Ravenloft Remix: Necropolis

Necropolis

Precis: Fallen fantasy kingdom through a Gothic lens.

Conspectus: Necropolis is the remains of a kingdom once known as Darkon that was devastated by a magical catastrophe; Il Aluk, the former capital city of Darkon, is now a cursed place inhabited only by the living dead; the rest of Necropolis is divided into six regions:

The Boglands – A vast bog dotted with many lakes, the largest of which is the Great Salt Swamp; the lakes are so briny that they are devoid of life and their water is undrinkable; however, Stagnus Lake teems with life that moves under the green scum that obscures its surface; it is believed that the root crops that grow in this region are cursed; an important figure in the area is Glennis McFadden—an infamous witch and wisewoman skilled in alchemy.

The Forest of Shadows – A formerly lush forest that is now home to mobile shadows and giant spiders; the forests conceal rough circles of standing stones that serve as the meeting places for werewolves—the werewolves gather here to howl at the moon in unison and it is said that anyone who witnesses this will be inexplicably drawn to join them; the Forest of Shadows has two major towns: Nartok, a cosmopolitan trading center that regularly sends goods to Falkovnia, and Rivalis, a village peopled by halflings. Also within the region is Castle Avernus, former seat of Azalin (the last lord of Darkon); travelers are warned to beware the bandits led by Galf Kloggin.

The Jagged Coast – This region has many tiny islands and secret coves that are used by pirates for their illicit smuggling operations; rumor has it that there are a great many buried treasures here protected by cunning traps; other rumors suggest that a race of foul underwater dwellers live off the coast and creep ashore at night to make off with the unwary; strange, unaccountable whirlpools have recently begun to appear without warning in the gray sea off the coast; often anchored at Martira Bay is the Bountiful, a ship captained by Damon Skragg.

The Mistlands – A northerly realm of constant, thick mist that is populated mostly by elves; some believe that the region is home to the underground lairs of goblins and dark elves; the oddest feature of the region are the peculiar sinkholes of silence—when inside one of these sinkholes, no sound can be made or heard; the Mistlands has three major towns: Neblus, Nevuchar Springs, and Sidnar; these areas were once home to the Church of the Eternal Order (the morbid, death-obsessed state religion of Darkon), but now other religions have begun to filter into the area—including a powerful temple belonging to the Church of Ezra in Nevuchar Springs; the Mistlands are loosely ruled by Trillen Mistwalker, a man more interested in finding a mysterious ruined tower than seeing after the populace.

The Mountains of Misery – This region is dominated by two long-dormant volcanoes: Mount Nyid and Mount Nirka—however, thin plumes of smoke have recently been sighted over each and tremors have been felt throughout the land; the area's strangest phenomenon is located at Lake Temporus: all around the shores of the lake are animals bending down to drink the lake's water, but the animals seem to be utterly frozen in time (some believe that these animals will serve as mounts for the dead who will one day rise to push the living out of Necropolis); two mining towns have sprung up to exploit the gold, silver, and gemstone resources of the area: the dwarven town of Tempe Falls and the gnomish town of Mayvin.

The Vale of Tears – This region used to be a fertile valley that saw heavy riverboat traffic along the Vuchar River, but the river is now haunted by unliving crews of sailors; the major cities of this area are Karg, Maykle, and the halfing-inhabited Delagia; the area is ruled by an undead sorcerer called Yako Vormoff.