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Mellik

Mellik, the City of Forbidden Delights
The Paladin’s Graveyard, The Market of Lost Souls
The Mountain of Sorrow
The Greatest Place in the World
"“Mellik is what you make of it. So stop whining and give me your money. All of it. Yes, that bit too.”"
--Cirranon du Darkglade

There is no more famous city on the face of Talanu than Mellik. The Black Heart of the North has been writ large throughout the stories of bards and madmen for nearly one thousand years, and she revels in her notoriety. The citizens of Mellik are nothing if not fiercely proud of both where they live, and the perceived superiority their choice of residence lends them. As those who are familiar with the region have come to accept, this is par for the course, and has been so for the past millennium.

The Glorious Citadel of Andwar O’Mallik, as it was originally called, has its roots in the earliest part of the Kaeron Resistance. Throughout the planning stages of the effort there were many disagreements. One of the most divisive centered around what tools were morally acceptable, given the circumstances. The Kaeron had weapons of mass destruction, magical engines of immense power. If these weapons could be captured, the tide of battle could be turned and the war quickly ended – that was the argument levied by Lieutenant Andwar and his faction. Daran Kar-thone and Colanx Ursulan were opposed to it, however, and in the end their will prevailed.

During the tense, desperate years of the war, the issue was laid to rest. There was little time to question orders, and given the foe they faced any deviation from previously agreed upon plans led to the slaughter of thousands. Instead, focus was given to insuring that the Kaeron could not use the weapons themselves – a task at which Andwar and company excelled. In fact, the Raiders O’Malliks’ knack for bringing down enemy posts became legendary, and in modern scholarship they are given the credit they deserve. Without them, the war effort would have failed.

Their heroism, however, was not enough to sway Daran from his edict – that the spoils of the Kaeron be destroyed, and what could not be left where it fell, so that no more evil could be done with them. With the enemy defeated, this sort of self denial was lost on Andwar. He could not understand why he had to starve, cold and miserable, while they trekked past ruin after ruin full of Kaeron wealth and magic. He argued that the relocation effort could be enhanced, that more lives could be saved, but Daran would not be moved.

And so, Andwar left. He took with him roughly 500 men and women, and supplies for all. The parting was not a pleasant one, though no violence was done. O’Mallik and his men were named traitors to the cause, and were banished from the company of the resistance. By that time, with the gleam of Faery gold in his eyes, Andwar did not care at all. As far as he was concerned, his days of toil and sweat were almost at an end.

Within the next few months, the bedraggled crew rode in to the ruined remains of Jamswi’Trifoor, a Kaeron enclave of middling size, but exceptional power. It had once played home to a powerful enclave of Archmages, headed by, among others, Gwynn ap Nudd. Unfortunately, when Andwar’s party arrived the ruins were already occupied by a sizeable group of undead, created by the weird energies unleashed during the carnage of the war. The struggle for domination began. In the end, the battle-hardened force prevailed, and they took up residence within.

What they found surpassed their wildest expectations. The tools of the Kaeron provided shelter, sustenance, and entertainment with little to no effort on the part of the refugees. Over the years, with no concern for the necessities of life, the moral compass of O’Mallik’s Raiders turned increasingly towards hedonism. Euphoric with the luxury afforded them by the broken relics of the Faery, they spent their time inventing new diversions of all sorts.

Approximately 10 years after Andwar and his people found their paradise, the settlement found itself again under attack, this time by the hordes of barbarians migrating north across the plains. Their leaders had heard the news of the Formori’s fall, and were eager to reclaim the Land of Wotan. Of course, they proved no match for the Citadel’s defenses, and its citizens watched in amusement as the hordes slaughtered themselves in waves upon the walls. Andwar was not amused, however. He was intrigued. One of the things he disliked about his new home was its isolation and small population. It also irked him to no end that he had become so successful and happy, and Daran didn’t know it. He saw in the barbarians a way to spread the news of his city, and a way in which to increase the population as well.

He stopped the slaughter and approached Trafgol mac Morna, ogrish head of the Wyvernspine tribe and Ard Righ of the coalition of clans that were tearing northwards. Andwar offered them a deal – he offered to cease hostilities open the city to them, if they would be willing to establish a peaceful trading relationship. Towards that end, he showed to the king many of the wonders that the city could offer. Such was the barbarian’s delight that it overcame his natural aversion to enchantments, and he agreed to the arrangement. His men spent their first night in the hall of wonders that was The Glorious Citadel of Andwar O’Mallik, and a legend was born.

Over the next years and decades, as travel in the North became more prevalent, the popularity of the place grew. Anwar died a very rich and powerful man, and before he passed on he set out a comprehensive Master Plan detailing the growth of the city as he envisioned it. Eventually, the majority of his ideas were implemented using the vast amount of wealth that had begun pouring in. The Core and the city proper were built during the 4th and 5th centuries ER, under the watchful eyes of Zorgath the Builder, a beholder architect of unparalleled skill. It was built based on plans laid out by Andwar, who claimed to have gotten them in a dream.

Today, the city of Mellik is the largest city on the continent of Talanu, boasting at times well over one million inhabitants. Its citizenry come from all over the multiverse, as Mellik is home to several permanent gates, and has lent a storefront to the World Serpent Inn on many occasions. While it is well known for its vices, and for its never-ending rivalry with Allesh-Gilliam, the City That Sleeps With At Least One Eye Open is also a place of endless possibilities. It is the crossroads of the continent, and anything imaginable can be had here, for a price.