Maroch (Mah-rock)

The population consists largely of Elves, Humans, Dragonborn, Gnomes, Goblins and Hobgoblins, Halflings, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Loxodons, Orcs, Tieflings, and Yuan-Ti peoples. There are also quite a few half-breeds of various sorts, although it is considered rude to ask which races one is descended from.   Also among the population are a surprising number of firbolgs, some changelings*, a number of genasi, a few prides of leonin and tabaxi, and a few minotaurs, satyrs, vampires, and shifters.   *These folk are quite secretive about their nature and few know the truth of their ancestry. They prefer to present themselves as one of the more numerous populations and are therefore hard to quantify.   Each race tends toward affiliation with one of the city's fifteen Guilds, although individuals sometimes choose differently than the majority of their people. Humans are the exception, not leaning toward any one Guild in particular but instead scattering throughout each of them.

Maroch is a kingdom unto itself, ruled by a council of Lords and Ladies. They are known collectively as The Round, ostensibly for the table they argue over at council meetings. Fifteen noble Houses make up The Round, each serving as patron to a guild. The guilds, in turn, are responsible for the well-being of the city as a whole, each with an individual niche and responsibilities.   Most inhabitants of Maroch are Guildmembers in some capacity or another

The city is surrounded by a wall, 30 feet high and ten feet thick, with parapets running the entire length of it. Behind the wall, Maroch is uniquely positioned to avoid the usual drawbacks that seige warfare takes advantage of: There is no digging under the wall, for the wall has existed for almost as long as the city has, and it extends deep underground. The people of Maroch cannot be starved out, because the Guild of Agriculture has long had contingency plans in place for such a time. Large spaces within the undercity can be cleared out in times of need and made into farm-space with the aid of magic. They cannot be drawn out by thirst either, because the Sarasan rushes too fast and too strong outside of the city to be diverted. And they cannot be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, as the city boasts a population larger than any other who might challenge it.

Wood is Maroch's main export, followed by granite. Both are under the purview of the Guild of Industry, run by House Ardenja, although trade and shipping are regulated by House Allaron, of the Guild of Trade.
  In addition to mining and forestry, the city supports a thriving marketplace, known as the Great Market. Maintained by House Allaron, the Great Market is a sprawling section of the city.

As the city aged and the ground rose slowly but inexorably to swallow it, the city's residents chose to build over top of old abandoned spaces; often without concern for the stability of those old buildings. Thus, the city came to be situated on top of a mind-boggling array of underground spaces, from twisting tunnels to great halls. But the depths of the undercity are dangerous: At any moment, the tunnel you walk through may collapse, or the rushing waters of the Great Sarasan could break through the ceiling above you, or you might run afoul of the creatures which dwell in the darkness under the city.   House Servil is patron to the Guild of Infrastructure, which is responsible for building and maintaining the city, and House Ramena is patron to the Guild of Pipes, responsible for building and maintaining the city's Public Works.

Maroch's gold is kept by the Guild of Coin, operated by House Goran. The Guild maintains three banks within the city, each of which contains a secret passage to a central Treasury located within the undercity. The Treasury is open only to the members of House Goran- None outside of that line are permitted entry.

Maroch's fifteen guilds are ruled by the Lords and Ladies of the Round, who serve as Maroch's government. Each lord or lady sits at the head of a noble House, the names of which are used near-interchangeably with the titles of their guilds.  

House Allaron is in charge of the Guild of Trade.

House Ardenja presides over the Guild of Industry.

House Bannard is in charge of the Guild of Swords.

House Borona leads the Guild of Textiles.

House Eran is in charge of the Guild of Worship.

House Golan presides over the Guild of Coin.

House Hammerstein is in charge of the Guild of Parks.

House Lonis leads the Guild of Rot.

House Lymor is in charge of the Guild of Agriculture.

House Macdyn presides over the Guild of Health.

House Mal leads the Guild of Law.

House Monali patrons the Guild of Arts.

House Ramena is in charge of the Guild of Pipes.

House Roenir is responsible for the Guild of Labour.

House Servil is in charge of the Guild of Infrastructure.

  Additionally, there is the Kamenoh, a shadowy organization of information gatherers and assassins.   More on the Guilds here.

The city of Maroch was initially constructed some seven thousand years ago in a collaborative effort between Rothlia's extant races under the watchful eye of First Sovereign Nadine. It became the capital city of then-united Rothlia and remained such until the Shattering War two thousand years ago. After the war, the leaders of Maroch's guilds stepped up to become the first Lords and Ladies of the Round, and their descendants have goverened the city ever since.   Maroch is an ancient city, built atop seven thousand years' worth of ruins. As such, there are many, many underground spaces, most of which lie long abandoned.

Maroch is frequented mostly by traders and traveling merchants, but it also draws in adventurers and sightseers. The undercity is a great mystery and a surprisingly large draw considering the number of persons who never return from the depths, and the city itself is a bastion of white granite, beautiful as it shines among the rich greens of the rainforest.

The Guild of Infrastructure is responsible for building and maintaining the city's infrastructure. This includes everything from roads and public buildings to private dwellings and emergency repairs. Lead by House Servil, the architextural style they favor varies by the taste of the current Lord or Lady of that House. As such, one could fairly accurately date the age of each level in the undercity by the specific architextural styling, provided one knew enough about both architexture and the history of House Servil. The current Lord, Frand Servil, favours a Romanesque style of sweeping arches and grand vaulted galleries.
Maroch is built primarily of white granite, mined from the nearby Quarry and traded to House Servil by House Ardenja.
  Every so often, a structure in the depths of the undercity buckles and collapses under the weight of the city, causing a sinkhole to open up, often requiring immediate repair and sometimes the aid of the Guild of Health or -gods forbid- the Guild of Rot, for any citizens injured or dead in the disaster.

Every morning the streets of Maroch wake under a blanket of thick fog, brought about by the humid air of the rainforest. This fog is fast to lift under the heat of the rising sun, revealing white granite streets and green foliage everywhere one looks. Through the center of town runs the Sarasan, wide in places and narrow in others, sometimes disappearing entirely underground through grated openings underneath a building or road, only to reappear a few hundred feet later. Bridges aplenty straddle the river,

In the middle of the Lunazir Rainforest as the city is, there is no shortage of wood. Every ten years, the Guild of Industry moves on to a new sector of rainforest, and the Guild of Parks, ruled by House Hammerstein, moves in to grow new trees in the space left behind. In this way, aided by the magic of clerics, mages, and druids, the city is likely never to run out of wood.
  The Quarry once was a great mountain, but over centuries of mining, it has been hollowed out, flattened, and is now a large pit. Everyone knows the Quarry is nearing the end of its' days, although that may not come for another two hundred years or so. This is a source of great worry for both House Ardenja and House Servil, who rely on the Quarry.
  The Great River Sarasan runs through the center of Maroch. A fair number of fisherfolk make their craft net-fishing on the banks of the river. Eel, pike, and carp are most commonly caught. Each of them must carry a permit, of course, as fishing is regulated by the Guild of Agriculture.