City of the Undying
Population
150-300K
Rulers
5 Lich-Priests
Government
Theocratic Oligarchy
Age
Pre-Sundering
The Necropolis of Endless Sands is possibly the oldest settlement in the known world — five ancient pyramids rising from Eshara's deepest desert, housing the lich-priests who have ruled since before the Sundering. Between 150,000 and 300,000 souls dwell here — most of them undead, maintained by necrotic energy that pulses through the pyramids like a heartbeat.
The living population serves willingly or through generations of tribute obligation. The Silent Archive preserves knowledge lost everywhere else. The Bone-Forges produce weapons at an accelerating rate. And in the deepest tomb-layers — sealed chambers that even the lich-priests fear to enter — something ancient pushes against wards that have held for millennia.
Beneath the five pyramids lie tomb-layers of staggering antiquity — chambers warded with magic so powerful that even the lich-priests cannot safely enter. These seals predate the current rulers; they were placed by whoever built the pyramids originally, possibly the Nagarin or something older still. Curse-Keeper Mal'dek has detected weakening in the deepest wards — not from external assault but from pressure within. The lich-priests' sudden increase in tribute demands, their accelerated Bone-Forge production, their uncharacteristic urgency — all suggest they know what is coming and are preparing for something they cannot stop.
Each pyramid houses one of the five lich-priests who rule the Necropolis. These structures predate recorded history — some scholars believe they are Nagarin in origin. The pyramids pulse with necrotic energy that sustains the undead population and preserves the lich-priests' phylacteries.
A vast library-fortress housing 8,000 living scholars and their undead guardians. The Archive contains knowledge from before the Sundering, meticulously preserved by the lich-priests. Access is granted only to those who offer knowledge of equal value.
Industrial district where 22,000 enslaved workers create weapons, armour, and constructs from bone, obsidian, and dark metals. The forges operate ceaselessly, their output suggesting the Necropolis is preparing for something far larger than border defence.
An impossibly lush garden in the heart of the desert, maintained by ancient magic. The gardens preserve specimens of plants that have been extinct for centuries elsewhere. Walking among them is walking through the memory of a world that no longer exists.
Home to 35,000 living residents who serve the Necropolis willingly — or at least without open resistance. These are descendants of communities that accepted the lich-priests' protection generations ago. Their tribute payments are increasing.
Deeper levels of the pyramids that even the lich-priests do not enter. Ancient wards of staggering power keep these chambers sealed. What lies below predates the lich-priests themselves — and they are afraid of it.
Eldest Lich-Priest
The oldest of the five rulers, Ankhaal remembers the world before the Sundering. His patience is measured in centuries and his plans span generations. He has recently begun demanding increased tribute from surrounding kingdoms — a change in behaviour that alarms those who study the Necropolis.
Lich-Priest of Knowledge
Obsessed with acquiring every piece of knowledge in the world. Sethor trades magical secrets for information and maintains the Silent Archive as his personal domain. He is the most approachable of the five — and the most dangerous, because he makes visitors forget they are dealing with a monster.
Wraith-Commander
Commands the Necropolis's military forces — an army of undead warriors, bone constructs, and living mercenaries. Valthak is bound to the lich-priests by ancient compulsion but chafes against servitude. His loyalty is conditional, and he has begun testing the boundaries of his binding.
Voice of the Living
Elected representative of the Tributary Temple-City's living population. Kess'tar negotiates with the lich-priests on behalf of the living, a role that requires extraordinary diplomatic skill and an unflinching willingness to make terrible compromises.
Whispering Sentinel
A spectral entity bound to the Silent Archive since before the current lich-priests arose. The Guardian answers questions — but every answer carries a price that may not become apparent for years. Scholars debate whether the Guardian serves the lich-priests or something older.
Master of Bindings
Maintains the wards and curses that protect the Necropolis. Mal'dek has noticed that the seals on the deepest tomb-layers are weakening — not from external assault, but from something pushing outward from within.
The lich-priests' tribute demands have doubled in a single season. Investigation reveals they are stockpiling resources not for war but for a massive ritual. What they intend to summon — or seal — could reshape the continent.
A scholar emerges from the Silent Archive carrying knowledge that contradicts the accepted history of the Sundering. The lich-priests want the scholar silenced. Multiple kingdoms want the information. The party must decide who gets the truth.
The seals on the deepest tomb-layers are failing. Curse-Keeper Mal'dek secretly hires outsiders to investigate because the lich-priests refuse to acknowledge the threat. What the party finds below predates even the Nagarin Dominion.
Wraith-Commander Valthak approaches the party through intermediaries. He wants to break his binding to the lich-priests but needs external agents to retrieve an artefact from within the sealed tomb-layers. His freedom could destabilise the Necropolis — or save it.
A delegation from the Tributary Temple-City requests asylum in the Realm of the Burning Sands. They claim the lich-priests have begun 'converting' living citizens into undead servants against their will. Granting asylum means war with the Necropolis.
Mining town
Dwarven forgehold
Lakeside village
Trading post
Frontier outpost
Coastal watchtower
Monastery village
Highland shepherds
Naval garrison
Border outpost
Blighted village
Elvish settlement