Moreelse

**Moreelse** is a city that on first glance appears to be quite ordinary and functioning. Ruled by a council of the city's most prominent noble families, no outsider could suspect that in reality Moreelse is being ran by a syndicate of rogue alchemists from Arangea.

## History

The city was founded somewhere after the dissolution of the Second Elven Empire. It was mostly inhabited by humans, although it shortly fell under the rule of the Drow, under the Drow Confederacy at the time. Even though most of the humans in Moreelse were not actual slaves, they were still second-hand citizens, not enjoying many of the liberties and luxuries of their overlords.

Once internal strife broke the Confederacy apart, giving its place to several independent Drow City-States, the humans of Moreelse rebelled, killing many of the stationed Drow. They used that opportunity to form their own government that was composed of a council that included the city's most influential nobles, as well as the Hierarch that represented the clergy. And thus, the Free City of Moreelse was born.

Things were going smoothly, with Moreelse building many alliances with the other human states of the West. It all changed overnight, however, when a ship carrying a group of exiled alchemists and pyromancers from Arangea crashed on its shores.

This group, known as the "Hydra's Eyes", was formed by a Nasrian pyromancer known as Javed, who had made his way to the Alchemists Guild in Arangea. His revolutionary ideas and experiments with fire magic earned him a sizable number of followers, forming the infant version of the Hydra's Eyes organization as we know it today.

Javed and his followers were soon exiled by the guild and the city of Arangea, citing that his thoughts had grown too wild, dangerous and uncontrollable. However, all changed when the ship that was carrying them to the Oroma Islands was taken off course by a terrible storm just south of the Land of Storms.

Finding themselves in Moreelse, the Hydra's Eyes soon fled to its sewers and secret tunnels, initially bribing the guards and nobles against the Arangean hunters that were after them.

However, their syndicate grew rapidly. They formed a cooperative relationship with the city's clergy, adopting their religion of the Cleansing Flame and using them as a body of protection, while they got rid of the problematic individuals that the Cleansing Flame priests couldn't take care of themselves due to the lack of jurisdiction.

The Hydra's Eyes turned from rogue crime syndicate to a powerful organization when one of their alchemists found a particularly interesting plant while in an expedition in the Kinnog jungle. The Hydra's Eyes were able to extract a powder from their leaves, turning it into a narcotic called "The White Death".

The syndicate quickly spread the use of this narcotic throughout the west, nowadays its widespread in Arangea, Hithlone, the Drow city states, the Sea Elves, ChangriLa, Gvilderstaaten, Ampleazzo, Zapalovah and of course, Moreelse. The Hydra's Eyes got the nobility of Moreelse addicted to the White Death, which they use as leverage, turning them into their puppets.

Nowadays the Hydra's Eyes are virtually untouchable in Moreelse, and spine-chilling rumours float around its Underworld. It's said that the Hydra's Eyes scientists have gotten even bolder, conducting abominable experiments beyond the boundaries of science, turning men and dogs into beastly, mindless mutants for use in their legions, and conjuring forbidden insectoid creatures, like the terrible Koschey.

## Geography

Moreelse sits in the shore of Lake Moreelse, in the valley of the Isaarn River. Many murky bogs and swamps surround the countryside of Moreelse, although most of them have been dried out by now. North of the city, in the middle of a larges wamp, lies an Old Manor surrounded by a huge cemetary. Although considered as haunted by the locals, it's said that the Hydra's Eyes conduct their most terrifying experiments there.

## Religion

The Cleansing Flame is worshipped in Moreelse. It's said that it derives from an ancient Drow deity, from when these humans where under their Empire, although that connection has been lost now.

The Clergy is headed by an Hierarch, who holds a spot in the city's council, along its nobles. Worshippers of the Cleansing Flame believe in the undying flame as a symbol of survival and a guide through darkness. They view it as a harbinger of progress and better days to come.

This religion's influence rose rapidly after the arrival of the Hydra's Eyes, and they soon established a knightly order, the Order of the Illuminatus. The primary purposes of the Order are to defend the downtrodden from evil and spread the belief in the Cleansing Flame, but they also serve as a police force or an iron fist to hunt down heretics. The Order considers practicioners of magic - apart from Pyromancy - as evil. They also are extremely hostile to non-humans, as many businesses owned by Drow, Hobbits and Orcs were ravaged during the first years of the Hydra's Eyes presence in Moreelse.

## Culture

Moreelsians are considered very courteous and religious, although they are despised by many of their non-human neighbors due to their rampant xenophobia, something that's built up since the establishment of the Order of the Illuminatus. Their language, although similar to that of Hithlone's and the Three Sister's, also holds influence from the queer tongue of the southern Drow. Usage of the White Death is widespread in the streets of Moreelse.

## Economy

Lying where many trade routes converge, Moreelse is a generally wealthy city, although not as much as Hithlone or the Three Sisters. Its main exports are alchemical concoctions, paper, fruit and of course the dreaded White Death. Although trading relations between them and their neighbors have soured in the last years due to the presence of the Hydra's Eyes, the White Death has caused the flow of heaps of coin in the streets of Moreelse.

## Demographics

### Humans

More than nine out of ten people in Moreelse are humans. Most are natives, although many people from the Remnants and the Triarchy have fled to Moreelse in order to join the ranks of the Illuminatus Order.

### Non Humans

Few non humans have remained in Moreelse after being oppressed by the Cleansing Flame fanatics and the Hydra's Eyes. Most are old Drow families still living in their ancestral homes or bank-owning Dwarves.

## Millitary

The Moreelsians have their own army comprised of infantrymen, arbalesters and cavalrymen, as well as their own - albeit smaller - fleet. Rough terrain between them and the Drow city-states has made their lands quite easily defendable. Although there's a civil guard in Moreelse, most of the patrolling and law enforcement is done by the Order of the Illuminatus.

## Government

Moreelse is ruled by a council that's composed of the city's most influential noble families, as well as the Hierarch of the Cleansing Flame. The council elects a Burgomaster on a one year term, who's responsible for much of the city's internal affairs. The shadow of the Hydra's Eyes looms over the Council, with many nobles being bought over by the criminal syndicate with either coin, or drugs.

## City

Moreelse is divided in four quarters. The Old City of Moreelse is divided by sturdy walls, and in it live the cities' oldest families and nobles. The New Ghetto houses most of the city's poor inhabitants, a lot of them non-humans. Many run-down hospitals and schools also operate there. The Trade Quarter is most active during the day, with many market stalls and festivities being set up. It's also the banking hub of Moreelse. The fourth quarter is the Flame Quarter. It's almost absent of city guards, since it's where the Order of the Illuminatus, as well as the Temple of the Cleansing Flame are located. Folks speculate that the Hydra's Eyes operate in the sewers under the Flame Quarter.

Many smaller towns and villages are scattered in the outskirts of Moreelse, specializing mostly in lumber and farming.

## Foreign Relations

### The Triarchy

Although these two nations have been close to each other since the independence of Moreelse, Hydra's Eyes alchemists and mutants clash over the Triarchy's slavers in the Kinnog Jungle. The City's Council is reassuring the Triarchs that they've got the situation under control, although the latter have seen no progress as of yet.

### Drow City-States

There's mutual hatred between these two nations. The Drow hate the Moreelsians for the horrible treatment of their own kind, and the Moreelsians hate the Drow for decades of subjugation.

### Hithlone

Considered trade partners, Hithlone, as well as Azan, is the Hydra's Eyes main destination of the White Death. Many mages live in Hithlone, so for that reason there's a cloak of dissent between them.

### Kinnog

The Jungles of Kinnog are the source of the White Death plant. Hydra's Eyes mutants and alchemists have set their operations there, often clashing with the native inhabitants and slavers from the Triarchy whenever their operations get threatened.

### Arangea

The city's officials distrust the Moreelsians, due to their inabillity of capturing the Hydra's Eyes renegades and returning them to Arangea in order for justice to be carried out. Many bounty hunters have set out for Moreelse in search of the crime syndicate, although few have had any success.