Stapseave
The Free City of Stapseave is a town in the Hi Ba Lowlands of Pillarin, mainly known for its status as a Necropolis. The histories of the town are considered murky, even to locals. Despite the lack of major details, Stapseave is considered a place of honor for most citizens of Pillarin, representing a final resting place for people of all walks of life from virtually every Free City. Despite being in Pillarin's southwest corner, deceased individuals have been transported from all corners of Pillarin for the honor of being interred in the Stapseave Necropolis. For eons, the small population of Stapseave has dedicated itself to maintaining the thousands of mausoleums, crypts, graves, and catacombs that make up the Necropolis; this practice has become more difficult as the Necropolis continuously expands.
While the living population of the city remains at a steady constant of 200-500 citizens, the interred dead number in the tens of millions. Since the beginning of the many wars with the Fen, the "population" of individuals interred in the Stapseave Necropolis has drastically increased.
Government
The enormous complex of Stapseave is governed communally by its citizens. With its small size, town meetings are held in the Funeral Hall in the center of town, presided over by the High Undertaker. Most government action takes the form of ordinances voted on by all members of the town once a quorum has been reached. The work to accomplish goals is divided equally, with town funds available to all citizens. The simple, but effective, government of Stapseave has existed for eons, often pointed to by other Free Cities as an ideal form of self governance.
Since the formation of the Union of Free Cities, Stapseave has been represented at the Convention of Union by the High Undertaker. While Stapseave holds little sway in terms of its voting bloc, the other representatives in the Union will often approve any requests for resources or assistance outright out of respect for the town's place in larger Pillarinian culture.
The current High Undertaker is Lethias Bog, whose calm demeanor is viewed as stabilizing force and a source of wise judgement in a time of hardship for the Hi Ba Lowlands. He maintains cordial relations with the Sebastos of Hi Ba and refuses to entertain any prospect of war with any Fen territories.
Districts
The town is composed of two main districts, the Waking Town and the Necropolis. The Waking Town is the area of Stapseave actually inhabited by living occupants. There are a set of small insulae apartment buildings for the inhabitants at the center of the Waking Town radiating around a central plaza, surrounded by a handful of government buildings, businesses, and inns for traveling mourners or those paying respects. A small arm of the Old Imperial Highway passes through the town to the south toward Hi Ba. The Waking Town district sits along a small wooded stretch over a hill. Beyond the treeline on both east and west sides of town, hidden from the view of the road, is the Necropolis.
The Necropolis stretches for many miles east and west of the town, encompassed by a retaining wall of trees, making it difficult to see from the lowland roads. The Necropolis encompasses a footprint larger than the greatest cities of Pillarin or Sinderlan, approximately 20-30 square miles. It is divided in to many regions by method of interment. There are regions for full body burial, interment and scattering of cremated remains, aquatic burial, essence scattering, and virtually every other method of bodily disposal. The treeline around the Necropolis itself is a method of burial, with bodies encapsulated in the planter of a sapling.
Despite the diversity of methods, the practice of full body interment encompasses the majority of the space in the Necropolis and requires the greatest maintenance. The mausoleums of the wealthy, the simple graves of the middle class, and the great underground catacombs of the poor encapsulate roughly 85% of the land occupied by the Necropolis. As such, the space is difficult for the small population to maintain, resulting the oldest sections of the Stapseave Necropolis falling to ruin as priorities lay in the areas most regularly visited by mourners. The lesser maintained and crumbling districts, called Desiccant Wards, are usually cordoned off and prohibited to visitors outside of scholars. Many of the graves in the Desiccant Wards are devoid of context, leaving their occupants total mysteries. Scholars believe many graves in such wards to date to and before the Starfall.
History
Very little is known about the early history of Stapseave. Archaeological evidence indicates the city may be well over 10,000 years old, making it easily one of the original areas settled in Pillarin. The oldest segments of the Necropolis suggest the first mass burials of non-locals may have begun around the time of the First Free City's uprising, coinciding with the mythological narrative of a deadly struggle against a nameless oppressor. Ancient ruins uncovered in the Desiccant Wards indicate the earliest religious worship was likely that of Termina and Iane, a practice still adhered to today. Motifs of the cyclical nature of life are omnipresent, representing a deep reverence for the two primal beings and a perspective on death as that of a door to both an end and beginning.
By the time of the Starfall, the Necropolis was well known across Pillarin as an honorable resting place. The Necropolis was likely large at this time as well. Written records indicate that the death toll from the ecological collapse brought by the Starfall likely contributed to the first catacombs being built in the Stapseave Necropolis. The sudden influx of tens of thousands of dead led to mass burials on a scale unseen by Pillarin. After the restabilization of the continent, Stapseave was solidified as the largest Necropolis on Perradin, housing millions of dead. Other methods of burial resulted in large artificial lakes being constructed for aquatic burials and on-site crematories that operate around the clock.
Over the ensuing millennia, the Necropolis expanded and temporary temples of virtually all major deities and primal beings were established. Stapseave became a popular final resting place for many government figures from virtually every Free City. Great mausoleums and crypts were constructed for the richest and most influential families in Pillarin. Despite the grandeur of such projects, the small population of Stapseave wanted to maintain that any person could be laid to rest, and made the interment or scattering of ashes virtually free. All funds used for the privilege of grave burial or building construction went toward maintaining all regions.
In 7955, the Necropolis was visible from a great distance outside of Stapseave. It was considered a point of awe on approach, but the town council believed it to be too representative of a place a pure death. Under High Undertaker Porthos Vitruvium, an ordinance was passed to establish a new method of burial: Ianan Tree Blessing. The new method involved the interring of remains within a tree sapling to be planted on the perimeter of the Necropolis. The trees would then gradually grow into a barrier of trees, which accomplished both an aesthetic and symbolic message. After the popularity of this method exploded, the new treeline surrounded the entire Necropolis, obscuring its view from the road and at a distance. It created a new overt symbol of death as a new beginning that reinforced one of the oldest religious beliefs in the region.
After the establishment of the Stapseave Treeline, the Necropolis' borders became contained. This resulted in a greater amount of subterranean expansion, hollowing out caverns to construct new catacombs and even large expanses of structures that would be normally considered a necropolis in their own right. After contracting digging and mining experts from The Hammer in 8122, Stapseave delved deep beneath the ground. It is believed that the deep sections of the Necropolis extend deeper beneath the earth than many Dwarven cities.
By the time of the wars with the Fen, the town attempted to extend a treaty of non-aggression with various Fen Cities. These attempts, however, were rebuffed. The Fen, while attempting to remain respectful of the honored dead, believe that interment beneath the ground to be against their morals. As such, Stapseave is been feared to be a target of Fen forces as the border gradually pushes deeper into the Hi Ba Lowlands. In 9047, the High Undertaker expressed that town council did not wish to burden the rest of the Union with further death of their troops, and vetoed any military presence in their region. The Harwick Trade Company, which maintains a construction office in Stapseave, has been attempting to negotiate a loophole in this veto in order to protect their investments in the region.
Tourism
Stapseave attracts tens thousands of visitors annually from across the Free Cities, both in the form of current mourners and those simply wishing to pay respects. Being open to all faiths, the Stapseave Necropolis is a common pilgrimage destination for worshipers of most religions. Festivals of the dead are regular occurrences, though they must follow very strict guidelines enforced by the Stapseavian locals to ensure the safety of the Necropolis. Tourism has drastically fallen in intensity since the Fen expansion has pushed their borders into the Hi Ba Lowlands. Despite the dip in tourism, there has been an unfortunate increase in mourners coming to inter their dead.
Founding Date
unknown, likely before the Era of the First Free City
Type
Hamlet
Population
~300
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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