Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder 2 or 5e for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This time we hide among the living dead of the Crumbling Necropolis.
Crumbling Necropolis
The Crumbling Necropolis is so named for its obvious condition: deteriorated, rotten, and partially sunk into the ground where its towers once soared high into the sky. Approximately 100 years ago, the city was attacked by a large army that had been raised by a powerful necromancer, but while the necromancer was defeated, the city suffered terribly in victory: Hardly anyone was left alive and the undead roamed the streets. It was abandoned that same year, and since then the only inhabitants have been the undead creatures that the necromancer brought with him.
Lay of the Land
The city was once great, but now it’s all broken down, dirty, and falling apart. The place is overrun with shambling undead — mostly zombies and skeletons, but nothing intelligent. Anyone who spends much time here is at risk.
This perception all changes if a person comes into possession of a key to the city, specifically one of the magical keys attuned to it, or using spells such as true seeing (5e / PF2). Then the city is revealed as it truly is: Resplendent and still thriving, though with some battle scars that are still evident after the battle with the necromancer. These are continually being repaired though, so with each passing year, the city comes closer to how it used to be. The city’s golden towers are straight and strong, reaching far into the sky, the marketplaces are thriving and the churches are filled with petitioners who are grateful for the protection offered by the divine.
These inhabitants are also magically affected to appear invisible (5e / PF2), while the undead creatures are illusions that are programmed to react naturally to the presence of outsiders (though they will usually ignore them, as it’s easier to keep up the illusions that way). Ironically they still refer to the city as the Crumbling Necropolis in case outsiders overhear them.
The city is under the protection of the Everliving Archmage — a supposedly divine messenger from the God of Magic, though he vehemently denies this to be the case. What is known is that he is a powerful spellcaster that rarely uses the same physical form two days in a row, and who has lived for several centuries. Under his guidance, the city is thriving, while hidden away from the dangers of the world. Peaceful outsiders are sometimes brought into the fold if the Archmage believes them worthy, but such treatment is rare.
Dangers
The Crumbling Necropolis is actually remarkably safe, except for the specters (5e / PF2) brought about by a visitor’s own mind. Those who truly believe the illusions of zombies and skeletons do sometimes succumb to them, but they are often rescued by the inhabitants. The true danger in the city comes from accidentally enraging the Everliving Archmage — he is slow to anger, but his anger is terrible to behold.
See you back next time. 😊
Kim Frandsen
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- Finder’s Archive – Crypt of the Eternals - June 2, 2023
