Matak

Category	Cities
Continent	Brucrumus
Region	Grashakh, Imgangreth
Owner	vassal city-state (Orchish Empire)
Population	360,000+
Races	Hobgoblin 65% Goblin 20% Githirmil 5% Kobold 5% other 5%
Founded	30 War March 585
Map	Inirthak Garathral

The mountain citadel of Matak stands on the eastern side of the Tarthar badlands where it meets the Torengrarg mountains. It is constructed along a vital road near the northern rim of the Mauhorn depression. The Ghadbakhs, a Hobgoblin tribe, erected this fortress during the First Epoch. This tribe rose to prominence through their conflicts with the Gimhak. During the Arduous March (1041 - 1096), the Githirmil under Blac'drugulois found the hobgoblins so well-entrenched in the region that they added them to the list of future conquests.

Initially, Matak prospered through the wealth acquired by raiding and plundering the Gimhak. When iron and silver were discovered in the upper reaches of Torengrarg, and copper to the east in the Zahal-Gûl hills, the wealth stream shifted to trade with the growing holds of their Githirmil neighbors, now united as the Orchish Empire. Before becoming a vassal city-state, it had a population of 40,000 hobgoblins, goblins, kobolds, and other indigenous humanoids. Growth was long constrained by a lack of viable farmland. Even though the Orchish Empire controlled the rich grain belts of Knur Slagming, the High Command ensured that their rival did not expand too rapidly.

In 1284, endeavoring to safeguard their right flank, the Orchish Empire seized control of the city. Insurgent forces persistently harried the conquerors for many years thereafter. Seeking to restore tranquility and, more crucially, requiring assistance in the Gimhak War, Emperor Blac'drugulois capitulated, transforming the city into a vassal city-state.

Hobgoblins constitute a significant portion, nearly half, of Matak's overall population. The city's surrounding highlands harbor numerous hobgoblin settlements. Periodically, Matak and the Orchish Empire dispatch punitive military expeditions into the highlands, eliminating hostile forces and suppressing any suspected uprisings. These operations frequently serve the purpose of conscription, with the captured being pressed into the armies or deployed to toil in the state's mines.

Matak extends subterraneously, with a portion of the municipality situated in the Underdark region of Imgangreth. Both the upper and lower sections of Matak, effectively functioning as two distinct cities, are vassal states subordinate to the Orchish Empire. The lower district of Matak lies six miles from the Great Tradeway, rendering it a significant commercial hub for Underdark trade.