Gorgynia:
City of the Dead
Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another exciting installment of Nefarious Knowledge, where we bring you the inside scoop on all the characters, items, and places found throughout our supplements and articles. Sadly, Nefarious Knowledge is on its way out, at least for now, so rather than introducing a new topic today I would like to revisit an older one. If you’ll remember back to the article on Marosh the Black, you may recall that life in the necromantic city-state of Gorgynia went on more or less as normal. No doubt many of you were left wondering “Well, just how could that be? After all, isn’t the city overrun with undead? And come to that, aren’t they ruled by an evil archlich?” Well – yes, both those things are indeed true, and yet life for your ordinary citizen hasn’t really been adversely affected. In fact, for many life has improved. This article is devoted to telling you about things in the city-state of Gorgynia: what follows is a who’s who and what’s what guide to the aforementioned city-state, so read on and enjoy.
The City of Gorgynia
The City of Gorgynia is located on the Imre peninsula of the continent of Soleval. Gorgynia is a port city surrounded by fertile farmland, and the city’s influence extends to the Imre Mountains and the rich iron mines to be found there. The city itself has long been an influential trading city and that characteristic has not changed since the rule of Marosh the Black. The city was formerly ruled by a number of lords, bowing to a queen who herself had little more political power than any given lord, save for in times of war. This has changed somewhat since Marosh’s arrival.
The Archlich wields absolute authority, though he is relatively inactive in the day-to-day affairs of running his city: this he leaves to a council of lords much as the previous administration had. Today, though, the lords do more than pay lip service to the city’s ruler, deferring to his judgment whenever there’s a conflict. Another major change for the city has been the coming of undead, both in the form of the mindless servitors of Marosh himself, and in that of the Varkolak vampires.
The presence of undead has been a constant unchanging part of life for Gorgynians for nearly eighty years now, and while most people initially reacted with fear and hesitation, the undead presence in Gorgynia is now very much a fact of life for the people in the region. Where people used to gawk or scream in terror, they now pay no more attention to the undead than they would to a Kyldoran farmer or a gnomish merchant. In fact, the undead are the life-blood of Gorgynia, handling tasks big and small with mindless efficiency. Though Gorgynians were initially hesitant to accept the unliving into their society, now there’s not one citizen that won’t say undead haven’t improved the quality of life in Gorgynia.
Notables
A city is more than just brick and mortar buildings; first and foremost a city is made up of its people, both great and small. The following are just a handful of the most notable people in Gorgynia, though one would do well to note that it is a large city with many lords (some with more influence than others), and has its share of great heroes and villains just waiting to be discovered.
Marosh the Black
The ruler of Gorgynia, Marosh the Black, conquered the city around eighty years ago, and most of the major changes to life in Gorgynia are a direct result of his influence. The undead who patrol the streets of Gorgynia, for example, were all raised by and are under the direct control of the Archlich. The city’s ruler inspires both fear and respect in his populace, and most Gorgynians would die before earning the ire of the Archlich. Many of his policies are seen as revolutionary and dangerous, such as his declaration lifting the previous prohibition on the practice of necromancy in the city-state, and his replacement of the military, guards, and labor force with undead servants loyal only to himself. You can read more about Marosh the Black here.
Edward Varkolak
House Varkolak, ruled by Edward Varkolak, has perhaps its largest chapter house in Gorgynia. Edward, by the terms of his agreement with the state, is allowed a seat on the council of lords, which he regularly occupies in person or by proxy. The house has a treaty with the city government which gives it the right to select 200 slaves per year from Gorgynia’s captured enemies, condemned prisoners, or freely traded slaves for use as food stock. Rumors abound, however, that the house regularly chooses free citizens to fill this quota, though both Edward and the city government deny all such accusations.
Gorgynia is one of the few places in the world where one can practice vampirism openly, and it has become fashionable amongst the minor nobility to willingly be fed upon by vampires, in exchange for both influence with the house and perhaps even the promise of vampirism itself. It is said that Edward has taken it upon himself to enlighten many of the nobility’s young ladies to the ways of his kind.
Dean Nervos Truevant
Dean of the Grand Academy Arcane, Nervos Truevant is a mage of power equaled by only a few in Gorgynia, and he boasts the largest number of undead servitors after Marosh himself. In charge of running one of the world’s premier academies for both magical study and more mundane learning, Nervos Truevant spends most of his time in seclusion at the school, seeing to administrative matters, though this has led to all sorts of rumors about what he’s “really up to.” Nervos Truevant selects 4-5 students every year to take a class with him, in which they learn advanced magic and study the philosophy found in ancient arcane classes. Rumors suggest that only about 2 in 5 survive his classes.
Lord Ivan Ervirbirt
Lord Ivan heads the Council of Merchants, a trade group that wields much influence in Gorgynia. He also has a seat on the Council of Lords, where he represents the merchants’ interests. It was he who drafted Gorgynia’s strict trade laws and convinced Marosh to agree to them. A man of great ambition, many rumors say that he has designs on the city. Lord Ervirbirt has many personal contacts both within Gorgynia and abroad, and is a very difficult man to meet without proper references and introductions; this has led to a not undeserved reputation for being unreachable.
Landmarks
Even though there is more to a city than brick and mortar, let’s not forget the actual features of the city. Just below we’ll discuss a few of the iconic locations within Gorgynia.
The Archlich’s Palace
Though it was the Palace of Queen Irzsebet prior to her violent dethroning in 1475 KR, the royal palace of Gorgynia has undergone some real changes since Marosh’s occupation. The extravagance and gaudy façade of the previous ruler is forgotten by today’s travelers, who will note the smooth walls of liquid black stone and high-reaching, clean Doric columns supporting the black ceilings over the covered galleries surrounding the main structure: a massive, multi-leveled keep with soaring battlements and terraces bearing huge braziers. These braziers contain roaring ghostly fires the azure color of true sapphires. The fires blaze on ever-vigilant, and at night are visible for miles in every directions. The elaborately gilded stonework hidden beneath living shadows that course over the structure produce a slightly unsettling visual effect. Skeletal champions dressed in dark plate armor wield large, two-handed weapons forged from iron mined in the nearby Imre mountain range. Entrance to the castle grounds is restricted, though for a modest fee a visitor may join a tour through the galleries and gardens. The fee is either 50 gold or a donation of one’s body after death.
The Grand Academy Arcane
This huge structure is located near the center of Gorgynia, and is comprised of many squat, domed towers. The walls are made of cream-colored stone blocks and feature balconies surrounding large arched windows about every 10 feet. The domes are made out of red glass that catch and refract sunlight in eerie rays that fan out over the huge campus. The academy admits anyone who can demonstrate magical talent, or pass a written test, designed by the schools masters to test aptitude for various subjects, including history, religion, arcana, nature and engineering.
Each tower contains classrooms and observatories, and the students make their homes in subterranean dormitories etched out of the earth long ago by the Gorgynian mages who founded the academy nearly 600 years ago. Since the coming of Marosh the Black, the academy has changed in two significant ways: firstly, the subject of necromancy is openly taught at the school, though there have been rumors that the subject was pursued in secret in hidden chambers before Marosh came to rule; secondly, undead warriors now guard every inch of the academy, ensuring that no one gets up to any misdeeds while studying at the academy.
Since this policy was instated the academy students have lost their reputation for being “wild.” The academy is well known as a center of learning, and is well renowned for producing some of the finest minds of this age. There are rumors that the academy is being used as a recruiting ground for the order of Malgyor, but if so, no one from the order will confirm such stories.
The Kyldoran Embassy
The halls of the Kyldoran embassy have been empty for nearly a century, but the great halls are still a noted landmark. Situated on the coast of Gorgynia facing westward to Kyldor, this building resembles a large pavilion made from stone, with high Ionian columns supporting the golden halls within. The embassy is open to the public and is a popular destination for visitors, particularly for those interested in Kyldoran art, as many fine examples of both sculpture and painting line its halls. These halls are patrolled by a platoon of skeletal champions, something that Kyldorans consider to be a great insult; however, Marosh publicly maintains that he does this to ensure nothing is looted in case the Kyldorans ever choose to return. While some say that Marosh does this to ensure that the Kyldorans won’t ever come back, others believe that he sincerely wishes to establish a relationship with the mighty empire, though even these folk believe his intentions to be sinister.
And if you’re interested in hearing more about life in Gorgynia feel free to write us and tell us about it. Until then, may you enjoy great success in all your gaming endeavors.