Abydos
In the Lake of Styx is a dark and wicked city¸ and there the most foul doctrines are formulated and allowed to breed. There heretics claim that Lazarus of Bethany was secretly ordained by Jesus Christ to lead the holy church¸ somehow having deluded themselves into believing that the Lord's raising of Lazarus from the dead conveyed some special blessing upon him.' -- Bishop Anselm¸ 'On the Lazarite Heresy¸' (Megalos¸ 1897) Abydos¸ known as the City of Shadows¸ lies on the isle of Agartha in the Lake of Styx¸ on the border between the Empire of Megalos and the Nomad Territories. The city's name appears on few maps: indeed¸ it has been under the Interdict of the Church for centuries¸ and except in the North¸ many believe its very existence is only a legend. Abydos is ancient¸ but its current infamy dates to 1551¸ when the Empire of Megalos was torn by civil war. Unwilling to declare for either side¸ the city found itself besieged. Facing starvation and disease¸ the desperate city elders resorted to the aid of its most infamous resident¸ the necromancer Nicasia Ravenjoy. Using her art¸ Ravenjoy ended the plagues and raised the city's dead to defend the walls. Her price was the rule of the city. Ravenjoy was an excellent administrator. Sorcery was the cornerstone of her rule¸ but she made no new conquests. She ruled with an even mix of terror and mercy for 200 years of peace and prosperity. Her eccentric reign and her support of the sect of Christian heretics known as the Lazarites established the unusual customs of the city¸ many of which persist to this day. This is a 128-page book describing Abydos¸ a city whose necromancers¸ heretical religion and twisted customs have earned it well-deserved reputation as the most evil -- and magical -- city on Yrth.