Melthorne

This city marked the beginning of a new era.

The oldest city and founded settlement in Eastern Altheria. It originally was settled by the original 180 people who travelled to the East. Settled in the year 57 F.A. it has a quickly grown in size and stature becoming the symbol of the East. There are two signature structures that stand out the most about Melthorne, The Grand Palace constructed of beautiful grey clay brick and maroon. The palace is also decorated with varying sized and styled rubies that compliment the structure. The palace took 37 years to complete and spans around 1,100,000 square feet. It is currently home to the royal family of Novius, the De'Run bloodline and the current King Vinly De'Run. The other famous sight of Melthorne is the Aqueduct Walls. These walls stand about 100ft tall and surround the city. Melthorne is also the operating capital for the Thraux Kingdom

Demographics

Melthorne is an import heavy city which has lead to a lot of merchants making their homes there. There are tons of Humans, Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Dragonborns Earth and Wind Genasi, Kenku and Halflings are all very common. Thanks to it being the second most famous city in Eastern Altheria it is a very wealthy city. It uses its historical importance to Altheria to draw in tourists and historians. Melthorne is home to many cartographers, explorers, historians, architects and artisans.

Government

The Government is a monarchy run by the De'Run bloodline. They are considered excellent rulers who always have the best in mind for their citizens. Vinly De'Run inherited Novellus' knack for connecting with people. He can commonly be seen roaming the streets of Melthorne interacting with his citizens listening to their opinions and concerns. Vinly subscribes to the idea that the government is meant to serve its people.

Defences

Melthorne's famous Aqueduct walls aren't only just for show. The 100ft walls have three layers, the first layer is a solid wall that's 34ft of solid clay brick. This leads to the second layer, which is 33ft tall and consists of arches. Between each arch is a doorway for armed guards and mages to come through. Every few arches there are ballistas attached to the wall that can be operated by two guards. Every 10 arches there is a small guards room built into the wall, containing a couple of beds, a small kitchen and weapon racks. The final level of the wall is the last 33 feet which is the actual aqueduct part. On top of the aqueduct runs water from the Grin-Felk Mountain Range. The kingdom of Melthorne specifically looks for elemental style mages that specialize in the Water element. They use these mages as guards that operate on the top level of the wall. These mages will utilize the aqueduct water in order to use offense water spells against opposing armies.
About 1/4th of Melthorne faces The Black Marsh which is virtually impossible for large armies to navigate through efficiently. This protects them from large scale attacks from the south.

Industry & Trade

Melthorne is heavily reliant on imports from other settlements in Novius. Thanks to their advanced Arts and Craftsmen Melthorne makes a living on these trades. Often times having meats and different forms of raw clay and minerals imported into the city. There isn't suitable farmland in the immediate vicinity of Melthorne this makes basic farming goods very valuable for the city.

Infrastructure

A lot of the infrastructure of Melthorne is focused on History and the Arts. Melthorne is considered home to some of the finest painters, sculptors, architects and craftsmen in Altheria. It is a hub of imports and exports. Another big source of income for the city is the Museum of Archaic Ziel. This famous Museum contains records on the history of Ziel, famous spells, archaic scriptures, magic theories, and records on the styles of Ziel. It has some of the most extensive and unique exhibits and pieces in Altheria. The curators of this museum are very extensive researchers and have an intense fascination of the subject.

Guilds and Factions

Tri-Fang is the most famous wizards guild in Novius. They're known for having some of the most offensively adept mages in all of Altheria. Tri-Fang was formed by three mages who had met each other during the initial expedition into the East. They formed the guild two years after the initial founding of Melthorne making it the oldest organization in Eastern Altheria. Tri-Fang is a very respected guild that is credited with winning the first ever Magus Tournament. Tri-Fang has an excellent relationship with the government of Melthorne as the founders were excellent friends with Novellus De'Run.
Another notable guild whose headquarters in Melthorne is the Explorer Guild known as Moribus. This guild was founded and primarily funded by Novellus De'Run. Especially after his death he left a large sum of gold for the guild. Novellus' youngest son Arthin is the most notable guild member of Moribus. He is responsible for charting the most extensive and detailed map available of The Black Marsh. A feat. that he performed all on his own. Moribus is heavily credited with creating some of the best detailed maps available to the public of Novius.

History

The eldest settlement in eastern Altheria has a somewhat fascinating history. First founded in 57 F.A. Melthorne became the operating base of the 180 people who made the journey East. It also became a symbol of discovery and hope around the time of 59 F.A. when people in Western Altheria heard of this new settlement that had been established in the wildlands in the east. So more and more people eventually began migrating East in unprecedented numbers. This period of 59 F.A. to 82 F.A. became known as The Passing. During this time it is believed that a few million people made the trip to Eastern Altheria beginning life anew. Melthorne is credited with being responsible for this event as it meant that the previously uncharted and dangerous wildlands of the east were actually habitable.

Architecture

The primary architectural make up of the city is through clay bricks and brick shingles. A lot of the architecture takes after a Roman style look with ornate fountains, large pillars and gathering squares and statues speckled throughout the city. There are many churches and cathedrals that can be found in the city. This came from the respect the founding king had for all people and their religions. This lead to the contractions of these churches all inspired by the unique designs of their respective god.

This settlement is the beginning of a new age. An era of exploration and adventure. We will be delving into the unknown everyday, finding and discovering things previously undreamt of. - Novellus De'Run
Doesn't that seem a little dangerous? Why don't we focus on the construction of Melthorne? -Wylt Ummbor
We're writing history each and everyday Wylt. Its better we know these lands before whatever lives here begins getting hungry.
-A conversation between future king Novellus De'Run and a trusted advisor

Alternative Name(s)

The First City, The Crown of the East

Type

Large city

Population

The current population is believed to be around 176,000

Owner/Ruler

Vinly De'Run