Catacombs

The catacombs are an extensive series of underground tunnels beneath the Old Temple District which served as the first burial grounds for the elite in Westden, before the construction of the City of Ashes. The catacombs themselves are the remains of the native stone which was used for the construction of many of the old temples which now stand in ruins to this day. The third great Shabissian Plague swept the city roughly 395 years ago and struck it harder than any of the previous ones had. The priesthood of Bast’s summoning of cats to destroy the rat plague stemmed the tide but not before the city was forced to transform the central quarry into a mass grave for those who had succumbed to the plague. Among the many consequences of the plague was the beginnings of the cracks in faith in the old gods of the city who had failed to intervene in the plague after many of the temples’ priests were the first to succumb and die. This led many among the survivors to believe that these old gods had abandoned the populace during its time of greatest need and grief. Though it was centuries before the foundations of these religions began to truly fail, many trace the roots of the peoples’ discontent to this time.
The outer tunnels of the catacombs have become an underground highway of sorts for underworld figures, rogues, patrolling paladins of Muir and Thyr, and city inspectors from the Pipe Cleaners, Canal, and Refuse Management Office making sure that the area remains structurally sound. The inner tunnels form a spider-like network of twisting passages beneath the Old Temple District and are generally favored by those who seek to avoid being seen on the streets above.

Location under

Westden