Mörkren

Mörkren is the fortress located in the mountain next to the capital of Ardoragh, Alralysva. The fortress has only one entrance and exit. The bridge in front of it. The location of the fortress and it's only entrance makes it nearly impregnable. Inside the mountain fortress is a nearly fully functional city. It also locates a Spleef arena.

The Entrance of the Fortress of Mörkren at night.

The Fortress was constructed by High Lord Whazajottom during the Third Era before joining the Empire. Large halls have been built and are ever expanding. According to the folklore however, it was constructed by the Last of the Kings after defeating the Black Army. This also describes that the actual fortress of Mörkren is located deep inside the mountain behind a large labyrinth of caves. The fortress that can be seen from outside the mountain is merely a wall to keep all the evil inside. Never to be released into the world again. The folklore does not speak of a name for the fortress from the outside. Due to this confusion the fortress just tends to be named Mörkren just as well.

Mörkren is only accessible over one long narrow bridge. At the end of this bridge there is the large wall of Mörkren and two wooden doors. Passing the bridge unharmed shall be quite the objective due to the lots of spots one could fire an arrow from. Even after breaching the doors of Mörkren the whole fortress has several layers with stairs which can prove hard to take. Although small passages may sometimes be found around the fortress, which could make moving to other parts easier, however due to the small size, it would be easy to supress an attack from these passages during a siege.

Inside Mörkren is nearly a fully functioning city to be found. At the creation of the fort none of this existed. They were build later during the Fourth Era to support a larger population. The civilians living inside these walls are counted under the population number of Alralysva, due to the Fortress of Mörkren being located inside this city. The housing proves to be rather expensive, mostly due to location of being inside a fortress like this. Space is scarce and that holds a price.

The Grand Spleef Arena of Ardoragh can be found within these walls as well. Upon entering the fortress one can go to the right, where a map of Alralysva is displayed. Next to this map it a pathway down to the spleef arena. The start of this path at the part of the map is rather narrow, which could give a large jam during events in the spleef arena.

The Mörken legend:

Mörken's history has been intertwined with that of Ardoragh for centuries. Recently a group of Kythiran archeologists discovered a set of scrolls in a cave on the Mediori Sea, that seemingly tells the history behind Mörken and Ardoragh as a whole.

The Mörken were a mysterious and powerful people who lived long before the arrival of the First Men to what is now Oldspawn during the First Era. They were skilled in magic and technology, and built a magnificent city under the peak of Mount Mörk. They called their city Mörkenheim, meaning “the home of the dark ones”.

The Mörken were secretive and isolationist, rarely interacting with other races. They preferred to study the mysteries of the world and pursue their own interests. They had a complex society and culture, governed by a council of elders and a high priestess. They worshiped an ancient deity known as Mörkoth, the lord of darkness and secrets.

The Mörken’s downfall came when they delved too deep into the secrets of the mountain. They discovered an ancient evil that had been imprisoned there since the dawn of time: an eldritch horror that corrupted their minds and souls. The Mörken became obsessed with freeing this entity from its bonds, believing it to be their true god.

They began to perform dark rituals and sacrifices in its name, hoping to awaken it from its slumber. They also started to attack other nations, raiding their lands for slaves and resources. They became feared and hated by all who knew of them.

A coalition of ancient states decided to put an end to the Mörken’s madness. They formed an alliance called the Lightbringers, led by a legendary hero named Ardor. They gathered their armies and marched on Mount Mörk, determined to destroy the Mörken once and for all.

The war was brutal and bloody. The Lightbringers faced many dangers on their way to Mörkenheim: traps, monsters, curses and the dark magic of the Mörken. Many died or went mad along the way. But they did not give up.

They finally reached the gates of Mörkenheim, where they faced the final resistance of the Mörken. A fierce battle ensued, with both sides suffering heavy losses. The Lightbringers managed to break through the defenses and enter the city.

There they witnessed the horror of what the Mörken had done: they had turned their city into a temple of unspeakable evil, filled with altars, idols, and corpses. They had also completed their ritual to free their god: they had opened a portal to a dark dimension, from which emerged a monstrous being of tentacles, eyes, and teeth.

The Lightbringers realized that they had arrived too late: the Mörken had unleashed an apocalypse upon the world. They decided to make one last stand against this abomination, hoping to at least delay its rampage until others could escape or find a way to stop it.

They fought valiantly but hopelessly against this creature that defied all reason and logic. Many fell under its gaze or were torn apart by its limbs. Ardor himself confronted it with his sword of light but was swallowed whole by its maw.

As all seemed lost, a miracle happened: from within the beast’s belly came a bright flash of light that pierced through its flesh and skin. Ardor had sacrificed himself to destroy it from within: he had used his sword to ignite his own soul in a blaze of glory that consumed both him and his enemy.

With his death, he saved the world from annihilation but also doomed himself to oblivion. He became known as Ardoragh, meaning “the one who burned”. His name was given to the lands where he died as well as to his descendants who inherited his legacy.

The remaining Lightbringers fled from Mount Mork before its entrance collapsed under its own weight, burying everything beneath it including Morkeinheim. The Morkein were wiped out along with their god. Their city remained hidden under tons of rock until centuries later, when an expedition from the Kingdom of Redstonia rediscovered it during the middle of the Second Era.