Necropolis

Major cities
Mechitar
Believed to be the name of the Lich king in life, he neither confirms or denies. Mechitar
serves as the capital too Necropolis. Imagine that grave markers, sepulchre and tomb
stones were grown to the size of buildings, towers and more. That is Mechitar. The
walls of the most important buildings in the city are covered in a tombstone façade, each
tombstone is dedicated to the service of one or more of the heroes (anti-heroes) who died
in service to the Lich King, some of those named are Blood Lords in Necropolis today.

Grave's Light
Is a small city located on the western coast. It specializes in the trade of indentured
servants. Buyers form Grave Light make their way across the island seeking those who
live in penury or who have committed minor crimes and offer to pay their debts. Those
who agree find themselves in for a grueling experience. the next six months are spent
learning how to be an undead feast, whether it is a Lich feeding off the heat that is your
life-force or a vampire drawing on your blood, a servant from Grave's Light is taught to
accept it with quiet and calm (unless that's not what the master wants). Servants trained
in the Light are more expensive but are considered well worth it by most undead, they are
conditioned to be accepting of their fate and pliable until they are released. On return to
normal life, most people trained in the light speak of their time in service with respect
and calm.

Dirge: Dirge is the most used port in Necropolis. In deference to the sailors who travel
there the death theme is played down there. Oh you will still see undead unloading the
boats, but the funereal tone of the city is lightened. The façade of building are made from
standard quarried stone rather than the granite of grave markers. the streets are not
cobbled in tomb stones… (you get the idea I hope).

Quietus
Quietus is a place for the undead. Though the quick may go there they often feel ill
quickly and move on. It is rumoured that this is where the Lich King actually makes his
home. The city is filled with negative energy and it rumoured that undead created there
are more powerful than the standard variety.

Bone Yard
Is the largest city in the Necropolis and also home to most of its undead armies. It can be
found in the South-Eastern part of the country. The city is surrounded by the Bonewall, a
curtain wall made entirely of bleached bones, which the local Blood Lord can animate for
defense. Bone Yard is also home to a number of important necromantic colleges, the
most well-known being the Mortuarium. Miles below this structure, in a drained aquifer,
the necromancers of the city have bound (or convinced) a trio of nightshades to serve as a
permanent well of necromantic energy for the city in a time of war. The most powerful of
these is a creature simply known as the Bound One.
Society
The Lord of all Necropolis is the Lich King, but unless you are a visiting Godling you
aren't likely to see him. most people think Necropolis just naturally grew up around the
Lich king, that he never desired it's existence. He seems to ignore it for the most part.

The country’s more mundane day-to-day affairs are managed by the Blood Lords, an
aristocracy of sixty powerful living and undead necromancers. Powerful vampires,
mummies, mohrgs, wraiths, shadows, and liches are counted among their number. The
chief Blood Lord is the vampire Kemneri, who holds the office of Chancellor.

The chief export from Necropolis is food stuffs. because they have an untiring workforce
and because quite a bit of their population have "restrictive diets" Necropolis is able to
sell a massive portion of their food supply. They charge remarkably low rates, because
they know the knowledge of the source puts people off.

Necropoli society, in general, is divided into four caste: the quick (the living), the dead
(intelligent undead), the villein (living indentured servants), and chattel (mindless undead
and living gray men). The quick and the dead are treated equally, the villein are accorded
fewer rights (they can not own property, etc.) but their life is protected and wergild is
required to the family and lord they served if they are killed, the chattel have no rights.
Relations between the quick and the dead are regulated by the Dead Laws, which are
designed to ensure that the rights and security of both groups are protected. Of course, as
with all nations, not everyone follows the law — visitors still need to be cautious.

Anyone who dies on Necropolis' soil is reanimated as a mindless undead creature to serve
the state in eternal bondage, unless they somehow earned the attention of the Lich King
in life. The Lich King can choose (it assumed it is him and not the island itself) to raise
them as higher thinking undead. Those with sufficient clout or wealth generally
circumvent this procedure, and willingly transform themselves into an intelligent undead
creature, either through dark magics, or simply by letting themselves be killed by ghouls,
vampires, or other creatures with the ability to create such progeny. This act is seen as a
great service to the state, although it does create a large population of lesser intelligent
undead who see themselves as vastly superior to their unintelligent brethren, yet lack any
true power.
The undead of Necropolis are the cream of the crop, while on the island Vampire can
survive the sun (though it is by no means comfortable), Liches do not decay, Ghosts are
free and not tied to the location of their death or the person who slew them. Away from
the island corporeal sometimes coat their flesh in Unguent of revivification to maintain
the appearance of life.

Foreign Relations
Almost all the surrounding lands have come to tolerate necropolis save Santa Cora. The
holy men of that region decry the island claiming that it steals the dead from other lands
to raise for their service. Everyone waits for the day the priestess calls a Holy War
against the Lich King and his undead island.

The Dead Laws

The Dead Laws of the nation of Necropolis regulate relations between the nation’s living
and undead inhabitants and protect the rights of both sections of society. Intelligent
undead have at least as many rights in Necropolis as living creatures.

The laws also regulate the ownership of slaves, indentured servants both (although it is
possible to take an undead as an indentured servant it is very rare) and some aspects of
necromancy. They also prohibit the channeling of positive energy within the nation’s
borders.

People and Faces

Chancellor Kemneri: One of the Lich Kings generals in the last war. Kemneri, the
Vampire, has shown a knack for leading people as well as armies. Many of the Blood
Lords feel he holds too much power but most fear the Lich king's wrath if they strike him
down.

Blood Lady Wysteria: In life a Halfling cook in the kitchen of a noble long forgotten, she
was killed when the noble found poison in his food, her protestations of innocence fell on
deaf ears. She returned as a ghost bent on revenge on the true poisoner, she found the
Lord's son's hidden stash of ramley root and slew him that night… but with the death of
her target she did not fade into the afterlife, instead she was drawn to the inner sea until
she reached Necropolis. Wysteria is second only in power to Kemneri, she has a great
deal of interest in Grave Light and her resources are exceptional.

Blood Lord Egenvartellin: The Black Knight of Gold Leaf. Lord Eq is a Grave Knight,
next to Kemneri he controls the armies of Necropolis.

The Graveling Horde: Made up mostly of lesser intelligent undead, they believe that
Necropolis, as it currently stands is an abomination. that living are food for the dead and
that one does not live and talk to the food as an equal . The Horde is made up of cells that
travel from city to city causing chaos and terror where they go. They are put down
wherever they are spotted.

Stratification
Although legally the Quick and the Dead are equal reality falls a bit short. the 60 Blood
Lords who govern the Island are all undead, Judges are chosen from the Blood Lords,
which means they are all undead and the Cloak (under which we are all protected) which
is the name give each cities watch is overseen by a Blood Lord. Laws are not violated
outright but often the dead are given lighter sentences or forced to play slightly smaller
wergild.

The true nobility of Necropolis are the Blood Lords, but all other intelligent undead are
thought to form a lesser nobility. Often they were created through service to a master
who continues to support them in unlife. They naturally have desired talents and so are
quite employable…

Within the halls of the Undead there are known to be further stratifications, typically
based upon the type of undead one is. The Liches form the Undead Peerage, they see
themselves as above all other undead and chafe at the fact that a Vampire sits as
chancellor. Liches are automatically titled barons (among their own kind) and service to
the Order and Lich King elevates one. In spite of the fact their order doesn't control the
chancellor they wield more power as a group than any other. It is they who produce
items of magical power to supply the city and the unguent that keeps one from decaying
away from the borders of Necropolis. Blood Lord Ceroth Prince of Centuries rules the
Liches.

Vampires are The Unquiet, they are strong in great part due to their ability to create
others of their kind with ease. And so it is by numbers that they hold strength.

Ghosts form the Whispering Order. They are barterers in information. It is said that
what they don't know take only a death to learn.

The Knights of the Black Rose are the Grave Knights of Necropolis. They oversee the
defense of the city. Indeed they seem to be the only ones of a mind to do it. The other
undead tend to be fine one on one killers or scholars but lack the ability to lead or think
tactically.

There are other Orders but these mark the few that are well known.

The touched are people who live but intersect Death, Necromancers, Dhampiir, or
Sorcerers with an Undead heritage. These people always find a place for themselves in
the city, and patrons usually seek them out.

Legally the City is structured thusly:

Quick = Dead > Villein > Chattel

Actually:
Blood Lords (Nobles) > Dead (Lesser Nobility) > Touched > Quick > Villein > Chattel
Imagine these are the size of towers and itty bitty people moving beneath them.