Zvenilev is incredibly remote, located in the depths of a forest in the Czegniks. Some people are unconvinced it even exists, and very few people can back up claims to have been there. The settlement is more of a fortress than a tirsa, populated almost entirely by the chekist and, it is said, a handful of ice witches. The traders who take supplies there say they are turned away at the gates and required to travel quickly away from the settlement. In compensation, they are paid very well, and they keep the precise location secret to avoid competition.[1a]
Speculation as to the purpose of Zvenilev is rife. It must be something vital to the defence of the Tzarina, or the chekist would not be involved. But just what that could be, so far from Kislev, is a mystery. People who speculate about the Dark Gods do so very quietly and, even then, only with people they trust. Most people wonder in the safety of their own minds.[1a]