The Hidden City

Ruler: The Lord and Lady of Marinon

Deep in a rocky, mist filled valley lies Marinon; a small town built from the land itself. While the town is only a quarter, or even less, of the size of the other Lord-doms, Marinon takes its place due to its citizens. Marinon is a town populated entirely by sorcerers and the magical research they provide and the spells they sell are invaluable.

Marinon was established thousands of years ago, when Ianis was first formed. Fleeing persecution for a crime they did not commit, a man and a woman, both sorcerers and both in love, fled to the valley. There, they used their power to shape the land and build a simple hut. Over time more sorcerers came to Marinon and the town began to take shape, other sorcerers following suit and shaping the town from the land itself. And all the while the man and the women lead the town, and were in love. But alas, Ariante was turned away from Marinon and peace did not last. The same one who had pursued the man and the woman in the beginning had found them with help from a dark whisper from Azguraal. They came to the town and with foul trickery and magic, held the town to ransom. They demanded that the man or the woman stay to be burnt alive in that very first hut, or they would set the entire town to the torch. The man and the woman each promised they would be the one to leave, and yet when the time came, both were there, both unwilling to truly leave the other. The hut they had built so many years ago was set alight they began to burn, together.

A great magic however flooded the hut and the blaze consumed the entire village, destroying the one who had been corrupted by Azguraal. When the sorcerers returned they found in the ashes two stone idols, a man and a woman. A young sorcerer, who’s name is lost, but deeds never will be, picked up the figure of a man. He was consumed in fire and taken by the spirit of the man. A young sorceress took up the other and was taken by the spirit of the woman. The man and the woman were unsure if Vichma, Iambulus or even Iptar had saved them, but were grateful none the less.

Marinon rebuilt shortly afterwards and Shallorn, taking pity on the town, blessed the valley to be invisible to all eyes other than those permitted. Ruling over the town and the valley are the Lord and Lady of Marinon, the resurrected spirits of the original founders of Marinon. They see the Lord-doms as a minor bother that they would rather not interact with, but nevertheless see the benefit in. As befits a ruling pair with thousands of years of experience, The Lord and Lady are wise, kind, just and fair. They do however have an intense, and not entirely understandable, distrust of outsiders and should one wish to have dealings with Marinon, expect delays. The Lord and Lady take a new body every 50 years due to the physical stress it places on a person. This is a task that is considered an honor by their populace. Anyone who takes up the mantle of the Lord or Lady enters what is described as a dreamless sleep that lasts only a few moments, but when they wake, 50 years have flashed by and they are much the same as when they entered.

Marinon is a mysterious town, shrouded in mystery, sending its own merchants wherever it pleases to sell spells and magic trinkets. The other lords regard Marinon with curiosity, or even outright distrust. And were it not for their quality spells and the hidden nature of the town; disaster may well have befallen them a second time.

Art by Jon Pintar
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