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Jeutontic
Jeutontic served as a trading post between the Elves of Whitewood Forest and the rest of the world for over a century after the Forest’s settlement. This relationship suffered during the Age of Monsters when the elves escaped into the Underdark to avoid the dragons. Trade disappeared for a time and Jeutontic shrunk to a few households determined to stay in their generational homes.
During the Dragon War the Dark Elves were as much adversaries for their former trading partners as for the dragons. They raided settlements across Western Cimmeria for supplies and trade goods. The war consumed the attention of the surface dwellers and the Dark Elves pillaged without fear of reprisal.
At the end of the Dragon War a descendant of Sadroston came to Western Cimmeria with a goal of ending the raids. His name was Condrofalspeth and he was a half-elf mage. Condrofalspeth gathered the dispersed people of Western Cimmeria together so they could better defend themselves against Croshan’s warriors. These settlers rebuilt the town of Jeutontic into a splendid city-state on the edge of Gaia’s Navel.
Initially, Condrofalspeth championed the defense of Jeutontic by himself, but over time he trained the citizens to defend themselves. The tunnels allowed the Dark Elves to attack anywhere at any time, so the defense force would need to be mobile. Condrofalspeth journeyed into the Terror Mountains and captured a number of pegasi, hippogriffs, and griffons. The caves along the walls of Gaia’s Navel proved excellent roosting zones for the transplanted aerial creatures. The aerials would be the mounts for Jeutontic’s flying cavalry force. They provided a strong defense for the city and a mobile guard for the caravans that came to Jeutontic with goods going between Cimmeria and Persia.
Croshan disliked Condrofalspeth’s reassertion of the property rights of surface dwellers. The Dark Elf leader organized a massive attack on Jeutontic to wipe the city from the face of the earth. The aerial cavalry proved effective against Drow warriors accustomed to fighting underground. Croshan’s strike failed to destroy Jeutontic, but it did claim the life of Condrofalspeth. The people of Jeutontic burned his body with honors and the rulership of Jeutontic passed to Condrofalspeth’s daughter, Queen Jasaetuparth.
Makotako
After Semanarie became a druidic commune it could no longer serve as the trade post for Bigby’s Forest. An enterprising halfling merchant, Glospiel, set up a trading post, but not on the forest’s edge as one might expect. He laid the foundations for a town on the Caspian coast. Glospiel named his city after the halfling word for sea spray, Makotako. This location proved better suited for exporting elven trade goods to the rest of Cimmeria. Merchants picked up goods from the elves on the forest’s edge and then brought them to Makotako to sell to ship captains or trading caravans. The prosperous town quickly grew into a thriving city-state.
While Glospiel founded the city, his desire was wealth, not power. As more people immigrated, he deferred to the settlers on how they wished to lead themselves. Coincidentally, the citizens chose a republican system of government where one had to be wealthy in order to hold public office. Glospiel was the first elected king of Makotako, but after his death the crown passed to another wealthy merchant instead of Glospiel’s son. This peaceful transition of power continued for many years.
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