Marken (MARK-en)
Marken was originally settled as a pair of communities on opposite sides of the river Nehir at the mouth of the great Bay of Kafre'en. As such, it was originally a pair of barons that claimed to rule the land around the settlements, and the two rivals vied for control of the area for over 100 years before Marken became the prosperous city-state it was to become.
While out of the way for merchants sailing from Cremaia, Haicon, or Asuris, the people of Marken gained fame for the fabulous textiles they produced, and the markets grew on the strength of that trade. Increasing their wealth was the founding of Lawesee, which led to a nearby market for the crops grown around Marken, an activity that only grew in intensity with the growth of Salinar. For a while, the two Eastern Kafre'en city-states were largely dependent on Marken for their produce and grains until farming in the area of Salinar became sustainable.
Thanks to its fear of its Lawesean neighbours, Marken always had a pair of reasonably-sized standing armies, each answering to one of the now dukes claiming leadership over the city. This army was well fed, well paid, and well trained with a disporportionate number of the soldiers ironically receiving training in Lawesee.
The Markenean fear of Lawesee saw to a great undertaking beginning around 1132 TY, when the then-dukes put aside their differences and agreed that a wall around Marken was essential. The city was not as big then as it would grow, but the rulers had the foresight to build the wall some distance out from the then-existing buildings. It took about 10 years to build. Over the next 250 years, Marken grew to such an extent that its wall barely contained the city, and many buildings grew up on the outside of the structure.
Marken's wall was an enormous thing, but it was built to primarily withstand a ground assault from the North, East, or South. While it did go some distance around Marken's harbour, the Western part of the City was to be defended by ballistas, catapults, and the not-insignificant Marken navy.
Demographics
Marken was a primarily human city, perhaps as a response to the varied populations of both Lawesee and Salinar. Still, it had a sizable halfling population and counted a number of half-elves among its citizens.
Men out-numbered women in the city, largely due to the military presence, but women were more common in the factory districts as their skills were largely responsible for the textiles that made Marken so rich. Women were also present in nearly equal numbers to men among the merchants and nobles.
Government
Ostensibly, Marken was run by a pair of dukes, one each North and South of the river, but their constant bickering meant the everyday governance of Volara was largely run by the Merchant Guild. Due to the wealth from the textile industry, Marken had a fairly large Guild that oversaw most court cases and paid for some of the policing around the city.
The dukes and nobles of Marken collected taxes and administered higher-level judicial matters while also bankrolling the military, who also served in a policing capacity. In this capacity, some of the military officers were called upon to act as judges for minor offences.
Districts
Marken is a city of halves, being split almost perfectly down the middle by the river Nehir. Each half had its own market, factory, residential, dock, military, and noble districts as they competed to out-earn the other half of the city.
Though nothing compared to the markets in Te'ralyn or Praneya, Marken's markets were always well-stocked, particularly with textile goods that sold for outrageous sums in other markets across Volara. The fine needlework involved in these textiles was appreciated by the upper-class across the world, and no one made silk attire better than the Markeneans.
The factory districts of Marken were dedicated to the production of these textiles, using imported silk, cotton, and flax to create the magnificent rugs, tapestries, and garments that made them famous. There were several of these factories in each half of the city, but the Southern side generally dealt more in silk and cotton products while the Northern side tended to produce linen.
The residential districts of Marken tended to be relatively small and squashed together. Most homes consisted of no more than two rooms, sometimes three, and the buildings themselves could reach five stories. Streets of these tall, thin buildings sometimes made walking through these districts feel like walking through a mountain pass with oppressive sides and the sky a distant thing above.
The alleys of the residential districts were often narrow, cramped affairs that were unpleasant to walk down. The day's filth and the night's leavings often built up in these areas, and they were generally avoided by most sober, upstanding citizens.
The dock districts of Marken were generally well-maintained, and if not for the Nehir's mouth opening in their middle, they could be seen as one unified district. The docks were made for any size ship, even the giant Praneyan vessels. They were able to load and unload impressive amounts of cargo in a short span, and the dockworkers took pride in how quickly they could have a ship in and out of its berth.
The docks were also the districts where Marken's more unsavory citizens spent their time, as the inns and pubs bordering the area drew cutpurses and the like to wealthy foreign merchants. These merchants could easily lose their earnings if they weren't careful.
There were four military districts in Marken, one in both the East and West just outside each Noble district. As Marken had a fairly strong military, they took up a large amount of space for barracks and training. The barracks were sizable buildings designed to hold several hundred men each, while the officers quarters were usually above each barracks in buildings that could reach several stories high.
The noble districts in each half of Marken were quite different. In the North, there was a sizable palace for the duke, and the other aristocrats of Northern Marken had large homes surrounding the palace. In the South, the duke's home couldn't be picked out of the numerous opulent mansions that spread over the few hills that were within Marken's walls.
Maps
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Marken
A map of Marken
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