Nocturne, The City of Night. Built upon the ruins of the Nadraki capitol of Du’Han, Nocturne is a vibrant reminder to the world of the power of the Kingdom of the Night.
Life in Nocturne
Life as a denizen of Nocturne is strange. During the years since Nocturne’s founding, many travelers from all throughout Lairroth have taken up residence within the city. The city’s vast reserves of wealth have allowed for the sponsorship of art, music, and philosophy. Time has revealed that a considerable number of Du’Han’s former residents have remained in the city as well, and have come to think of Nocturne as a secure, dark, and beautiful place to live.
Leadership
Three Princes have emerged from the shadowed city of Nocturne as the apparent absolute rulers of the Kingdom of The Night’s bastion in Lairroth. These three Princes seem to have divided the ruler-ship of the city between them, though acting more as ministers of the city rather than ruling singular and separate territories. They answer to no known king.
Prince Exodur; A sword-master amongst the Skeletal Knights, Prince Exodur holds his seat of power in the garrisons of Nocturne. The militant Knight oversees all the military affairs of Nocturne city, from maintaining a fearsome City Watch to building up the city’s armed forces.
Prince Maganus; This decrepit Lich of great arcane ability has claimed the ancient Univerity of Nadrak as his own. There he and his disciples monitor all magical knowledge and influence throughout the city.
Prince Riven; The ghost of the former King of Nadrak who died in the first Abyssal Breach (also called the Plagues). He has made the royal palace his seat of power. He rules over all other common aspects of daily life, or unlife, in Nocturne City. From water rationing to economic trade, Prince Riven’s word is law.
Necromancy and Abyssal Magic in Nocturne
The City of Night is considered to be a double edged sword by most of Cyrillia’s mages. On one hand, Nocturne’s University hosts some of the greatest magical minds of the age, and holds precious magical knowledge that is nearly inaccessible anywhere else in the world. On the other hand, most consider The City of Night to be a den of supernatural evil and magical corruption, for it is widely known that Nocturne welcomes practitioners of the dark art of Necromancy, and even allows its citizens to seek knowledge of the vile and utterly abhorrent Abyssal Magic.
The Founding of Nocturne
The stories say a large army of mixed undead and demonic forces moved into the area surrounding Du’Han under the cover of snowstorms and had laid siege to the city on the day of the 16th of December, 206 PB. In the light of the setting sun, the great gates of the city were opened from the inside and the forces moved into the city unopposed.
The powerful armies of Nadrak were on assignment elsewhere when the attack came, with only a small force present to offer up any resistance. Reports disagree greatly about what happened when the city seized. Some have claimed that wholesale slaughter began in the streets, with any who drew breath in the city having been killed, although most believe this to be an extreme exaggeration. Other sources describe survivors of the invasion being taken in chains as slaves.
Some reports tell of skeletal troops scaling the city walls to open the gates from within, or dark robed figures pouring out of the university to blast the gates from their hinges. Some reports claim that the royal palace was already filled with demons even before the gates fell, and that the majority of mages within the University had embraced undeath in search of personal power. There are conflicting reports claim that General Talon Du’Han, King Dulcimere Mendax, Sir Pahn, or even the great Nadrak himself were sighted in the city, standing back and watching, or fighting on one side or the other. But all reports agree on one thing, that the great city of Du’Han, the capitol of Nadrak for 600 years and one of the great centers of magic and learning in all of Lairroth had fallen, and the scattered armies of Nadrak were forced to retreat to the city of Kardan.
