Prefsbelt Commander
The Crypt of the Damned
"Sometimes, it feels like they're taunting you. No matter how loyal you were. How effective you had been, we all end here. For eternity." ~ Brigadier General Almus Jorn of the Galactic Empire
George Rushing, Artstation (x)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a Netherworld Location for the contest.
- Image Credit: Linked throughout submission.
- Canon: No.
- Links: None.
Maddened patrol of the Darth Bane shrine, Cynical Bounce Deviantart [Deactivated]
- City Name: No official name. However denizens bitterly refer to it as the “Crypt of the Damned”.
- Classification: Urban Centre
- Location: The Netherworld
- Affiliation: The Dead
- Population: Heavy
- Demographics: 97% human and 3% Chiss. A culture of xenophobia still prevails amongst most of the Crypt’s denizens, meaning any non-humans whom approach are to be turned to away. Near humans are still considered a topic of contention with many shunned for their differences.
- Wealth: Poor. There is not much for purchase or profit in the Netherworld. Many cling to their possessions as a form of identity. These are their last worldly works and for many are reminders of a bygone era. As such they are often unwilling to part with them. .
- Stability: High. The premise of the Crypt is a place for those populated by those instructed and indoctrinated with a sense of discipline and honour. As such, although there is no power compelling them, for the sake of societal cohesion most adhere to a sense of professionalism.
- Freedom & Oppression: The Crypt of the Damned is a place which has no ruler. Some abide by the decrees of those far gone. Others make their own law. But there is very little crime, they have moved far beyond such needs. Instead, each man or woman makes their own way and attempts to
- Society: The society of the Crypt is one which is somewhat stratified but they’re all cut from the same cloth. Most if not all of the denizens within the city are the servants of various empires. Be they the bureaucratic administrators, the officers who commanded the apparatus of army, or those who served the military themselves.. There are a few major groups which exist within the city.
The“Maddened”. A group whose deaths have strengthened the bond to their former masters in such a way as they are solely devoted to them. They are ravenously loyal, and any talk of heresy against their former masters is met with hostility. They are often found within their shrines, deep in meditation in prayer. Waiting, or in some cases, hoping for a message from their masters able and ready to return them. - The Wailers. Those who refuse to accept death and continue to believe that this reality, their reality, is but a dream. They often congregate in groups, and can be found running military drill or patrols. Trying to cling to normalcy of their past lives, and believe the abnormality of their circumstances can be remedied with the order and authority they once served. Although the facade only lasts for so long before some break down for weeks at a time. Although they may break out of this and accept what has happened, more often and not they relapse. A vicious cycle.
- The Sorrows. Embittered, angry and forlorn. These are men and women, who only in death understand what sins they have committed.They are saner than the Maddened and more lucid than the Wailers at least in most cases. Some are glowering, bitter messes, who snap and snarl at those who approach. Others are forlorn and penitent. Begging for any unfortunate enough to arrive there, to leave, and take with them the knowledge of their failings and folly. They comprise a majority of the Dead Guard.
- The Dead Guard: While the Crypt does not have a government, there are those who fight for it. Defend their newfound home from the beastial horrors which seek to besiege it and breach its walls. Some see it as a way to try to redeem their wickedness, others as a way to pass the eternity they've been damned to. The Dead Guard are the gatekeepers to the Crypt and are largely accepting of many who come. Although there are those who carry wounds and prejudice from past lives, and as such non-humans and force users may be treated with suspicion and hostility.
[*]Description: The Crypt, is a large, fortress city within the Netherworld. Large, obsidian walls ring it with a warren of rancid slums and buildings exist throughout the city.. Large shrines and temples dot the city, dedicated to the long lasting leaders who had once lead the men and women here. The Crypt sits on a large, barren plateau above a pool of fiery hot magma. The walls exist for a reason. That being the creatures which lurk below, and every few years attack en masse, needing to be repulsed every time.
The Emperor Palpatine Shrine, Wookieepedia (x)
NETHERWORLD INFORMATION- Gate: There is no gate to the Crypt. Rather one must venture deep into the bowels of the Netherworld, besting dozens of beasts before one comes upon it. The Crypt has received few expeditions in its time. Although they were either slaughtered by its denizens, or ventured further into the Nether. Never to be heard from again.
- Lucidity: Entry to the Crypt is a surreal experience for all involved. Even many of its denizens are unsure if they’re dead and if this is some horrific dream. The place is something of a culture shock. Soldiers from the first Galactic Empire may be seen congregating with politicians and acolytes of the First Sith Empire. Such juxtaposition sits to make one wonder and question their reality. The fortress however sits as one of the few vestiges of civilisation within the intellectual and physical wasteland manifested within the Netherworld.
Wailers patrol for "rebels", Wookieepedia (x)
- Hostility: The denizens of the Crypt are a mixed bunch. Depending on whom one meets, one may be greeted with a sympathetic ear, or a weapon. The Maddened and Wailers are the most likely to be found in hostility. The Maddened will attack all outsiders, while the Wailers often times believe themselves to still be in the midst of the battles they perished in, and fight any unrecognisable fellows. The Sorrow are a mixed bag. Many often proselytise about their wants and dreams, providing warnings about the futility of their lust for power and ambition. Some Sorrow even trade with journeyers asking for naught more than information on homeworlds in return.
- The Gatehouse: The only entrance into the Crypt is the large gate. Gargantuan in nature, and always guarded by a force of a few hundred guardsmen. The gate opens very rarely, often only to pilgrims who seek refuge and kinship with their fellows.
- Tarkin’s Folly: One of the few places of merriment found within the Netherworld is Tarkin’s Folly. The name coming from its founder, one of the chief engineers of the Death Star, whom perished during the Battle of Yavin. The tavern is an institution which brews drinks and provides former officers and comrades in arms a place to congregate and make merry. Be it swapping war stories, reminiscing of home and remembering the ‘great’ days of their time and era. Even if forgetting their current predicament for but a few hours, the Folly is one of the landmark institutions of the Crypt.
- The Beacon: Sat in the lower levels of the Crypt is a group of Sorrow made up of dozens from every era of Galactic history and every way of life, all bound together by a shared mission to escape. They sit and collaborate day and night in their subterranean laboratory, attempting to construct a device capable enough to pierce the Netherworld and allow them to return to the wider Galaxy. This is their beacon of hope.
- Palpatines Shrine: The largest shrine by far exists in dedication to Emperor Sheev Palpatine. Thousands congregate before it each day, sometimes staying there for years at a time to pray to their ancient lord. Either for forgiveness from perceived trespasses or alternatively to try to commune with him. To await his return, and as such their revival to serve him again.
- The Codex: A collaboration with thousands of frontline soldiers and officers, the codex is a vast library of knowledge of Galactic military history, strategy and tactics compiled in collaboration with tens of thousands of minds. From the most junior TIE pilot, all the way to the grandest admiral. From cadets, all the way to generals. All curated by a dedicated group of Sorrow, whom hope to one day return this work to the wider Galaxy.
SECURITY
Security within the Crypt is high. The city can be considered to have its own standing army in the way of the Dread Guard. They are used as a defensive force against the ethereal beasts and monsters which seek to destroy the sense of normalcy which the Crypt allows for its population. Although besides from the perimeter guard and security held around the walls and gatehouse, there is very little in the way of internal security.
The gatehouse, the sole entrance to the Crypt of the Damned. ScribblePad Studioes Deviantart (x)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
No one has ever charted the rise of the “Crypt” as a place. Some of its denizens lurk from tens of decades ago can not describe the place and its creation. But clearly the ancient battlements and walls are not the creation of some eldritch entity. The Maddened believe the Crypt is the work of their former masters. The Emperors and warlords of centuries past providing some recompense for their service during life, and now they lay in wait after death. The Sorrow, have no such views. They pragmatically accept the fortress as it is, a refuge for the dead, and do their best to inhabit it, clinging onto their sanity. The Wailers cannot accept this reality, either falling into despair, their screams piercing the darkness and echoing through the streets.
The city is inhabited almost solely by humans. Humans who served some of the most treacherous beings the Galaxy spewed up. The men and women here are the politicians who served Palpatine. The stormtroopers of Hux, and the officers who oversaw the madness of Darth Krayt. The entirety of its population is comprised of those who while not necessarily in charge of terrors comitted by the Sith or Empire's were certainly complicit. The Crypt has become a nexus for those who served some of the Galaxy's most depraved regimes through the ages. Many mingle, and share war stories of successes and failings. Some of the erudite officers instead debate the merit of their government against others, or attempt to provide and collaborate a history.
Over the years, with the encroaching beasts and monsters threatening to drag citizens away, a form of citizens militia has formed. One dedicated to the defence of all whom abode within the walls of the Crypt. This city guard, the Dread Guard, now fills that role. Defending against all threats, and as gatekeepers. Keeping people either in or out. Over the centuries, the Crypt has seen several expeditions pass through its walls. Not all have survived the madness of the Wailed or Maddened, and those who survived the Crypt have never been heard from again.
However, the arrival of outsiders has inspired hope of a sort. One many would have diminished in life, but now cling to in purgatory. Some of the Sorrow have found new drive and resolve to return to the land of the living, attempting to create a portal to return to full life. However, there are others who have realised the folly of their lives and the causes they gave their purpose to. And it is those whom instead hope to leave a legacy worthy of them. These men and women have collaborated to write the Codex. The most comprehensive guide to military strategy and combat ever compiled. A tome, which is constantly added to, and as such lays in wait. Ready for the next expedition to pass through to pass a tome of their knowledge to.
The majority however, sit in constant vigil. Some unable to move past the fact they have entered the Netherworld. Others try to eak out a living, acknowledging that for the foreseeable future, this is where they are trapped.
