THE
CITY
OF MILKENGRAD |
Milkengrad was the capital of
the ancient kingdom of Centorauria
and the metropolis of the Helcrani
tribe. It is one of the largest cities in the Sarvonian
continent. The city is built upon the Efirhal Island and dominates it.
Milkengrad is widely known all over Santharia not
only for the temperament of its residents but also for its extraordinary beauty
that surpasses many other human cities in
whole Caelereth. Elven
influence is visible all around the city and in every field; in architecture,
in the names, in the culture of its residents.
In Santharia Milkengrad can only be compared to the
elven city of Elving,
whose beauty is legendary as well. In everyday life the locals refer to
Milkengrad simply as “the City” (and to the settlements in Helcrah as “the
Villages”).
The city’s population consists of a mixture of
humans, elves and
dwarves of
Helcrani origin. However, one also can
find other Centoraurians as
well as many foreigners that earn their living in the metropolis of the western
coast.
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Description.
Milkengrad was founded in 730 b.S. At first it looked like a compilation of
seven minor settlements, each one far away from the rest. As time passed by
these settlements expanded rapidly and met each other to become what is known
today as the Fratric Areas of Milkengrad.
The city is distinguished for its broad roads, its sewer system, its cleanness,
its wide squares and the impressing architecture of the buildings. There is
also a plethora of magnificent public buildings constructed out of need to
appease the internal conflicts since the
Helcrani had developed an innate dislike for each other. Public buildings
seem to advance the idea of a common identity and destiny, since they are
considered sacred by the citizens. Furthermore, the
elven influence is visible everywhere
throughout the city, especially in the vast amount of trees and green
throughout the streets. For this reason the city is called also by many elves
Mékroi’lón’dár (Styrásh
Mékroi’lón’dár), the “Forest City of
the Humans”.
Some of the most distinctive elements of the city of Milkengrad are:
The Fratric Areas
Initially, Milkengrad was far from being a “normal” city. The tribes that
formed the Helcrani, due to internal
conflicts triggered by Tacunija’s slaughter, didn’t want to establish a common
city. Instead, they built their settlements around the Efirhal Hill, where the
palace was built. In fact, Milkengrad was rather a collective name for these
separate settlements. However, as time passed by and under
anactarian intervention (not without
exploiting the rivalry between the Fratrae) the settlements finally expanded in
such a way to meet each other and make possible the formation of a true city.
The Fratric areas are an evolution of these settlements. Today the Fratric
Areas are the seven divisions of the city’s center. In these areas the Fratrae
are responsible for several public services. Despite their name as fratric
there is no restriction concerning who is allowed to live in them. The names of
these areas are Phlegaessa for the Helerothi, Rystra for the Sostrian, Myrah
for the Codomman, Pyrgammon for the Menegulan, Astgard for the Ahai, Styralon
for the Styran and Nertera for the Nerterian.
The
Curonesta
The palace (and acropolis) of Milkengrad. It is built upon the Efirhal Hill.
Almost each Anactar made his additions
to the building. The Curonesta is a brilliant example of classical Helcrani
architecture. It is made of white marble and decorated with magnificent
mosaics, frescoes, statues and fountains. It hosts the
Anactarian residence, the
Anactarian court, the
Milken Protectors of the
Artapherana and Conservators of the Grave, the
Anactarian treasury and the royal
museum. Within its bounds is located as well a separate building hosting the
common grave of Curogane and Tacunija. The Curonesta is fortified and equipped
to shelter the city’s population in case of siege.
The
Artapherana
The Artapherana is a name collectively used for four unique and fascinating
trees. Each one of them appears to represent one of the four elements and has a
personality of its own. A glow of colored light emanates from each tree,
according to its element and, when winds blow from the
Thaelon, a melody is heard, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful. This melody
has the ability to create certain emotions to those who hear it and is used as
a means of communication. The Artapherana are believed to communicate with
Eú’reóll with their music and in certain occasions with mortals too. Their
individual names are Aeolerin, Nertelyx, Hydraloth and Helpheran. The exact
origin of the Artapherana is still unknown, but sages in the 4th century a.S.
connect them with the League, a secret
elven guild that played an important, though
subtle, role in the Helcran
development.
The
Efirhal
The hill in the centre of Milkengrad. Upon it are located the Curonesta and the
Artapherana. The island on which the city lies by the way bears the same name
as the hill, which is of elven origin and
means “Fireland”. An appropriate name for a people called
Helcrani which means "firedamned". The first one to use the word Efirhal
was Agaran, the leader of the elven Fratra who
was on the Helcrani vanguard when they
left Helcrah (730 b.S.) seeking a new home and saw a hill in the horizon
suddenly taking fire. It was the
Artapherana revealing their light for the first time, inviting the firedamned
to their fire. The light kept its
brightness until king Helronn reached the hill and met the Milken Protectors of
the Artapherana and then it descended to normal.
The
Avaedhra
The Temple of Avá in Milkengrad is the only
human temple that is devoted to the typically
elven High Goddess of
Avá the Beautiful. In this place
human, elven
and dwarven
Helcrani honor Avá and Her Dream and
study the past. The Temple is built at the eastern edge of the Hypheralean
Square.
The
Hypheralean Square
The Square of the Singing Heavens (word derived from
Styrásh) is the largest square
of Milkengrad. On its eastern edge is located the
Avaedhra, the Assembly building and the Hall of Honor, dedicated to the
perished in war. It is decorated with a pleiad of statues, fountains and
gardens.
The
King’s Plateau
The second largest square in Milkengrad is the King’s Plateau. It is named
after a ceremony that takes place there right after the coronation of the new
Anactar, when he receives the public
approval by walking unarmed among citizens who wave their
swords. On its northern edge is located the
Marketplace of Milkengrad, which is also a place where ideas are shared and
cultural activities take place.
The
White Walls
The White Walls are a massive series if walls and fortifications that surround
Milkengrad that replaced the destroyed Ogygian Walls. They took their name
because they are covered with a white marble-like material of unknown origin
that grants them not only its bright white colour but also unforeseen hardship.
The White Walls surround the city three times. The first belt is 10 peds high
and 5 wide, the second 20 peds high and 10 wide while the third is 30 peds high
and 15 wide. Until the present day no enemy has managed to surpass this
formidable obstacle as long as it is manned properly.
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View of a Military
Gate (100 b.S.) |
The
Great Gates
There are seven major entrances to Milkengrad located at the last line of the
White Walls. Three of them are used for military purposes, three are open every
day for civilians and one, called the Royal or
Anactarian, is used only for ceremonial
purposes, when the Anactar welcomes an
important guest or returns victorious from battle. The Military Gates are
called Middengard, Mephiqual (“Of the bright Hellfire”) and Hellwrath. The
Civilian Gates are dedicated to Avá and are
called Avathaeron, Avathyr and Avinjèra (“Of Guiding
Avá”).
The primary entrance to the city consists of the three central gates, Avathyr, the Anactarian and Middengard. These gates are placed near each other in an impressing complex. Ten towers protect the Gates. On the two towers that guard the opening of the corridor huge fires burn day and night to show to both friends and foes the gates of the city. The Mephiqual and Hellwrath Military gates are built in such a way that no opening is visible from outside. In this way the Helcran army can launch surprising and devastating attacks against the enemies in case the city is besieged once more.
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The main entrance
complex (100 b.S.) |
The
Golden Bridge
The Golden Bridge unites the Efirhal Island with the
Sarvonian continent. It spreads over hundreds of peds to connect both
shores and has a total width of 30 peds. On each end, the bridge is supported
by columns that have the form of Curogane and Helronn on Efirhal’s side and
Thar and
Santhros on the mainland’s. The Blowcrusher Fort embraces the south edge of
the Golden Bridge which is its northern gate at the same time. The bridge was
built in an undefined historical period by a lost elven
empire in the north of the Sarvonian continent.
In fact the colossal statues that today represent the
human kings were initially representing
elven kings but after the fall of the Empire
they were decapitated from men or weather. The original heads survive today in
the Milkengradian Museum.
The
Norgammon Bridge
The Norgammon Brdige unites the Efirhal with the island of Midlanir to the
North. Although it is not as impressive as the Golden Bridge it still
constitutes a magnificent spectacle. In its southern edge lies the homonymous
fort of Norgammon. It was too built by elves
in approximately the same era as the Golden Bridge.
The
Ptoliedhra (The Forts)
After the founding of Milkengrad in 730 b.S., many Helcrani
decided to settle the rest of the Efirhal Island.
Anactar Helronn encouraged this
migration not only because additional settlements would protect the flanks of
his newly established city but also because this was a nice way to send away
the most prone to start another civil war among the Helcrani
(not to mention that this way he took under his command additional territory).
Thus, seven minor settlements were created, each one populated by Helcrani
of a specific Fratra.
After the liberation of Milkengrad and under the enlightened rule of
Thar these settlements were heavily fortified
and were collectively called the Forts or Ptoliedhra in High Speech. There are
seven of them:
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Map of Milkengrad and the seven forts around the Efirhal Hill. Map by Artimidor. |
- Norgammon in the north guarding the homonymous
bridge populated by Ahai’s
- Blowcrusher (Apotropaeon in helcran) in the
continental shore inhabited by Codommans
- Axeldam (Citizens Protector in the High Speech)
in the western edge of the Efirhal with its Sostrian population
- Helbury lies in the eastern edge of the Efirhal
populated by Helerothi
- Pelasgarth, the Styran fort, located just
opposite Helbury, where the elves can see
Thaelon far in the horizon. Both these forts (Helbury
and Pelasgarth) block naval access to the city from the east. In Esperoth, the
island west of Efirhal, you can find two Forts.
- The Menegulan fort of Esperoth to the Northeast
of the island and the
- Fort of Turacanth are guarded by the remaining
descendants of the former conquerors of Milkengrad, who were eventually granted
their freedom some time after the liberation of the city. Turacanth was once
the dwarven Fort and was named Nangaea, but
the massacre of its brave defender during the war against the Red Alliance was
so horrible that no Nerter ever wanted to approach this area again.
The Ptoliedhra are strategically placed in pairs so as to block every naval
route to the city. Only Norgammon has no pair and this happened because the
shores aren’t as elevated as in the south and the bridge blocks naval passage
to major ships beneath it.
The
Forum
Milkengrad’s Forum is the place where the heart of the city pumps. Events not
only of economical importance take place there but also cultural, political and
social activities have their center on the town’s Marketplace. The Forum is
divided in seven areas where there are sold food, livestock, raw materials of
various kinds, weapons, crafted goods,
seeds and grain and other goods of need. In the center there is a circular
plateau with oak trees where the citizens meet to exchange ideas or attend to
some of the many cultural activities that take place throughout the city. In
the forum plateau, along with the two greatest squares of the city, royal
heralds make the most important announcements.
The Marketplace of Milkengrad is notorious all over the western coast and there
is a relative saying that “there are more here than in Milkengrad’s
marketplace” to denote abundance of any kind.
The
Harbors
Milkengrad has two harbors which serve as shipyards as well; one where the war
fleet anchors and warships are produced and one where merchant ships dock and
trade ships are constructed. The military harbor is called the Lion Port, named
after the two lion statues that can be found on the sides of its entrance, and
it is located in the east side of the city. The civilian harbor is located in
the west side of the city. It is named
Dolphin or Balgen port, because of Balgen of the Sostrians who covered all
the expenses necessary to build it and donated a statue depicting a
dolphin complex which was placed in
front of its entrance.
These harbors have the capacity to host more than 1000 ships each, being one of
the largest if not the largest in Santharia.
The
Assembly Building (Damorchan)
The Damorchan hosts the Great Assembly for Milkengrad. Its building is a
magnificent three storied round structure surrounded by a triple line of
columns. The inner line’s columns have the form of the
Centoraurian,
Helcrani and
Santharian kings except those who were convicted, because of their crimes,
to oblivion. This gigantic building is capable of hosting more than 60.000
people.
The
Gathering Buildings (Fratrawana - Home of the Fratra or The Great Halls)
There are more than one Gathering Building in Milkengrad. Each Fratra (and
Centoraurian city) has its own
Great Hall. In these buildings the Oecetors (the
Helcrani clan leaders) participate in
the Fratric Gatherings in order to take important decisions concerning their
Fratra or to be informed by their Fratrageta about important city matters. Each
Fratrawana reflects the collective personality of its Fratra. The architectural
styles differ from the harmony and affection for nature of the
elves to the solid craft and power of the
dwarves.
Location. Milkengrad is
located in the west of the southern Sarvonian continent
in the northern Santharian province of
Vardýnn. The city is built around the Efirhal Hill in
the south edge of the homonymous island.
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Map description. Location of Milkengrad, west of the former Erpheronian capital of Voldar and the Thaelon Forest. Maps drawn by Artimidor. |
People. Milkengrad is
mainly inhabited by
Helcrani of all Fratrae and other
Centoraurians. Nevertheless,
the majority of the Styrani (Helcrani
elves) live in the city preferring it over
Helcrah, while the exact opposite happens with most Nerters (Helcrani
dwarves), who like better the mountains and
mines of Helcrah.
The
Helcrani traditionally were a
bilingual population; they had their own language which they call the "High
Speech" and they still seem unwilling to share it with foreigners even at the
present era. Also, they have always been speaking as native language the Tharian
dialect, which they simply call "the Common" and the residents mainly used it to
keep up trading with other parts of Santharia. After
the formation of the United Santharian Kingdom
though, the use of the High Speech was significantly reduced. The High Speech
was already a dead language in the early 10th century a.S. although it never
ceased to be used in ceremonies and in the education of
Helcrani youth and scholars.
The Milkengradians, just like all
Helcrani, believe in the
High Goddess Avá. However, they respect the
Twelve Santharian Gods whom they consider to be a
symbolization of nature’s powers rather than existing personifications. Despite
the
Helcrani beliefs one can find temples
devoted to the Santharian Gods throughout
Milkengrad, but they are not used for worship, at least not by the
Helcrani themselves.
The Milkengradians still have a highly developed sense of autonomy and they even
preferred until the Fulfilment of Tacunija’s Curse to determine themselves by
their Fratra rather than the common name
"Helcrani" which is used by the
Santharians to denote not only the inhabitants of
Milkengrad and Helcrah, but also the local Centoraurian noblemen. The most
precious good for the
Helcrani is freedom. Many civil wars
have ravaged the city throughout its history, but still the
Helcrani were one of the first and
warmest supporters of a united Santharian which was
finally realized through the mighty
Erpheronian kings Thar and later on
Santhros.
Helcrani see each other as bad
relatives: A relative might be bad but still he's a relative; and most of all,
the countrymen are the only relatives the
Helcrani have got. The dislike which
is developed between the Fratrae is rather collective than personal. Individuals
from different Fratrae usually cooperate harmonically with each other.
Amazing is also the level of scientific and aesthetic progress that occurs in
Milkengrad. Its citizens proudly brag that they inhabit the most beautiful city
in the world of Caelereth. An important amount of
people of other races and tribes live in Milkengrad as the
Helcrani are hospitable folks. These
people, collectively called metewani, are traders or merchants, while some of
them are specialized in a craft and earn their living in the western metropolis.
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Coat of Arms/Sign.
The Milkengradian Coat of Arms is the same as the
helcran. It consists of Curogane’s
sword burning in a blue background. The sword symbolizes the struggle of the
first person who ruled all of the Helcrani
to unite his people and his battles against their enemies, while the
fire symbolizes the Curse of Tacunija,
which sealed the fate of the Helcrani.
Climate. The climate
in Milkengrad, as in the whole region of the Efirhal, is temperate. A warm
stream from the Dark Sea, called the
Mermaid’s Trail, is
considered as the source of its fine climate. The summer is hot and the winter
is usually cold. The spring and fall are the ideal times of the year for
visiting Milkengrad, although fall is the rain period. During spring and fall a
warm breeze comes from the west, while in winter cold winds blow sporadically
from the north.
Flora. The fair climate
of Milkengrad favors all kinds of plants. Pine trees, cedars, willows, oaks and
olive trees flourish all over the Efirhal. Quite impressing is the thick
Centoraurian grass that covers
the island. There is also a variety of flowers that grow in the wild. The locals
cultivate all sorts of them (and pay great homage to gardening) although
roses could be considered their favorite.
A surprisingly large variety of trees and flowers can be found in the city not
only in private gardens but also in public places, especially in the
Milkengradian Hall of Jeyriall. Under
the elven influence, there are trees and green
areas to be seen virtually everywhere, even in the
dwarven fratric part, planted in harmony with
the buildings.
Fauna. As the Efirhal is
a highly urbanised area, there are not many animals living there in the wild.
However, there are met living free around the island many animals not aggressive
against man such as deer, grouses,
garthooks, buloos,
cats and other. Once there were many
wolves living in the north but they became
extinct during the reign of Artahir.
As far as domestic animals are concerned, in the city of Milkengrad and the rest
of the Efirhal almost everything can be found. There are a lot of cattle, and
many Strata cows, imported during the
occupation of the city, goats, pigs, which represent a major source of income
for the locals. There are also dogs,
cats and other animals that don’t produce something special but who are also
favored among the Milkengradians. In the surrounding seas one can especially
find yellowtail fish,
barsas,
dolpholk and eventually some boneheads
and sea wyrms (many of them tamed by daring
Helcrani seamen).
A large variety of strange and exotic animals can be found in the Milkengradian
Hall of Jeyriall, a place serving as a
living museum of plants and animals and also as a tribute to the powers of
nature.
Myth/Lore. The
following lore has been traded over centuries concerning the city of Milkengrad:
Milkengrad’s Name
The meaning of the city’s name is still debated among scholars, who can’t agree
if it means “City of Wonders” or “City of the
Milken”, according to the
Brownie tribe that inhabited the area before
the Helcrani (and prepared the ground
for their arrival). Human glossologists insist
that the confusion is created because the
helcran word for “wonders” (milken) sounds similar with the word “milk”
(small) which was used to name the Helcrani
Brownies as the “small ones”. In the 13th
century a.S. elven scholars have proposed an
etymology deriving from the word Mékroi’lón’dár (Styrásh
Mékroi’lón’dár, occasionally written
Míkroi’lon’dar,
Míkroi’lon’dar) some
elves used to call the city. However, this
opinion didn’t meet public approval.
The Mermaid’s Trail
The warm stream from the west is considered a gift from the Goddess of the Sea,
Baveras. According to the
helcran legend the climate of the
island was once very harsh and this was the reason it remained uninhabited until
the arrival of the Helcrani. There is a
myth that describes the life of Oceandir, the
Helcrani sailor who earned
Baveras’ favor with his virtue and was
the reason the Goddess replaced the cold stream that ended in Efirhal with a
warm one, a trail to the mermaid Sirene that
took Oceandir’s heart. [Read
more...]
The Breath of Eú'reóll
The cool breeze from the Thaelon that makes the
Artapherana sing is considered by the Milkengradians to be the breath of the
Tree of Life. Eú’reóll is seeking its kin and the Artapherana reply with their
song. There are too many stories about the breeze and its influence on people
which are a part of Milkengradian folklore that they are almost impossible to be
gathered here.
Information
provided by
Curgan
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