Malaral

The city of Malaral is both the capital and the largest city of the Daulerim Empire. It is also the largest city in the known world and one of the most densely populated places. The city is situated within the fertile delta of the Nostire River, emptying itself into the Bay of Kaliar. It makes up roughly half of the entire delta region, the rest of which is filled with smaller cities, towns and farmland. The delta is home to several million inhabitants.

History

The delta of the Nostire had been a fertile and populous region for all its history. In the distant past it used to be home to several, now forgotten, chiefdoms and petty Kingdoms. The name Malaral was first attested almost a thousand years before the Age of Dauler. Since then it had been a mighty political hub for human realms. It was at the time not the megapolis it is now, yet it was nonetheless already densely populated.
With the foundation of the Daulerim Empire, the capital was moved from Illangar to Malaral in the year 33. This was a wise move as Malaral would else have become a potent rival to Illangar. This way political controll was situated and secured in Malaral.
Since Dauler died at the age of 205, his Empire had changed a lot. The Empire had fractured and smaller realms had broken of, while the Empire itself went into decline. Despite this, the Daulerim can still takes the place as one of the dominant realms of humanity. Its greatest rival is the Empire of Illodia, a polity which successfully rebelled and broke off in the early fourth century. The Illodian Empire is located in the west, separated by the Daulerim Empire trough the Bay of Kaliar. While smaller in size and manpower, the Illodian Empire is more centralised and has a strong military.
Especially since the Reformation of the Empire by Irian Dauler, the city had grown immensely in size and taken the shape of the gigantic mega-city of today.

Population

The Daulerim Empire is often also called the half-elven Empire. The daulerim people are mostly of mixed elven and human descend. While their human heritage outweighs their elven heritage, they can still be considered a mixed people. Even Dauler himself was a half-elf, founding the Empire on an alliance of these peoples. While the entire realm has mixed heritage, the urban regions are special. Human of pure descend are almost only found far away from the urban areas along the Nostire River. On the other hand there are probably even fewer individuals of pure elven descend around, especially not in a city such as Malaral. The only ones who are, are ambassadors from the elven nations.
Dwarves are also found troughout the city. Most of them are men, due to the nature of their culture, in which mostly single men decide to leave home and wander the world. They are valued as artisans and mercenaries. The larger dwarven clans also have estates within the city, which act as ambassies of their respected polities. Draconids and Koiloks are also found within the city, but in smaller numbers than the rest. Due to their beastial appearance, they are often shunned. They are mostly employed as mercenaries or for menial labor.
The city houses several insitutes for the education and training of Mages. The Imperial College of Mages is located west of the Imperial Palace. The Guild of Geomancers has an institution on its own in the north of the city, while the Council of Elemental Mages has one in the central-eastern quarters. Mages act either on their own, as part of the communities or in the service of the Empire. The largest amount of Mages within the Empire aren't Imperial Mages. This is contrary to the rival Illodian Empire , in which all mages are conscripted to serve the Empire.

Districts

The city consists of several more or less defined districts and quarters. The historical centre of the city lies within the eastern central parts. Here are the Council of Elemental Mages, the Warriors' Compound and the Grand Kontor along the old harbor. This district is limited in the south and east by fields and adjacent smaller cities and towns. In the west it extends into newer parts of the city, from which it is not entirely separable. The border lies roughly at the Grand Harbor, consisting of the Old Harbor, which was extended into a round shape.
The New City, which is already quite old, contains the Imperial Palace, a large compound consisting not of a single palace, but several. These house the imperial family, their servants and state officials, aswell as their personal guard. Additionally it includes several gardens. Further west lies the new commercial quarter, containing among others the Imperial College of Mages.
The northern part of the city, separated by a small bay and connected by serveral bridges, has been the newest addition to the city. The island it is located on also features a lot of agricultural farmland. South to Malaral lies the city of Telern. Like many of the adjacent settlements, it is considered a city of its own, altough in reality, it cannot be clearly separated from the larger city of Malaral.
Outside of the city, on the fringes of the delta lie barrier islands, which features fortified military complexes to secure the safety of the city and counter a possible seaward invasion. One unsuccessfull attack was repelled during the Last Great War in the year 684.

Maps

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  City of Malaral

Alternative Name(s)

Merel

Type

Capital

Population

3+ million

Location under

Illangar

Owner/Ruler

Elamon Dauler

Owning Organization

Daulerim Empire

Characters in Location

• Elamon Dauler