The Necropolis

Realm of Lok

All who enter here must have great respect for the reality of death and those that have departed this world. For if one does not, they may find themselves buried before their time, interred by the God of Gravestones himself.

— Inscription Above the Door of the Temple Graveyard in the Southern Library

A yellow moon rises into the sky, its shining surface illuminating rows of marked and unmarked graves, the final resting place of many souls who departed from the world before their time. Other souls walk the grounds, scouring lichen and other growth from the marble and granite pillars that mark the current home of one gone but not forgotten. All that have once lived find a second life of remembrance here, living amongst other souls that either embraced death or ran from it. No matter the circumstances of one's death, all will eventually have a final resting place within the Necropolis.
The Necropolis is one of the many endless Celestial Realms, serving as the home of the God of Gravestones and as the true afterlife of Isekai. Here, all those that have once lived and died are memorialized in one way or another, their lives written and kept in Lok's ledger in the Temple of the Departed. While a soul may choose to make their homes in another of the Celestial Realms after their death as allowed by their chosen god, all will find a home under the preview of the God of Gravestones.

Localized Phenomena

While many of the Celestial Realms are places of nature changed to fit the whims of the gods, the Necropolis is one of the few realms that is filled with created structures. At the center stands the Temple of the Departed, home to the god Lok and his ledger which records the deaths of every being within Isekai. Surrounding the temple are rows upon rows of gravestones and other stone markers that denote the final resting place of a single soul. These markers stretch further than the eye can see, seemingly reaching into oblivion.
On the supposed outskirts of the graveyard, there stands a handful of unmarked graves. It is believed that here rests those that the gods have erased from history or those that had reason to hide their identities from Lok. Even these unmarked graves are kept by the souls that chose to serve the god and become caretakers and crypt keepers in the afterlife.

Climate

Graced by the Full Moon

Full Moon by Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash

The Necropolis is under a perpetually full moon, the phase of the moon never changing as the orb moves through the darkened sky. This was a choice of Lok so that all who entered his realm would walk the graveyards at night.

Before the Necropolis became a labyrinth of gravestones and pillars, it was said that it was once a far-reaching prairie, simple grasses and flowers reaching beyond the horizon. For millennia, the realm remained such, the deaths of the Divine Races too few to warrant the massive structure the Necropolis would become.
As the Elder Races entered the world, the infinite grassland would begin to shrink, slowly only surviving on the fringes. These short lives necessitated an expanding graveyard and the creation of Lok's ledger, the defining moment of change. As the graveyard grew, the realm changed, taking on a distinct aura that often drove away many that would travel here.
The greatest change in the climate of the realm came because of the perpetually full moon that graced the sky. This brought light breezes and clear skies, making the Necropolis one of the most stable Celestial Realms in terms of weather. This moon forever rises and sets, sometimes changing to a bright white or a glowing orange in color depending on the seasons in Isekai.
Lok chooses not to change things like temperature or weather in this realm, allowing the Necropolis to make its own changes to reflect what the realm has become. An infinite graveyard, the Necropolis chooses to allow visitors to only witness the stretch of marble and granite beneath the light of a full moon, a simple representation of the darkness of death.

Temple of the Departed

Temple of the Departed by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

Known as the Temple of the Departed, this structure serves as home to Lok and his records of the graveyards in the Necropolis. This temple also serves as the gateway between this realm and the Southern Library.
Decorated as a simple masoleum of marble and white gold, this temple is befitting of the God of Gravestones.

Type

Magical Realm

Location under

Celestial Realms

Included Locations

• Temple of the Departed

Owner/Ruler

Lok

Owning Organization

Pantheons of Isekai