The cursed ruins of a once-vital fortress on Pyris Island's eastern coast.
Position
Fort Tenze guards a secondary chokepoint west of the Needle, less critical than the main strait but still significant. Ships attempting to bypass Tarkhetan's tariffs by hugging the western coast would pass within range of Fort Tenze's walls.
Or they would, if the fortress still functioned.
History
Fort Tenze was built during the Neferati era, one of several fortresses securing Tarkhon's control of the passage. For centuries it functioned as intended, garrisoned, maintained, watching the western approaches.
During the Severance (~300 years ago), the civil war that ended Neferati rule, Fort Tenze's garrison chose the losing side. They held for the Neferati claimant while the human faction took Tarkhetan itself.
When the victors came to take the fortress, something went wrong.
The details are disputed. Some historical accounts say the garrison's firemages lost control during the final assault, consuming themselves and the fortress in magical backlash. Others say the Neferati commander performed a desperate ritual: a curse, a summoning, a final act of spite. What's certain is that Fort Tenze burned with unnatural fire.
The flames were eventually extinguished, but the wrongness remained.
The Curse
Fort Tenze's stones are twisted in ways that shouldn't be possible. Walls that were straight now curve. Stairs lead to nowhere. Rooms that should connect don't. The geometry is subtly, persistently wrong.
More disturbing are the effects on people who stay too long:
- Workers report whispers in languages they don't understand
- Figures appear in peripheral vision, never when looked at directly
- Dreams of burning, of being trapped in walls, of fire that doesn't consume but doesn't stop
- Equipment fails at critical moments. Stones won't set. Mortar cracks overnight.
- People disappear. Not often, but enough.
Three times the crown has ordered Fort Tenze rebuilt. Three times the attempt has been abandoned after casualties and failures. The current policy is to ignore it.
Current State
The fortress is empty of official presence. The Pyrisi avoid it; they tell stories to keep children away.
Smugglers use the ruins as a waypoint, taking advantage of the unguarded chokepoint. But even they don't stay long. A few hours to transfer cargo, then gone before nightfall. Nobody sleeps in Fort Tenze.
Some say there's a presence in the deepest ruins, where the Neferati commander made his last stand. Treasure hunters occasionally go looking. They rarely come back.
Strategic Implications
The absence of Fort Tenze creates a gap in Tarkhon's defenses. Smugglers exploit it. Fast ships can slip through the western passage without paying tariffs.
This costs the crown money, but not enough to justify another attempt at rebuilding. Some on the royal council want to try anyway, with priests, exorcists, whatever it takes. Others say the risk isn't worth it.
And some whisper that certain parties (smugglers, merchants who profit from contraband, even foreign powers) would prefer Fort Tenze stay ruined. Perhaps some of them are ensuring it stays that way.