abstract
| - A Necropolis (pl. Necropoli) is a city of the dead, an amalgam of Haunts located in the Shadowlands. Necropoli are organized around a central Citadel, a massive reinforced Haunt designed to survive Maelstroms. Necropoli are always located where there are a large concentration of existing wraiths or where wraiths are being continuously "born". This means that that Necropoli usually exist where there are already large cities in the Skinlands, although there are rare exceptions, such as the Dark Kingdom of Wire. Although there are alterations to strengthen the city defenses against the Tempest or make it easier for wraiths to navigate, most of them remain a decaying reflection of their living counterparts. Following the Third Great Maelstrom, the chaos of the new Tempest resulted in a massive decentralization of Stygian government. Starting with London, the Hierarchy began developing necropoli throughout the Shadowlands to serve as processing posts for freshly reaped souls and the safe harbor for lemures who had not yet resolved their fetters. Stygia became a nation of semi-independent city-states, with each necropolis ruled by an Anacreon, the local governor, whose Legion became de facto the most important legion for that city. After the Sixth Great Maelstrom, Grandmother's presence strengthened the Tempest to the point it caused great upheaval in the Shadowlands. Many Necropoli, already damaged severely by the storm, quickly fell. Others were eroded away by the relentless winds and debris. The only Necropolis known to survive following the Maelstrom is that belonging to New York City, and even then, it exists in a ravaged, greatly reduced state and ruled over by a Malfean.
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