Millabratel

Millabratel
Information
Province:	Transdariania
Population:	Approximately 10,000
Government:	Monarchy
Head of State:	Arlok ul-Dorn

Millabratel is the second largest city in Transdariania, though it is much older than Drache. Situated on the eastern side of the River Lathri at the crossroads that connects Drache, Arania, and the Sresar Vale, Millabratel was the capital of Transdariania before BLKDRAGON and AngelSin founded their new capital in Drache. It was the former home of the Royal University, now located in Drache.

Though the city has declined somewhat since the foundation of Drache, it still remains an important cultural and religious center in the southern part of the kingdom. The population of Millabratel is only approximately ten thousand today, though this figure can double during important religious holidays due to the presence of the Menxvanic Cathedral, a temple complex located at the heart of the city where the three roads converge. This temple complex is the home of a Templars of Menxvan stronghold, the resting place of a number of important religious relics.

Origins & History

A description of Millabratel is given in the following excerpt of a story about Ultharin, a young Templar:

Millabratel was as ancient as the Templars of Menxvan themselves, a fortress that had a town that gradually grew around its walls, and even three roads that were built to accommodate the traffic of worshipers in Menxvan's house. However, those tall walls had far more age than the oldest house outside of its walls. Showing the architecture of an age gone by, when Arangoth had been plunged into many a war and when the Templars had participated in them, the stones themselves bore the pits and scars of siege engines and the elements themselves.

For all the obviousness of Millabratel's service as a hold for warriors, it bore within its walls a quiet serenity. Those that trod the grasses of the courtyard or even Millabratel's extensive gardens felt compelled to silence, for Millabratel was, in more prosperous days for the Menxvanic Templars, where the powerful High Templars would exercise and learn their disciplines and teach them to young and aspiring Acolytes. Millabratel was sparsely manned even at the apex of Templar influence and power, and now it was even more understaffed. The discipline based abilities of high Templars were hard to master and the capacity to learn them was a rare one even in the ranks.

Laid out in a circular pattern, as if to do homage to the snake symbol of Menxvan, Millabratel's walls contained a maze of gardens, a library, a school and orphanage for youngsters, and living quarters. However, the primary appeal of Millabratel was the soaring cathedral of Menxvan, the last of its kind. The Royal Church was perhaps more famous, but the cathedral of Millabratel was a feature of the skyline that simply soared up and tapered off into a open-topped tower, circular in shape. It was up in this tower that one of Menxvan's holiest books, the Book of Metrarin, was stored. Open to any that might peruse it, it nonetheless was gibberish to the uninitiated. Even to those Templars who could read it, the book contained many inconsistencies and confusing passages. The sign of a Patriarch or Matriarch to be in the Templars was understanding this most mysterious of books.

It was on the open top of this tower that one of the newest of Templars, Ultharin Tagran Sanskaranth, sat as he tried to exercise what he had read in the book. It was a slow process, gathering the amount of concentration that was apparently necessary. But the book detailed the methods by which one could contact one's ancestors and other spirits. It was this medium of guidance that Ultharin sought in this time of trials. He knew not which spirit to contact, but he was going to try nonetheless. Surely there was someone that he might seek guidance from. At his wits end, he decided that calm and wisdom were what were needed. The book and the meditation spire would accomodate these things.

Bathed and blessed by a priest many stories below, he climbed the spiral stairs up the spire, garbed in robes of green that did little to ward off the chill or conceal the scars on his arms and collar area, borne in defense of the King himself at his coronation. Indeed, even at this young age he had suffered horrendous wounds in battle against some manner of thing that he still could not identify. Now he faced a trial of loyalty and honor as well as his moral courage.

He reached the round top of the spire and sat in the middle of it. From here there was nothing to distract the eyes below, and the stars above were hardly a distraction. The wind carried sound away from the spire, sound that generally would not reach the top anyway. It was the most potent meditative area that the Templars had, built for the purpose of the deepest meditations that were known to reach the spirit world and even the realms of death. This was Menxvan's holiest ground, the greatest of the Templar strongholds in pure spiritual energy and spiritual activity.