Mariosz

Mariosz: Ancient capital of the Cvarken Empire, founded about 1300 BCE (pop. 618,000). Mariosz is believed to be the oldest inhabited city in the world. The legendary Czardaian founder, Atuhistoka, allegedly landed there with a crew of 770 and founded the city, laying the cornerstone of the first building. Mariosz was the largest city in Czardas for well over a millennium. It served first as the capital of Czardas, then, when attacked by the Cvarkens, it became the Cvarken capital. Mariosz was the center for great imperial expansion during the 600s and 500s BCE; armies left the city to conquer the other city-states on the plain in droves. By the 200s BCE, Mariosz was the center of a vast empire covering almost the whole coastal plain. However, a plague and the fear of infection caused much of the city to be abandoned; the people instead built Jarna as their capital. Mariosz declined in population; however, its people grew stronger. During the 500-600s CE, during the plain wars, Mariosz was one of the stronger forces, an ally of Dorji and an enemy of Czarna. However, it was defeated by Kekulak, an ally of Czarna's, and eventually Mariosz became part of the city-state of Czarna. Under the Kurtzhaft rule from Kekulak Mariosz was granted its own state and a voice in the government; however, it became allied with the crusaders, helping defeat Kekulak, Czarna, and its other former enemies. In return, a Kurtzhaft army sacked Mariosz and massacred its population. After the great massacre of 1251, Mariosz has remained a comparatively small city. Even today, when it is Czardas's primary seaport, its population has not been growing recently, even declining since 1985. Most of Mariosz's buildings are ancient, although a modern section has been built along the seafront, housing the major docks and shipbuilding yards. Mariosz is currently home to Czardas's largest military providers.