Marssala

INTRODUCTION
The Kingdom of Marssala was an ancient city-state located in the steppes of the region which is now Virgandia. It was a powerful and advanced civilisation, with many smaller settlements acting as its vassals before it was utterly destroyed by the Principality of Virgandia at the end of the long and catastrophic Virgandian-Marssalan War (1540 - 1560). During its fall, the city was sacked and completely burnt to the ground and demolished by the Virgandians, who later built another town around it; to this day, the ruins of the ancient city remain in the town of Neika-Balosi.

CITY
The city of Marssala was one of the largest in ancient Virgandia, home to a sophisticated agricultural civilisation which spread its influence over numerous nearby villages and hill-fort settlements. Before its destruction, it was renowned for its marvellous architecture and gardens, along with the impressive canals which irrigated the fields outside the city walls.

The central focal point of the city is the Holy Spring, an oases of sorts with a large natural spring underneath. Due to the arid climate, the Marssalans were extremely fortunate to have this spring, and worshipped it, building a temple complex around it. During religious ceremonies, the Marssalans bathed in the Holy Spring. They also dug canals throughout the city, leading from the spring out into the fields, so that they could irrigate crops. The Holy Spring lay at the foot of the city's palace, a monumental structure on the Holy Spring's western side. The palace was built on a mound some 5 metres tall, with a large flight of stairs leading up to its main entrance. It is written that these stairs were also covered with gardenbeds, and that the Marssalans grew lush gardens on the steps. The palace itself was a 2-storeyed building, with large, tall pillars running around its perimeter.

HISTORY
The date of Marssala's founding is unknown, as the city's royal archive was set alight and destroyed when Virgandian troops sacked the city. However, many generally agree that the city first emerged as a major entity some time shortly after the collapse of the elven civilisations. Built using ancient knowledge and a sizeable force of slaves, the Kingdom of Marssala's strength grew over the years, eventually becoming the strongest power in the region, rivalled only by the Principality of Virgandia.