Bastion

Capital

Introduction

Gracefully chiseled from the Stygian Throat by Lady Death herself, Bastion is a labrinthine capital of root-like catacombs and mausoleumic spires. Once a place of reverence and rememberence of the living, Bastion is now the home of various forms of undeath that now outnumber the warm bloods by twentyfold. However, Bastionite's relationship with death has always been one of calculated acceptance with an understanding that the cycle of life and death is to be embraced, not feared. This has allowed many of the Unfallen to find a cold comfort in the silent Capital of Bastion.

Even the rulership of Bastion has shifted to the corpse-cold hands of the Unfallen, as the venerable Hightomb Speakers rise as undead from their ancient tombs at Lady Death's summons. Once Elias, the last child of Death, was laid to rest beside his brother, a new age began within the City of a Thousand Graves. The councils and guilds once ran by his dedicated priests now lie under the control of liches, gheists, and other ghoulish creatures.

Gravestone Labyrinth

As the saying goes, For every living person you can count ten of the dead. The capital itself has become a great labrinth of mausoleums and crypts carved into the Stygian Throat so that it can hold the millions of dead. Unable to expand further out because of The Abyss the people of Bastion have started carving away the mountains themselves to supply room for both the living and the dead. Over the past thousand years the catacombs of Bastion have grown larger than the city itself.

It is not the architecture of the place that chills my bones and makes my soul quiver, or even its history. Not even the expressionless masks of the worshippers as they walk past. It is the silence that scares me. The silence of death long past. The kind of silence that makes you wish you were dead.

— Elias Dods

Landmarks

Much of Bastion is built out of stone extracted from the Stygian Throat and thick timber imported from Wyldkeep. As the city carves away the mountain to make more room for the revered dead, the stone is repurposed to build towering structures dedicated to Lady Death and her minor pantheon of Archangels.

Layers of Bastion

Different layers are used to help navigate the cities impressive verticality. With the Peaks being the newest edition and the Catacombs being the oldest. To find a particular building, such as the Blessed Silence tavern, you would be told to travel the Layer of Streets on the Western side.

Peaks

Streets

Tombs

Catacombs

Depths

First Necropolis

Fabled to have been built originally from the bones of Lady Death's firstborn, this massive building lies at the heart of Bastion. Over the years structures have been constructed atop it and more catacombs built underneath it but it holds strong against the test of time.

At its entrance stand the Forgotten, two First Men Knights who never speak, never sleep, and never move. Any mortal foolish enough to approach the entrance is quickly cut down and their corpse is thrown into the streets. Not even the young or old are safe from their quick blades.

Our Lady's Sepulcher

Towering over the entirity of Bastion, Our Lady's Sepulcher is visible even from the Western side of The Abyss. Its initial construction was meant to mimic the design of the Five Towers but replaced the final story with an open-air throne room built to seat Lady Death herself.

At the base of the tower lies a large waterless well said to have no bottom. The faithful are known for throwing memento mori into this endless well to insure their loved ones reach the gates of Sanctus unharmed.

Hall of the Passed

Considered one of the largest libraries within Haven, the Hall of the Passed has the unique trait of containing no actual tomes or scrolls. Neroch, takes great care in preserving the thoughts, memories, and ideas of every corpse presented to him. Originally, the Jotunkith would willingly preserve any of the faithful but now he reserves this eternal preservation for the greatest minds of Haven.

Crypt by Jesper Friis

Factions

Because of the directness of Lady Death's presence over Bastion there are few factions not involved in religious activities. Bastion does not even have a proper standing army like those of Shardholm or the City of Marble instead relying on the magical prowess of the faithful and the endless swarms of undead that could easily flood the capital to protect it.

Church of the Fallen

Dedicated to the worship of Lady Death's many Domains, the Church of the Fallen is the largest, active faith within Haven. Like Bastion, the Church is controlled by the Hightomb Speakers.

The Caretakers

Comprised of various masons, morticians, and funeral keepers tasked with maintaining and organizing the many crypts and graveyards of Bastion the Caretakers are the organizational backbone of the Capital. Some Caretakers have even taken it upon themselves to uphold the Laws of Passage within the city.

General Information

Alternative Name(s)

Silence (Archaic), City of Crypts (Poetic)

Type

Capital

Population

Over 40,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Bastite

Location under

Solemn Expanse

Included Locations

• Crypt Homes
• Our Lady's Sepulcher

Owner/Ruler

Lady Death

Characters in Location

• Neroch
• Palthus Carnithian
• Tancreed Steelbred

Demographic

• Unfallen: 42%.
• Solmite: 36%.
• Highland Dwarf: 11%.
• Blackhill Dwarf: 7%.
• Other: 4%.

Laws & Customs

Respect the Dead

Desecration of the dead is not permitted within Bastion and is punishable by death. Only those assigned by the Church itself are allowed to excavate the dead or put them to use. Permits can be earned to allow the use of the dead to make unliving servants.

Respect the Living

Violence against another invidual is not permitted and will be punished based on severity.

Respect the Secret

Sharing the secrets of Bastions, or its dead, is punishable by death or indentured servitude.

Major Exports

Excavated Relics

Graverobbing is a crime within Bastion unless it is done by the church and the church needs money to feed its flock.

Major Imports

Corpses

Bastion is able to make use of every part of a corpse. No inch of leathery skin, sturdy bone, or soul goes left unused.

Meat

The booming population of Unfallen has required Bastion to purchase fish from Seawatch and meat from Grinwalde in vast quantities.

General Foodstuffs

With the Scourgelands taking the fertile lands of the Solemn Expanse most northern cities would starve without trade.