Maryere

Bird's eye view of Maryere, the Mountain Realm

Maryere is the Mountain Realm's capital city. The Lord Protector has lived in Maryere since the creation of the Five Great Lands. Maryere is one of the main locations in A Death at Dawn. Gloriana, Alice, and Jaslyn Wayward live in Maryere.

## Districts

There are five districts in Maryere. Dirt Alley and Merchant’s District are the smallest districts and the only two districts that still go by their name. Old District, Adroit Zone, and Essential Area are considered nameless; they are also the three largest districts.

### Old District

Old District is a district located in the northeastern part of Maryere. The section consists of Winter’s Keep and the Row of Lords.

Winter’s Keep is where the Lord Protector of the Mountain Realm resides. The keep is located beside Northgate and across from the Grand Library. Lord Borin Wayward built Winter’s Keep in 489 SM, moving the family from one side of the city to another. The High Walls surround Winter’s Keep for protection. These walls are slightly higher than the city walls.

Bloody Tower is a tower located just outside of Winter’s Keep. King Fane Wayward had the tower built in 93 SM to protect his heir Obediah from the Plague of the Arts. Alice Wayward lived in the Bloody Tower during A Death at Dawn. Myburn Garden is the oldest garden in the city and is located on the western side of Winter’s Keep. A small market used to be in the garden, but Lady Gloriana Wayward moved the market to Dirt Alley.

The Row of Lords is a smaller district inside the Old district where visiting lords and ladies reside. There are twenty townhouses on the Row of Lords, and the houses are usually all full of dwelling highborn houses. Lord Borin Wayward built the Row of Lords in 493 SM to quiet the complaining lords and ladies who claimed they had nowhere to stay since the abandonment of the much larger Sun Keep.

### Adroit Zone

Adroit Zone is a district located in the northwestern part of Maryere. This section is where the art and literature of the city are located. The Grand Library and the Sun Keep are notable structures in the district.

The Grand Library is a library anyone can use regardless of their social status. In 227 SM, King Wolfram Wayward built the library to store his collection of Arcan art and literature. In 374 SM, Lady Crimson Wayward converted the private library into a public library during her Ten Acts of Faith tour.

The Chapel of Maryere and the Auroral Sanctuary is also located in this area and are constantly used for most celebration forms in the city.

Sun Keep is an abandoned keep owned by House Wayward, located in the district’s northwestern corner. The keep used to be where the Lord Protector resided, but in 489 SM, Lord Borin Wayward built Winter’s Keep and boarded up the Sun Keep. Slowly the keep has been torn down to make room in the Adroit Zone. Only the main holdfast remains.

### Essential Area

The Essential Area is a district located in the southern part of Maryere between the Merchant’s District and Dirt Alley. This district is where goods are made to be then sold in the Merchant’s District. This district is a mix of residential and workman shops. The Preservers of the Cleansed Race (PCR) are known to hide out in this area and persecute commoners and peasants who have the Arts. The Rangers Headquarters are located in this district to counteract the PCR appearances. Near the Merchant’s District is the Vegetable Market, the largest vegetable market in the Mountain Realm.

### Dirt Alley

Dirt Alley is a district located on the eastern side of Maryere. The Dirt Alley district runs along the Dirt Alley Road to Eastgate. Dirt Alley is overpopulated and the most impoverished area in Maryere, where peasants, orphans, drunkards, and debtors live. In the northeastern section of Dirt Alley, closest to Winter’s Keep, is the Red Light District. The small market that used to be located in Myburn Garden is now located in Dirt Alley.

### Merchant’s District

Merchant’s District is located on the western side of Maryere. This district is the wealthiest and has the most daily traffic. The primary market runs along Merchant’s Road through the district.

## Main Roads and Gates

The main roads split Maryere into its five districts. The Golden Road is a major road in the Mountain Realm that goes through Maryere. It is more commonly known as the Road. The road runs north and south through the city and goes through Northgate and Southgate.

Dirt Alley Road runs through the Dirt Alley District to Eastgate and ends at the Lumberyard located outside Maryere. Merchant’s Road runs through the Merchant’s District to Westgate and ends in Dimwich. A market runs along the road within the city, causing major traffic jams. Gatekeeper’s Road runs between Dirt Alley and the Essential Area to Gatekeeper’s Gate towards Gatekeeper’s Watch and Lismure.

## Population

Maryere is the second-largest city in the Mountain Realm, with a population of about 95,000 residents. A majority of the population lives in the Essential Zone. The people who live in Maryere do not act like mountain people, and those who can afford it are very materialistic. Peasants who live in and around Maryere have a low quality of life.

## History

Queen Haylise Wayward created Maryere, the new capital, in 48 SM after her friend, Mareayre, died when the Valiant Warriors attacked the High Keep in the Dense Pines.

There have been three major battles in Maryere: the Siege of Maryere in 100 SM, the Burning of Maryere in 272 SM, and the Last Battle in 398 SM.

In 100 SM, Rayleen Wayward was declared queen of the Snowlands. Upset that a woman came into power, Lord Florian River created an army to sack Maryere and take the crown of himself. Queen Rayleen defended the city during the Siege of Maryere and killed every member of House River to show the other mountain houses that she was not to be messed with.

In 270 SM, the First Holy War between House Wayward and several southern Mountain Realm houses occurred. In 272 SM, Maryere was burned by Lord Christian Blackmour of Eldenhold, forcing King Harland Wayward to escape and seek refuge in Silverwood in the Kingdom of Valley Pines where King Cypris Osmont was staying.

In 395 SM, Lord Aleister Wayward signed the Arts Agreement with the Rangers in Maryere, ending the Holy Massacres. This agreement allowed the Rangers to protect Arts users from the PCR. Doing this would also protect the small agricultural economy Lord Aleister had created. In 396 SM, the Rangers created their headquarters in the Essential Zone in Maryere. In retaliation, Lord Julius Myster and other southern Mountain Realm houses declared war on House Wayward in 396 SM. This war is known as the Last Holy War. The war ended when House Myster and the other southern houses failed in taking control of Maryere at the Last Battle in 398 SM. No house has risen against House Wayward since.