Some really quick answers for now!
Who was Ro Falconstrike, and what is the legend associated with him?
Ro Falconstrike and his twin sister Karibad Firestorm were heroes of ancient times -- ca. the latter 12th century BD. Ro is still famed as one of the greatest archers who ever lived, while Karibad is known as a powerful sorceress. The Archer constellation represents Ro, and some peoples also identify the Jinni Queen constellation with Karibad.
Ro and Karibad were born heirs to the royal house of a kingdom now partially encompassed by the Kalentoi province of Ruleskos, but saw their claim to the throne usurped while they were still minors. The legend of Ro and Karibad's family was that in their hour of greatest need, they were to go to the dwarves of the Tin Chalun Mountains and seek their aid, and it would be freely given. So the twins traveled to the Tin Chalun asking for help reclaiming their birthright, but the dwarves broke their promise and refused to help them. Rather than returning to their ancestral kingdom, Ro and Karibad then proceeded on a long series of incredible adventures, visiting strange lands, seeking and discovering ancient knowledge, conquering a few kingdoms, and earning the allegiance of multiple other peoples and realms.
Essentially they're like Avaria's version of Alexander the Great, and are renowned throughout Ruvera, Ruleska, Jalanjhur, and beyond. Some of their adventures may have been embroided through the centuries, but there's no doubt that they existed and really did do a number of amazing things. Ro eventually married into the royal house of An-Mar'i, the greatest Yehani kingdom of now-Marzum, and his descendants ruled there until the fall of the Marzum Despotate to the Irzali Empire in 823 BD.
Who was his great-granddaughter? How was she instrumental in the creation of the Marzum Despotate?
Ro's great-granddaughter Tesoria married a prince of the royal house of Elukos in 1188 BD, establishing the Marzum Despotate. This royal house was at the time also directly related to the Ruvan imperial family, giving it a great deal of clout and prestige in the eastern Adelantean. This marriage essentially made Marzum an adjunct of the Ruveran Empire, but it was largely self-governed. The title of Despot, granted through the Elukoi but ultimately conferred by the authority of the emperor in Summa Ruva, was reaffirmed with the ascension of each new Marzumite ruler. Eventually, however, the title became essentially hereditary and the reaffirmation from the imperial capital merely a custom which masked Marzum's essential autonomy.
What is the Blue Reef Citadel, and where was it located? Is it still standing or in use?
Blue Reef Citadel is still in use, and still serves as a maritime fortress and customs center. The citadel itself is a hulking complex made mostly of coral rag, but there is also an urban port area associated with it. Although officially part of Marzum it's administered directly by caliphal officials, due to its strategic and commercial importance. Blue Reef Citadel is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Adwa southwest of al-Dhoum, and you can actually see it on the Zalawi provincial map: http://songofavaria.com:8080/mediawiki/index.php?title=File:Zalawi_small.jpg
What other remnants of the Despotate might still be seen in Marzum?
The most tangible signs of the Despotate are to be found in Roshul. Roshul saw a few periods of flourishing and grand construction, but ultimately was too remote to draw a large permanent population. Since the capital was also quickly transferred to Qaysum after the Irzali conquest, Roshul was virtually abandoned by the governing classes and largely escaped later expansion and development. As a result, it retains much of its ancient Elukoi character, and its dress, language, art, and other customs still contain vestiges of this influence. These remnants would be more difficult to make out elsewhere, but there are certainly other buildings and monuments from Despotate times in the other parts of modern Marzum. But ultimately Marzum blends so many influences from so many different lands, and has been so influential in turn on even its far-flung neighbors, that it sometimes becomes difficult to pick out the exact origin of any particular custom or physical remnant found there.
. . . enclaves of Yehani "whose ancestors once ruled great kingdoms there". Where do these kingdoms fit in the timeline of history relative to the despotate?
The greatest of the ancient Yehani kingdoms, An-Mar'i, was founded ca. 2100 BD. It and its sister kingdoms, An-Sennath and An-Halor, are still remembered in the names of the major regions of modern-day Marzum (which you can see on the map). During Ro Falconstrike's reign the three kingdoms were united, with the central capital at the newly-founded Roshul, and subsequently of course they became the Marzum Despotate. When the Despotate fell to the Irzali Empire, the Irzali called their new conquest by their own name for the greatest of the ancient kingdoms, Ammaraz. Within the caliphate this name is now all but forgotten by anyone but scholars, but since the land was known as Ammaraz in the days when Kalen journeyed there, this is the name by which Marzum is known to Kalentians (although a great many Kalentians have no idea where Ammaraz is or that it fundamentally still exists as Marzum).
