Mulptan

Rashemen’s northern trading gateway to the outside world, Mulptan is a sprawling, windswept city enclosed by an old stone wall dating back to the Narfell-Raumathar wars. Damarans, Nars, and even Tuigans come here to trade, meeting in a great field outside of town that is crowded with the caravans and wagons of traders. Farming is difficult this far north, so Mulptan subsists on vast herds of rothé, sheep, reindeer, and long-haired goats that do better in the frigid winters than southern cattle. Most foreigners bound for Immilmar and the Iron Lord’s citadel actually pass through Mulptan on their way to the country’s capital, even though Mulptan lies eighty miles to the east. No ferries cross Lake Ashane opposite Immilmar (the western shores of the lake are quite wild, this far north), so travelers come up the Golden Way or the Long Road. Either way, Mulptan is the first Rashemi city they come upon.

While Immilmar is a city of craftsfolk and smiths visited by a few merchants, Mulptan is a city of merchants catered to by a small number of Rashemi craftsfolk. A number of foreigners reside in Mulptan, making it the most cosmopolitan of Rashemen’s cities. The Shou Quarter occupies the south side of the city, while people of other nations mix in the Western Quarter, so named because it is populated by folk from western countries such as Thesk or Damara (the district is actually located on the northeast side of the city). In the wintertime, most of the merchants (and those foreigners who have not actually settled in the city) depart for warmer lands, since snow and wind make travel along the exposed roads of the region virtually impossible for several months.

Two large Rashemi clans, the Ydrass and the Vrul, sponsor many contests as friendly rivals. The competition has improved both families, who are accomplished warriors, hunters, and artisans. The two clans number in the hundreds, and while they do not rule Mulptan outright (that privilege is reserved for the Multrong, or Eastlord, a title granted by the Iron Lord), they wield great influence over the trade and commerce of the city.