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THE CITY OF THALAMBATH |
1. Famous Sarvonian wizard, who lived at the Age of Silence during the War of the Chosen (approx. 8900 b.S.). Much is hidden in the grey mists of history about the wizard Thalambath, but one thing was never forgotten and is still present, even though it was created thousands of years ago: The black keep at the southwestern coast of the Truban Province of Santharia, a huge black fortress, arising challengingly to the sky like a dark mountain of pure black shining stone.
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The legend goes that the building
is
Thalambath in own person. The chronicles of the ancient city begin with a
passage starting at the end of the War of the Chosen,
when according to the legend eight riders arrived in the south. They were
refugees from the Great War, wounded and battered in many a battle and seeking
a place for peace after years of horrifying war. Their leader was named
Thalambath. He was a wizard, powerful and skilled, but had tried to avoid the
mayhem of war by staying neutral in the dispute of White and Black Wizards. The
fighting parties, who both tried to convince him to choose their side,
eliminated his small realm in the north and tried to destroy him, but failed.
With his seven servants the weakened wizard roamed the countryside, hiding from
his pursuers, who gave up the pursuit in the end. The eight went south, in the
hope to find a few likeminded people to cooperate with, but found nothing but
destroyed and burned cities, only inhabited by a few remaining citizens. So the
heart of the wise sorceror darkened and it is said that he slowly began to
hallucinate at nights, while sitting weak and halfsleeping in his saddle at
daytime. Madness came over him and a few small communities were destroyed by
his seven powerful heralds before they arrived at the last spot he hoped to
find a friend.
But even there, almost at the furthest point in the south of the continent, the
war had ravaged the country. The last powerful wizard ruling these lands had
died in battle as well, and his kingdom was destroyed.
It is at the sight of his last hope gone that Thalambath lost the last piece of
sanity and ordered his seven followers to leave him once and for all. When they
returned the ruins had made place for a gigantic castle, a black rock standing
at the coast. Thalambath in person had disappeared but it is believed that he
lives on within the walls of the fortress. It is also rumoured that hidden deep
within the dungeons and catacombs there lies a large green diamond, the heart
of Thalambath. But no-one has ever found it, yet.
See also: "The
Legend of Thalambath"
2. One of the most ancient cities
of the southern Sarvonian Continent and capital of the
Santharian province of
Truban. The legend goes that the base of the city was founded
at the War of
the Chosen, but this is only confirmed by the stories and tales of old.
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Like most other cities in Truban, the economy of
Thalambath is now based upon trade and full of strange people and creatures, but
this is not the way it had always been. In fact
Thalambath had been one of the more secretive
communities, not being very fond of strangers to say the least. The city was
infamous for its apparatus of intelligence and dreaded for its dark agents. The
rumours of shapeshifting
men penetrating defences and guardlines in animal form or creatures
infiltrating even the most trusted councils were numerous. Trade was simply not
done by the Thalambath administration, as they liked to keep out of the way of
others as much as possible, only a few secret deals were
made with vague associates from all over the continent. But there may be a good
explanation for this.
In the time the refugees came from the north after the horrifying
Dragonstorm at 1650
b.S., Thalambath was
still a small community, but guarded by its large black keep and surrounded by
strong walls. The Thalambathians did not receive the
visitors friendly, and any company of travellers
continued their journey soon. It was decades later that Thalambathian spies
found out that the refugees from the
Dragonstorm had founded a new town called Strata at the most
southern point of the Sarvonian continent.
The Seven (see ancient lore on the person
on Thalambath above), who still ruled
the city in absence of their master, started infiltrating
the Stratanian society and after years and years of careful planning and
spying were finally able to control most of the
Stratanian trade, though no-one knew
about their machinations. The contacts with
Nybelmar for example where completely realized by
Thalambathian companies under the flag of Strata. The syndicate of Thalambath
kept control until Strata entered the Red Alliance.
A disastrous battle in the north followed, after which
the infiltrators slowly disbanded their project and moved
it to their home town, to start open trade. It is since then that the city is
more open.
Still the Thalambathians left the Stratanians with a
ruined organisation, and the seemingly powerful city diminished in might bit by
bit, while Thalambath grew steadily due to their experience in trade.
Eventually Thalambath took over the leading role in
the region of Truban at the cost
of Strata.
Today Thalambath is no longer ruled by the Seven of old, though their High
Council is still called the Seven. However, no-one
really knows when the Seven
disappeared or when they were vanquished. The history books are
very unsure at this point, though the Stratanians claim to have killed
the seven rulers in a desperate attempt to retrieve their
waning power.
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Information provided by
Gean Firefeet
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