Markalfar

Markalfar

History

Markalfar is one of the oldest cities in the land. Originally thought to have been built by Trolls, the city's first records start in the first millenia with a group of sand nomads called the Illits.

Around the year 800, the Illits decided to settle Markalfar shortly after a devastating loss against Krog of DemonRak, who's land grab interefered with the original sovereignty of the Illits roaming lands. The city was officially established in Summer of 864, though it’s not known exactly why that date was chosen as some records indicate it was settled well before that.

For 800 years the settlement of Markalfar grew into a city. During the Golden Age it was a bustling trade city, and attracted business from all over Mjoldor.

Shortly after the great disappearance of the Dverger in 1760, trade routes began to collapse and Markalfar entered a depression]. In 1761 there was a military coup staged to attempt to take the throne from the Sultan, but it ended in failure. The leader of the coup, General Hassan was publicly humiliated and tortured, which ended in his death. General Hassan was thence named the patron saint of rebellion, and is used as a cuss word among the people of Markalfar.

Immediately thereafter a large refugee movement began to overrun the city; men from nomadic tribes in the northern valley fled from what they called “a disturbance”, most likely linked to the disappearance of the dverger from their mines in the north. Facing desecration of their lands, poverty from the economic depression and fear of a new and immortal enemy to their North, the Illit Sultan signed a pact with the human nomads, offering them shelter in return for labor. Over time the Illits incorporated the humans into their society, cross breeding and producing the modern day Markalfarns.

For the next 20 years, the Markalfarns fought various shades of hideous creature that wandered in from the northern plains, which by this time was growing desolate. It’s recorded in the historical scroll:

“The grass began to wither, as a mushroom in the desert

The trees lost their shade, and fruit

A rumble in the ground shook the heart of Markalfar

Evil comes to our gate

Each one more hideous than the last.”

Haman, 1782

Everything came to a head in 1765 when the Markalfarns woke one morning to a dark haze on their northern horizon. For three days the citizens watched uneasily as it grew steadily darker, and darker, and the vegetation began to die at an alarming rate. Haman again tells the story:

“In the Spring of 1765

A dark shadow covered the land

It came up to the gate but drew no closer

People grew restless and the livestock knew calamity like never before.

All living things fled south

But the heart of the people stayed rooted

One night a cry was heard

Followed by another!

''Orcs in the city! Orcs in the fields!''

Markalfar faced a great darkness

And through blood and battle

Stived the great onslaught

And sent them back to the bowels of the earth.”

Haman, 1765

Desperate for help, Sultan Amaan requested emergency council at the Grand Thing 1765, where all of the Mjoldorian leaders had gathered for a normal annual meeting. Concerned on the implications of the Orc army and it’s attack on Markaflar, The Kings of the dark elves summoned a great force of 10,000 soldiers, with Markalfar providing 200 of it’s own. In the Great Battle of DemonRak, against the DemiGod Krog, the King of Light Elves fell; and the Dark Elves won the victory at a great cost.

This did not stop the evil from spreading, however. Even after the fall of Krog at the hands of the Dark Elves, evil and poison continued to pour out from the North Valley. Markalfar suffered immensely during this time, and many were stricken with disease or insanity.

In 1785 the Elves and Markalfarns began construction of the North Wall, a cooperative effort that greatly improved the city’s relationship with the rest of the land. The wall spans seven thousand cubits long, 100 cubits high and is the oldest structure known to us at this time.

For another 40 years the darkness from the north continued assaulting the wall periodically, but never in force or organized. The official containment date was announced by Sultan Amaan as Summer 12, 1820, and Markalfar enjoyed peace for the next 2200 hundred years.

The city again faced conflict in 3002, when the Dark Elf queen Hexx assaulted Markalfar unexpectedly, decimating it’s armies and destroying more than half of the city. Heidl tells the story:

''“In Fall 34, 3002, in the early dawn hours I awoke to a single scream. I sat up to figure out what the noise was, and heard nothing more. A few moments later, another. Disturbed, I rose from my bed to find the streets littered with bodies - and Dokkalfar soldiers were everywhere.'' And from the aura of their soldiers, I knew evil was about.” Heidl, The Witch of the Dokkalfar

According to Heidl’s manuscript, the population of the city before the attack was well over 200,000. By the end of the day, the population stood solid at 1,075 remained. The Dokkalfar queen struck a solid blow, burning the city and many men, women and children alive before they even knew what had happened to them.

Markalfar fought bravely but didn’t stand a chance against the demonkind sorceress. After three days of battle, Heidl, with the help of a few other light elf mages, managed to assault the dark queen herself, and before any of the Dokkalfar could react, forced her out of the city through the north gate and cursed it; Heidl explains:

“The witch stood there scowling

And inhumanly screaming as her forces scattered

With the ferocity of a banshee she pounded upon her containment

And with the breath of a demon spit powerful curses

but behind the wall she was powerless

And the wall was impenetrable.”

Heidl, The Witch of the Dokkalfar

Angry, humiliated and her armies dispersed, Hexx disappeared into the mists of Sal’Aum, and was never seen or heard from again.

Over the next thousand years Markalfar regained it’s popularity, and happily sits as the center of Mjoldorian trade and free commerce.

Culture

Considering it's distance from anything habitable or big, Markalfar stands as a trading ground between the elven lands to the east and the realms of human in the west. The Dark Elves make appearances too once in a great while, though it is rare.

There are two types of people in Markalfar; the ones who like the desert and the ones that don't. It's a bustling township full of mercantile, mostly imports from the east, and produce from the south. Livestock are not as popular here, as many die from heat exhaustion before they ever reach Markalfar; however, some have been breeding Cattle and other livestock for generations.

Drugs also run Rampant in the inner city. Imported Skoom and magic abuse are frequently found in "Dirt Alley", which is about as intimidating as you can imagine. The Castle sits on the north side of town, with it's peak towers overlooking the north and it's bleak horizon. Aristocrats and other higher offices have homes here, and it's where you'll find most of the important people in Markalfar. Markalfarns are notorious salesmen. The skill is so common in fact it is engrained into their culture; you will not get through the market without buying something. Crime is very high in Markalfar, but it's very much contained. Thieves run by a strict code, ensuring their safety as a group from the strict and angry laws set down by the Sultan. Because of this, Crime is very well organized in Markalfar. Markalfarns love to gossip - but you never know if what you're going to hear is meant to mislead you, as it so often can be. They are also highly superstitious and untrusting of strangers. Markalfarns love dancing, and it is considered a cultural and historical priveledge to dance, especially to outsiders.