Phal

Phal is the capitol city of Nos Vorm, a Flat Dimension on the Outer Rim. It is the administrative capitol of the region and seat of power for the Phal Fidel Unified Nations, all of which are considered member worlds of the Alliance. Phal is known as "The City of a Thousand Temples" because of all the unique faiths represented there.

History

Officially, Phal was founded in A.Y. 112, but a major metropolitan city had existed on the site since the Age of Darkness at least. Evidence from various sacred sites indicates a stone-age level culture existed in large numbers, so the site is held to have always been inhabited.

Early History

Phal is often compared favorably to Sun's Beacon, being a trade hub and mostly independent. No written history survives from the First Chaotic Period, but Tower Magic arrived in the region sometime around 3600 B.G.A.. Oral histories hold that, unlike Arindell, Nos Vorm was dominated by large nation-states even then, and that Phal stood alone as neutral ground.

In any case, these histories are not much supported, as wide-spread and wildly different tower designs point to a much more chaotic history.

The first written records come from the Dynastic Period, by which time large empires did indeed control all of the explored areas of Nos Vorm. At this time, Phal lay on the borders of three intersecting empires, who had divied the city up accordingly. As a trade hub it was not fought over, and it can be said that Phal formed the seat of a very early alliance.

Marconian Rule

This unity was not to last, however, as inroads by the Marcon Alliance quickly began to devestate the region. The Sack of Phal is generally placed in either 1477 or 1481 B.G.A., depending on which interpretation of the Marconian Calendar one ascribes to. The exact history of Phal during this period will never be known, as the Marcons came to dominate the region utterly.

In 901, Phal was one of the regions hit by Lelerough. As a major seat of power for the Marcon Alliance, it is likely her destruction of the city was complete. The local custom would prefer not to give Lelerough her due credit, but historians generally agree to this series of events. Unlike other regions desimated, the Marcon Alliance was never able to regain it's hold on Nos Vorm. A successful slave-uprising followed Lelerough's attack, and countless new nations formed. Some were still in the Marconian tradition and would remain so until the arrival of the old Gudersnipe Army in 301 B.G.A., but Phal was quickly rebuilt as a hub of trade and comerce, and a lasting symbol of freedom.

Second Chaotic Period

The remaining vestiges of the Marcons were dismantled by the Gudersnipe Army, and several new empires formed during the Second Chaotic Period. A series of campaigns between 50 and 120 B.G.A. established the modern boarders, but these were feuded over until a detachment of Lieber's army arrived in 5 B.G.A. Lieber himself did not visit the region. Unlike Lim Phat, the situation in Nos Vorm did call for a millitary solution, and Lieber's armies were based out of Phal.

The armies of what would soon become the Unity Earth Sphere Alliance banded together with several of the more powerful empires, and were able to bring an end to tower magic by the first year of the Golden Age. Much like the Battle of the Sanguine Gulch in Arindell, on Nos Vorm it was at the Battle of Hait Plateau that signaled the end of the Mage Wars.

Alliance Era

Phal was formally founded in the 12th year of the Golden Age, and established as the administrative capitol of Nos Vorm. Unlike most alliance member worlds, Nos Vorm actually has a separate, smaller alliance of its own: thePhal Fidel Unified Nations. This ultimately acted as an administrative branch of the greater Alliance, but did provide some special considerations for Nos Vorm.

Under the Golden Age, Phal was rebuilt heavily and reconstructed into a glistening, perfect city. One unique attribute of Nos Vorm is a complete lack of geologic activity. This allowed for structures to be built on a truely awe-inspiring scale, and Phal was home to the first sky-scraper known to reach two miles in height without the use of magic.

The heart of Phal was the Pentastat Row, an avenue lined with lofted towers around an enormous promenade.

Ever since the fall of the Marcons, Phal had been known as a melting pot of religous ideologies. While wars had been fought for all of Nos Vorm's recorded hsitory over religous beliefs, in Phal a new kind of battle began. By the mid-century, Phal was known as "The City of a Thousand Temples