Merringe

A city nestled at the intersection between the Prisma Forest, Lake Shimmer, and the surrounding farmlands. Owing to an ancient magic surrounding the Prisma Forest, harvests are always vast and bountiful in Merringe, so they are a major exporter of food, whether it be staples or luxuries. Merringe is an ancient city, one said to have been built on the bones of one far older still.   The royal family, headed by Queen Ellen Tael’s line, is said to be chosen by the ancient magic of the land itself, and wields great magical power. Unlike other monarchies, succession is determined not by law, by election, or by division, but instead by the merit of the princess of the line who can prove herself most worthy of rule.   Merringe is built on a hill directly overlooking Lake Shimmer and Prisma Forest, with only one easy avenue of entrance. These natural defenses have ensured its longevity despite its relative isolation. The people of Merringe are taught great respect for the land and its mysteries, for those who attempt to exploit it often find themselves never returning from Prisma Forest.   Merringe retains an aloof attitude towards other nations, preferring to keep to their own affairs and assure their own prosperity. It’s common folk are vibrant and curious, and always excited to encounter foreigners when they can. There is, however, a known rising resentment among their common people of the stagnancy and the restrictive castes it brings. Her Majesty has yet to address these complaints whatsoever.  

History and Description of Merringe

  The eldest of the city states of the Turspan Slightlands, Merringe has a history long enough to have been largely forgotten even by the longest-lived peoples, and has endured times of great hardship and eras of prosperity in equal measure.   The city is seated upon a crag protruding from the rim of the Shimmer Basin, a gigantic crater valley formed by an enormous fallen star in an era long past. While the eastern side of the basin is overwhelmed by the tangle of living crystal known as the Prisma Forest, the western side, separated from the forest by Merringe itself and Lake Shimmer, is a valley of peerless farmland. Throughout Merringe's surroundings and especially in and around the Prisma Forest, ancient relics and ruins of a long-dead civilization can be found.   It's not known why the city is founded upon the rim of the basin rather than within its plentiful flat space, but because of the limited space available, Merringe is an incredibly vertical city. There are floors upon floors of buildings built atop one another, with many of them receiving light from glowing crystals rather than the sun. To contrast with the cramped quarters, Merringe's buildings are painted a vibrant array of colors, featuring many a mural upon the larger open walls. Ringing the city are two layers of tall bluestone walls, surrounding it on all sides, including the cliff face. At the city's apex is the Cavealux Palace, a towering bluestone construction which surrounds a single, titanic crystal that ever glows brilliant. It is from within this palace that the Queen of Merringe rules not only Merringe, but all of the lands that surround her.   The earliest legends of Merringe tell a tale of knights wreathed in primordial darkness defending the great city from a terrible wyrmlike dragon that espoused sickening light from every scale and tooth. It's said that the city all but fell, but in its darkest hour, the adopted daughter of the Lord Commander, Aurora, found the blessing of the elusive Faerie Queen of legend. With her aid, the city was enshrouded in protective shadow, and the foul wyrm sealed away, never to be seen again. Since then, Merringe has always been ruled by a Queen, who carries with her the ancient blessing of the Faerie Queen.   Another legend states that Merringe once was tested by three devils, which each offered to them a long-lost secret that would grant them greatness.   The first devil offered a secret that would grant them great wealth, but at the expense of many lives. Though Merringe suffered for its then-poverty, Queen Phi refused, for her love for her people was far greater than their need for gold.   The second devil offered a secret that would grant them great power, but at the expense of their soldiers' hearts. Though Merringe fought every day against the wicked monsters that rose from the Prisma Forest, the knights refused, for their love for their home was why they fought at all.   The third devil offered a secret that would grant them great magicks, but at the expense of their memory. Though the queen protested, her closest companion chose to accept. They used that power to bless the fields of Merringe to grant it great wealth, to ward the city to protect it from monsters, and to form the West Shimmer Academy, so that their power could be shared long after their end.   However, true to the third devil's promise, the magus vanished forever from history and memory, never to be remembered again. To this day, Merring celebrates Arisa 3rd as the Forgotten's Day, for those who are no longer remembered.   Beyond the city's oldest myths, most of the city's actual history isn't widely known. Records are kept within the West Shimmer Academy and the Cavealux Palace library, but neither are especially accessible to the general public. Some things are known, though.   During the reign of Queens Lia, Celesti, and Arcana, it's known that there was a long golden era of peace and prosperity for hundreds of years during which Merringe was built up to its impressive stature. This golden age is also responsible for the many impressive artworks and for Merringe's unique walls of ten thousand colors. During its golden age, Merringe enjoyed open relations with its many neighboring towns and even substantial trade, for Lake Shimmer empties into the Bramble Bay without forcing seafarers to round the Dragon's Horn. However, this age came to an end when Ryde's golden era came into full swing.   While Queen Arcana was spared Ryde's wars of aggression longer than any city-state but Oxos, Ryde did come for her eventually. When she refused Ryde's demand of subservience, wise to how it affected the other cities, Ryde swiftly conquered the surrounding lands and blockaded her city. With the home advantage, the clever use of the universally hostile monsters, and the legendary dark knights on their side, Merringe was able to fend off Ryde. But, while the city never fell, it did suffer. It was cut off from trade by Ryde's blockade, and the frequent attacks by Ryde's unending slave armies wore down the numbers of the dark knights to near extinction. In the end, Queen Arcana was slain by a Ryder assassin, leaving the current queen, Ellen Tael, to shepherd her people.   Some question Ryde's determination to take the city. While it was a gateway to the Gulf of Storms and the riches of Wydull's Eternity, the failed conquest of Merringe cost Ryde more than any other than their attempts to conquer the Valkyrie. Some say that there was something deep within Merringe that they wanted- Something that they found only after Queen Arcana was killed. For shortly thereafter, they withdrew from Merringe, and the slave economy of Ryde changed drastically across the entire empire.   Once Ryde withdrew from Merringe, the young and inexperienced Queen Ellen Tael guided the city through its recovery. Ryde's long campaign had destroyed the surrounding towns and infrastructure, and the toll on the city's people had been immense. It took many years for the city to recover to even a shadow of its former glory, even as the mercenaries that Queen Ellen Tael had to rely on aided the recovery and resettlement of the land.   It has been many years since Ryde's conquest ravaged Merringe, and since then, it has slowly become prosperous once more. However, despite its recovery, Merringe has never opened itself up for trade or to interact with its neighbors since the war began eighty years ago, even long after its ending. This, combined with social inequalities between the common folk and the surviving wealthy families of the war, has lead to growing unrest as of late.