The City of Judgment, formerly known as the City of the Dead[6] and the City of Strife,[1][7][8] was the destination in Hades within the Fugue Plane, where the souls of mortals went following their death. It was governed by the numerous gods of death, namely Kelemvor,[9] Cyric,[1] Myrkul,[10][11] and Jergal.[9]
Description[]
The city underwent drastic transformations as it passed in ownership from one deity to another. During Cyric's reign as Lord of the Dead, the City of Strife was a horrific landscape of anguished souls and torture. The outer gates of the city was built using the still-beating hearts of dead cowards. An oppressive red sky loomed over the landscape.[12] Under Kelemvor, the City of Judgement was colorless and purposefully bland, built upon the flat, featureless plain underneath a perpetually gray sky.[4]
Depictions[]
Certain books published in Faerûn known as 'penitentials' featured horrific scenes that depicted mortal souls being tortured for eternity within the city.[13]
Cosmography[]
Using the older iteration of the Great Wheel cosmological model, the City of Dead was situated within Oinos, the first layer of Hades in the Lower planes.[1] Using the World Tree and World Axis models,[4][2] along with the iteration Great Wheel model utilized following the Second Sundering, the City of Judgement could be found within the Fugue Plane.[3]
Notable Locations[]
According to the three primary cosmological models, the Crystal Spire, formerly known as the Bone Tower, stood directly in the center of the city.[1][4][2]
The city itself was encircled by the Wall of the Faithless, consisted of the souls of those judged as the Faithless by Kelemvor.[2][7] They formed the bricks of the wall and were held in place by a supernatural greenish mold. The mold held the souls while their essence was slowly dissolved away to nothingness.[1][4]
History[]
Throughout its existence, raiding demons would occasionally tear souls from the Wall of the Faithless and return with them to the Abyss. These captured souls were used to spawn new low-level demons to swell the demonic ranks or to feed their masters.[4]
In the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, according to the Calendar of Harptos, the soul of the mortal hero Kelemvor led the denizens in the City of Strife (as it was then known) in revolt against the god Cyric.[14] The petitioners and other residents marched upon the Bone Castle, overthrew the God of Strife, and installed Kelemvor as his replacement.[15]
Inhabitants[]
The City of the Dead was largely inhabited by petitioners, mortal souls left waiting for their patron deity to escort them to another plane for the rest of their afterlife.[1] The souls waited aimlessly in the city, beseeching their respective gods[12] and often wholly unaware that they had died. Not all souls were called away to serve their god however, and others were reincarnated on the Prime Material plane.[7]
Followers of Kelemvor and Jergal in life were given positions of authority in the city. The False and the Faithless as well as the souls of the dead also populated the city.[4]
Appendix[]
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Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 258–259. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 152–153. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- ↑ Dale Donovan, Paul Culotta (August 1996). Heroes' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 315. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 124. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 18–21. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
- ↑ James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
- ↑ Troy Denning (February 1998). Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-7869-0724-X.
- ↑ James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 366–370. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.