Marjoko

Yesterday, the 23rd of Rassek, 1142, the city of Marjoko suddenly vanished in the middle of the night. In place of its gorgeous architecture was only the simple skeletal system of its hundreds of building. Simply planks of wood left weathered over the years. And the thousands of people that lived there? Only three hundred were left. They were left muddled and confused as though they had awoken from a long slumber.

— A report by the Seccendel Broadcasting Group

The city of Marjoko was a trading hub built up over the course of many years. It would always be remembered as a place of wealth and opportunity. Many people settled there, hoping to find a better life and in 1135 the city accepted an influx of refugees escaping from the Addelian War. However, very few of these people left after staying and while a family member may have come to visit from time to time, what they saw was only a shadow of who they once knew.
Built up by Ivan Piaff in 1043 from a small farming village, he used the city to illegally extend his lifespan. Using the stolen Moira's Star to cover the village in a web of illusions, he began to conduct forbidden magic to steal the lifespan of others and convert it into his own. As the people died he would be left with their belongings. At first, he was able to store it all in his storage ring, and then over several storage artifacts. Eventually, he decided to make use of the resources as he had no real use for them himself.
Selecting a few people to spare from the forbidden magic, he kept them under the illusions and had them initiate trades with neighboring villages. Over the years, as the trading increased, so did the people who visited the village and the city grew in size. But he began to notice that people perceived the city differently, that the illusion was not stable and what people saw shifted over time. To mend this, Piaff had some people construct rough outlines of the building along simple streets. The illusion conformed to this rough structure and the number of discrepancies decreased.
Eventually, the city grew to a large enough size that the large use of illusion and forbidden magics alarmed the surrounding Skeljudi. Although they tried to draw attention to it, nobody could understand the meaning behind the song of The Voice of the Wind and so Piaff's deeds went unnoticed for over a hundred years. Somehow, The Voice of the Wind managed to reach an ancient beast. On the night the 23rd of Rassek, 1142, it beheaded Piaff during a ceremony he had hosted to commemorate the city's alliance with the city of Innioko and dispelled the illusion.

Defences

The illusions that created the fake city were not the only ones in play. Surrounding the city was an illusion capable of making enemies unable to reach the city by misleading them. Thus, the city had no real defences as even the city walls were a mere illusion.

Industry & Trade

As the city grew, the resources it took from the people consumed quickly increased. Piaff used these resources to grow the city and increase trade with neighboring cities and organizations. By letting some people come and go as they please instead of being devoured he was able to conduct these trades and draw more and more people and thus resources to the city.

Infrastructure

Besides a very rudimentary road system, the city did not have any real infrastructure. Sewage and plumbing were simply a part of the illusion. For those few people who were actually living in the city, they were provided water by Piaff, while the illusion had them believing that they had gotten it by some other means.

Assets

Almost every person that entered the city became a victim of Piaff's Blood Tribute. The city's assets were essentially the possessions of the deceased with some being traded with other cities and merchants to make the city appear to be a normal functioning one.

Guilds and Factions

A few guild branches were set up in the city. Only the high ranking members were alive, kept under the illusion to believe that there were other members and that they were actually doing something. As such, these guilds had no real power in the city.

Architecture

People would describe the city as having a Victorian architectural style. Beautiful red stonework with elaborate dark grey shingles and golden trim. Of course, this was all the work of the illusion. Most buildings would only have a rough framework in place to keep the illusion accurate though there were some places where there was just empty space which would always have different people describing it differently. Only the castle and a few select building were more than just a few planks of wood.

Geography

The city was located in the foothills of Mt. Enske near the borders of Rastebaso and Njrralde.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
1142

Type

City

Population

123,000 (43)

Included Locations

• Marjoko City Lord's Hall

Owner/Ruler

Ivan Piaff