Evernight was the dismal echo of Neverwinter located in the Shadowfell. It was a city of the undead and those that trafficked with them—unhinged necromancers, slave traders, and followers of dark deities.[1][2]
Description[]
Streetlevel in Evernight.
The whole city was in disrepair, as if the wood and stone that held the buildings together had the life leeched out of them, becoming rotten and crumbling. The lanes and alleys were paved with grave-dirt trodden and scuffed into a fine dust, while the few cobblestone streets were cratered with potholes. The atmosphere was damp and humid, with a chill wind under a perpetually ashen sky illuminated by feeble moonlight.[1][4] Much of the city was relatively silent save for sporadic screams of pain and terror.[5]
Certain places throughout the city were bursting with necromantic power that made lights dimmer, the air colder and more still, attracted the undead, and drained mortals of their stamina.[3][6] The ambient energies around the city also had the effect of blunting the undead citizens' appetites for flesh and blood, allowing them to carry on with daily unlife.[7]
Evernight was connected with Neverwinter on the Material Plane via Crevices of Dusk—sporadic portals and "dimensional gaps"—that allowed for easy contact between the two planes.[4][7] This provided ample opportunity for the undead to snatch living victims from Neverwinter, and in turn, led to many of Neverwinter's urban legends of hauntings and disappearances.[7]
Geography[]
The gloomy streets of Evernight.
Evernight had a very similar layout to Neverwinter, with locations that were sometimes forlorn mockeries of their equivalents in that city.[4][8] It was located on the coast at the mouth of a once fast-flowing and treacherous river that had been replaced by a lava flow following the events of the Ruining. The western end of the city was often shrouded in mist from the lava where it met the sea[8][9] while the rest of the city was choked in an ash "fog" that came off the river.[4] To the east of the city walls was the Burning Woods, which slowly but surely had begun to expand into the city itself.[10]
Government[]
The city was controlled by a ruling caste of intelligent ghouls,[1] and was governed by a Tribunal of particularly powerful and/or ancient ghouls or ghasts, usually followers of Orcus or former spellcasters. This tribunal had the power to declare specific living people to be citizens of the city, thus making them off-limits to the undead population as a food source.[2] They also dictated foreign policy, and insisted that Evernight remain a neutral zone among squabbling factions.[7]
The closest thing to a city hall or courthouse in Evernight was the House of Screams.[3]
Law and Order[]
A ghoul prepares a grave for a "funeral".
There were no formal laws in Evernight, although starting a fight or attempting to free slaves or captives was generally grounds to be swarmed and eaten as punishment. When a conflict or disagreement was brought to the tribunal to be resolved, its members proclaimed their verdicts by eating whichever party they found unworthy of their time. Because of this, few citizens petitioned the tribunal unless they had no other option.[2] In some cases, disputes might be resolved without the tribunal's involvement, either by a sanctioned battle to the death in the basement of the House of Screams or by petitioning for intervention from the priests of the Temple of Filth, who generally demanded to be repaid for their judgments with services to the temple.[3]
Evernight was a dangerous place for visitors.[4] Living beings who had not been declared citizens by the tribunal were usually fair game for the hungry undead unless they had a powerful citizen as a patron, were widely considered useful for the city to function properly,[2] or carried special tokens afforded to visiting merchants.[7] That said, living people were not usually attacked on-sight because the undead assumed no one would be dumb enough to walk around Evernight without legitimate business, and any undead citizen could demand proof of a mortal's right to be in the city on even the flimsiest of pretenses.[2] Living humanoids who were captured within Evernight were rarely eaten right away, and were instead killed slowly by being buried alive in an elaborate "funeral" service.[9]
Trade[]
Delicacies for sale at the Corpse Market.
Evernight lay at the western end of the Shadowfell Road[11] and was located at a crossroads in the Shadowfell, making the city a center of commerce in that plane.[7][4] Evernight imported live meat: those who were lucky became slaves while those who were unlucky became meals.[1] The city had several markets, but the center of commerce was the Corpse Market, a place that almost seemed like any normal busy marketplace except that it sold body parts, blood, slaves, zombie servants, and all manner of unnatural goods.[5][12][4] A district of workshops and storehouses was located nearby the Market, and was jealously guarded.[12]
Transactions in Evernight generally involved the exchange of gold pieces, but occasionally favors or flesh might be exchanged instead.[5][12]
Defenses[]
A hungry population of flesh-eaters and blood drinkers was enough of a threat to put off most living adversaries. For enemy undead or necromancers however, the priests of the Temple of Filth had a secret doomsday weapon hidden away in case their own people were not enough to defend the city. This weapon was said to be a magical artifact that had the ability to project radiant energy equivalent to the light of Toril's midday sun. Only strong undead creatures were capable of handling it without being instantly destroyed, but even they suffered crippling pain. Once wielded against enemy undead however, hundreds were sure to be destroyed all at once, even under the pall of the Shadowfell. The artifact itself was protected by a shrine in the Temple of Filth, hidden by ritual magic, behind trapped and cursed doors.[3]
History[]
Prior to the Time of Troubles, Bhaal and Myrkul had once been worshiped in Evernight. However, by the late 15th century DR, only the very oldest of the city's undead still recalled a time when this was the case.[3] None could recall a time before the appearance of Castle Nowhere, and many assumed that it had simply always existed.[5]
The shadovar had an ambassador to Evernight even before their Return to Faerûn in 1372 DR. Evernight also maintained a diplomatic relationship with Thay after it became a nation of necromancers and began to take interest in the Shadowfell Road during the 15th century DR. In exchange for humanoid slaves and corpses, the Thayans purchased the right to set up an outpost in the city.[7]
In 1451 DR, when Mount Hotenow erupted on the Material Plane, so did its Shadowfell mirror. On the Shadowfell though, rather than a pyroclastic flow like the one Neverwinter suffered, Evernight got a slow and perpetual stream of lava that was contained and channeled by the riverbed, evaporating the river water but otherwise not damaging the city save for a few piers.[9] Evernight became a thriving city after this event, to the chagrin of some living individuals who wanted to see Evernight destroyed.[2]
By 1479 DR, the tension between the Netherse and Thayans was a source of concern for the ghouls of Evernight, and so they forbade these factions from open conflict within the city walls.[7] However, this did not stop the two sides from engaging in cloak-and-dagger battles.[13]
Notable Locations[]
A map of Evernight oriented with west to the top.
Businesses[]
- Corpse Market, a bustling marketplace where all manner of bodies—living, dead, or undead—could be purchased.[5]
- Deaders Market, a small marketplace known for selling ghoulish alcoholic drinks.[14]
- Lamantha's mortuary, a taxidermist and mortuary located north of the river.[9]
- Sangora Sanguinaries, a purveyor of warm blood at the Corpse Market.[4]
Geographic Features[]
- Black Mound, a hill in the southwest of the city atop which was an exclusive neighborhood of the same name.[7]
- Demon Pit, a seemingly bottomless crack in the ground located in the southeast of the city.[9]
Landmarks[]
- Castle Nowhere, a vanishing castle that was considered haunted even by Evernight's undead citizens.[5]
- The Graveyard, a broad and sprawling burial ground located in the south of the city.[9]
- Haunted Pier, abandoned stone docks that jutted out into the river.[9]
- House of Screams, the meeting place of the city's tribunal and the closest thing to a courthouse or city hall.[3]
- Temple of Filth, a gruesome place of worship dedicated to Orcus and Doresain.[3]
Other[]
- Dark creeper enclave, home of the Glumguts and an embassy for Shadovar agents.[15]
- Dolindar Tomb, a crypt in the Graveyard containing a permanent Crevice of Dusk.[4]
- Shadowfell Road, a perilous and disorienting trade route that led all the way to Thay.[11]
- Thayan outpost, a headquarters for the Thayan envoys in the city.[15]
Inhabitants[]
The majority of Evernight's population was undead, and almost any kind of corporeal undead creature could be found there whether intelligent (such as the ghouls, ghasts, pale reavers, vampires, and wights) or non-intelligent (such as zombies).[1][2][15] A minority of inhabitants were living individuals of varied races, usually those of evil-alignments or those who had been captured to serve as food for the undead.[1][2] It was also home to a few creatures of pure shadow as well as the occasional cadaver collector.[15]
The ambient energies around Evernight had the effect of curbing the appetites of the city's undead, thus allowing them not to be ruled by their hunger (although it did not stop them from preying on each other and on visitors to the city).[7][4] This meant that they had few basic needs, although many of them maintained a macabre facsimile of the patterns of behavior which they had followed in life. Although they did not need coin, some still worked as crafters, merchants, or soldiers. Likewise, they could not enjoy luxuries, yet some still lived in opulent homes and strove to hold onto their possessions. If not by habit, the sentient undead predominantly were motivated either by ambition—leading them to work or to seek the favor of more powerful citizens—or by boredom, leading to a demand for entertainment (such as mock combat that would usually turn bloody, games of hide-and-seek with living prey, puppet shows with humanoid bodies as props, or sports with limbs for equipment) or to spending their time cavorting and playing games. Meanwhile, the mindless undead merely roamed the streets until given an order to do something else. Whatever the undead did, it was predominantly done in silence as even those who could speak rarely felt the need to do so.[2]
The undead worshiped Orcus and Doresain. They paid homage to these entities by engaging in profane rights at the Temple of Filth, singing triumphant songs, and sacrificing living creatures to the Demon Pit.[3][9]
Notable Inhabitants[]
Important inhabitants as of the late 15th century DR included:
- Arkwright, keeper of the gates of the Graveyard.[14]
- Gamorst, the head of the city's Tribunal.[14]
- The Glumguts family, a community of dark creepers. Their leader was Blackclaw.[15]
- Kaross, an ambassador of the shadovar.[14]
- Katrice Ansar, the leader of a small force of Thayan representatives.[15]
- Kevetta Dolindar, once the matriarch of the Dolindar family, who was banished to Evernight while still living.[16]
- Lamantha, a near-mad human necromancer and mortician.[9]
- The Resurrectionist, a mysterious old man known to wander the town's markets.[12]
- Sangora, a centuries-old vampire merchant.[4]
- Sanjos Irridan, a vampire necromancer and surgeon who sold undead grafts.[12]
- Ursuntos, the Grand Disciple of Orcus at the Temple of Filth.[3]
Rumors & Legends[]
It was rumored that Evernight mirrored one city on every mortal world of the multiverse.[1]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (December 2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7869-6562-5.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 202. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 205. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Amanda Hamon et al. (May 2024). Vecna: Eve of Ruin. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-7869-6947-0.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 207. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ James Wyatt, Bill Slavicsek, Robin D. Laws (September 2009). Dungeon Master's Guide 2. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0786952441.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 204. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 203. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 206. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 210. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 208. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 136. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Cryptic Studios (February 2017). Neverwinter: The Cloaked Ascendancy. Perfect World Entertainment.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 209. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ Amanda Hamon et al. (May 2024). Vecna: Eve of Ruin. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-6947-0.