Overview
Hengzhou is the capital city of Hengvaris in central Valrindor.
By 5368 AX, Hengzhou is still active. Supplies move from Hengzhou and Laizhou toward Garrik's front near Omberion and Maraveth, and camps run along that line.
Description
Hengzhou lies northwest of Kaldaryn, with Maraveth beyond it, and sits near the route toward the great wall separating Shroudvale from the rest of Valrindor. Forests and hills surround the city, and Garrik later builds a road from Hengzhou toward his settlement outside Maraveth.
The city is compact, with tightly packed wooden buildings, winding streets, and curved red-and-golden rooftops and eaves. Its air carries incense and soot.
History
Vianna's family lives in Hengzhou for two years after the Brighthaven Civil War begins. During the Battle of Hengzhou, the shapers devastate most of the capital, leaving its streets broken by splintered wood, fallen beams, rubble, and smoke-darkened stone.
Isaac sends Garrik toward Hengzhou because Vianna is there. Khoradyn's army reaches the city after the Battle of Hengzhou has begun, fights the shapers, and gathers the survivors who march east with the army afterward.
When the shapers break free again, mages gather in Hengzhou from across Valrindor, and the army from Hengzhou joins Laizhou troops for a decisive clash. By 5368 AX, the city still has visible scars from the Battle of Hengzhou. Young trees and new vegetation mark regrowth around areas that had been razed.