Murghôm

Murghôm
Murghôm, inhabited by the Murghômi, is an eastern kingdom of Faerûn. It is theoretically a subject territory of Mulhorand. Its second largest city is Phannaskul and another major town is the heavily militarized Port Ghaast. It may be related to real-world Israel/Canaan, however certain details in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting sourcebook suggest that the area is likely inspired by Cossack culture. Like the Cossacks, the leaders of the Murghômi are called ataman, and the people are known for their skill with horses. Their position beside the Hordelands, which draws on the history of the Mongol Empire, also suggests the Cossacks, as does the organization of the Murghômi state as a series of "semiautonomous communities" that "gather into collective government only in times of war." However, the 2nd-Edition sourcebook The Hordelands mentions a powerful "Bey of Murghôm," suggesting Turkish culture.

There is no mention of Beys in the 3rd-Edition materials. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting describes the Murghômi as speakers of Mulhorandi and believers in the Mulhorandi Pantheon, and describes Murghôm as a "daughter state." The Player's Guide to Faerûn adds that the Murghômi are ethnically Mulani, as are the Mulhorandi. The 3rd-Edition materials seem to suggest a mixture of Egyptian and Cossack culture that may not have a real-world equivalent.

Richard Baker, Forgotten Realms author and game designer, explained the Murghômi in a discussion on the Wizards Community, the official message board of Wizards of the Coast:


 * They sort of remind me of the Turanians from Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age.


 * If you want a real-world parallel… well, Cossacks aren't bad. Maybe the relationship is something like this: Murghom is to Mulhorand as Cossack is to Russia (not Turkey). Mulhorand is the imperial state that keeps trying to exert more control over its free-spirited and wild frontiersmen. But the Earth history analogy really shouldn't be taken too far. It's a fantastic world, and there should be many things in Faerûn that don't have easy Earth analogues.