Encan City

Standard of the Encan City

The **Encan City** is a small town and former city-state in southern Eldham. It is currently part of The Ashtrokan-Wandenreich Empire, and is considered a historic monument with unique architecture. Encan City has been nicknamed the "City of Gold" by its current inhabitants for its rich history and role in Eldham's agriculture.

Prior to becoming part of the A.W.E., Encan City was the center of the Encan Freehold and the seat of the Commonwealth of Huitca Nations. Founded as a refuge for the Hesperdian peoples who migrated to the Huitca Federation as part of the ongoing Cleban Crisis, the Encan City has always sought to be a prosperous and peaceful center of trade and culture.

## History

### Scribal Rock Source

As of the present day, two primary sources have been uncovered documenting the founding of the city and its freehold. The first, known as the Scribal Source, was recovered by Resident S'ubs Cr'ibe on 8 June 2021. It dates to the Late Native Period of Eldham and is a quasi-mythologized history of the early settlements around the Shimmering Sea attributed to a scholar of the Sunken Kingdom. An excerpt regarding the city's founding is quoted below:

> *Long before the Encan arrived in the region which is now the Freehold of the Encan City, the land was divided between more than 500 tribes and empires. They were always hostile to each other and in perpetual war. The greatest empire, the Mallachchay Empire, was ruled by the Mallachchay Dynasty, and they were on their 15th king, king Bombai the second. The Mallachchay had grown to immense power through their great knowledge of magic. Most of the wars they won were through the use of bloodmagic and potions, which had long been banned. Due to this, other tribes hated them. Then, a great fire happened in a distant land, and their residents, the Encan, had to flee. They ended up taking refuge in Mallachchay territory.*
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> *When king Bombai The Second found out about this, he declared war on the refugees. Thus, in an effort to save themselves, the Encan fought a guerrilla war of survival, and ended up triumphing over the might of Mallachchay. Sadly, due to the use of unfamiliar chemicals and magic, many Encan died over the years. The remaining Encan fought violently against the harsh weather, and mainly, the Medros, a large dragon that was created by the Mallachchans.*
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> *Then, a citizen named Stonccs Hanz ventured into the forest. Since then, neither the dragon nor Stonccs was seen again, and Encan and Huitcan rule was established throughout the land. The remaining tribes were conquered and integrated into the city and its Freehold.*
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### Tribal Source

The Tribal Source is the other primary source to Encan and Cleban settlement around the Shimmering Sea. It was discovered by Txashikan Mayus of the Dawn on the 9th of June 2021, and is commonly attributed to an Encan tribal slave around the time of the founding of the City. Written in Lænc with a Classical Encan verse, only fragments survive, making its exact chronology and authorship uncertain, but its historicity can be confirmed by certain elements of the text, when compared to the Scribal Source:

* It mentions the numerous tribes of the area that were dominating by the hegemon Ærcan Marratxay (the Mallachchay Empire)
* It attests the existence of two emperors with the name Bonvæ (Bombai)
* It describes the use of blood magic and sacrifice by the Marratxay and their vassals
* It elaborates on the persecution of the original Encan settlers, describing how the Marratxay mutilated many of these with eye gouging and tongue ripping. The reason for these acts is explained as Bombai's response to the Encan reverence of Txakao Ba'rrut (who was blind and mute), believing the followers should be similar to their idol
* It mentions a Cleban general named Eshton K'antx, likely the same figure as Stonccs Hanz mentioned in the Scribal Source

The Tribal Source contains notable differences when compared to the Scribal Source, however, each of which present a clearer picture to the actual historical chronology. Some of these elements are included below:

* The Tribal Source describes two waves of Encan and Cleban immigration to the area, one predating the Republican Period in the Hesperdin and the other a consequence of the ongoing Cleban Crisis. This first migration might be the one attested in the Scribal Source, perhaps resulting from displacement by rampant wildfires in the western Hesperdin. This initial migration is described as gradual, and resulted in the persecution and enslavement of these Encan peoples with the aforementioned mutilation
* The second migration involves an organized settler group of Encans who initially found refuge in the Huitca Federation. Though they had little contact with Eldham, they knew of the earlier Encan migrants and went to regroup with them. Finding them in their deplorable conditions, they waged a war of liberation with the Mallachchay and triumphed.
* The Tribal Source makes no mention of Medros the dragon, but mentions a sinister spell of the Mallachchay that transmuted a chunk of the eastern jungle into an enchanted mire.
* The Tribal Source mentions certain rebellions in the northwest and southeast of the Freehold, with these groups remaining loyal to the Mallachchay and occasionally engaging in guerrilla warfare against the city.

### Historia Tacita

Perhaps the most holistic chronicle of the history of the lands now known as the Encan Freehold is the *Historia Tacita*, which is currently being prepared by Mayus of the Dawn.

### A.W.E. Control

[ explain how ownership transferred to the A.W.E. when I am able to track down this information ]

As a city located in a sparsely populated jungle, Encan City has been in danger of returning to the wild numerous times. Various statesmen within the A.W.E. have stepped in to prevent the loss of such a unique and important location to decay and vandalism. The respected banker Admiral Dalai took ownership of the city and added a large farm complex, amassing considerable wealth in the process. Mylnric took to selling some of its fruits abroad, both to pay his own bills and feed the burgeoning economy in Lutum (now Vespera).

Encan City's next chapter is yet to be written.