The Necropolis

"Enter not the joyful living, for your living be forfeit as toll. Only the would-be-dead, among the dead, walk the passages of the Necropolis. We that guard against the living, in service of dead, will suffer no indignation, no trespass. We are but servants of those that rest whose blood is godly. All death to the living, all life to the dead."

— Mantra of the Deathguard

Built hundreds of years ago to house and protect the tombs of the Dynasty Kings, the Necropolis or the City of the Dead is an important site of cultural and historical heritage for the people of Thripia. Located south within the Meleatte Desert, it is protected by the infamously ruthless Deathguard. An order of assassins and killers that served as a precursor to the Cabal of the Black, they slay all who enter the Necropolis as according to their age-old creed. The ruins are, as such, forbidden to all but those with the blood of the Dynasty Kings whom they still continue to serve despite the monarchy's fall. In the initial period after its construction, the Necropolis was a beautiful site; meticulously maintained by royal stonemasons and architects. However, after Zubia the Heritcal's captaincy over the Deathguard, in which they attempted to lay siege to Thripia and were subsequently reformed following their leader's death, the groups' modern code of conduct was established which completely forbade entry to all regardless of what authority stood behind them. Since, the area has fallen to ruin and disrepair.

Appearance

Found immediately south of the Meleatte River, a quarter of the way from Thripia to the Ranad Mountains and visible in the far distance from the city's walls, the Necropolis is situated atop a large rocky hill among the sand dunes. Made from sandstone, it has two walls; one at the base of the hill and one at the top. Within them are a series of crypts, mausoleums, tombs and catacombs adorned with statues and ornate architecture. At the top of the complex is a large tower, once with a domed roof that has since collapsed, within which is the entrance to the Sanctum. The base of operations for the Deathguard, The Sanctum's tunnels extend throughout the Necropolis, most of them secret.
Once, the Necropolis' structures were polished and gleamed white in the sunlight, decorated with blue and gold. However, in its present state, the City of the Dead is a ruin. Walls and structures lay crumbling and many sites are entirely consumed by sand. The Deathguard, despite the best of their effort, have only succeeded in preventing the most significant structures from collapsing. Many tombs within the Necropolis, sealed behind great stone doors, are still will preserved, however.

RUINED STRUCTURE
~220AL

Alternative Names

The City of the Dead

Type

Tomb

Parent Location

The Meleatte Desert

Owning Organization

The Deathguard