Tålpau

The Lost Jewel of the Panedur

Out there, hidden behind snow and stone, lies the old centre of our civilisation, Tålpau. It is said that the great city of our forefathers contained such wondrous amounts of wealth, but that treasure became a burden. While our ancestors excelled at accumulating more and more of it, they ignored the looming threat on their border and, soon enough, they were forced to kneel.
Things were fine for a while. Servitude had been humiliating, and the taxes levied against them harsh, but they still lived good lives. That all changed with the Purge. Now all that remains is but a distant memory of a long-lost home.

— Malt Ir Ålboh

Tålpau was once the illustrious capital of the Patic Kingdom and the centre of panedur civilisation. Its glimmering halls of gems and stone were carved into the side of the great towering mountains from which all panedur originate from. As its inhabitants mined and harvested all they could, they expanded the city further underground, carving out homes from stone. Their abundance of wealth would be their downfall, however, as it drew the attention of the Imperium of Valhértis and brought about the city's eventual downfall.

History

No one knows when the first home of the panedur was founded, but records of its existence date back thousands of years. As the city flourished with each passing century, as they gained in wealth and renown, the people of Tålpau grew more isolationist in nature. Obsessed with the idea of their inward perfection and the accumulation of immense wealth, they stopped caring about the rest of the world and grew blind to their surroundings. Not all of them were alike, of course, and some more adventurous or curious citizens of the mountain kingdom ventured forth from their magnificent halls to find homes of their own.

Subjugation

Blind to the outside world, the residents of Tålpau payed little interest to the arrival of the alchen in 1244 BA and the age of expansionism that followed. Those who considered the newcomers a threat felt that the fortifications of their city would keep them safe and so the threat was left ignored.
Such arrogance cost them dearly in 887 BA, when the forces of the Imperium of Qerthéllnaval arrived at their gate. Threatened with starvation and total destruction, the Patic Kingdom was left with no other alternatives. Their king was forced to kneel and to accept the authority of his new overlord.
The humiliating display of allegiance did not bring about much change for the panedur. They were forced to pay tribute to Qerthéllnaval, but the wealth they already possessed still stayed in their hands and, with their realm now under the protection of an all-powerful imperium, they failed to see a need for investing into their own security.
Life under the Imperium of Qerthéllnaval was fine for Tålpau. The city was forced to surrender some of the wealth it dug up, but subjugation brought with it a wave of interest in the Patic Kingdom. Visitors from across the world arrived to marvel at the magnificent halls and the grand towering structures.

Destruction

The situation changed with the Valhértisian secession from the rest of the imperium in 872 BA. The Patic Kingdom was forced to swear fealty to the secessionists and taxes continued to rise. By the 860s, the young Imperium of Valhértis had found itself in the midst of an economic crisis. Years of corruption and mismanagement were bringing the country to the brink of ruin. In their search for a quick solution, the Valhértisians looked to Tålpau.
The Imperium of Valhértis marched an overwhelming force on Tålpau, beginning the Patic Purge that left the city uninhabited. With the survivors fleeing east under Trinak An-Pughal's guidance and the city fallen, someone still alive deep in the heart of Tålpau activated an ancient weapon that brought the mountain down on the city with a powerful avalanche. The force of the weapon caused the earth to quake, forcing the attackers to retreat. Within minutes the city was lost, hidden behind a layer of snow and ice.
Left with only a minimal amount of loot, the alchen forces attempted to return and uncover the settlement, but the face of the mountain had been changed forever and no matter how much they tried to dig, they were unable to find the lost city and its wealth.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
4 Gileiqteril, 865 BA

Alternative Name(s)

The Oldstead
First Home

Type

Capital

Inhabitant Demonym

Tålper