The Necropolis of Myr

A large city with intelligent undead who refer to themselves as Unliving.

Population: Untold hundreds of thousands.

Heraldry: Skull Shaped Chalice filled with Grapes.

Racial Breakdown: All Races from Bil’Hanna’s past

Government type: Democracy

Current ruler: Magistrate Savate, who has ruled over the senate for the last 600 years.

Current known alliances: No military alliances but trade partners with Neppen and Bridge City.

### Ecology of the Unliving

Unlike most undead of Bil’Hanna, the Unliving of the Necropolis are ‘naturally’ occurring. They are not the product of Alchemy or Will.  Before the fall of the Old Deck, when a mortal died within the limits of the city, or when an uncontrolled undead made its way to the Necropolis, they would begin to change. Eventually they would rise as an unliving, looking very much like they did in life. In the past an uncontrolled undead would slowly start to heal, its decomposition reversing until it resumes a close approximation of its form before death.

While mindless undead are still drawn to the city, they are no longer changing into Unliving. Nor are any mortals rising from their death beds.

After death most unliving recover their living memories. Those exceptionally strong minded awaken with their memories fully intact.  Unliving emotions do not die, but change; passions burn less bright and displays of emotion are less obvious. The Unliving are more serene, even spiritual. The Unliving do feel, but those feelings are less likely to be displayed in public exhibitions. The Unliving can hate, but it is a cold, purposeful hate. The Unliving can love, in a deep, quiet, and often unspoken way. The humor of the Unliving is often dry and less prone to crudeness. The general philosophy taught to the new Unliving is, "Your life is over; make your unlife your own, freed of the chains of the past."

Unliving are colder, paler and unless they are talking, they have no need to breathe.  A cut to the unliving will produce little blood as their body does not circulate blood very quickly. Some unliving have experimented with extreme body modification since they can simply remove the modified part and wait for it to grow back. If the Unliving has a body part that is either missing or simply not repairable, one will be found for it from the Gardens, the name for the vast and beautiful combined cemetery and catacombs of the Necropolis that are deep beyond reckoning.

The Unliving don’t have sex and don’t need to eat, though they may choose to do so. The Unliving can't get drunk. (Barring some extreme, forbidden magical concoctions because it creates some really negative “undead-like” behaviors.) Though they do brew some amazingly powerful drinks--strong enough that even their Unliving palettes can sense what they are drinking. Indeed, one whose talents as a brewer are well known may receive a secret request to sell their wares to the Unliving of Myr.

The city is ever moving, as the Unliving don't pause for eight hours of sleep, but the pace is never rapid, as no one is ever in a hurry. They don't need to rest for physical exhaustion. The only “rest” they take is to recover from mental or emotional exhaustion--another reason why their emotions become more muted, more passive. Extreme feeling and passion is tiring. Myr is beautiful. Myr has amazing wonders and knowledge. Myr is filled with amazing people from every area. However the nightlife is dead.

### Home Nations/Region:

The Necropolis is located on the far northwestern border of the Empire and south of the Draconic Theocracies. It is connected to the City of Neppen and Bridge City by portal. It is said that the city sits on the ruins of a long forgotten Draconic City. The Necropolis has been called Myr for longer than any mortal living can remember and rumors abound as to the source of the name. Some claim it was the name of the Dragon who once reigned there, others say it is the ancient name of the valley the Necropolis sits in, and some few say it is because of the chained censers the city guard patrol with, filled with aromatic incense to hide the smell of rot of newly arrived unliving.

### Culture:

A hodgepodge of cultures from times lost until present day. Filled with architecture, art, music, and languages spanning thousands of years, the city is a museum to all that once was and is. It does not merely accumulate these items though, but cultivates them as well. The city houses a university beyond compare and scholars who are interested in looking both at where they came from and where they are going as well.

For those unfamiliar with the city, it is a surprise that a place such as this is filled with indescribable beauty. As many artists who have come to reside in the Necropolis say though, “Some works take more than one lifetime to complete.” Sadly, most residents of the world are terrified to ever think of coming here and witnessing the city’s glories.

The only area of culture the city fails by general standards is in food. The sense of taste for the Unliving is a weak thing and to taste food it must be filled with flavors and spices beyond what any living being can stomach. They do enjoy these extreme concoctions. A select few are exported under the title “Nectars” far and wide across Bil Hanna. While they do need to ingest organic matter to regenerate their unliving flesh, after a feast, the Unliving retire to a vomitorium to evacuate any unneeded organic material.

The Fashion of Myr is a bewildering spectacle. It is a collection of styles from across the world and across time. Funeral Clothing, of course, is always a hit. Keeping a  neat appearance is expected. The Unliving are not mindless rotting creatures, but thoughtful, spiritual people of reason and intellect.  Many fashionable morticians ply their trade, maintaining appearances, weaving hair, or restoring eyes to their original living color. The more macabre insist that “Fashionable tatters are always chic.”

The healers of Myr are said to be the greatest in all of the world, but only the desperate will travel to the city’s gates, despite the fact that medical care is given freely to all those who need it. There is something strange about The Necropolis of Myr, as those who are wounded recover more quickly even without medical attention. This miraculous effect is unexplainable but may have something to do with how the Unliving appear in the city.

### Life span:

Within the city, they have an unlife span. Until destroyed by some powerful force that leaves little of the body left, the Unliving shall rise. Once an Unliving leaves the City, the undead of Myr may be destroyed as any other undead. Therefore, few residents take the risk of leaving. Still, eternity in one city can get boring and groups of residents will leave suddenly, seeking adventure or their final death in a great cause, or to achieve some feat of glory or extreme infamy.

### Notable Features:

The Gardens house dead from across the World and are securely protected by ancient spells, powerful Unliving warriors, magic, and monsters. Many nations, families, or exceptional individuals pay exceptional rates to have someone buried in the Gardens in vast, elaborate tombs filled with wealth, treasure, books, secrets, servants, or whatever belongings they wish to send with the deceased. For here, the dead never decompose but retain the full beauty of their prime, preserved forever.

The Gardens welcome not only the wealthy. Those who are poor and destitute may be laid to rest here if they have nowhere else to go, though they must pay a price; the tenders of the garden may take a “gift” of up to two limbs to aid an Unliving resident. This missing limb is always replaced by an artful creation to preserve their appearance.

In recent years a giant egg presumed to be of Draconic Origin from outside of Bil’Hanna has found its way to the Gardens. Little is known of it, but it is kept in a jeweled chalice atop an altar and it radiates pearlescent light. One Hundred and One Death Knights surround it at all times. All of which are sworn to silence. The very few get to approach the Egg. And when they do, every Death Knight draws their sword.

### Government:

The Necropolis of Myr is a democracy. All Unliving of sound mind may have a voice in determining their laws and electing members of government. Myr has no poverty or hunger.

### Faith:

With the old deck gone, Myr has no patron faiths at this point. But there is a profound desire to protect the glowing Egg, found in the Garden.

### Military

The most famous of the city’s guardians are the Knights of Sirtnale.  Though few in number, these Death Knights are pledged to Justice, Good, and are among the few residents who regularly leave the city.  Most were aged holy warriors who chose to come to the Necropolis shortly before their end so they would rise to battle evil eternally.

The City proper is protected by warriors who also double as a police force. These Myrmidons mainly protect the Unliving residents from the cruelty of living beings. Occasionally they are sent out into the world to find uncontrolled undead and put them to rest. It is these the Myrmidons assist, for all Unliving are citizens of the Necropolis.

The sheer terror of a city of the Unliving is enough to keep most armies at bay.

Of course, the fact that the uncontrolled undead of the world constantly wander to the Necropolis is a barrier: many can't traverse some of the harder terrain, thus making most approaches to the Myr filled with angry roaming uncontrolled undead. Myrmidons can’t round them all up. This makes the approach to Myr difficult for armies, but not impossible for small parties of adventurers.

### The Unliving of Myr’s Stereotypical views

#### Refugees:

“More poor souls trapped in this World. But it is our way to welcome all. For we all die eventually.”

#### The Eternal Empire/Anwyn/Neppen:

“Emperors, Governors, Kings, they come and go. One is very much like any other. But, our Death Knights do find kinship with the Questing Knights of Anwyn.”

#### Truefolk:

“They call us the unliving but their souls have died.”

#### Fortuneless Cohorts:

“The plight of the fortuneless makes us appreciate the simplicity of death.”

#### Dwarven Peoples

“The Dwarves of Bridge City have rekindled life into a dead people. And with the Portals, we can enjoy their hospitality.”

#### First Elves

“It seems that the only way a First elf is willing to remember, is if he has joined us. So few ever have. Cowards to the core they would rather face the comfort of oblivion than an eternity remembering the truth.”

#### Wracked Elves

“We once could lengthen their short lives by bringing them into our number, but with the fall of the Old Deck, there is no longer a way for us to help them.”

#### Slegorians

“Yet another Warrior culture. They rise. They come to find another warrior culture. They fall. Not one has joined our ranks. It is no real loss.”

#### Uncontrolled Undead:

“Give us your shamblers, your unbound, and your lost kin. And we will give them peace.”

#### Anyone who raises someone from the Dead:

“Denying someone the right to pass on is not only a crime against that poor soul, but natural order itself. Where there is soul, there must be free will. We range from our city to find them. We will take them from your homes. From your cities. From your ships. Will bring them back to Myr and visit unto them that which they have inflicted on others. Their suffering will be beyond anything a mere living being could comprehend...let alone live through.”

#### Draconic Theocracies

“They are learning what those who understand the Deck have known for Eons. Everything is fleeting. Even Gods.”

#### Smaragdine

“They are past. They were once great. Those and some of those they created live amongst us in peace and contemplation. They are the saddest among us.”

#### Goblins

“It is said those who once went to close a Black Blood leak saw these lesser beings. They are of no consequence.”

#### Tarabuthian

“Every living being in the world wonders if deep down inside they are monsters or men. For them, one of life’s questions has already been answered. Freeing them to pursue new ones.”