Martek college is thought to be run by the deadly Hashishin a semi religious sect of assassins, no proof has ever been found. Although you would be wise to tread lightly when you pass through Martek, lest you draw their attention.

History


Martek lies at the mouth of the Chewan-el Atalan. Caravans from the south and north converge on Martek to bring to the Sheikh wares and merchandise from far-away lands. Despite its isolation, Martek is bustling city, serving as a chief trading post between the city-dwellers and the nomads of the Great Desert. Both city and wilderness people mingle on the streets. The city has also grown rich on mining from the Atalan Mountains, and in the centre is the bottomless lake of Fazoth-Ar, in which are said to dwell sinister forces.

Martek is ringed with a wall to the north, and surrounded by mountains to the south. The city can be entered through just four great gates, each of which is guarded by the Sultan‘s Guard. Martek‗s greatest protection is not its wall, however. Many desert raiders have breached this relatively low barricade only to discover Martek‘s best defensive structure: the squalid slums that ring the city. In this crowded maze, horses can scarcely move. Hopelessly stalled, the raiders cannot reach the treasure-troves at the heart of the city, Martek‘s suqs, mosques, and palaces.

Known Features

• Hashishin - The Hashishin are a semi-religious sect of assassins dedicated to stealth, and murder, thought to have originated somewhere in the mountains of west Araby. The Hashishin are well-known in Araby, especially among the Sheikhs and Caliphs, whom fear them greatly, for who knows what political opponent might have hired one of these dreaded assassins to rid of him?
  
  The Hashishin are based in the mountains surrounding Martek, concealed in their impregnable mountain fortress. The only road there is narrow, and but a handful of men could easily defend themselves against a horde there for months, due to the fortress being self-sufficient with running water from the snow on the surrounding mountains.