Keldon Necropolis
| Keldon Necropolis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Dominaria |
| Status | Damaged |
| Part of | Keld, Icehaven, the Domains |
The Keldon Necropolis was one of the holiest sites in Keld on Dominaria. It housed the bodies of the greatest Keldon warlords, the Witch Kings, who were prophesied to rise at the end of the world and do battle for the glory of Keld in an event referred to as the Keldon Twilight. To reach the battlefield, the legendary longboat Golden Argosy was placed atop the Necropolis to serve as the Witch Kings' transport.
Description
The Keldon Necropolis crowns a mountain peak, a fortress-city carved from gray stone and dusted with frost. Homes cluster along the slopes, single dwellings lower down, and tangled networks of buildings and cave-paths nearer the summit. Above all loom the great tombs — the former resting place of Keldon warlords — and, carved into the mountain itself, the vast high hall where the living ruled.
Once, the Necropolis was both a sacred burial site and a war memorial, its deep tunnels housing the remains of every great warlord. It had also held the legendary Golden Argosy, a magical warship said to return only from battles worthy of song. Now, the heart of the Necropolis stood cracked and hollow — a void precisely the size of a vanished warship.[1]
This grand chamber rises nearly two hundred feet, one sheer wall open to the sky and another crowned with the council chambers of the witch-kings. Inside, bronze-plated doors open onto a five-story cylindrical council hall ringed with galleries. Crude spikes drive trophies — flags from countless conquered nations — into the stone walls. At its center lies an inverted amphitheater of tiered stone, each level bearing uniquely styled council chairs, many taken from foreign designs.
On those thrones sat the doyens, Keldon warlord-elders — scarred, bare-chested in the frigid air, clad in ceremonial leather. Some bore weapons; others, carved bone staves. No one wore furs. Mist from their breath drifted in the cold chamber, from which tattooed eyes watched with grim attention.[2]
Now the mountain sits broken, empty, and silent, the glorious ship and the bodies of Keld’s heroes both long gone.[1]
History
During the Keldon Invasion of Jamuraa, Latulla and her supporters tried to forcibly awaken the warlords within the Necropolis to aid in the war effort. The Warlords' Council refused, forcing Latulla into ritual combat with the Necropolis's keeper, Gorsha. Latulla was defeated, so the Witch Kings were not awakened prematurely.
Following the Rathi Overlay, the area around the Necropolis became a major battleground between the Keldons and the Phyrexians. With the aid of Eladamri and the Skyshroud elves, the Keldons tried to prevent the Phyrexians from desecrating the holy site. However, they were unsuccessful, as the Keldon Twilight arrived with the Witch Kings rising up and instead fought against the living Keldons. This culminated in Doyenne Tajamin striking one of the Witch Kings with her sacred cudgel, which was so blasphemous that it triggered a volcanic eruption beneath the glacier, resulting in a massive flood. However, the real champions of Keld, the living Keldons and their elvish allies, were rescued by Golden Argosy and were transported to Urborg to take part in the ultimate battle for Dominaria, as had been prophesied. The Keldon Necropolis was badly damaged in the event, with a jagged hole marring the mountainside forevermore.[3][1]
Maps
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Icehaven
In-game references
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References
- ↑ a b c Scott McGough (2006) - Time Spiral, WotC.
- ↑ Loren L. Coleman (1999) Bloodlines. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ J. Robert King. (2001) Planeshift, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1802-0.