Necropolis
Overview
The first Highborn settled along the coast of the Bay of Catazarr here, and some of the oldest post-Terunael human structure are found here. In some ways, it is the spiritual centre of the Highguard nation and - to a degree - of the Empire.
Recent History
Major Features
The Necropolis
At the mouth of the river Couros lies Bastion’s shadowed twin, a mausoleum in black marble. Built in the ruins of Pharos - the first Highborn settlement was destroyed in the Patrician war – the tombs have spread to encompass almost all the old ruins. Scattered throughout the ruins are mausoleums built to house the Highborn dead. To many Highborn it is as if the city itself has been entombed, its memory preserved in the house of the dead.
The Necropolis holds the bodies of the Empire’s heroes, along with the Imperial Histories, guarded eternally by the Stewards of the Dead. The legendary mausoleum has become the final resting place of almost every Emperor and Empress. In death, all Highborn desire to be lain to rest here, amongst the heroes of the past, where the Stewards of the Dead watch eternally over their silent graves. It is a tremendous honour for heroes of other Imperial Nations to be offered a final resting place alongside them. Those who would be heroes know that granite – and the words placed upon it – will endure long after their flesh has faded.
The Shrine of Britta
A beautiful white granite shrine honouring the Empress Britta was constructed in early 377YE. While the body of the Empress was interred in the swamps of Kallavesa, her accouterments were placed in the shrine. An eternal flame burns in a paved courtyard in front of the memorial, which serves as a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to pay their respects or meditate on the lessons of Britta's reign and death. The Guardian of Britta's Shrine watches over the memorial, and receives a portion of liao as well as voting power in the Imperial Synod.
Regions
Coursmouth
Where the river Couros empties out into the Bay of Catazarr. The Necropolis is built around the mouth of the river, in the ruins of Pharos (the first Highborn city).
Fishguard
Hedrossan
The river Couros is navigable for much of its length. The trading port of Hedra is a fair distance inland, but is the favoured destination of ships from the League and Brass Coast. Vessels from as far afield as the Marches and even Wintermark prefer to bypass the archaic docks at Crown's Quay and do their trading here. A great deal of grain and other foodstuffs are sold to merchants destined for the peaks of Urizen, despite (or perhaps causing) a great deal of economic rivalry with the port of Cargo in Redoubt.
Highrod
Longbeach
Today Longbeach is best known for the port-town of Crown's Quay. Once a small fishing village called Westport, Crown’s Quay became notable as the preferred port for those wishing to travel to Anvil, and its docks were rebuilt by the military council in the early days of Empire. Legend also says that it was the place the Three Sisters, the founders of the Brass Coast, took ship. Despite it's age and fame, it has never been especially prosperous as a trade port - although several attempts have been made to built lighthouses and to upgrade the quayside they have rarely amounted to significant change. Keywords: Coastal
Sanctuary Sand
This is where the Highborn ships first made landfall. The town of Sanctury claims it is built on the very spot where Atun's ship first came to rest on the sands of the new world. Since the establishment of Necropolis, this is where funeral boats land their cargo of the dead. From all over Empire, great heroes take their final journey to Sanctuary and then are carried along the steep cliffside trail to therr last resting place.