Plague-Mort of the Undead
Location: Abyss / Layer 1 — Pazunia
Character: Be a tool after your life, like you’ve been one during it. Your death and life are but non-events in a game of which you’re the pawn. Don’t expect things to change for the best: You’re in the Abyss, berk.
Ruler: Arkach the Laughing (planar tiefling necromancer [she/her] / Fated / CE) is the only living being in town, and the creator of the undead that now shamble in its streets. As the archlector of the former Outland gate town of Plague-Mort, she worked toward and succeeded in bringing the town into the Abyss. But the town slid violently (chant goes an extra push came from the Sinkers of Castra Deposita) and the inhabitants who hadn’t fled all died — she was left to herself surrounded by a sea of corpses. Anyone else would have fled to start a new life someplace else. She was not just anyone, she was a necromancer. So she stayed.
Arkach’s last name was given by powers-know-who and does not reflect a humorous or happy laugh but rather her nervous, almost hysterical laugh. Though some denizens of Pandemonium seem to express the same kind of frightening hilarity, Arkach is not mad. She laughs because she’s powerful and evil, a survivor in the Abyss. She laughs because she wants to seem secure and sure of herself, since the weak don’t last long out here. She laughs too because in knowing there’s always some bored tanar’ri lord in search of something to destroy, one gets a tiny bit nervous. Maybe she laughs because she’s totally, perfectly alone for the first time in for centuries, and someone needs to laugh at her jokes.
Behind the throne: This incarnation of Plague-Mort is a market of the Abyss, the only burg nearby where the tanar’ri and other fiends can trade for Outlandish goods without having to fight for them. Where do the goods come from? Well, to start with, the homes and shops of the residents who died and no longer need them. Arkach set her zombie minions to sorting through the wreckage of their past lives, bringing her whatever the customer demanded. And the flawless work ethic, trustworthiness, and ability to keep their bone-boxes silent of her work crew won the necromancer-come-marker-seller many admirers. These days, with the burg picked clean, she’s diversified into the import-export business, sending small armies of zombies to collect and transport goods from Broken Reach or even further afield across the dangerous Badlands to re-sell in Old Plague-Mort markets.
Every petty lord of the Plain of Infinite Portals is ready to destroy any of their number who attack it — Arkach would never have been able to keep the town standing otherwise. However, where the lords can’t attack for fear of reprisals, they can pressure. Every decision the archlector takes has been influenced by a demonic lord, and she is sure not to contradict the will of any other. Let’s just say she’s got very little space for maneuvers.
Description: A few leagues from the portal to the Outlands in Broken Reach, one amongst the line of ruined ex-gatetowns going by the name of Plague-Mort, is Plague-Mort the Undead, the Abyssal Market. Here, powerful tanar’ri can get a supply of Outlandish goods scavenged from the ruins, and also smuggled in from Broken Reach or other Abyssal burgs. The Market is held by armies of zombies and animated skeletons, and commanded by a few intelligent yet still controllable undead, like ju-ju zombies and skeleton warriors. Deals are ratified in town only by the quasits and mephits – any more powerful fiend approaching the town is considered an invader. Deals are paid in advance and goods are delivered by undead. Clients who damage the “delivery men” never receive deliveries again, until proper reparation is made.
This whole game is working out well and jink flows in vast quantities toward the pocket of Arkach, a woman some believe to be one of the richest mortals in the Abyss. The city is neat and tidy yet awfully silent, and shows no special evidence of wealth, with the exception of the archlector’s palace, overgrown and overly opulent. Since non-sentient undead do not need a home or place to sleep all the other buildings have been converted to storage, bar one.
Interesting sites: The Palace of Wonders and Eminences is an inn run by Ignoroth, a quasit who Akrach received in payment for a minor deal. It provides rest, food and entertainment for the little emissaries dealing here. And, incredibly on this cursed plane, it does it all for free. Akrach makes her jink from trade not hosteling, after all.
Of course, the service is far from wondrous, and the place is in deep in disrepair, due to the quite undisciplined hosts and guests. The undead otherwise keep the city in good shape. The food is not exactly fine either, but quasits and mephits aren’t known for being picky eaters. Yet the place has some lingering ambiance as it used to be the manor of the richest merchant in the city (now a delivery zombie, like every other former mortal inhabitant of the burg). Huge halls, luxurious furniture, statues and fountains, the place is truly beautiful; if a bit tacky at times. The mephit inhabitants certainly don’t help.
Only the least powerful adventurers will be let in town, and then only if they have a large scale order to deliver or collect. But for the ones who visit, this “palace” is absolutely safe, as long as their nerves can withstand the constant noise, fighting, and other disagreements caused by the mephits and quasit customers.
Visitors generally do not stay long, and they rarely get involved with the town’s matters in any way other than the deal they’re here to conclude. Ignoroth himself stays ignorant of the whereabouts of his mistress. He knows perfectly well that his life is at stake, for no good Fated likes to share secrets with others, Arkach no less than any other member of her faction.
The Militia: The town’s best protections are the vigilant eyes of the Abyssal princes. But a cutter knows that having a back-up is no luxury in this plane. So the few powerful undead in the city, skeleton warriors, mummies, ju-ju zombies and the like are well armed and armoured with magical equipment. Of course, the main line of defence is Arkach herself, who’s quite a challenge; she has survived—and prospered—in the Abyss for centuries. And of course she’s likely to have a plan C, D, and probably E and F too. A cutter with a penchant for counting will notice that there are about five thousand animated skeletons in the burg, including some tough-looking bashers with their bones enhanced by the artisans of Bonepot.
Current Chant: In a city where every inhabitant is dead, mindless and mute, not much changes. Recently though, unusual packages are being currently stocked in the former barns close to the palace, and undead horses were recently spotted in town — a type of undead never common before. It seems like the laughing necromancer is planning some expedition. If there was anyone to spread rumours, you might hear that she’s planning to pivot away from this town market idea into to delivering high value goods over at longer distances. Or that she’s gained enough jink for her needs and plans to move away, back to some more populated plane. Of course, there’s not many talkative chaps around and the quasits and mephits are solidly intimidated by the archlector, so odds are you won’t hear nothin’. Not easily at least.
Source: Archibald, and Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
