Mausoleum of Virtue
Prose
Cool air rushes between the marble pillars and floor of this deathly place. Siegfried had simply come to pay his respects as he always had. With flowers in his gloved hand, he used his free fingers to brush over the names etched over each of the heavy stone doors. He recalled the Commissar's announcement of refurbishment. To what ends the place was revitalized, he could not tell in the dark of night. Despite little to no issues ever. Wide and open, it was an eerie sight for most, yet he had visited once a year now and that had made him grow accustomed to the stony place of solitude. Across the doors are names of those that passed within the walls of the city. Perhaps they had been noble and died for it or, perhaps, they were merely people that had paid their way into a place of honor, but that didn't matter to him. The woman that saved his life all those years ago was buried here and he dearly missed her. Somehow, being able to speak with her in the cold quiet brought him relief. It was rather large. Perhaps an entire city's block was dedicated to this temple-like building and even more fallen lay below deeper within. Siegfried was under the impression that this building had begun as a catacomb before being expanded upward and upon the surface. Nearby the stair stood a wizened fellow with his hand upon the marble wall that protected the sarcophagus that he had sought. Siegfried, not quite expecting another at this hour, simply observes his elder as he begins to speak. "Such a human thing to bury one's dead in such an elaborate way," the old man began as he slowly withdrew from the massive stone door, "We often forget the tragedies that unfold before us and, to beset such a bane, erect great works of art, literature, and song. This place- This Mausoleum... It is macabre, is it not? It is... It is such a thing, for we do not celebrate anyone living quite like we do the dead. These dead are reminders. Perhaps heroes, they gave their lives in exchange for many different things: some threw themselves into danger to keep innocents from dying and some passed on, leaving us to interpret their thousand-page theses on religion and the polis. Why, might you ask, are both heroes? "These people, regardless of their works, changed the way our civilization functions. One might even argue that Gerris Hin, a historian and philosopher, has had more of an impact than the heroes Abesh Runihan and Tacheron Kint, for his teachings will never die yet heroism is far too abstract to teach." The old man smiles, procuring a cane as he paced towards the redheaded man. "Thank you for listening to my ramblings, boy. I'll leave you to your vigil." "Ah, yes. Thank you for your insights, sir. Good evening." Left alone with these existential sentiments, Siegfried forgets his prayers as he places his flowers before the grave the old man spoke before. To his surprise, there was no name upon it, and it was left ajar with an empty sarcophagus within.History
The Mausoleum of Virtue was first erected to serve as the final resting place of heroes and people of great import to the city. Many see it as the place where those of great wealth are to be placed, but that isn't exactly true. While some Commissars are buried here, most of those within are actual heroes that did not reserve their final home by choice but by election of the people they served in life. In contrast to the Garden of Heroes, those buried here have long since been dead. The Commissar is the man to have the final say on who is allowed and who isn't within the confines of the Mausoleum of Virtue. For this reason, there has been much controversy on what a person would have to do to earn this legendary final resting place. A special force of guardsman was established not long before the construction of the second level in response to fear of desecration. These guardsmen patron the perimeter at all hours to assure that no living thing enters or leaves without their say so. By employing magical locks and wards, they keep the massive stone doors of the tomb from being violated by graverobbers, monsters, or evil sorcerers who would seek to use the bodies of legends to instill chaos amongst the masses.Rumors & Secrets
Like the Garden of Heroes, the Mausoleum's counterpart, the massive building holds many secrets. The most dreadful of the rumors being the resurrection of fallen heroes by some great evil that lurks within the city. Many claim that the Commissar's announcement of refurbishment was indirectly in response to the claims of graverobbing. Others believe that the Mausoleum is a place where ne'er-do-wells meet up to exchange illegal paraphernalia and information despite the place being guarded by arcane wards and monitored by vigilant guardians at all hours. Some truly haunted people believe that the Mausoleum is frequented by creatures of the night and monsters. Such rumors are quickly dispatched, as they seemingly seek to tarnish the reputation of the guard.
Contents
Ward
Necropolis
Parent Location
Comments
Author's Notes
Author
This article was written by the creative and talented Sols & Duun and edited for world and game use by Graylion. To see more writing and world building by Sols & Duun, visit Vos.