The Lands of Warlderia

The Necropolis (Formerly Elgathrond)

The city now known simply as The Necropolis was once called Elgathrond, one of the fairest cities ever built by the Elves of southern Warlderia. Renowned for its graceful white towers, scented gardens and magnificent architecture, it was both a centre of trade and one of the jewels of the southern Elven Kingdom. Merchants of every race were welcomed through its gates and wealth flowed constantly through its markets. In those happier times the city was ruled by Prince Sintalon, a wise and cultured Elf whose interests lay equally in commerce and the magical arts. For many centuries Elgathrond prospered, but the coming of the Higher Wars changed everything.

Prince Sintalon's son, Eldrin, inherited much of his father's magical ability but little of his wisdom or sense of duty. Handsome, charismatic and exceptionally gifted, Eldrin became increasingly devoted to luxury and self-indulgence, surrounding himself with flatterers and refusing to concern himself with the hardships of war. Whilst his ageing father personally directed the defence of the kingdom's southern frontier, Eldrin remained within the comfort of Elgathrond, believing that Humans and Half-Elves existed to fight and die in defence of Elven civilisation. As the Higher Wars dragged on, the lands south of Elgathrond became a battlefield between the Elves, Orcs and Dwarves. After years of retreat, the Elven King ordered that the line be held at Elgathrond and the forests beyond. Prince Sintalon threw himself into the struggle and eventually fell in battle during the Year 31 Before Kaegor, leaving the defence of the city to his reluctant son.

To the surprise of many, Eldrin initially proved an able commander. Personally leading several successful attacks against the Orcs, he restored confidence amongst the city's defenders and for a brief period appeared to have become the leader his father had always hoped he might be. It was not to last. During these campaigns Eldrin became enthralled by a mysterious Elven woman known as Satuviel. Little was known of her origins, though many whispered that her knowledge of forbidden magic exceeded that of any living Elf. Under her influence Eldrin's growing arrogance turned to obsession. When news of Kaegor's Revolt reached Elgathrond, he became convinced that the Human soldiers under his command would eventually betray him. His solution was horrifying. Declaring that no Human would ever rebel against him whilst death itself could be mastered, Eldrin summoned every Human soldier within the city to a great feast before a major Orc offensive. They were honoured, praised for their loyalty and served the finest food and wine that Elgathrond could provide.

Every dish had been poisoned. Before dawn every Human soldier lay dead. When the sun rose they marched once more. Bound by Eldrin's necromancy, the entire army rose as obedient undead and advanced silently into the southern forests. The Orc offensive was utterly destroyed by warriors who neither tired nor feared death. The victory saved Elgathrond, but the terrible price forever damned the city. The betrayal horrified Eldrin's own people. Thousands fled whilst others plotted to overthrow their Prince and destroy Satuviel before the corruption spread further. The conspiracy was discovered before it could act and every conspirator disappeared within the palace. The following morning the streets of Elgathrond were patrolled by the Prince's household guard. They too had joined the dead. For the first time in Elven history, martial law was imposed upon an Elven city. Only a month later an envoy from the Elven King arrived demanding Eldrin's submission. He found the gates barred and Satuviel standing upon the walls. Calmly she informed the envoy that Prince Eldrin no longer recognised the authority of a weak king and that Elgathrond would henceforth stand alone. Several attempts were made to infiltrate the city. Only one scout ever returned.

His report chilled even hardened veterans. By day the city appeared deserted, its gardens still blooming and its fountains still flowing, yet not a single living inhabitant could be found beyond the palace walls. At sunset the dead emerged from every district of the city, silently walking the streets they had known in life. Within the palace Prince Eldrin and his ever-dwindling court held magnificent banquets each night, becoming steadily less recognisable as living Elves. The Higher Wars prevented any immediate response. Later, Kaegor's Revolt consumed the strength of the Elven Kingdom, leaving neither the time nor the armies required to retake Elgathrond. Only after the Peace of Melthurien was an expedition finally dispatched. They reached the palace itself. There Prince Eldrin welcomed them as honoured guests. He calmly explained that he found his people far more obedient than they had ever been in life and warned that any attempt to conquer the city would simply unleash its countless undead upon the surrounding lands.

No serious attempt has been made to reclaim Elgathrond since. Today it is known throughout Warlderia simply as The Necropolis. By daylight it remains hauntingly beautiful. The marble buildings stand almost untouched, flowers continue to bloom within perfectly maintained gardens and crystal fountains still play in silent courtyards. Only the complete absence of life disturbs its impossible tranquillity. When darkness falls, however, the city awakens. Thousands of undead emerge from their former homes to wander the empty streets in an endless imitation of the lives they once lived. Patrols of skeletal guards still march the avenues, ghostly servants prepare banquets within the palace and travellers speak of distant music drifting across the moonlit gardens. Over the centuries the dead have become increasingly restless. No longer content to remain within the city, they now wander the surrounding countryside, carrying the curse of Elgathrond ever further into the southern lands. Few who enter the Necropolis ever return. Those who do rarely speak of what they saw within the palace, where it is said Prince Eldrin and the mysterious Satuviel still rule over their silent kingdom, waiting with infinite patience for whatever fate the centuries may yet bring.

The Necropolis Today

For all its terrible reputation, the Necropolis is not a ruined city. Its walls still stand. Its white towers remain almost untouched by the passing centuries, fountains continue to flow through marble courtyards and the gardens for which Elgathrond was once famous still bloom. From a distance the city might easily be mistaken for one of the surviving jewels of the ancient Elven kingdoms. Only as a traveller draws closer does the illusion begin to fail. There are no birds upon the walls. No insects move amongst the flowers. No smoke rises from the chimneys and no voices carry from the streets. During daylight the gates stand open and the avenues beyond them are completely deserted. The city is waiting for night.

When the Sun Sets

At sunset the Necropolis awakens. Doors open throughout the city and the dead emerge from the houses in which they once lived. Thousands of undead Elves, Humans and Half-Elves begin an eerie imitation of their former lives. Merchants stand behind empty market stalls. Servants sweep spotless steps. Nobles stroll through moonlit gardens. Musicians play in abandoned squares while skeletal guards patrol routes established centuries ago. Some appear scarcely aware that they are dead. Others are very much aware. Visitors who behave peacefully have occasionally been permitted to walk amongst them. A dead merchant may attempt to sell goods which crumbled to dust centuries ago, while an innkeeper might offer a room whose previous occupant still lies dead upon the bed. Violence, however, brings an immediate response. The Necropolis possesses an army which has had centuries to perfect its obedience.

The Palace of Eldrin

At the heart of the city stands the former palace of Prince Eldrin. Unlike much of the Necropolis, the palace is active both day and night. Undead servants maintain its halls, candles burn in rooms where nobody has breathed for centuries and magnificent banquets are prepared each evening for guests who neither hunger nor age. It is said that Eldrin still holds court there. What the Prince has become is uncertain. Some accounts describe an impossibly pale but otherwise beautiful Elven nobleman. Others claim that beneath his robes there is scarcely anything recognisable as an Elf. None dispute that his power has grown enormously since the fall of Elgathrond. Yet even now there are whispers that Satuviel is the true power within the palace. Whether she was ever truly an Elf is another matter.

The Gardens of Elgathrond

Perhaps the strangest feature of the Necropolis is its gardens. Flowers continue to bloom despite receiving almost no care from living hands. Ancient roses climb marble walls, silver-leafed trees line the avenues and ornamental pools remain clear and unspoiled. Nothing eats the plants. Nothing pollinates them. Nothing living appears necessary for them to survive. Some believe the gardens are sustained by ancient Elven magic. Others claim that the plants themselves are now part of the curse. Amongst the oldest inhabitants of the surrounding lands there is consequently a simple warning: Never eat anything that grows in Elgathrond.

The great market of Elgathrond remains one of the most extraordinary places in the city. Every night its dead merchants return to their stalls. Many continue to offer the same goods they sold during life. Most are now worthless remnants, but not everything has decayed. Elven jewellery, magical objects, gemstones, sealed vessels and other treasures occasionally appear amongst the stalls. More disturbing are those merchants who have acquired new merchandise. Nobody knows where it comes from. There are stories of travellers successfully purchasing ancient Elven artefacts from the dead, sometimes for surprisingly ordinary sums. The difficulty lies in discovering what an undead merchant considers acceptable payment.

The Dead Army

The soldiers murdered by Eldrin were the first great undead host of Elgathrond, but they were certainly not the last. Beneath the city are barracks, crypts and underground chambers containing thousands of warriors accumulated during the final years of the Higher Wars and the centuries since. Unlike the wandering dead of the Isle of Hate, these creatures remain organised. Officers command companies. Companies form regiments. Weapons and armour are maintained. Guards change their watches according to bells which have rung at the same hours for centuries. Eldrin's threat to unleash them upon the surrounding lands was therefore no empty boast. Nobody knows how large his army has become.

Beyond the Walls

For centuries the dead rarely ventured far beyond Elgathrond. That is changing. Small groups now appear increasingly often in the surrounding countryside. At first these were little more than wandering corpses, but more recent encounters have included organised patrols of armed undead. More troubling still, some have begun repairing the ancient roads leading from the city. Nobody knows why. The neighbouring rulers have started watching the Necropolis with increasing concern. Elgathrond has remained largely passive for centuries, and few wish to discover what might happen if Prince Eldrin has finally decided that his kingdom should grow.