Malmouth

Malmouth was once a thriving center of industry in Cairn, and was also one of the first cities to fall during the Grim Dawn. Political intrigue was par for the course in a city that generated vast wealth for the empire, but the game changed with the arrival of an unassuming physician from the capital, Erulan. The physician, named Theodin Marcell, was the catalyst that brought about the city’s destruction.

Malmouth was divided into three distinct districts: The Candle District, where most of the poor found themselves crammed into densely packed dilapidated structures. Here the vast wealth of the city was but a dream. Nearby, the Steelcap District was the center of industry. Lined with factories, warehouses and the very docks that became the heart of Malmouth’s economy, the Steelcap District was the prize to be conquered for every power hungry noble. Lastly, Crown Hill housed the nobility, the city council and offices of governance. This was where the hammer fell and Malmouth’s fate was sealed.

When the Aetherial attacks began, the fall of the city came swiftly and painfully.

It started seemingly everywhere, making it abundantly clear that the Aetherials planned and prepared for a long time. Their reanimated dead and fleshwarped abominations appeared everywhere at once, sowing chaos and overwhelming the guards. They sabotaged the city’s inner defenses, all except the outside walls. Those they quickly gained control of and closed off, cutting off any escape from the city. Every movement was surgically precise. The Aetherials hit the docks next, burning the ships so that nobody could flee by water. It was carnage with no way out.

The resistance formed a few days later, consisting mostly of the surviving city militia and dozens of scrappy volunteers. But they could never hope to defeat the massive, and rapidly growing, numbers that the Aetherials fielded. They had to resort to guerilla tactics and scavenging. Soon, even that became difficult. The resistance was in full retreat almost since day one.

The Aetherials had complete control of the city. With Crown Hill for his throne, the Aetherial master of the region began work on his greatest masterpiece; the people of Malmouth, both living and dead, would become the fuel for that creation.

Some managed to escape the city though, whether to flee for safety or to seek aid. Few of those survived what awaited them beyond the walls. The Aetherial domination over the area was absolute. With the aid of their obelisks, Aetherfire spread as far as the eye could see, scouring clean any remnant of humanity or nature. Should any survivor even make it past that living hell, then the savage land of Ugdenbog awaited.