| Type | City |
|---|---|
| Government | Democratic Oligarchy |
| Location | Breme |
| Inhabiting Race | Intelligent Undead |
Nex Aeterna is a city inhabited and ruled by the undead nestled in the isolated frozen mountains of Breme.
About[edit | edit source]
Nex Aeterna is a city of the dead, filled with ancient tombs, mausoleums, graveyards, and cold crypts. But in many ways it is like your normal city, with people going about their days managing their stores, trading goods, and engaging in many other social activities. The only major difference is that these people are skeletons, zombies, wrights, wraiths, vampires, and more.
Unlike in most other places in the realm, Necromancy in Nex Aeterna is encouraged, with undead being seen as the natural next step to ones life cycle. The city's official policy is that necromancy in the cases of raising a corpse to unlife is must be a voluntary procedure, but many of the higher up intelligent undead often overlook this rule to pursue their own goals.
The city is ruled by an elected Mortarch, voted in by the people of Nex Aeterna and approved by the Unliving College, a council of the city's oldest and most powerful undead, including liches, vampire barons, mummy lords, and death knights. The Mortarch shares equal political control of the city with the Unliving College, managing the city's infrastructure and diplomatic relations, while relying on the vast power held by the members of the Unliving Collage.
History[edit | edit source]
Nex Aeterna was founded in 823 BR by idealistic undead who sought to create a safe haven for their kind. It is unknown if the lands where Nex Aeterna resides was already inhabited by mortals. Nearby kingdoms claim that Nex Aeterna used to be its own independent city before the undead took it for themselves, but these claims have never been proven. These original undead used their great combined powers to raise the city from the stones of the mountains of Breme, having chosen the location due to being easily defendable from outside invaders, and for the colds natural preservation of rotting flesh.
Many of these original undead would go onto form the Unliving College, with the one who gathered them all together, the realm traveling necromancer, Rook Gravesfield, becoming the first Mortarch of Nex Aeterna.
Over the course of its history, Nex Aeterna would come into conflict with its neighbors who sought to stop out the undead in their homeland as well as other powerful undead factions who did not hold Nex Aeterna's same ideals. One of these factions included the Seventh Sigil, an order of powerful undead who sought to use their magic to exert their influence upon the realm. Their relationship with the city and Unliving Council was especially tense, as the undead from both sides had once all run in the same circles before splitting apart.
Culture[edit | edit source]
Nex Aeterna believe in the sanctity of undead and their right to exist within Quelmar. All creatures mortal or undead are welcome within their walls as long as they uphold that mission and do not violate Nex Aeterna's laws. Mortals who come to Nex Aeterna will be freely offered the chance to be resurrected as undead and those undead creatures that need to feed on others, such as Liches, vampires, and Specters, will be provided the necessary souls and blood to do so from either volunteers or those that attempt to attack Nex Aeterna. these undead that feed cannot expand their feasts to innocents of the city or beyond, since that would only damage Nex Aeterna's attempts at diplomatic relations.
The people of Nex Aeterna are very forward about death and undeath. They simply believe that undeath is simply another step in life, and gives one the freedom to move onto the afterlife when they feel ready. Being undead is celebrated here, with many undead decorating their corpselike bodies with bright fabrics and tattooing right onto exposed bone. Necromancy is the foremost studied magic in Nex Aeterna, and the city reaches out far and wide to find young mages who wish to learn more about their ancient craft.