Book of Bone and Ebony

THE ORIGIN OF THE BOUNDARY STONES
When the founding ghosts of Stygia finally won
their battle against the Labyrinth, among their first
tasks was the design and construction of the boundary
stones. They mined the local hills, choosing specific
sorts of stones for the various districts. Marble was
chosen for the District of the Bone Lanterns, for
example, and granite for the Street of Swords. Once
quarried, they carefully shaped them to occult specifications.
Finally, they chose 13 of the bravest and
most noble heroes of their company, each of whom
embodied the character of their respective district.
From each of these ghosts, a treasured possession was
taken and sanctified, and then, each was carefully and
gently dismembered, their ghostly flesh dissolved and
their plasm decanted. The stones of the districts were
bathed in this mixture, imbuing them with the heart
and the nature of each of the heroes, empowering
them to work as wards and boundaries for Stygia.
The yearly anointment of blood and scented oil
upon the stones feeds the memories of these souls
and keeps them awake enough to work their magic.
Should this ritual falter, the power in the stones
would fade, the districts would forget themselves,
and Stygia itself would slowly decay.
LITTLE SHOE
Home to Stygia’s masses of poor and powerless dead,
Little Shoe displays a greater variety of clashing cultures
and architecture than any other part of the necropolis. The
spires here resulted not from grand projects, but from the
long accumulation of small houses over the ages, precariously
piled atop one another and connected by thin
walkways and rickety ladders. By day, throngs of ghosts
crowd the suffocatingly narrow streets as they march
reluctantly to their jobs, dressed in drab gray and grumbling
quietly. By night, the occasional cry of an assault
victim breaks the silence, and glittering eyes watch from
shadowed alleyways as the district quietly vents its frustrations.
Mortals who witness Little Shoe find it the closest
echo to a true, living city in the Underworld.
Little Shoe is the largest of the districts, perpetually
swelling with new immigrants. Part foreigners’ quarter,
part ghetto, this district is where the dead who come to
Stygia seeking their fortune first settle. Those few who
achieve their dreams abandon the poverty of Little Shoe,
quickly making their way to more affluent places. Those
forced to remain grow to resent the wealthy as their own
hopes slowly die, and the older ghosts who reside here are
marked with bitterness. As a result, the district simmers
with barely muffled anger that regularly coalesces into
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CHAPTER ONE • STYGIA
ethnic tensions and carefully staged riots. Little Shoe
grinds newcomers into the Stygian mold and locks away
those rebellious enough to resist.
As with any place stricken with poverty and hostility,
crime and corruption are rampant throughout the streets
of Little Shoe. Under the guise of protecting downtrodden
laborers, unions gather oppressive dues and crack the
ethereal bones of the dead who refuse to join. Crime lords
command even more influence than the union bosses,
wielding bloody knives in the dark against any who oppose
them. Friction between the various ethnic factions results
in endless rituals of slaying, as ghosts murder one another
silently in the night. Only the Hollow King’s masterful
hand keeps the pain and corruption from spilling across
Little Shoe’s borders and becoming a problem. With a
mixture of drama and intrigue, he carefully guides the
shifting tides of hatred and despair to create a functional,
if unpredictable, district that offers him great power.
PLACES OF INTEREST
THE FESTIVAL OF ASHES
Once a month, Little Shoe sweeps away the rabble
and opens its arms to all of Stygia as it celebrates the
Festival of Ashes. Located in the central square of Little
Shoe, bordered by the four most powerful guilds, the
Festival takes place in the largest market in all of Stygia.
Black bunting spans the roads, silver and white confetti
peppers the cobblestones, and merchants crowd the square
with their goods. Ghosts float from stall to stall, sticks of
black, greasy carnival meat in their hands, negotiating
quietly with merchants and listening to the occasional
snatches of strangely keyed music. All of this spectral
frivolity makes the Festival one of the most anticipated
events of the month in Little Shoe.
Nearly anything can be purchased during the Festival
of Ashes. Merchants from all over the city bring their
wares at least once in the year, unloading their cargo from
the dark-watered Styx straight onto the square. Food and
clothing sells surprisingly well, considering that most of
the dead have little need for either. Grave goods, talismans
and artifacts are also found throughout the market. Trinkets
from the mortal world sell best, however. Located far
from the living, Stygians find any item from Creation
fascinatingly exotic and eagerly collect toy dolls, lovingly
homespun clothing and the simplest, homemade pots.
Little Shoe gathers a great deal of money from this monthly
festival and ensures that the best is always available.
THE DEN OF WHISPERS
Atop the highest spire of piled apartments in Little
Shoe sits the simple abode of the Hollow King. Unlike the
fine mansions of the other Council members, this apartment
is no larger nor more opulent than those of any other
common ghost, for the Hollow King prefers the dead of his