Marterus

Marterus is a wealthy merchant city on the mainland of Felldrei and one of the great trading powers of Lyra. Seat of King Edor Braun and home to generations of merchant dynasties, the city is famed for its silk markets, its towering castle of Ulfhold, and a civic tolerance for commercial eccentricity unmatched anywhere on the Zendrian Sea [citation needed].

Governance

Marterus is ruled from Ulfhold, an imposing castle keep at the heart of the city, by King Edor Braun. The king, now in his mid-seventies, is described by recent visitors as tired but alert, receiving petitioners in a grand audience chamber. The inner zone of the city, which includes Ulfhold itself, is enclosed by the Stone Circle, a ring of inner walls through which all traffic is channeled. Roads beyond the city are patrolled by the wolfguard.

Districts and Landmarks

The Stone Circle

The fortified inner zone surrounding Ulfhold, housing the keep, state functions, and the city's wealthier establishments.

The Cloudcombe

A poor and crowded quarter that has seen hard times. The Cloudcombe is home to laborers, herbalists, and, according to persistent rumor, the city's thieves' guild, which is said to operate out of a tavern called the Rat and the King [citation needed].

Notable Establishments

The city's commerce ranges from the Gallery of Wonders, where caravan silks from the distant Drenn are sold at massive profit, to the Abashed Angel, a high-class establishment of shifting purpose, to the fortified warehouses of the Scales of Garten trading company.

Commerce

Marterus owes its wealth to merchant import and export, historically dominated by family dynasties such as the Dennisons, whose companies traded under the banner of a clenched dwarven fist. Following the disappearance of Harry Dennison and his father aboard the Opulence, the family business passed to Polin Garten and now operates as the Scales of Garten. Its only serious competitor is widely held to be the thieves' guild [citation needed].

Recent Events (1487 DR)

In the winter of 1487 DR, the adventuring party known as the Heroes of Eastport arrived in Marterus at the invitation of King Edor Braun, who sought explorers for a newly uncovered temple of unknown origin. Their stay was eventful even by local standards: a meeting at the Scales of Garten ended in a brief but brutal battle when the chief clerk, Lord Boumont, was revealed to be neither Lord Boumont nor, strictly speaking, a person. The city also gained one permanent resident when the goliath warrior Muffin (Jake Marshall) announced his retirement from adventuring to settle down, delivering what witnesses describe as a tear-jerking speech.