft, and the efforts of leading Northlands spellcasters 514.
• Netheril archive: Li Wei entrusted Igg and other researchers with a recovered archive, leaving them broad discretion over its applications 494.
• War Apostle Foundry: Beneath Zelandia, this facility became the site where Li Wei took control of Mofite Lan’s body during the final crisis 560.

Military

Forces and Development

Period / Force	Documented strength or role
Red Fang Gnolls	Approximately three hundred joined Li Wei during his early recruitment effort 19.
Early Duergar veterans	Six hundred survivors of the escape from Drow encirclement supplied much of the settlement’s genuine battlefield experience 55.
Early Battle Mage Corps	Approximately one hundred members; only thirty-two could independently combine Calm and Composed with Great Fireball, including Fischer and Igg 55.
Gershon defense deployment	More than one hundred mages delivered a coordinated evocation barrage, producing a curtain of flame extending over three miles 96.
Fifty-year military plan	Li Wei aimed to establish at least twenty tactically flexible battle groups capable of rapid response and coordinated sea, land, and air operations 300.
Moonshadow Island deployment	Levis summoned a full ten legions into the battlefield 462.
Later Minas Tirith army	Recruitment expansion tripled its size over approximately twenty years, bringing it to 150,000 551.

Training and Combat Traditions

• Comprehensive instruction: New Army recruits trained in formations, tactics, swordsmanship, archery, riding, first aid, combat languages, night raids, and decapitation operations. Their final test included troll hunting in the Evermoors 316.
• Dragonbound Knights: Outstanding service and promotion to command a hundred-person company could earn eligibility for a transformation trial. Successful knights possessed at least high-ranking warrior strength and elf-comparable lifespans 341.
• Melee-capable mages: Mining-era conditions made physical combat training—or taking fighter classes—a longstanding tradition among Zelandian spellcasters 367.
• Close-combat equipment: During the Moonshadow fighting, Battle Mages abandoned ranged casting when the lines intermingled, reinforced themselves with spells, and entered melee with chainswords 463.
• Specialized formations: Forces included Gnoll guards, Duergar legions, Battle Mages, laboratory-created Ultimate Battle Rats, and the Order of Battle Sisters 53 217 664.
• Military welfare: Families of soldiers killed in battle received generous death benefits, with descendants’ living expenses and education fully funded until adulthood 551.

External Relations

• Gershon City — Initially tolerated Zelandia for tribute and goblin suppression, later sought its military assistance and influence over its leadership. Drow forces ultimately invaded the underground city 16 54 155 560.
• Silvermoon Federation — Supported the proposed surface settlement after Levis’s food donations. Zelandia declined federation membership but later pursued transport and regional-development cooperation 188 192 494.
• Water-Drawing City — Connected to Zelandia through port reconstruction, regional development, wartime cooperation, and reinforcement of Minas Tirith 350 494 561.
• Moonshadow Island — Received Zelandian military aid and reconstruction supplies, entered a cooperation agreement, and later sheltered evacuated Zelandians 462 481 592.
• Luskan — A wartime enemy subjected to reparations and military restrictions in the postwar settlement 416 481.
• Jenisar — A Calimshan resistance organization involved in a migration plan intended to give its people the option of settling in Zelandia 416.
• Lolth and hostile gods — Fear of divine retaliation constrained Zelandia’s early dealings with the Drow. After the city-state’s destruction, Li Wei declared war on the gods he held responsible 72 203 561.

Legacy

• Ascore’s survival: Li Wei regarded Ascore as the hope that Zelandia’s civilization and collective will would endure in the Northlands 587.
• Dispersed Zelandians: Evacuees settled in the Moonshadow Archipelago, while later passages show Zelandians working in Barto Hell and Fischer mourning the lost city-state 592 650.
• New magical affinities: Many Zelandian immigrants acquired elemental affinity on the day associated with Mystra’s death and the sealing of the Weave 601.
• Surviving military identity: The Zelandia Order of Battle Sisters remained active, with Aierlinni leading an attack on Lolth at Water-Drawing City 664.