Sijan

Sijan is a city in the Scavenger Lands, and the home of the Mortician's Order.

Overview

Geography

Sijan lies between the Black Chase and the river Avarice, with the River of Tears to the west. Two bridges cross the Avarice: one exclusively for the living, and one only for the dead. It is surrounded by vast cemeteries called the Plains of the Dead, which the Mortician's Order tends dutifully to ensure the ghosts of the dead remain at peace. Tombs and mausoleums tend to sink over time, owing to the swampy terrain, but new structures are simply built atop the old, though space is left to reach the deeper layers of crypts for cleaning and offerings.

In an inversion of the usual order of things, the living residents of Sijan dwell underground, while the surface is reserved mainly for the dead. The city's tangled streets are used by visitors and the Mortician's Order, but most of the population go about their daily business in Lower Sijan, underground tunnels and chambers paneled in black ash, marble, or onyx. Lower Sijan is laid out in roughly concentric circles, with amenities for visitors in the center and residential areas further out. The very edges of Lower Sijan contain sealed tombs and temples, many dating back centuries, which only the Mortician's Order knows the truth of.

Sijan's Underworld counterpart is similar to, but far larger than, the one of Creation. The Mortician's Order continue their work as ghosts, in concert with their living successors, so most ghosts receive a regular stipend of prayers and offerings. They also pass messages back to Creation for the families of the dead. Sijan also controls several shadowlands free of the Deathlords, which provide determined ghosts a way to return to Creation for a time. Native Sijanese ghosts are some of the wealthiest and best-cared-for in the Underworld, while the clients of the Mortician's Order receive the stipend they or their families paid for. Immigrants from other parts of the Underworld flock to Sijan, forming a vast underclass who sell whatever jade or grave goods they have in order to afford shelter and amenities. The lucky and hard-working among these can become quite comfortable, though they can never match the wealth of the natives.

Government

The Mortician's Order is Sijan's government, as their primary duties are the ones that Sijanese need most: maintaining and propitiating the honored dead. The mass of graves that fill and surround the city must be tended and cleaned, and regular offerings made according to the specific needs and beliefs of the departed. Some of the tombs are so old that no one living or dead remembers the exact rites necessary to sooth their ghosts, which makes them dangerous territory for the living to explore.

Even those Sijanese who are not part of the Mortician's Order are deeply respectful of the dead. They welcome mourners with free (temporary) accomodations, and scholars or tourists are politely allowed to go about their business. Visitors who are disrespectful of the dead are likely to get a cold reception, and anyone who cops to being a scavenger or having disturbed a tomb may face the Black Watch immediately. Tomb robbing is punishable by death; for other crimes against the dead, ghosts can carry out whatever punishment they wish. When the living commit crime against the living, punishments are usually restorative in nature, but a criminal who dies before serving out their sentence will be expected to finish it in the Underworld.

The Black Watch is a special adjunct of the Mortician's Order that defends Sijan in both Creation and the underworld. It is made up nemissaries in superheavy plate armor, and it serves as an elite police force. Immigrant ghosts can make a tidy income serving in the Black Watch, and ghosts who were themselves victims of grave robbery often delight in punishing other would-be grave robbers.

Culture

The libraries and museums of Sijan are some of the best in Creation. The Morticians display artwork or fine objects that were given as payment in lieu of silver, and some ghosts consent to put their grave goods on display as well. These museums are a welcome diversion for mourners who await the preparation of a loved one's body for burial. Sijan's libraries are extensive and replete with rare texts, including some dating back to before the Usurpation, but only the dead can access them for free; the living must pay a fee to use the libraries, with foreigners paying a far higher price than the Sijanese.

Most of the arts and literature produced in Sijan have a dark twist that reflects their cultural obsession with death, and thus are far less popular outside the city. Sijanese cooking makes extensive use of spices, though this is also toned down for visits who are unaccustomed to such intense seasoning.

Living and Working

Family is important to the Sijanese, and their regular commerce with deceased family members makes it especially binding. Marriages are arranged, and children are expected to follow their parents' professions or join the Mortician's Order. Most professions are egalitarian with regards to gender, although the Morticians will respect clients who come from more segregated cultures.

Most occupations that aren't the Mortician's Order directly support the Mortician's Order, or provide for the needs of of the living Sijanese and their guests. The closest thing to an exception to this is the docks, which serve as a transportation hub for many parts of the Scavenger Lands. The dockfront is separate from the rest of the city, however, and those who work there tend to live apart from the rest of the Sijanese; the two groups do not mingle much.

Native Sijanese ghosts often continue their trade in some form after death, though the needs of the dead are comparatively few. It's nice to have something to do, after all. Sijan boasts some of the best restaurants and tea houses in the Underworld as a result.

Foreign Relations

Sijan is one of the oldest cities in Creation, with some tombs predating the Usurpation. The secret of its longevity is simple: it is neutral by default in most conflicts, burying the dead of both sides with equal solemnity, and for the most part its neighbors have respected that neutrality. One exception is the Realm, which in RY 75 sent a talon of soldiers to occupy Sijan, all of whom had vanished by RY 77. The Realm has invaded the River Province multiple times since then, but it has not attempted to occupy Sijan.

Sijan joined the Confederation of Rivers at its formation, though they eschew the military obligations. They also insist on maintaining their customary neutrality and accepting burials from the Confederation's enemies. When Mask of Winters conquered Thorns, there were rumors that he had the aid of the Mortician's Order or some other traitor within Sijan, but in truth, the Order finds zombies offensive. Their duty is to care for the dead, not exploit them. Still, they do business with the Deathlords as they do with everyone else. The gods who rule Great Forks forbids commerce with Sijan, and the Sijanese themselves are quietly contemptuous of those who give more Essence to gods than the dead.

Sijan of the Underworld, by contrast, has a large, well-equipped military thanks to all the great warriors and generals who have been buried there. Officially, the drills and exercises are just another game for bored ghosts to pass the time, the same way other Sijanese dead continue their occupations. In practice, it has allowed Sijan to remain independent of the Deathlords' influence, though that time may be coming to an end. In addition to infantry and a navy (thanks to Linowans and other sea-faring peoples cremated in their boats), Sijan has bred the ghosts of Marukan horses to their living equivalents in the Black Chase, giving rise to a Ghost-blooded cavalry.