Vanok Tus
Vanok Tus, the City of Fiends, is one of the thirteen Cities of Norn, founded in the former territory of Lord Xarzad the Damned.
History
Champion Challenge history
The goth pixie Elsa Shimmerdeath is the current Champion of Vanok Tus. Past champions include:
- Burt Grun'dell
- Myrtle Langdale
- Pinto "The Bean" Beansington
- Kuronuma Kuni
- Bartleby Benjamin
- Ashraf Sadid
- Gustav Hasapis
- Kriz Gnukmub
- Collawk
Geography and landmarks
The sky above Vanok Tus has been filled with rings of flame since the death of Xarzad, keeping the city in permanent dusk. A popular landmark in Vanok Tus is the massive, red-hot metal chain embedded in the city center, which stretches up into the clouds.[1] Land development restrictions exist forbidding the construction of buildings taller than five stories to maintain focus on the chain.
Prefectures
Vanok Tus is divided into thirteen prefectures. Twelve of these are contiguous, with the one exception being the small island of Nova Point. Nova Point has submitted a few dozen formal secession requests, which the Vanok Tus City Council has declined to address.[2] The other twelve prefectures are made of rather irregular shapes. While most people know generally which area they live in, the exact boundaries are on a map that the Vanok Tus City Council does not publish.[3]
Culture
Recreation
One of the most popular activities in Vanok Tus is going "Demon Driving." Former Champion Burt Grun’dell owns several acres of grassland to the east of the city and allows people to battle in fantastical vehicles, often until the vehicles break down or the people inside are too injured to continue. Competitors face off in teams of two to three, plus a driver that Burt supplies. Getting a Demon Driving license takes around two years of intensive training, which critics have described as “nowhere near enough time”.
Other recreational activities in Vanok Tus include:
- Leaving your apartment during Elsa Shimmerdeath’s challenge.
- Swimming at any of the city’s rocky beaches during Dagon season.
- Attempting the Demogorgon Challenge at Malbolge Meats.
Food
Vanok Tus is known as one of the best food cities in Norn, blending the creative seafood preparations of Briskain with the rich dairy-based recipes of Commoil. Being residents of the Fiend city, many chefs in Vanok Tus add some spice to their recipes, but none add more than Gustav Hasapis. His Demogorgon concoction consists of a two pound platter of pulled chicken, grilled fish, and stewed beef all slathered with melted cheese and a chili sauce that was cooked using the heat of the Hellchain in the center of the city. Only three people have ever completed it.
Crime
Vanok Tus possesses a high crime rate relative to some other Nornian cities. In order to combat this, a handful of warlocks have founded the Association of Patron-Enhanced Xenoarcanists (APEX). This organization is a support group for warlocks, providing an academic forum for discussing the latest essays on invocations, fashion tips on how to wear different shades of black together, and therapy for those whose minds have been fractured by repeated contact with eldritch beings. They also host daily Charmer’s Markets, where they sell enchanted pieces of weapons and armor. These range from gleaming swords of fire that only the noblest of heroes can wield to slightly stained gauntlets that turn any rapier they touch into a scimitar.
Music
The city is also home to a thriving music scene. The many concert venues of the city host a huge array of bands whose genres range from thrash metal and doom metal all the way over to slash metal and slaad metal. One of the most popular venues in the city is the famed dive bar Steve’s Place, which hosts Elsa Shimmerdeath’s band, Move Over Marilith.[4]
Notes
- ↑ And if rumors are to be believed, it stretches down to the center of the planet and even further into the fires of the Nine Hells.
- ↑ Left under some file cabinet and using Modify Memory to forget which filing cabinet it was, thus giving them plausible deniability.
- ↑ Regrettably put under a filing cabinet and forgot about, but actually by accident this time.
- ↑ Earplugs come free with any draft beer during happy hour.
