There have been many bridges built in the Manthrian province by the City of Marcogg over the years but none have been built to last except this heavily used and by now - as the inhabitants say - quite ugly Sunset Bridge. It was built probably during the 10th century a.S. and connects the east and west sides of Marcogg and bears most of the mercantile traffic of the city.

Description. The Sunset Bridge is easily five peds wide making it broad enough for two heavily laden wagons to pass each other with plenty of room to spare. Either end of the bridge starts about four peds from the banks of the Mashdai River and slowly rises until the middle of the bridge forms a slight arch between one and two peds over the river. It is constructed of large slabs of gray granite from the Mithral Mountains that are fitted seamlessly together. The slabs are supported at each bank and in the middle by several large blocks of granite. These supports are rounded off on the outer edges so the river water can flow around them with the least amount of resistance. Along either side of the bridge is a thin knee high wall that is more for marking the bridge boundary and does not fit with the overall scheme of the construction. It appears to have been added on at a later date and the many poor repair jobs just add to this assumption. The repair jobs are often not even of the same material as the rest of the bridge. The basic construction of the Sunset Bridge is also evidently dwarven in nature. In general, the bridge construction makes it seem to be only an extension of the flat, wide roadbed, with little grace or delicacy, but its sturdy slab shape makes it ideal and bears much of the mercantile traffic of the city.

On the southwest side of the bridge, which many residents simply refer to as the "left side", is a large square. This fifteen by fifteen ped square is know as Taelsur Folly and has a four ped by one ped rectangular fountain next to the river. The fountain also has three small circular columns that spray water from their tops. The square itself is cobbled with an assortment of red, yellow, white and gray stones in no discernable pattern. Like the bridge, it is functional if not esthetic. The square got its name from a tavern that was once here before it caught fire and burned to the ground. Instead of rebuilding the tavern, the area was left open and a fountain built on the side to leave more room for the many wagons that crossed the bridge.

Location. The Sunset Bridge is located about in the middle of the province of Manthria at its capital city of Marcogg. It is the big broad bridge located at the bottom of a group of falls, on the Mashdai River, known as Vildegg Bend. Which in turn puts it at the lower end of the city in the merchant and trader warehouse district. Even though it is not the most convenient place, it is where most of the products coming from the south out of the Farmlands of Twynar and from the north out of the Huiscen Plains cross the river. Since the many warehouses have sprung up without any general plan, products from the Farmlands of Twynar could go to any warehouse on either side of the Mashdai River and vice versa for that coming from the Huiscen Plains.

Picture description. The location of the capital of the Manthrian province of Marcogg close to the Adanian Sea at the east coast of the Santharian Kingdom. Maps drawn by Artimidor.

Myth/Lore. The Sunset Bridge has no real myth connected with it, or in its making or the reason behind its naming, but it does have many stories with the bridge at the center. The bridge got its name from the simple fact of how it was built. The left side of the bridge opens up about where the sun sets most of the year. Now many buildings and warehouses block that view. When it was completed and farmers, merchants and traders started using it, they would be crossing when the sun was going down and it would be full in their faces. The people of Marcogg started saying, “when the sun sets on the bridge it is time to head for your evening meal”. So the name “Sunset Bridge” stuck. This name gained stronger acceptance from the populace than the short lived “Dwarf’s Bridge”, maybe because others not from Marcogg were using it as well and “Sunset Bridge” made more sense to them. Although, when construction first started on the bridge, many people lined the banks of the Mashdai River because no one had seen so many dwarves (it was done by the Mitharim of the Mithral Mountains) in one place before. It was a sight long talked about and is still remembered, with perhaps a much grander rendering than originally was the case.

Not everyone was pleased with the original name nor with the final design. It is said, a councilor who originally put forth the plan, wanted a strong and a grand bridge that would last for centuries. It is also believed he had envisioned a grand name to be applied to this bridge upon completion. It is not clear if the dwarves did not or would not build the bridge how the councilor envisioned it. It is also believed the dwarves refused to build a covering to this bridge because it would be more work than they were contracted to do, and they really didn’t see the need for it. In any case, the councilor became so irate that he took all the plans and paperwork and burned them. It is said people started laughing at him, which infuriated him more that he tried to destroy the bridge. How he tried to accomplish or in what way has never been fully understood or explained. Of course he failed and upon this failure he left Marcogg. It is not known who the councilor was but it is believed one of his names was Taelsur (whether first or last is again unknown). This is mainly because of the long-lived tavern built soon after the completion of the bridge, taking the name of "Taelsur Folly". Maybe where this tavern was built was the side of the bridge where the councilor tried to destroy it (again speculation).

History. It is not known exactly when the Sunset Bridge was built, but it is believed it was probably sometime between the years 900-1000 a.S. It was during this time when the city was particularly prosperous and many public works were commissioned. It is hard to say which finances went to which projects as many contracts were just inscribed as “city improvements”. This is the main reason many believed the bridge was built during the aforementioned time period and not later or earlier. Because of several references in papers of the time that stated monies paid and/or trade agreements settled to dwarves for services rendered, it is the general belief, the bridge was constructed approximately between 957-959 a.S.

	Time Table of the Sunset Bridge Date Incident ca.10350 b.S. Mashdai Exploration Explorers under the leadership of Liemolf Marcogg reach Vildegg Bend on the Mashdai River. They set up a town at the base of the falls. ca. 9500-9023 b.S. The War of the Chosen During the long years of war the town of Marcogg is slowly destroyed. Finally abandoned, the area becomes unsettled. 800 b.S. - present Years of Achievement After partial burning of town and sixty years of war the area settles down. The town slowly becomes a major trading center on the river. ca. 900-1000 Golden Years Unprecedented growth of Marcogg and civic works of construction spread throughout the city and the immediate surrounding areas. 957-959 Sunset Bridge Construction The accepted date when dwarves replaced an already existing bridge and built the present day bridge. It becomes the main bridge for mercantile traffic and still serves its purpose till this very day, connecting the eastern with the western parts of Marcogg over the Mashdai River.