By Lady Emily
To Cities and Provinces Treatises
If you live in Aranor, you see them in the streets – pale of flesh and black of hair, mostly quiet and unobtrusive. The Maelmuirians are here among us. It might seem odd that a people so unknown and closed in their dealings with the outside world walk our streets, but they do. They are those who have fled Maelmuire.
Just as Japurans, fleeing the ways of their lands, have come to us and taught us much about the workings of their province, so too are we discovering what lies within the dark towers of Maelmuire’s cities. Here is a primer, a taste of what we’re learning.
Maelmuire is situated in the New World, and is politically considered a sovereign province consisting of the large, westernmost peninsula on the northern shore. It is an old civilization, pre-dating any of the settlements on the Old or New Worlds. The story of how it was settled is usually told like this –
Long ago, centuries before the great Masallan expansion, a large contingent of Masallans left Masalla, sailing over the endless horizon in search of new lands.
They had no destination, and navigation was certainly not what it is today. They were borne on fickle winds and smoothly moving ocean currents, and they sailed westward. They came in close to land when they saw it, but did not stop their travels, for they were searching for an elusive vision -- signs of other humans. It was not until they reached that far western peninsula that they finally saw smoke in the air, and then, the unnatural shapes of buildings and ships materialized upon the shore. They approached the city -- a strange city whose ebony-faced occupants looked out with dark, intelligent eyes.
The Masallans had discovered the Eldritch, one of the first and primal races of Carador.
They were welcomed in, and the barriers of language were overcome by the deep sense of connection the Masallans felt with the Eldritch. Though these new people were strange to the Masallans, they had somehow evolved a society in which arts and magic and worldliness were common things; where none of the segregation and inequalities so present in their Masallan homeland existed. It was everything they had dreamed of.
What happened after that is anyone's guess. The cultures united. A hundred years later there were no Masallans left, and no Eldritch left. Only a new breed of people, a new breed with new ways and a new culture forged of an odd mix of Eldritch and Masallan ways.
The Maelmuirians.
They kept the glossy black hair of the Eldritch, the eyes so dark no pupil could be discerned. But the white skin mellowed to a soft, fair pale. They were finely boned, and often beautiful. A new civilization born of two old ones; a people in love with their home and their lands.
On their graceful ships, the Maelmuirians sailed around the entirety of their great and wild province. They mapped it and explored it. Many places became sacred – either for their beauty, or for the magic that ran up from deep in the world’s bones. Other areas became sacred for historical reasons. Ancient ruins, left by the Eldritch, were carefully preserved and entered only by Maelmuirian historians. They discovered strange, native peoples living on their province, and carefully gave them berth, allowing them to preserve their own lifeways.
Roadways were built through the wilderness, linking small keeps and villages that grew up next to the sacred places. And those of Maelmuire lived and died and had many children who strove to explore the lands and the extensive, mostly abandoned city of Maelmuire, with its catacombs and towers, its great halls and twining streets. It was a time of powerful growth and prosperity, and all of what is now called the New World was then called Maelmuire.
As difficult as it might be for us to believe, the people of Maelmuire were once peaceful, perhaps among the most balanced of civilizations. They lived with the most modern of conveniences, enjoyed the fruits of advanced magical practice, and yet, they maintained a reverence for the land and the native peoples of their immense province.
It may have remained that way, but people came again. These were people of the Old World, mostly Masallan blood, tinged here and there with Fae or Northern roots. They had left the Old World after the Goddards took power, and they landed on the southeastern shore and began to build.
If you read the histories of Rilhaven, it was the Maelmuirians who attacked first. Maelmuirian history says the opposite. Whatever the case, the initial meeting was marked by blood, and there ensued a terrible battle as the Old Worldians struggled to carve a place for themselves out of the trees and flesh of Maelmuire.
Thus began the Maelmuirian wars. The Maelmuirians were many, but they were not warlike, and the powerful, hardy fighters from the Old World easily decimated village after village, and used the remains of the settlements to forge themselves a giant fort in the heart of the New World -- Rilhaven.
All the artistic endeavors of the Maelmuirians, all the learning, turned to the art of war. Necessity demanded it. Maelmuirians from across the province came back to the mother city, and began the processes of building ships, of making weapons and learning how to use them. New leaders stepped to the forefront of power in Maelmuire, rallying the people to defend their homeland, and magic was turned to dark ends.
Two new cities were born. These were not cities of trade and commerce, but cities surrounded by walls, with gates open to the sea where young men learned the skills of blade and poison. Maelmuire hunkered down on the northern peninsula and fought desperately to defend itself, for those of Rilhaven were coming against them with ever more force.
The Raven Wars commenced, named for the birds that would descend on the forests after each battle was fought. The fight had its own momentum -- each attack by the Maelmuirians was an excuse for an attack by those of the New World, and vice versa. Bands of men from Rilhaven, intent on becoming heroes, planned night raids on the fortress cities, burning and killing everything they could.
But such killing cannot go on forever. Blocked by the northern mountains, and slowed by the distance between their fortress city and Maelmuire, the warriors of Rilhaven lessened their attacks. At last, an uneasy boundary was agreed upon at the base of the Maelmuirian Peninsula. It is a boundary which still remains acceptable to those of the New World today, but one that is hated by the Maelmuirians, who are considered a threat if they are found below that mark, and killed on sight.
With such a boundary in place, the Maelmuirians brooded in anger, mourning the loss of their lands and all the sacred places which could now never be visited. The people of Rilhaven, however, spread themselves throughout the land, building the settlements of Faol, Cuan, Auralay, and Casara. The famous city of Antara grew upon the southern shore, and the magic that prospered there dispelled any dreams of Maelmuire reclaiming its territory.
Old Eldritch ruins were plundered by the people of the New World, and the artifacts, once sacred to the Maelmuirians, were sold to collectors. It was a time of sorrow and despair for the Maelmuirian people.
And then the Lambrodegh family emerged. Promising to right the wrongs of the past, they began a new age for Maelmuire, an age where the energies of the people were balanced between art and war, where the unique culture of Maelmuire was once again to be seen as sacred and beautiful. They encouraged many children, so that the population grew. They moved gold to build more ships and weapons. They reinstated trade with the legendary provinces of Ajaea and Toron, as well as the Sereg to the north. Too, they began a segregation of people, and dictated roles for men and women. Some individuals were shifted to positions of power and wealth, and others to lesser and more menial roles. It was the beginning of the Maelmuirian culture as we know it today– a society ruled by the preparation for war, and a place of repression, especially for women.
When Queen Lillian came to Aranor, the Maelmuirians attacked via the sea, attempting to take the city for themselves. Know one knows exactly why, but strategists suggest that the Maelmuirians might have been hoping to forge an empire in the Old World, an empire that would serve as a distraction to their ultimate goals of reclaiming the New World. Or perhaps their skillful diviners had foreseen that Aranor would become the most powerful political force in the world – a political force that could destroy them. And destroy them it may, as it continues to welcome refugees fleeing the restricted culture of Maelmuire.
In any case, the attacks failed, and the Lambrodegh name became despised in the Old World as well as the New.
Aranor emerged, and with her, a new age of freedom and enlightenment. Remarkable shifts of power rolled through the world, not the least of which was the defection of Storm Lambrodegh, Princess of Maelmuire, to the Aranorian side. With that visible and symbolic action, a greater defection began. Maelmuirians left in droves for the Old World and a new way of life. Maelmuirian culture was often viewed as stagnant, dead, and cruel.
The Lambrodeghs clenched down, banning trade and attempting to stop the flow. This only encouraged it, and Maelmuire now sits sadly reduced in population, crippled from within.
The Culture Now
Maelmuire continues to be a sexually segregated province -- the women of the city are banned from using weapons and fulfill largely subservient roles. Likely this materialized out of the war-like culture Maelmuire had to become, where powerful males were dominant.
In Sodoem and Mogruith women fill an even more subservient role -- breeding to make more warriors. Women who have broken strong cultural taboos are sent to either of the fortresses to please the men and make little ones. Girls are raised up to continue the tradition, and boys are brought up as warriors from birth. This has created a new and legendary breed of warrior said to possess mystical qualities. As of yet, none seem to have been released upon the world.
The population of Maelmuire has been severely reduced by perhaps 30%, and the total population now numbers somewhere in the13,000 to 14,000 range. Those who have remained, however, are more unified, and tend toward a strong loyalty to Maelmuire and the Lambrodegh line. Many harbor dreams of someday driving off the intruders and once again roaming their lands freely. The continual raids on Rilhaven are meant to encourage the citizens there to leave.
As of late, some strange and interesting new factors have come into play.
Rumors of the return of the Eldritch have been spreading, and the thought that has long dwelled in the minds of Maelmuirians -- that the ancient race had some plan from the beginning -- has been renewed in strength. Bizarre animals have been sighted, and odd new plants have been found growing both outside and within the city. Strange, unexplainable lights have begun to make appearances, and inexplicable diseases are circulating -- diseases which seem untreatable and bring the victims to near-death before they swiftly recuperate with a new-found vigor for life. Many of the victims report unusual new perceptions after the disease -- a knowledge of what is to come, an increased ability to feel and sense magical workings, and sometimes, the presence of strange powers.
And now, with sightings of Eldritch moving throughout the Known Lands and their enigmatic connections to the legendary Great Wyrms, we can only wonder at the unseen momentum building in that far northern province.
Lastly, I should make clear my mention of the two provinces with which Maelmuire trades. I called them ‘legendary’ because there have been periodic references to cultures existing to the north of Maelmuire. But the reports of Maelmuirian refugees in Aranor give us the first direct confirmation of such tales.
Following, then, is the first official documentation of two new provinces – Toron and Ajaea – provinces which may, within the next moons or years, become as familiar as Masalla and Jedda Felsuin. Though out information is limited at this point, we will divulge all that we do know.
Toron - Toron is a vast empire far to the north whose people are likely of Caradorian Demonic origin. These are a theoretical race of people who turned to Demonic ways, but never ‘separated’ from our world to live in the Realm of Lorenai. Caradorian Demons are said to resemble the demonic races of Lorenai, and to be a wild, passionate, and brutal people. They do not, however, feed off of humans in the way that Lorenai demons do. It is this race – Caradorian Demonic – that people claim Queen Lillian to be when they say she is a ‘demon’.
The Toron empire is vast, with over thirty different cities and no stable hierarchy of power. It is said to be a warlike place, with warlords scrambling for power and prestige.
Maelmuire receives various articles of trade from Toron, including beautiful art and statuary, as well as weapons and armor of highly evolved steel. What the Toroné people look like seems quite a varied affair – apparently, they have no singular look unto themselves.
Ajaea – Further north is believed to exist the province of Ajaea, an intricate, bridged city that lies on the coast. If the province holds other cities or villages is not known. The Ajaeans, unlike the Toroné, have a distinctive look – black haired and light skinned, with aquamarine eyes. Although Ajaea is thought to be a place of beauty and high culture, they have little to fear from their war-like Toroné neighbors. Why? Because Ajaean culture has turned its energy primarily to a single purpose – the breeding of animals.
Their magic and time has allowed the Ajaeans to become geniuses at the crossing of animals, and it is said that they ride the most remarkable steeds. The common person will ride not only upon the ground, but upon the wings of flying beasts, and other animals serve hundreds of other purposes, from acting as guards to serving as scouts, spies, or laborers. Huge, muscled beasts drag stone through the streets to be carved into new buildings, and crosses between whales, krakens, and sharks guard their bays.
All of these creatures are said to be highly domesticated, bred for obedience and intelligence. Indeed, rumors of introducing human blood into some creatures have been heard.
Maelmuire primarily acquires furs and leathers, as well as other animal products, from Ajaea.
Both provinces are currently the primary focus of many adventurers and explorers, but thus far, no one has returned with direct confirmation of either province’s existence. It can only be surmised that the intrepid explorers first encountered the province of Toron, said to be the southernmost of the two, and were killed or taken as slaves.
With the interesting twists and developments occurring in the Known Lands today, many are curious to watch the actions of Maelmuire unfold. We can only hope that the terrible raggedness of Maelmuire’s past will resolve itself in some positive way, and that this ancient ‘province’ will at last find the freedom to heal itself and create a fresh image in the world.
To Cities and Provinces Treatises