Morcanan
Morcanan is the Great City of the Morcani lands. It is a city of stone, sharp lines, and moving parts. The city sits at the base of the Terulian Mountains, near the northwest edge of The Wildwood and at the mouth of the Fuara River. It is encircled by a thick wall, and extends into the mountains, with heated cavernous halls and apartments within. Morcanan has short, warm summers and long, cold winters with ample snow-fall.
The city was rebuilt during and after the Great War, having been almost completely destroyed by the volcanic eruption that sparked the rise of the phoenix. Almost all the vierstone in the mountain and the city was destroyed by the explosion, and the Morcani had to borrow heavily from other Kindoms to rebuild their city.
During the war, Morcanan was used as a military base, and its tunnels through the mountains proved a vital component in many battles and sieges involving elves of all Kindoms.
Morcanan is a masterpiece of engineering, with sophisticated power systems, heating, and plumbing, along with tunnels, rooms, and mechanizations within the mountains.
The Morcani Elves
The Morcani are one of the four elven Kindoms of Faeran. They inhabit the rugged lands of northern Faeran, from the sloping Lay Hills across the southern edges of the Terulian Mountains and down along the Wildwood until their territory meets the Turi’s. Some Morcani live deeper in the Terulian Mountains, but most of their settlements merely border the vast and merciless mountain range. No elves inhabit the Wildwood, though hunting parties often walk its dark paths.
The Morcani are pale-skinned with fair hair, including shades of white, silver, and blonde. Their ears tend to curve backward at a sharper angle than those of other Kindoms, and narrow into fine points. Morcani wear wool, leathers, and furs in neutral colors of black, grey, white, and brown, and simple metal-based jewelry. Strong colors and outlandish fashion are considered frivolous and tacky, even disrespectful. Women generally wear their hair down or in braids, while men wear their hair shorter or to their shoulders, typically kept in braids or tails and shaved on one side or underneath. The Morcani adorn their bodies with black-ink tattoos. Rather than forming images, Morcani tattoos are geometric patterns and flowing lines signifying the structure of water and ice.
The Morcani are strong builders and engineers, favoring efficiency over beauty. They were the first to build vierstone into city foundations, designed the plumbing, heating, and cooling systems used in cities all over Faeran, and helped the Remsgri design the Rale system. The Morcani are a tight-knit community, rarely leaving their lands to live among other Kindoms and loath to part with or share their traditions. When new elves come to Morcani lands to live, they are generally expected to adhere to the common dress and lifestyle of the Morcani.
Apart from engineering and building, the Morcani are known for their hunting prowess in the Terulian Mountains and the Wildwood. Those Morcani who live along the mountains and forests provide ore, timber, game meat, and furs that are vital to the Morcani livelihood in the harsh winters of their lands. Those Morcani in the Lay Hills grow wool and crops.
The Morcani faith is one of discipline and ritual. They are the only Kindom to have tangible alters and prayer beads, with standardized prayers and beliefs. The Morcani feel most deeply linked with Riu’s water spirits, and base much of their culture upon them, including their A’vaeri fighting style, tattoos, and architecture.
