Khramovgorod
Khramovgorod is the sole known city within the dark and foreboding landscape of Necromania, serving as the political, spiritual, and cultural heart of the nation. Nestled into the rugged face of one of the largest mountains in the Dreaded Mountains range, the city is a striking testament to the ingenuity and devotion of its inhabitants. Its unique architecture follows a terraced design, resembling a vast staircase that ascends majestically from the icy shores of the frozen Lake Ozero Smerti, with each level carved into and built upon the natural contours of the mountain.
At the pinnacle of Khramovgorod stands the grand temple of Exa’nus, a towering structure that dominates the skyline and serves as the spiritual focal point of the city and the entire nation. This temple, richly adorned with dark gemstones and ritual carvings, is both a place of worship and a symbol of the divine authority of the High Priestess. The city’s construction and layout reflect its sacred purpose, emphasizing its role as a sanctuary for necromancy, dark rituals, and the governance of Necromania under the divine rule of the High Priestess.
Khramovgorod’s strategic location offers both protection and concealment, surrounded by icy wilderness and treacherous terrain, making it difficult for outsiders to access. Despite its remote and forbidding appearance, the city is alive with activity—rituals are performed in shadowed courtyards, necromantic experiments are conducted in hidden chambers, and the city’s inhabitants, Narods and undead alike, maintain a disciplined and secretive society dedicated to their goddess Exa’nus. The city’s architecture and atmosphere encapsulate the eerie, sacred, and formidable essence of Necromania itself.
At the pinnacle of Khramovgorod stands the grand temple of Exa’nus, a towering structure that dominates the skyline and serves as the spiritual focal point of the city and the entire nation. This temple, richly adorned with dark gemstones and ritual carvings, is both a place of worship and a symbol of the divine authority of the High Priestess. The city’s construction and layout reflect its sacred purpose, emphasizing its role as a sanctuary for necromancy, dark rituals, and the governance of Necromania under the divine rule of the High Priestess.
Khramovgorod’s strategic location offers both protection and concealment, surrounded by icy wilderness and treacherous terrain, making it difficult for outsiders to access. Despite its remote and forbidding appearance, the city is alive with activity—rituals are performed in shadowed courtyards, necromantic experiments are conducted in hidden chambers, and the city’s inhabitants, Narods and undead alike, maintain a disciplined and secretive society dedicated to their goddess Exa’nus. The city’s architecture and atmosphere encapsulate the eerie, sacred, and formidable essence of Necromania itself.
Demographics
Khramovgorod’s population is composed mainly of Narods, who lead spiritually and politically, alongside undead beings like wraiths and lich-kin that serve as guardians and workers. A small number of slaves, often captured outsiders or ritual-bound individuals, perform labor and sacrifices. The society is deeply connected to death and undeath, with a hierarchy centered on necromantic power and dark rituals that sustain the city’s order.
Government
The government of Khramovgorod and Necromania is a theocratic hierarchy centered on divine and necromantic authority. The High Priestess, regarded as the divine child of Exa’nus, holds absolute spiritual and political power, supported by a large retinue. Below her, the Lich-council of thirteen Arch-lichs governs the thirteen territories, acting as regional rulers, spiritual custodians, and military leaders, while managing political intrigue and power struggles. Each Arch-lich commands their own retinue of Lichs, priests, and Death Knights who maintain order, conduct rituals, and enforce laws. Overall, the city’s governance is a dark, necromancy-driven dictatorship rooted in divine authority, ritual, and loyalty to Exa’nus.
Industry & Trade
The industry of Khramovgorod is modest and highly specialized, reflecting its dark, isolated environment and spiritual focus. The city’s primary local resource is the frozen lake Ozero Smerti, which provides a limited but vital supply of fish, particularly during the brief thaw seasons, supporting the sustenance of the city’s inhabitants. Beyond fishing, the city’s craftsmen and necromancers craft equipment, tools, and materials essential for necromantic rituals—such as bones, enchanted sigils, and dark gemstones—used in ceremonies, enchantments, and the maintenance of undead servants. These ritual supplies are highly crafted and often traded or gifted among the necromantic elite.
Trade within Necromania is largely inward-focused; the villages and hamlets surrounding Khramovgorod, connected via treacherous mountain passes and secretive routes, supply the city with vital raw materials and foodstuffs. These include grain, goat and sheep meat, milk, and fleeces, along with alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, and vodka, which are produced in the rural communities. The villages exist mainly to serve the needs of Khramovgorod, as the entire structure of Necromania is centered on maintaining the spiritual and political hierarchy. Almost nothing leaves the city except for these essential supplies, emphasizing its closed, self-sufficient nature.
However, there are whispers and rumors of a more refined aspect of Necromania’s trade—particularly of fine wine bottles, some of which are prized and sought after in noble wine cellars in other nations.
Trade within Necromania is largely inward-focused; the villages and hamlets surrounding Khramovgorod, connected via treacherous mountain passes and secretive routes, supply the city with vital raw materials and foodstuffs. These include grain, goat and sheep meat, milk, and fleeces, along with alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, and vodka, which are produced in the rural communities. The villages exist mainly to serve the needs of Khramovgorod, as the entire structure of Necromania is centered on maintaining the spiritual and political hierarchy. Almost nothing leaves the city except for these essential supplies, emphasizing its closed, self-sufficient nature.
However, there are whispers and rumors of a more refined aspect of Necromania’s trade—particularly of fine wine bottles, some of which are prized and sought after in noble wine cellars in other nations.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Khramovgorod is a testament to its purpose as a sacred and fortified mountain city, designed to sustain its inhabitants in the harsh, icy environment of the Dreaded Mountains while reinforcing its spiritual and political dominance. The city’s network of pathways, aqueducts, and subterranean chambers is intricately engineered to support both daily life and the city’s necromantic rituals.
The terraced pathways, carved directly into the mountain’s face, connect the various districts—ranging from the humble commoners’ quarters at the base to the sacred temple at the summit. These winding, narrow roads are reinforced with dark stone and enchanted with protective wards, making travel relatively safe despite the icy terrain and frequent snowfalls. Hidden staircases and secret passages interlace through the city, providing discreet routes for necromancers and priests to move unseen, especially during times of political intrigue or ritual activity.
Khramovgorod’s water supply relies heavily on advanced aqueduct systems that channel meltwater from the surrounding glaciers and underground springs. These aqueducts are reinforced with dark magic to prevent freezing and contamination, ensuring a steady flow of water to the city’s fountains, ritual baths, and domestic wells. Waste management is handled through a network of subterranean tunnels leading away from the city, where waste is either disposed of into the mountain’s depths or repurposed for ritual use.
Underground chambers and catacombs beneath the city serve as both sanctuaries for the dead and hidden laboratories for necromantic experiments. These tunnels are labyrinthine and reinforced with spells to prevent intrusion, often filled with necromantic runes and glyphs that protect the secrets within. The city’s defensive infrastructure includes concealed watchtowers, reinforced gates, and magical wards that activate during sieges or invasions, making Khramovgorod a nearly impregnable fortress.
Lighting within the city is minimal and often enchanted to cast a dim, spectral glow—using enchanted gemstones, shadow magic, or ghostly lanterns—creating an eerie yet functional illumination that suits the city’s dark aesthetic. Storage facilities, workshops, and ritual chambers are scattered throughout the city’s levels, connected by a combination of above-ground pathways and underground corridors.
The terraced pathways, carved directly into the mountain’s face, connect the various districts—ranging from the humble commoners’ quarters at the base to the sacred temple at the summit. These winding, narrow roads are reinforced with dark stone and enchanted with protective wards, making travel relatively safe despite the icy terrain and frequent snowfalls. Hidden staircases and secret passages interlace through the city, providing discreet routes for necromancers and priests to move unseen, especially during times of political intrigue or ritual activity.
Khramovgorod’s water supply relies heavily on advanced aqueduct systems that channel meltwater from the surrounding glaciers and underground springs. These aqueducts are reinforced with dark magic to prevent freezing and contamination, ensuring a steady flow of water to the city’s fountains, ritual baths, and domestic wells. Waste management is handled through a network of subterranean tunnels leading away from the city, where waste is either disposed of into the mountain’s depths or repurposed for ritual use.
Underground chambers and catacombs beneath the city serve as both sanctuaries for the dead and hidden laboratories for necromantic experiments. These tunnels are labyrinthine and reinforced with spells to prevent intrusion, often filled with necromantic runes and glyphs that protect the secrets within. The city’s defensive infrastructure includes concealed watchtowers, reinforced gates, and magical wards that activate during sieges or invasions, making Khramovgorod a nearly impregnable fortress.
Lighting within the city is minimal and often enchanted to cast a dim, spectral glow—using enchanted gemstones, shadow magic, or ghostly lanterns—creating an eerie yet functional illumination that suits the city’s dark aesthetic. Storage facilities, workshops, and ritual chambers are scattered throughout the city’s levels, connected by a combination of above-ground pathways and underground corridors.
Districts
Khramovgorod is a city of towering terraces and shadowed avenues, its districts meticulously arranged to reflect both its spiritual hierarchy and its function as a center of necromantic power. At the very top, the Temple district and its surrounding temple gardens form the heart of religious life, serving as the sacred sanctuary where rituals dedicated to Exa’nus are performed. The grand temple itself is an imposing structure of dark stone and intricate carvings, with sprawling gardens filled with twisted, shadow-wreathed flora that symbolize the cycle of death and renewal. These gardens serve as both a place of meditation and a sacred space for offerings and ceremonies.
Descending from the temple are the Graveyard district, an expansive and somber area where the dead are honored and their spirits are guided by necromancers and priests. It is a labyrinth of crypts, mausoleums, and ritual sites carved into the mountain, filled with relics and statues depicting the goddess Exa’nus and her divine children. This district is both a sacred resting place and a vital part of the city’s spiritual infrastructure, where the living and the dead are kept in sacred balance.
Further down the city’s terraces lies the district of Lichs and Priests, a realm of arcane power and spiritual authority. This area houses the necromancers, priests, and lich-archons who oversee the religious and political affairs of Necromania. the buildings here are fortified and imbued with dark magic, serving as both residences and arcane laboratories. It is a place of constant activity, where rituals, enchantments, and political intrigue take place beneath the watchful eyes of the undead clergy.
At the base of the city is the Commoners’ District, a more utilitarian and bustling area where the ordinary inhabitants of Khramovgorod live and work. Though less ornate, this district is vital to the city’s functioning, with markets, workshops, and living quarters fashioned from dark stone and reinforced wood. The streets here are narrow and winding, filled with the sounds of hammers, whispers of secret rites, and the quiet hum of necromantic energy. Despite its humble appearance, the Commoners’ District remains a crucial part of Khramovgorod’s shadowed life, where those devoted to Exa’nus carry out their daily routines amid the constant reminder of death’s sacred power.
Descending from the temple are the Graveyard district, an expansive and somber area where the dead are honored and their spirits are guided by necromancers and priests. It is a labyrinth of crypts, mausoleums, and ritual sites carved into the mountain, filled with relics and statues depicting the goddess Exa’nus and her divine children. This district is both a sacred resting place and a vital part of the city’s spiritual infrastructure, where the living and the dead are kept in sacred balance.
Further down the city’s terraces lies the district of Lichs and Priests, a realm of arcane power and spiritual authority. This area houses the necromancers, priests, and lich-archons who oversee the religious and political affairs of Necromania. the buildings here are fortified and imbued with dark magic, serving as both residences and arcane laboratories. It is a place of constant activity, where rituals, enchantments, and political intrigue take place beneath the watchful eyes of the undead clergy.
At the base of the city is the Commoners’ District, a more utilitarian and bustling area where the ordinary inhabitants of Khramovgorod live and work. Though less ornate, this district is vital to the city’s functioning, with markets, workshops, and living quarters fashioned from dark stone and reinforced wood. The streets here are narrow and winding, filled with the sounds of hammers, whispers of secret rites, and the quiet hum of necromantic energy. Despite its humble appearance, the Commoners’ District remains a crucial part of Khramovgorod’s shadowed life, where those devoted to Exa’nus carry out their daily routines amid the constant reminder of death’s sacred power.
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