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"No longer will Gulg be solely concerned with the wellbeing of Gulg. Wherever the rains falls, there will the forest grow. And wherever the forest grows, the forest goddess will be there, for all the forest belong to the Oba" -- Lalali-Puy.

Gulg is the city-state known as the Forest City. This city still bows to the absolute authority of her Sorcerer-Queen, Lalali-Puy. She is seen as a divine being.

The Gulgs have always had an enlightened understanding of the interconnected nature of all life, so they've always treated the forest as a precious resource that must be maintained and not depleted.

Location[]

Gulg 01

City-state of Gulg

Gulg is located at southeast of the Tablelands, into the region called the Ivory Triangle.

The city-state of Gulg, with its population of 12,000 sits inside the southern portion of the Crescent Forest, almost directly east of Tyr. Being east of the Windbreak Mountains, Gulg has spared the devastation that the Great Earthquake visited on the cities and villages to the west. That doesn't mean that life in Gulg has remained unaffected by the changes sweeping through the Tablelands. In a few significant ways, Gulg has been changed the most.

Government[]

There have been few major changes in the way Gulg is ruled. The Oba remains the owner of everything, distributing food, water, and other supplies to where they are needed most. Her templars continue to oversee the military, economic, and agricultural aspects of the community on behalf of the forest goddess. Nobility is still an earned position, not one granted by an accident of birth. The nobles hunt the forest for fresh meat, while slaves commanded by the templars gather the wild fruits, nuts, and berries that round out the dietary concerns of the community.

Templars[]

Currently, templars with the ability to cast priest spells exist only in the city-states of Urik, Nibenay, and Gulg, serving the remaining sorcerer-kings Hamanu and Nibenay, and the sorcerer-queen Lalali-Puy.The Templars of Gulg are very secretive when compared with other templars. They are rarely seen and when they are it is usually out of the corner of ones eye. When they do make public appearances they are usually clad in cloaks and wearing masks. Rumor has it that templars have been seen walking with primal spirits. Such talk is usually kept quiet for fear that the templars will over hear and kill you while you sleep.

In the spirit of cooperation, the Oba has selected her best templars to travel the Tyr Region and spread the word of restoration. These templars have a twofold purpose. First, they help show the rest of the Tablelands how to work in harmony with nature, which Lalali-Puy hopes will hasten the reforestation of the world. Second, her templars pass along the tale that the rain is a blessing from the Oba, thereby increasing the number of people who know of and believe in Lalali-Puy.

Except for the aid these templars have provided to Nibenay, no other city-state has thus far been targeted by the Oba’s select force. instead, the templars visit villages and oasis communities, teaching and preaching as circumstances permit. Some places have welcomed the templars, others have driven them away. Those communities that have actually experienced a Tyr-storm, for example, are quick to attack anyone who claims to be associated with their fearful properties, while those desperately in need of water invite them in.

Notable places and districts[]

In many respects, Gulg is not like any of the other city-states of the Tyr Region. It’s a living city, grown from vines and trees instead of constructed from brick and stone. The outer walls of the city, for example, consist of a thick hedge of thorny trees.

The Oba lives in the tallest branches of a huge agafari tree, while her templars inhabit the lower branches. There are no paved or cobblestone roads leading through Gulg. Instead, forest paths and trails wind their way between the trees.

  • The Mopti Wall
  • Slave Dagadas
  • Free Citizen Dagadas
  • Hunter's Gate
  • Templar Dagadas
  • The Drum Circle
  • Merchant Emporium
  • Queen's Gate
  • Merchant Encampments
  • Queen's Trading House
  • Craft Dagadas
  • Exile's Gate
  • The People's Gate
  • Parade Grounds
  • Sunlight Home

Famous Residents[]

Relations[]

Gulg has made a few overtures to the Council of Advisers. The city has offered to aid Tyr, claiming that without a sorcerer-king to defend it, the city is vulnerable to all sorts of terrible dangers. The Council, naturally, has thus far graciously refused these offers.

Although Gulg has had problems with Nibenay previously. Lalali-Puy has made the first moves towards a peaceful existence with Nibenay, going so far as to teach the sorcerer-king how to preserve the life-giving environment of the Crescent Forest.

Trade and Commerce[]

The strange trade practices of Gulg have not changed in many centuries, so merchants who arrive at the Mopti Wall, the wall of thorns, must be prepared to conduct business by Gulg’s rules. A templar is assigned to each merchant house in Merchant Emporium, where he or she barters on behalf of the people of the city. House Inika, the only merchant dynasty with direct ties to Gulg, continues to be the primary avenue for exporting goods to other city-states, though other houses can and do maintain emporiums.

Visitors to the city must stay in restricted areas, as the Gulgs distrust foreigners. With the destructive ideas emerging from places like Tyr and Raam, the Oba and her templars have taken greater pains to keep visitors away from the average people of Gulg.

What has changed is that Nibenese traders are now tolerated within the confines of Gulg (at least as much as other traders are tolerated). Suspicion and hatred built upon centuries of tension and conflict can’t be erased overnight, but since the forest goddess and the sorcerer-king have started cooperating, so have the peoples of the two cities. It is an example that the rest of Athas should try to emulate—if it can be demonstrated that these two have actually built a lasting peace.

Conditions[]

Life has always been more tolerable in Gulg than in any of the other city-states under the rule of sorcerer-kings. In some ways, life has actually gotten better for the Gulgs. The Oba’s newfound crusade to restore Athas has made her more forgiving of and generous to her loyal citizens.

Sources[]

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