Melk-Makar

Melk-Makar was one of the twin capitals of the Erechine Rajir, the empire that was overrun by monstrous races during the Breaking of Nations. Despite this, its heavily fortified location (originally a dwarven hold in the hills between Lake Luore and the southern part of the Erechine Lagoon) gave rise to the tale that its inhabitants weathered the entire Breaking of Nations without fully surrendering to their enemies, only losing their freedom to a Taorminite betrayal much later. The Erechine population mingled over time with the Taorminite immigrants, giving rise to a complex local culture and a recognisable twangy accent and slang.  They are famous for their horse-breeding and heavy cavalry traditions.   Even before the Breaking of the Pact, there was a heavy local tradition of a sort of feudalistic rule, with local knights under the employ of barons, who answer to regional lords and eventually to the local monarchs in the two major Erechine cities of Melk-Makar and Havar-Erech.   Melk-Makar was built up around the central settlement of an ancient dwarven hold, with large hillside terraces and large cavernous halls, where the public areas, governmental structures and sacred precincts are located. Human settlement has continued to spread across the nearby hills in two settlements adjacent to the original settlement, each following the typical Taorminite settlement grid.   The Taorminites made it their capital of the Erechine province, and the city expanded greatly in size and population. It is said that in the area around the city, there are a hundred walled towns and a thousand villages. The area also contains iron and silver mines as well as numerous ranches.   The climate around Melk-Makar is warm in summer, though crisp throughout autumn and spring, and fairly wet during winter, with frequent frosts in the hills.   The population is mostly human (a mix of local 'Reccies' and Taorminite 'Southies'), with a very large population of halflings and many dwarves, who have re-created small 'hold-towns' in some places.