Marucross

**Marucross**

Neutral Evil Small Town (West)

Corruption +3; Crime -2; Economy +1; Law +2; Lore +1; Society -2

Qualities Long Memory, Strategic Location

Danger 0

Government Overlord

Population 1,700 (1,300 Gnoll, 400 other)

Notable NPCs

**Dur Canir** LE Female Gnoll Slayer 12

**Saru Suntin** NE Male Gnoll Ranger 9

**Ben Brukot** LE Male Gnoll Cleric of Arhu-Makht 8

**Tur Cardum** CE Female Gnoll Kineticist 9

Marketplace

Base Value 1100 gp; Purchase Limit 5000 gp; Spellcasting 4th

Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 1d6; Major Items --

Only a century ago the militant Zaratid Empire stretched across the Sandsea. Today it has collapsed into a disorganized mess of squabbling
city-states. The Zaratid Empire was never the most stable, always
balanced on a knife's edge between the tensions of its human and gnoll
population. It was by their cooperation that the empire had been built,
and through their duplicity that it was undone. Many of the cities of
the Zaratid now lie in ruins, and those that remain are squabbling
independent city-states.

It was in that treacherous time, amidst the chaos of the Zan Zakud mutiny, the Curadiin purges, and Emiraban invasion, that much of the
empire's gnoll population was forced into exile. They dispersed across the Sandsea. Many died in the unforgiving desert, while others were
drawn into the vicious war as either bandits or mercenaries. The toll on
 the gnolls of Zaratid was harsh, but there appeared to be hope. Zan Zakud was overthrown and replaced by the charismatic general Gur Vantid, who returned to the southern Sandsea with his legion in the hopes of
forging a new peace. Gur Vantid gathered his scattered people, forged
new alliances, and amassed an army far greater than any other in the
region at the time. He would reunify the humans and gnolls, make peace
with Emiraba, and restore order to the empire.

Gur Vantid's dream was quashed when his allies betrayed him in the
battle of Dubban. One betrayal lead to another as non-gnoll commanders
saw the winds turn against Gur Vantid. While the gnoll commander would
personally survive, all hopes for the gnoll people were thoroughly
slain. The remaining gnoll forces fled, many to the closest stronghold
to the disastrous battle site, Marucross. The Emiraban army would
eventually sweep across the region, but was never able to capture
Marucross. The original Emiraban commander assigned to capture the
settlement couldn't find it, and subsequent attempts to take the
settlement once the Emiraban frontier had engulfed it were disasterous.
The one successful attempt to take the settlement proved futile; the
gnolls fled into the foothills and cut off supply lines, making
occupation impossible.

Today, Marucross is home to far fewer gnolls than at its post-war
height. The surrounding lands can support only a meager resident
population, and the majority of gnolls born and raised here must take up
 mercenary work, banditry, or the slave trade. Their settlement is not
officially recognized by Emiraba, but in a modern context their services
 as mercenaries are necessary to secure the expansive frontier border.
The total gnoll population in the surrounding region is difficult to
estimate, but is likely still in the tends of thousands. At any given
time there is almost never more than fifteen hundred gnolls in
Marucross, and a significant portion of its population at any time are
slaves.

For their part, the gnolls have little trust of outsiders. They are
surrounded by the successors of the very traitors who destroyed Gur
Vantid's dream. Emiraba and the human city-states are dealt with on a
mercenary basis, but the gnolls have no trust for them and these people
are never allowed into their stronghold. Foreigners with no affiliation
with these enemies fare better with the gnolls, and smugglers and slave
traders often find themselves welcome here - provided they have
something of value in exchange.

Marucross is ruled by Dur Canir, who claims to be the great
granddaughter of Gur Vantid. While the legitimacy of her claim is
questionable, her rulership of Marucross is uncontested and the gnoll
clans throughout the region regard her as the supreme ruler, coming
before her court for arbitration. The gnolls here take great pride in
their court and maintaining the preceedings of a Zaratid court.

The lands surrounding Marucross are rugged, hilly, and make approach
incredibly difficult. The fortifications are battered from battles now
decades old, but the gnolls are hardened veterans from a lifetime of
mercenary work. With Emiraba increasingly disinterested in the region
that is so expensive to control and the human city-states more
disorganized than ever, it is doubtful that anyone could dislodge the
gnolls now even with their modest garrison.