Phlem

Phlem is the capital of Malshirk'iss. This city is sited in a jungle swamp called Gurutharni. Phlem was built in the middle of the Horgon Era. For two centuries, it was ruled by the Lothrapha. This Vedrii tribe built the upper city atop an ancient sunken city called Rolipoon. This sunken city once served as the capital of Tilnangau. Many generations had passed since the Tilnangau descended into the Underdark. Fearful of their return, the Lothrapha built a vast fortified area separating the two cities. Rolipoon became the home of the poor and lower castes.

We went down there, knowing that we were to serve as an early alarm for any possible invasion from our ancestral enemies, the Tilnangau. Generations came and went, and no attacks came from our old foes. We lived like princes in spacious quarters that were engineered for our kind. Pools and rivulets could be reached from every dry passage and room, it was a true paradise for me and every other web hand that lived there. We reached the sunbathed waters of Gurutharni by swimming up channels that flowed contrary to what you would think. Noone has yet figured out if this is by magic or an understanding of nature that we have yet learned. The only fear we have down here, is wondering when the elites are going to decide they want to live in Rolipoon.

- Sithin-Dring, olive-scale lizardman of Lothrapha - "Palace Living for the Poor"

After the fall of Lothrâpha, the place served as a refuge for beasts and monsters, and then became a slave market during the early First Epoch. The yuan-ti of Gurutharni and Styming re-occupied the ruins early in the Second Epoch. The consolidation of yuan-ti tribes and the power projected by Phlem ultimately led to the formation of Malshirk'iss.

Phlem is a large city with ruins stretching deep into the jungles and swamps that surround it. It is believed that during the reign of Lothrapha, the city held a population of more than 60,000 souls. This is a very large number for that period of history and some disagree on these estimates. The eastern part of Phlem descends into the waters of lake Styming. This area was built by the yuan-ti. The most notable features of the upper city are its towering ziggurats. Some of these monolithic structures are visible high above the jungle canopy and defy imagination in their grandeur and splendor.