Marthiel

Marthiel is the second settlement of Furunheim and the northernmost settlement on the whole island. The centre of lumber and woodworking on the island, the town doubles as a minor port and exports its goods to Ferenvire to the south and the rest of Aedrinar to the north via its docks.
The town is situated around the enchanted Mirthwood, a magical woodland that once encompassed the majority of the northern third of Furunheim but has been massively reduced to only 6 miles². The forest still produces most of the wood on the island and acts as a hub for nearby farms. Marthiel is considered the industrial hub of the island due to its production of these resources.
On the 15th Duskfall 1052, 3e, the town was sieged by forces led by Doomed 2 Die, Arystyr Furyborn, Haarold Iceaxe, Ivar and Ysgard's Warriors after their governor, Olisadner Dirthstone, was revealed to be the The Dark Enchanter.

Demographics

Marthiel is majority Ice Elf but due to its northern proximity to the kingdom of Aedrinar and small docks, it has garnered a more diverse population than the rest of the island. At a few notable families of Halflings, Half-Orcs, and humans had made their home in the lumber town.
Seldarine and Honoured Gods worship dominated, with no additiontional temples or shrines publically available within the settlement, despite some worship of other gods and spirits occuring within the town.
The town was not as rich as the capital of Ferenvire, but most lived comfortable lives including the lumberers. Only a handful of families, including the Dirthstones and Yennisters, could claim to be truly wealthy but the rest of the population are from poverty.

Government

The town is a client settlement of House Furyborn and since the Fury Uprising it has been run by a 'chief' appointed by the great house. From the end of the war until his death, this was Olisander Dirthstone. With his line extinct, the town is ran by the council of elders (listed below).

• Sarniel Yennister
• High Priestess Abella of the Temple of Frigga
• Croistis

Knight Halsir, a paladin of Hel, served on this council until his death in the siege of Marthiel.

Defences

The town is protected by a wooden pallisade that is now damaged on its southern gates. A small token force of around 100 knights and militiamen sworn to the house of Dirthstone also acted as a civil and military force. Since Dirthstone's death, these knights have been absorbed into the armies of House Furyborn. Banestorm Keep, an Aedrinaran construction, acts as the central defensive point of the town and lies in the heart of the settlement.

Industry & Trade

Marthiel's primary trade is in lumber with secondary trade in lumber and maritime industries including fishing. It provides the majority of the wood for Furunheim, and at one time rivalled Tyris Ren as a key lumber producer amongst the Vaniri settlements, but now ranks a distant second place.
The manufacture of wooden artesnal goods and smaller fishing vessels still occurs within the settlement and along its docks, with exports being sent south along the Fury Road and only reaching other islands through the port at Krakenpost. A small market economy exists, although this is largely to supply the local residents with Ferenvire occupying the Market Town status of the island.

Assets

Inns and Taverns

Name	Location	Notes
Sarniel's	North Gate
The Gilded Soldier	Eastern Markets

Shopping

Name	Type	Location	Notes
Banded Wood Blacksmiths	Weapons	South of Banestorm Keep
Berry's and Cream	Bakery	Main street, south
Cobalt Armoury	Armour	Town Centre
Fairy's Wing	Alchemist	Town Centre
Marthiel Markets	Markets	Town East	Huru of Oskunstrond the enchanter is based here
Music Makers	Instruments	West of Markets
Roots of Marthiel	Alchemists	South gate	Ran by Xanphia, a Skallen Syndicate agent with secret tunnels beneath the shop.
Ryn's Hunting Supplies	Archery/Armour	Main Street, South

Religion

Name	Pantheon	Location	Notes
Temple of Frigga	Honoured Gods	South Walls
Temple of Sehanie Moonbow	Seldarine	West Walls

Civic and Guilds

Name	Type	Location	Notes
Banestorm Keep	Castle	Town Centre	Former home of The Dark Enchanter. Skallen tunnels connect to cellars
Darkstone Prison	Prison	Town Centre	Formally ran by Halsir until his death, housed the non-eleven population and political prisoners.
Ivy Grove Theatre	Leisure	Town West
Marthiel Adventurer's Hall	Guild	Town South	The base of the Marthiel Runners.
Marthiel Docks	Dockyard	North coast	Outside the town walls
Marthiel Elder's Hall	Government	Town East
Marthiel School	Education	Town South
Marthiel Trade Authority	Guild	Town East

Landmarks

Name	Type	Location	Notes
Monument to the Uprising	Statue	Town North	This Limestone statue shows three elven figures, Elder Tiristar Furyborn†, Olisander, and Zedithir. Its inscription reads in Elvish “in 594 of the 3rd age, the captains of the Fury Uprising – Tiristar Furyborn, true elder of Furunheim – Zedithir Galandrel, grandmaster of the Astrailaighai – And Olisander Dirthstone, son and warrior of Marthiel – defeated the House of Elfsbane in the battle of the Mirthwood and liberated our town from the occupier’s hands. Long may our freedom last in Frigga’s name. We remember them and those who sacrificed their lives for our liberty.” Around the plaque are around 112 Elvish names.

Other

Name	Type	Location	Notes
Yennister Manor	House	Town North-East

Guilds and Factions

Marthiel Runners

See also, Marthiel Runners
The Marthiel Runners are an adventuring band of five lower-level heroes founded in the aftermath of the 40 Year War. The group mainly conists of Furunheim locals, with only their wizard Geldur Spellstorm, coming from a different island.
The party are considered a paramilitary second gaurd to the town, and are expected to deal with monsterous and otherworldly threats within Furunheim. The group did travel to Sudalfeland to help against the gnoll invasion, and lost one of their number in the process.

Marthiel Trade Authority

Led by the wealthy Yennister family, the Trade Authority oversee all trade within the settlement and act as a guild and union for the merchants of the town. Alongside the Elder's Council, the Trade Authority can enact legislation and directives through their monthly meetings of the town's merchants.

History

Marthiel was formed from various smaller homesteads and villages throughout the Mirthwood that were established between 2904, ma and 3600, ma. These scattered lumber settlements existed in isolation and Marthiel was founded as a market point for the villages and homesteads to gather and sell their wares to traders from Ferenvire. The exact foundation of Marthiel is unknown but is believed to be founded by a Furyborn Knight named Marth of the Bitter Glacier who was mentioned as a hero in the initial Furyborn conquest of the island.
The main defensive hub of Marthiel, around the modern Banestorm Keep, was built around the Vaniri-Jotun war as a means of protecting the settlers from raiders in the early 3800s. This gave birth to Marthiel as a settlement proper with defensive palisades, and early keep, and residents to tend to farms, inns, and workshops.
Throughout the first age the town began to grow and encompass more of the surrounding forest. It would reach its current size by the second millennium of the first age and most of the forest was cleared from around the growing town. By this point, many of the smaller villages and homesteads within the mirthwood had abandoned their homes due to dangers from wildlife and the fey and settled within the protected walls of Marthiel.
In legend, Marthiel’s wooden palisades were enchanted by an unnamed but powerful wizard to ward off fey and fiends. A port was built north of the town, outside of the walls, as a trading hub for the rest of Asrinheim, putting the town in competition with Krakenpost to the south. An attempted land invasion of Furunheim was launched near Marthiel during the War of the Great Houses in the 2500s of the Second Age, with the Furyborn knights and fleet vanquishing the vanguard army of House Springfast.
The demands of defending the island as well as producing ships and tools for allied houses during the War led to increased deforestation of the Mirthwood. The ruling Marthirel family were ousted for their ‘disrespect of the land’ and replaced as governors by a conclave of Druids known as the Circle of Mirth in 2602, 2a.
The town began to regrown wild trees and engaged in sustainable forestry under the rulership of the druids. Much of this effort, especially to the north of the town, would be undone in the great storm of 208, 3e which damaged 50% of the town and killed around 300 people in flash flooding and building collapses. The ancient palisades were also destroyed and replaced by non-enchanted defences.
Marthiel would be invaded during King Olaf III Kingmaker's invasion of the island in 522, 3e. The town was sacked and its old quarter burnt down during The Fall of Marthiel. The Conclave of Mirth were slaughtered in battle by one of Olaf’s warriors, Halfried Hjortirssen. The Elfsbanes rebuilt the town in an Aedrinaran style and would rule it until their fall in the Fury Uprising in 584.
The liberation of the island saw the Elfsbanes and their Aedrinarian supporters beaten in a series of skirmishes and battles throughout the surrounding forest in hit and run tactics led by Tiristar Furyborn and Olisander Dirthstone. In the aftermath of the battle of Mirthwood Marthiel’s rulership was granted to Olisander.
In 951, An outbreak of Pig Plague occurred after contaminated livestock were imported at the docks. Olisander would quarantine the town and task the local clerics and paladins with curing the disease. The plague would only last three months but saw a tenth of the town die, including Olisander’s family. In 1052, 3e, Olisander Dirthstone raised the town in rebellion against the new elder, Arystyr Furyborn, using a corrupted Iron Masks of the Primal Elves under the guise of the Dark Enchanter. The town is under his control, with Arystyr’s armies marching on it with aide from Haarold Iceaxe, Ysgard’s Warriors, the Reindeer Clan of Vilderfolken and Doomed 2 Die.

Architecture

Marthiel is a largely wooden town, with only a few stone buildings being erected or remaining. Many of these wooden buildings were built 500s years ago by the Aedrinarans, and their age is showing through wear and tear. Many of the buildings are crooked, overgrown by vines and ivy, with sagging roofs.

Geography

Marthiel lies on the northern coast of Furunheim alongside the Vaniri Sea. Like the rest of the island's coast, Marthiel is constructed on largely flat land with minimal ingreses. The settlement is surrounded to its south and west by the Mirthwood, a large and dense evergreen forest. Freshwater is aquired from wells and underground aquifers.

Climate

Like the rest of the island, Marthiel remains mild in comparsion to the rest of the archipelago thanks to the prevelance of hot sprigns and volcanic vents causing localised tempreture drops and warm air. Snow is still common in the winter, but due to the warm ground it will not settle or build as much as other islands, allowing the ground to soak up water making it incredibly fertile and suitable for farming and grazing.

Founding Date

3800s Mythic Age

Type

Town

Location under

Furunheim

Owning Organization

House Furyborn

Appearances: 5

• Session 122: Prison Break
• Session 123: Lair of the Dark Enchanter
• Session 124: Past of the Dark Enchanter
• Session 125: Fate of the Dark Enchanter
• Session 126: Tales from Ferenvire