Quitak, City of the Warlord, was founded over 1300 years ago by the famous Dwarven warlord,
Atrabilorin. Originally allied to Viridistan, who saw it as a bulwark against the
Altanian tribesman, the city had much help from
that Empire in its earliest days and indeed has always paid a tribute to the City of Spices.
The relationship quickly soured, however, as the two city states came to see each other
as rivals and there have been three major military campaigns by Quitak aimed at throwing
off the yoke of Viridistan. None of these have been successful although Quitak frequently
tests the resolve of the Green Emperor and it is known that the current Warlord has
been slowly dropping the level of tribute.
The dwarvish origins of the city mean that it still has a large dwarven population and it
has kept to its ancient alliance with
the dwarven kingdom of Thunderhold in the North. The cities rulers
are no longer dwarves, however, ever since the chaos of a dwarven civil war several hundred
years ago
let Lucius the Great, a
Tharbrian warlord, sweep in and conquer the city.
Quitak is believed to be on the site of one of the major cities of the
Dragon Empire. Some say it was the capital
and that Atrabilorin conquered it directly after the fall of the Empire. Other sages disagree
saying the capital was further south and that the fall of the Empire was
much earlier than that. Another disputed claim is that even the city of the Dragon
Empire was built on ruins left by an earlier civilisation.
The site of Quitak is immensely strategic with ancient trading routes heading both
north and south as well as the navigable Roglaroon giving access to the Winedark Sea. Thus
the city has been a major centre of trade since its founding and the prosperity of the city's
trade (and hence
taxes) has always been a major concern of the Warlord. Although the City maintains a large
army its expansionist ambitions have largely been contained by Viridistan in the West, the
Skandiks in the East and the barbarian
Altanians in the South.