Igni Irae
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on a dark side nexus location sub and a custom species.
Image Credit: Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Ashspawn, Dominion of Light, Disciples of the Vader, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Mahtara, Force Dead, Cinder Guard, Fort Vigilance, Republican Guard, Sithspawn.
SETTING INFORMATION
Structure Name: Formerly called the Palmyra Municiple Mortuary and Pathology Centre. The Disciples have renamed it to the Sepulchre of the Reborn.
Classification: Temple, Sepulchre.
Location: Palmyra's Wail, Tephrike.
Affiliation: Disciples of the Dust, Ashspawn/Reborn, Tephrike.
Accessibility: Access is very difficult, though it is no military installation. But it happens to be located on a very remote, barely known planet...inside a radioactively contaminated city tainted by the energies of the dark side. The Palmyra's Wail nexus is very powerful and devious, and populated by all manners of dangerous creatures such as Sithspawn, zombies and the like. Freak weather patterns make it difficult to reach via aircraft. Ashspawn rangers patrol the border areas to deter intruders. Mirages are also common. The Sepulchre lies within the ruins and is guarded. Access is heavily restricted, and the guards are prepared to use lethal force to stop intruders. Due to the way the nexus operates, the Sepulchre is very difficult to locate via scans and sensors, even with sophisticated technology.
Description: Once upon a time Palmyra was Tephrike's capital. But as the Gulag Virus ravaged the planet, and sent it spiralling into chaos, the Dark Age also caused the city's downfall. Centuries ago, a great battle between the Dominion and the Vaderites devastated the city and turned it into a contaminated, dark Force Nexus. Now it is a tainted, radioactively contaminated wasteland called Palmyra's Wail. Mirages and ghosts haunt the ruins. Illusions deceive those desperate, brave or foolish enough to enter the nexus, seeking to compel them to make the fatal step that will cause their downfall.
The nexus is powerful and treacherous, having a remarkable ability to mess with the minds of sentient beings and break them. The ghosts of the dead are still trapped here, and there are all manners of dangerous creatures such as feral zombies. Moreover, the land has been tainted by radiation, posing a serious health risk for intruders. Nonetheless, it still attracts treasure hunters who believe the ruins hold valuable artefacts, Sith who believe they can harness the nexus' power and Jedi who want to cleanse the evil inside it. All three are delusional. The Cinder Guard, a special unit of the revolutionary vanguard movement called the Republican Guard, holds vigil over the ruins to prevent anyone from tampering with or being corrupted by the nexus. But they are not alone. The Ashspawn, also called the Reborn, have arisen from the ruins. Barely understood and shunned by the living Tephriki, they are a species of undead revenants. Unlike the typical zombie, they have retained their mental faculties and the ability to reason. They can think logically, use tools and form communities. They are disgusted by what has become of their world, and have banded together to protect themselves.
Palmyra's Wail is their purgatory, and the home for most of their kind. A sect called the Disciples of the Dust provides them with spiritual guidance and counsels their leaders. Amidst the broken ruins of the shattered city, the Disciples have claimed the Palmyra Municiple Mortuary and Pathology Centre as their home, renaming it to the Sepulchre of the Reborn. On the outside it is an unremarkable, concrete building surrounded by ruins. The walls show clear signs of damage from the battle that engulfed the city. On the inside the building shows signs of damage, but kept in a functional state. It also lacks the rot and filth normally associated with the lair of undead. Just because the Ashspawn are undead does not mean they cannot be clean. They do not get tired after all. Guarded by the soldiers of the Silent Watch, the grey robed Disciples tend to their craft here.
The Sepulchre performs a variety of functions. It is a temple where the Disciples minister to their people and provide guidance. It is a house of healing and a burial place. For while Ashspawn do not grow sick or age in the conventional sense, their bodies can be damaged and eventually suffer decay, even while their brains continue to function. Limb transplants and rites are carried out here. Those whose bodies are too far gone to remain functional are embalmed. For this reason, the place tends to smell a bit of formaldehyde. This is not the only place where decrepit Ashspawn are embalmed and mummified, but one of the most prominent. It serves as a resting place for them.
For this reason it is a holy place to the Ashspawn. Hurting those who rest here is the most grievous sin an Ashspawn can imagine. For those who wish to escape their prison of flesh and pass on into the Nether, there is incineration via a small crematorium. The Disciples store the ashes of their departed brethren and sistren in urns. Artwork shows the deeds of the forebears. Both practices are heavily steeped in mysticism and carried out as part of a solemn, communal ritual.
Finally, the Sepulchre is a place for the preservation of knowledge. The Disciples conserve and salvage what they can, even while many of the living seem more intent on burning down what little remains. Because they do not want to attract undue attention, the Disciples do not store exceptionally powerful artefacts here. It is not a place for Force arcana, but to preserve knowledge that could one day rebuild the broken world. The building that once housed the mortuary has been expanded to accommodate the new occupants. A network of tunnels has been dug to this end. Ashspawn are stripped of many organic needs, and so the building has an austere look and space is used productively. For example, they do not require nourishment - and indeed have trouble keeping food down in the first place - so the building does not need to have a kitchen or a place to eat snacks.
The Sepulchre is located within Palmyra's Wail, which means the effects common to that nexus apply. Visions and hearing whispers, especially from the dead, is common. Shades are a common sight. The Disciples have learned to deal with the visitations of ghosts trapped here. Where possible they will seek to give them peace and help them move on. The Sepulchre is not a military installation, but protected by armed guardians. Tephrike is an impoverished, war-torn planet divided between riven factions and Palmyra's Wail is a hellhole. The surrounding ruins offer ample cover for sharpshooters and make it easy to hide booby-traps and the like.
The Silent Watch is responsible for protecting the installation and the Disciples. At the same time, small teams of rangers patrol the surrounding ruins, taking advantage of the fact that they offer ample cover and are ideal for ambushes. Here it is pertinent to note that all Ashspawn are Force-Sensitive, though they naturally scale wildly in terms of ability and experience. The Disciples are mystics and healers, not warriors. They focus on cerebral talents rather than raw, destructive power, but are more than able to defend themselves. Moreover, some of them are gifted in necromancy. Tamed Sithspawn beasts are employed as guard animals.
Most of the day-to-day affairs of the Sepulchre are managed by Anastasius Koukos. A human in life, Anastasius is a professional embalmer on top of being a healer. Ironically, he used to be employed in the mortuary before the cataclysm. He was the local funeral director. In some ways, his job has not changed much. As before, he works with corpses. The difference is that back in the old days, the corpses did not talk to him when he spoke to them. He is one of the more worldly Disciples who has frequent contact with Ashspawn who do not belong to the sect. Contrary to the mortician stereotype, he is animated and spirited rather than morose, in spite of - or perhaps because of - all the death he has seen. He takes his duty of overseeing burial rites very seriously. His prior profession is also helpful because it has given him experience as a counsellor who provides emotional support to the bereaved.
This is important since the events surrounding the creation of a new Ashspawn are often traumatic. This applies even more so those who have to be embalmed. He also organises cremations for Ashspawn who want their souls to be freed to join the Nether. He is one of the Disciples who have access to the underground crypt. When he is not ministering to the walking undead, he can often be found there, keeping the mummies company. For the Reborn healing and embalming are essentially the same thing, so he fulfils both roles. This means he also carries out or supervises bodily transplants, if say an Ashspawn needs a new hand or eye. He considers enslaving spirits to be unethical, but will help a ghost find peace if he can.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- Chamber of Restoration - A place for healing. Limb transplants and the like are carried out here. It resembles an operating room. There are beds, surgical equipment, and primitive computers that take way too long to load.
- Chamber of Preparation - this is where the actual embalming is done. The chamber has been built and furnished with hard concrete surfaces for reasons of cleanliness. It resembles a medical ward but with slabs instead of beds. The chamber is kept scrupulously clean. The Ashpawn to be embalmed is put on a hospital-style gurney. They are treated with absolute respect. The Disciples are not 'only' embalming a deceased person whose spirit meant something to loved ones and family, but a person who will still be among them. Thus respect, dignity and empathy are paramount. The embalmers are experts in cleaning, treating and wrapping a body.
- Crypt of the Final Journey - A resting place for the embalmed. Due to its sensitive nature, the Crypt is located far underground. The sentient zombies dug a tunnel far beneath the old building in order to house the embalmed. It is the most heavily guarded and monitored area. It is pertinent to note that while the Ashspawn rested here are immobile, their minds still work and some are very potent in the Force, especially mental abilities. Occulus, a Sith Lord in life who radically turned against his former way of life after dying and rising again, is one of the Ashspawn interred here. He is a formidable mentalist. It is a long, low semi circular tunnel that makes use of an old, disused tunnel. Nice and cool and damp.
- Ice House - the fridge room and thus filled with refrigerators. Now it is used as a place to store and preserve body parts taken from corpses until someone needs them. One of the long room's walls is occupied by fridge doors with several trays inside them to store body parts or whole bodies that are being salvaged. One can also find freezer spaces. Everything stored in this room is meticulously catalogued.
- Chamber of the Ashborn - a communal area were the Ashspawn get together for religious rites, meetings, presentations and so on. The chamber has a large wooden table, with a new top after the old one rotted away. Waist high since they do not need to sit down. Various charts and chalkboards on the wall. One can also find occult sculptures and similar items. There is a life-sized statue of Hecate, founder of the Disciples.
- Hall of Visitation: This used to be the reception area and the viewing room. It has now been slightly modified into a general visitation area, for friends and loved ones of Ashspawn who are receiving care or have been embalmed here. Disciples are there to provide advice and counselling.
- Guardhouse of Twilight - a separate building and the place visitors need to go through. Guards from the Silent Watch carry out security checks here. The place is monitored by cameras.
- Conservatory of Exquisite Flora - a greenhouse that serves as a garden. The plants are...odd. Somehow, they still grow while the rest of the city has gone to hell. The conservatory consists of long rooms with glass ceilings, some of the panels of which have fallen in. There are some strange things here, corrupted by the nexus. There is a side room for the really strange, almost sentient, plants which are aggressive. Another room for ones with poisons which can be harvested. . Novices of the order tend to the plant life. Helping things grow is a way for the Disciples to remain connected with life.
- Chamber of the Piercing Flame - very hot. A small crematorium has been set up here because this is where they incinerate corpses. These can be Ashspawn who want to escape their prison of flesh and blood and join the Nether of their own free will, but also the bodies of foes the Ashspawn do not want the nexus to raise again.
- Repository of Lost Knowledge - a cross between a museum and a chamber of curiosities. There are no powerful holocrons of infinite power or similar devices here. Instead it contains tomes, technological relics and other items the Disciples consider worth preserving. This may be something as mundane as the diary of a person who experienced Palmyra's destruction and perished in it or a collection of pictures that show what the city was like before the cataclysm. It contains the old records of the mortuary, showing the desperate, futile attempts to help those afflicted by the Gulag Virus. Ironically, the Disciples found a thesis written by Jedi Master Mahtara as a Padawan many centuries ago. It really contradicts the Dominion's official narrative and has been stored here. The memory of the past must be preserved so that one day the future can be built.
- Hall of Cleansing - shower areas, stockrooms etc. An undead mortician obviously does not have the same safety concerns as a mortal one. However, following standards of cleanliness sets the sentient undead apart from the mindless one. Moreover, the Disciples regard their work as a sacrament. To make an Ashspawn whole again or guide them on the final stage of their journey is a sacred rite. Thus they must be clean when they do it and in appropriate work clothes.
- Chambers of Study - in the old days this was the room where the morticians carried out post-mortems. This also included the place where the police carried out forensic post-mortems for anyone who had died under suspicious circumstances. Visitors may receive visions of that. A confused spirit may pop by. Today, it is an examinaton and instruction room for neophyte Disciples who seek to learn the arts of embalming, preservation and revivification. The room is very large and has waterproof floors. Fridge doors allow the removal of bodies from one wall. The post-mortem tables have been reappropriated for their new task. It is a bright, stark room.
Medium. The Sepulchre is not a military installation. It lacks a shield generator to withstand orbital bombardment and has no heavy defensive emplacements. However, it is protected because it is very important to the Ashspawn. For starters, the residents are Ashspawn and thus all Force-Sensitive. The Disciples of the Dust, who inhabit the Sepulchre, are mystics who focus on cerebral applications of the Force.
They are protected by the Silent Watch, a unit of Ashspawn warriors. Moreover, the Disciples make use of undead beasts and Sithspawn to serve as guard animals. For example, undead ravens and kath hounds are used to scout out the perimeter. The Sepulchre has an alarm system and some cameras, though nothing extensive. Spirits may walk its halls though - and a couple are friendly enough to the Disciples to act as an early warning system and alert them about intruders. Some spirits may even engage intruders in combat, deceive and trap them or mentally manipulate their perception of reality through illusions. Small teams of Duststalkers conduct patrols in the general area. But at the end of the day, the installation relies more on its obscurity and environmental factors for protection than contingents of soldiers and extensive security measures. The most sensitive areas of the Sepulchre are located underground.
As elaborated on in the accessibility section, the Sepulchre is located in an incredibly dangerous dark side nexus. As a result, environmental factors are a bonus on top of the actual guards. The power of the nexus makes it very difficult to scan the building, even with dedicated sensor ships. As a result, it is not easy to detect via technological means Moreover, its location makes the Sepulchre is very difficult to reach via aircraft or spacecraft. The weather represents a hazard, since it is characterised by storms and (sometimes acidic) torrential rainfalls. The air can be dangerous to breathe in. Intruders would have to navigate a ruined, radioactively contaminated city populated by zombies and other menaces. They would also have to deal with mirages and resist the nexus' attempts to manipulate, deceive or possess them. The ruins offer good cover for sharpshooters and the Ashspawn have laid booby-traps, mines and the like.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Before the darkness descended upon Tephrike, this building was called the Palmyra Municiple Mortuary and Pathology Centre. As the name implies, it was a mortuary that doubled as a pathology centre. Thus it was used for the storage of the corpses of sentients until they could be identified, cremated, buried or otherwise disposed of. The Palmyra Munincipal Police Department used it to carry out forensic post-mortems for people who had died under suspicious circumstances. Moreover, scientists examined blood, urine and tissue samples to diagnose diseases.
Thus it started life as a pretty boring municipal morgue. It was built to contain bodies it also featured a pathology lab, training area and research station. Initially another building was used, but they moved to this purpose built facility as the city and planet expanded in population. It was considered to be state of the art, and had both droid and sentient employees able to cover any known species deaths. A local doctor helped solve a serial killing case by careful examination at this very location, studying the corpses and the similar patterns of wounds the killer had inflicted on them. This enabled the criminal police to apprehend and arrest the sadistic Scarlet Butcher. When the Gulag Virus arrived on a merchant ship this was the area where the dead were examined and others were quarantined. However many of the staff died during an escaped outbreak. During riots when things started to go wrong the place operated almost like a fortress for police with high and thick walls and deep basements.
Some of the bodies of petitioners who had been gunned down by government soldiers when they marched to Parliament building ended up here. A few of them were Younglings. Zaras Dant is said to have visited the morgue and left in outrage. By that time the building only had a skeleton staff. It had become dangerous for medical professionals to work here. They not only risked infection, but were assaulted by far-right human supremacists who accused them of participating in the 'galactic xenos conspiracy'. Palmyra was thrown into turmoil when the Jedi and rogue elements of the military overthrew the weak federal government. The mortuary was later besiged by elements opposed to the Jedi take over and 'relieved' by Zaras Dant on her march to glory. Later when Kree assumed control it was renovated and used to investigate and 'prove' that the Gulag Plague had Sith origins. When this failed it was used as a mortuary again but also as a research and training lab for Jedi healers.
During the battle of Palmyra it was attacked and suffered heavy damage and was abandoned officially when the Jedi moved to Nexus City. During the later battle with the Sith it was again fought over during street fighting...but then when the cataclysm happened it was scoured of life...until the dead rose. After that it became a good location for a mortuary as it already had a setup for it, though tweaked for the Ashspawn's unique needs. One of those who rose again was a human called Anastasius Koukos. In life he had been an undertaker and one of the few staff members of the mortuary who remained in the city. As one of the living, he had to bear witness to the decline, decay and death of his city. Nonetheless, he tried to help the bereaved and give those who passed away a modicrum of dignity. Like so many others, he died when the battle between Jedi and Sith devastated the city. But then he rose again, and found himself in a radioactively contaminated hellscape.
He was one of those Ashspawn who flocked to the cause of Hecate and embraced her message of unity among the undead. Regardless of what they had been in life, now they were all damned and had been rejected by the living. He became one of the founding members of the Disciples and offered the former mortuary as a sanctuary. Building a new society of the undead was not an easy proposition. Old hostilities aside, they faced the threat of Dominion and Vaderite attacks as well as Sithspawn monstrosities. The nexus itself was both the source of their existence and a malevolent threat.
Moreover, over time the realisation of their fate necessitated special expertise to preserve and restore the rotting forms they were trapped in. They would not age, but their bodies did suffer from decay one die. And they needed teachers to train their people to protect themselves from the dark influence of the nexus. Every Reborn was Force-Sensitive, but they could not follow the teachings of sects that had hurt them. The Disciples of the Dust came into being to provide this expertise. The Disciples supervised the creation of a network of catacombs beneath the mortuary that had become their temple. They would become a place of refuge and instruction.
Moreover, Disciples conducted research here to improve their methods to create more of their kind by raising the dead. This was pertinent because Ashspawn, unlike conventional zombies, could not create more of their race by biting the living, and the nexus was unpredictable. By and large, the Dominion of Light limited itself to containing sentient dead, ghosts and monstrosities alike after its attempts to purify the nexus failed. However, a Jedi Lord called Aristides Kydatus defied this order. He was convinced that he was a descendant of the legendary Skywalker.
As the alleged last scion of a fallen legacy, it was his duty to enter 'the paths of the dead' and call them to aid him in his final war against the Sith. He was the 'light in the darkness'. So the 'righteous man' boldly led his followers into the jaws of death - and to their doom. The Jedi Lord demanded to have an audience with the 'lords of death'. After he was smote, the nexus brought him back. He was kept in a pit at the Sepulchre after being resurrected, conscious but unable to move. The Disciples removed his limbs for this purpose and used them for transplants.
The Netherworld Event caused a dramatic increase in paranormal and demonic activity in Palmyra's Wail. Demons from the Nether were drawn to the Sepulchre based on the energies from the past within there. The Silent Watch had to be mobilised to repel them. In addition, some of the fallen came back as spirits to find their bodies in the crematorium were dust. The Disciples were able to help some of the ghosts move on, though a few stuck around. However, a demonic incursion forced the Ashspawn into an uneasy accord with the Republican Guard, whose forces had taken over the old Dominion base. A great battle was fought in Palmyra's ruins. Hecate was able to slay the demonic entity leading the incursion, but was so grieviously wounded in the process that she was embalmed and interred in the crypt. The Sepulchre remains a place of learning, pilgrimage and rest for the Disciples and those they aid. But as of late the seers among the Disciples have picked up on potents that herald great changes for Tephrike. Whether these will be for good or for ill remains to be seen.
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