Malardân

Category	Cities
Continent	Brucrumus
Region	Faeglor
Alias	Lordak Kadrin
Owner	independent city-state
Population	30,000+
Races	Khazarkar 70% Kriavfahliil 10% Drow 5% Mîmêk 5% Gradorian 5% other 5%
Deity	Arcana, Kossuth
Founded	21 Hollow 1850 HE
Map	Riwthor

Beneath the scorching expanse of Borngring lies a vast subterranean chamber. At the center of this domain resides the fiery region of Arnergal. Fire giant shamans tracing their lineage to the Titan empire of Hofthorm assert that the lake serves as the molten core fueling the volcanoes of Steirgar.

In the Horgon Era, a company of roaming Mîmêk ventured to this location. They established Lordak Kadrin, the Dwarven term meaning "Magic Anvil." They constructed their settlement here to harness the arcane energy welling up from the depths of Arnergal.

In 2114 HE, driven by fanatical followers of Surtur, the Hofthorm empire sacked the town. They devastated Arcana's temples, massacring or enslaving the entire population. For decades afterward, Hofthorm continued to dispatch forces to eliminate any who sought refuge there. When the Eldritch Conclave began reconstructing the site, Hofthorm had long since fallen, yet they faced marauding bands of fire giants seeking plunder rather than carrying out the orders of their deity. These fire giants utilized an ancient road connecting the surface to the shores of Arnergal. The giants would then wade or swim across the fiery lake to assault the settlement, now renamed Malardân by the Conclave. Ultimately, the Conclave collapsed the tunnel and later forged an alliance with the fire giants of the various holdings spread across the surface area of Borngring.

On a towering plateau above Borngring stands the settlement now known as Malardân. Following the Eldritch Civil War (1017 - 1027) of the Second Epoch, the remnants of a defeated Eldritch Conclave came to what was then an imposing ruin. It became the home of rebel Khazarkars yearning to re-establish the magocracy that had once ruled supreme in the final years (993 - 1027) of the First Khazarkar Empire. Today, this organization, the Eldritch Conclave, stands as Malardân's most powerful and longest-standing mage guild. The prevailing belief is that this group serves as the true rulers of Malardân, controlling affairs from behind the scenes.

Numerous fire bats inhabit the loftiest towers of this metropolis. These winged creatures originate from the realm of Muspelheim. They have arrived in this vicinity through a rift within Arnergal. Malardân occasionally faces assaults from fire trolls, salamanders, and other incendiary brutes emerging from Arnergal's depths.

Beyond the mystic font within Arnergal, the city of Malardân is renowned for its defiance against the Khazarkar Empire.

A detachment of mages, numbering in the hundreds, restraining the entire formidable power of the Khazarkar Empire from crushing our resistance movement

Malardân is home to Khazarkars, fire giants, firenewts, Mîmêk, Drow, Kriavfahliil, and a variety of other races, including salamanders dwelling in a warren of ancient lava tubes near the city's eastern district. The Kriavfahliil arrived in the city after the Khazarkar Empire subjugated Gilraen. The city's harsh conditions were not for the faint of heart, so most newcomers were driven by a thirst for vengeance. This desire was fulfilled when they joined the Eldritch Conclave, which shared their motive of seeking to overthrow the Khazarkar Empire.

The grandest and most awe-inspiring edifice within the city is the renowned Yanâth-Târuk. This fortified structure extends across Bal-Kriav and several other realms, serving as the central command for the Eldritch Conclave.

The two most prominent churches in this city-state are those dedicated to Arcana and Kossuth. The Church of Arcana has existed the longest. The incorporation of the Church of Kossuth arose from ongoing conflict with fire giants, salamanders, and other fiery brutes claiming to carry out the whims of Surtur. More often than not, a common adversary led to a pact between these two Higher Powers, whereby the two churches would collaborate to keep their enemies at bay. Since the Horgon Era, these churches have not always been the grand edifices they are today, having been sacked dozens of times and reduced to ruins; at times, they were mere shrines with only a few overseeing them. Their most recent significant recovery coincided with the arrival of the Eldritch Conclave and their mage legions, who shared their enormous wealth, plundered from the Khazarkar Empire after the Eldritch Civil War.