Finale (Fee-nah-lay)

"From the richest man in the world, to the poorest beggar on the street. From the ancient Elves to the quick-lived Goblins. From the most devout faithful to the most blasphemous sinner. We all enter the ground eventually, and the soil shall cover and rot us away just as quickly. That is the great equality I bring to you."

The township of Finale is the only settlement on the island of the same name and host to one grand landmark in the form of The Finale Necropolis. A massive excavated tomb and holy center, it's a fiercely important and guarded location for many people in Magnum Opus. While the town around it is much more humble and simple in comparison, the island does its best to work in unison in order to defend the literal and spiritual history located on the island, especially from that which lurks within the Necropolis itself.

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Demographics

In its former life, most of Finale was populated by those of Elven descent, although very few full Elves themselves, which joined with the main Southern Magnian people when the city fell. In the modern day, it's a much more varied selection due to people from the mainland choosing to inhabit it. The starkest demographic majority on the island comes down to religion, as nearly 70% of the population is faithful to The True Giants, with a stunning 41% of that number being specifically from the Order of the Eternal Walk, a subsection of the faith venerating the dead god Spasertur.

Government

Finale is mainly run by an Earl like the rest of Magnum Opus, in this case, Earl Wolf Micheal, but due to the influence and importance of the Necropolis, there is also a potent religious force of power on the island in the form of the resident Archcleric, in this case, Archcleric Cornelia Sommer. Now, the Archcleric doesn't legally have political power, but with such a religiously populated island, her word is heavily influential. The two often work in tandem, but butt heads often, especially in their opinions on the state of the Necropolis.

Defences

Most of the island doesn't have strict defenses, as they're in a spot that doesn't typically require it. During times of war, there are magical defenses in place to raise the rocky reefs around the island to stop incoming ships, and the ports come with ballistae and observational towers in the wake of the Border Wars, but they're still sparse. The roads between the township are guarded with low walls, but that's mainly to keep the roaming animals out.
The Necropolis is another situation entirely, as it is heavily guarded by local guard garrisons and watchtowers, on top of being magically sealed several times over, enforced by Divine and Arcane methods alike.

Industry & Trade

The biggest industry on the island is the funerary industry, with people from all over Magnum Opus sailing in the remains of their dearly departed to be buried in the grand Necropolis. All of the subsets of that industry, especially the magical ones, are also greatly popular then. Arcanism overall is also a powerful industry on the island, especially for Necromancers who wish to use more ethical methods compared to their predecessors.

Infrastructure

Finale isn't the largest township and doesn't have the need for many complex systems. They do have your basic modern infrastructural elements, including a Magic Power Network, and utilize wind power along with water-based systems to keep everything flowing. Their ports aren't too large but are sturdy and well-utilized, and of course they put plenty of effort to make sure the roads between the two halves of the township and the Necropolis are up-to-date and protected.

Districts

Since it's a smaller region, Finale doesn't have districts as much as the town itself has two separate portions. The Northern portion of the township is the Intake, where a lot of businesses, tradesmen, and bureaucratic offices are along with the ports to get onto the island. The Southern portion is where most of the housing is, with plenty of homesteads and specialized plots of land being lined along the road in between. The latter portion is also where a majority of shrines and temples are, along with inns and taverns, along with the smaller, more personal aspects of daily life.
More towards the center of the island is the grand Necropolis of the island. While this mainly stands on its own, there's a handful of knights' barracks standing guard over it, and mage institutions that monitor the energy within and around the Necropolis, while also providing education and opportunities for young students.

Guilds and Factions

While they don't exist in hard-lined factions, the main struggle of opinion on the island comes down to the Clerics against the Mages. The Clerics wish to ward off the Necropolis and fully eradicate it of necrotic mana, in order to stave off potential manipulation and mass-raisings. The Mages on the other hand agree with warding, but wish to observe and study the flow of necrotic energy and how it operates, finding it oddly resonant with the structure of the necropolis in general as well as not being used for ill wishes in several thousands of years.
The two sides debate and push around often with no clear consensus forming yet. Although, the current Archcleric while not 100% approving of the Mages have given them more leeway to conduct their tests with not only the flow of necrotic energy but it's effectiveness as well. Provided they remain in the watch of at least two Clerics at all times during experimentation, that is.

History

Past

It isn't known when Finale first started to be built. Judging by its closeness to the Roaring Island, it's possible that a branch of those people ventured there at some point, and settled on the island. The only real measure of time that exists is the Necropolis, the main feature of the island. Modern dating methods place the beginning of the Necropolis around 9500 PE, which would be about when the True Giants faith became widespread, a key point in the tribal unification of Magnum Opus in the late 8000s PE. It would seem, then, that the Necropolis essentially grew in tandem with the faith, with a holy resting place being one of the first creations of the order.
Now, with that importance, the great mystery befalling modern historians is what exactly happened to the island, as in 322 PE three ships of people from the island left and joined up with the people in what is now Southern Magnum Opus, claiming that they were the last people from the Necropolis, and that they could no longer wait and hope. The people on the mainland didn't seem to question this, which only increases the number of questions for historians working without their context.
Going off of some sparse records about the Roaring Islands around the same time, it seems that unseasonably warm summers and a plague of crop rot caused an equal sickness in the people of the islands in a way it didn't affect the people on the mainland. This, coupled with equally cold winters and powerful storms in the spring and fall is assumed to have crushed many of the people on the islands, with the rest joining the mainland as a last resort. 
While trips would still be made to the Necropolis, there seemed to be a consensus that the islands were cursed somehow and that staying on them for longer than necessary would only welcome disaster back to the mainland. Whether this was a truly magical curse or an older understanding of infection and disease is unknown.

Present

The islands remained mostly untouched until after the Exiles Din. When burying a large amount of dead who had died in the uprising, people began to notice that the land didn't seem to have any actual adverse effects, as a high population of local flora and fauna proved. Arcane, Divine, and Natural magic didn't reveal anything adverse either. While other priorities were being undertaken at the time, the news was a breath of fresh air to people who had wished to see the island for themselves but feared the consequences.
After the Roaring Islands were fully settled again with the new cities of Ritz and Gatsby, the Necropolis was the next on the list, and in 914 EE, the new town of Finale was officially constructed. From there, it's been a pretty simple existence for the island, with the exception of the influx of bodies following The Border Wars and the continued debates between the Clerics and Mages about how to treat the Necropolis.
For all of its potential harm, Finale remains a calm island where not much has occurred. Perhaps that is a fitting fate, for an island of the dead to be silent.

Points of interest

While there are plenty of interesting places to see on the island, its real draw is the massive Necropolis on the island. It goes downward for at least two miles, with sprawling hallways and side rooms measuring even further outward. The hallways and burial chambers are filled with various inscriptions of religious origin, prayers, or stories, with even more myths being depicted in large wall carvings or murals. Many of these are yet to be understood or translated, but common threads lining up with the True Giants faith have been found, indicating the history of the faith on the island.
The design of the Necropolis also seems to find a way to cycle the Necrotic energy of the ghosts and bodies within its burial chambers, leading many to become fearful and intrigued by it. The faithful and fearful want to ensure it remains protected and warded to the Nth degree to make sure that energy cannot escape or be used, while magical students want to see it utilized and analyzed to see just how they managed such a thing, especially with many students trying to break the stigma around Necromancy.

Tourism

It is often said that only two people come to visit Finale, the religious and the dead. While the island has plenty of history and scenic views, that saying isn't incorrect. Even in its ancient roots, Finale was mostly a settlement for the faithful, as the various divine prayers and visualized myths sprawled on the walls of the Necropolis imply. This hasn't changed much, as those who wish to rejuvenate, empower, and defend the Necropolis are a mix of historians and faithful, with the religious ones taking an increased fervor to it.

Architecture

Very little architecture from the older people of Finale remains. While the necropolis was made very spacious and sprawling, utilizing plenty of curved archways, decorated pillars, and straight winding hallways, there's nothing that seems to indicate that their actual housing architecture mirrored that. In fact, some records from the mainland of Southern Magnum Opus seems to indicate that they were already familiar with the longhouse style of building that most of the mainland uses.

Geography

Finale is a largely flat island, with some slight elevation differences due to rolling hills. It largely sits on sea level, with the highest portion being the center of the island, about 100 feet above sea level, where the Necropolis digs deep down into the earth.

Climate

Much like the rest of Magnum Opus, Finale is a cold and rainy environment, although being closer to the warmer middle of Edda means that it stays more mild than cold, but is chillier on average than, say, Boncly to the south.

Natural Resources

Even though Finale is a small island, it has fertile soil similar to that of the mainland, making it prime for farming. There's also wonderfully clean water with plenty of aquatic life, and scores of vibrant bush life for small game and natural berries to grow aplenty. While there isn't much mining allowed due to the Necropolis and its unexplored breadth, many people enjoy the vibrantly bronze and white stone that can be quarried from the island.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
322 PE

Founding Date

Unknown (Original), 914 EE (Rediscovered)

Alternative Name(s)

Necropolis, Mäherheim

Type

Large town

Population

8,170

Inhabitant Demonym

Fini

Ruling/Owning Rank

Earl {Magnum Opus}

Owning Organization

Magnum Opus

Related Historical Events

• 914 EE
  Finale is Re-Founded
• 322 PE's
  Refugees of Finale come to Cuckoo
• 9500 PE's
  Beginning of the Finale Necropolis