The Catacombs: the real City of Bones
It began with a few crypts, and catacombs beneath the temples; then expanded as graves were moved to underground vaults. The largest of these vaults, beneath WINTER-HOLD, had viewing chambers built-in where families could bury their dead, but have them preserved and displayed, so that they could visit the deceased. The priests of the RAVEN KING began to rent out space to other faiths, who then built themselves tunnels connecting their temples and churches to the crypts.
As the centuries passed, the tunnels, chambers, crypts and tombs, the extended network of catacombs soon covered as much ground as the city above; then they began to dig deeper, as space and necessity demanded. Some pass beyond the city walls, but not many for fear of undermining the walls and fortifications. Today, the necropolis is a vast web of cared-for crypts, forgotten tombs, lost catacombs and misplaced graves. No one knows how many dead are buried here, but it certainly numbers in the tens of thousands.
Cultists use the CATACOMBS for their secret shrines and necromancies. Most of the undead that roam the necropolis were created by these cultists, and have become such a nuisance to burials and the caretakers that look after the crypts and tombs, that the various faiths pay adventurers for clearing areas of the walking dead.
Ghouls are the most dangerous of the common undead found within the CATACOMBS, and are believed to have formed some sort society of their own; whispers of the GHOUL KING are unfounded, but persistent. Zombies and skeletons are the most numerous, with wights and wraiths common in some of the less frequented tombs.
Access to the CATACOMBS is usually forbidden without license from the council, or permission from one of the faiths; even the City Watch must get permission to enter. Of course, there are other ways in, some better known than others, and both the OFFAL PITS and the WEEPING CHASM are said to have tunnels leading to the CATACOMBS.
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting how freaking spooky the real world can be. Huge and sprawling tunnels and chambers filled with the bones of the dead would never, never have seemed like a good idea to me.