Stygia is the capital of the western dead in Wraith: The Oblivion, an incomprehensibly huge city located on the Isle of Sorrows deep in the Tempest. It is the location of the major headquarters of the various organizations of western wraiths.
The Confirmed Structure of Stygia[]
There have never been any definitive maps of Stygia; the city's layout is left intentionally open for the benefit of Storytellers and players. Only two books other than the corebook (The Hierarchy and Ends of Empire) ever approached describing the city in detail, and even then left things contradictory and open. However, descriptions of Stygia almost always include the following points:
- The Onyx Tower, the tallest building in Stygia, the seat of power for Charon, and the meeting place for the Deathlords following his disappearance.
- The Palaces of the Deathlords where each Legion of the Hierarchy is headquartered.
- The Pardoner Chapterhouse, home of the Pardoners Guild and their infamous Angst Battery.
- The Forges of the Artificers, where those who offend the Hierarchy are made into something more useful to their agenda.
- The entrance to the Venous Stair that winds deep down into the Labyrinth.
- The Great Library, formerly known to the living as the Library of Alexandria and the place where all surviving Stygian history is kept.
- The Agora, or Marketplace, which is said to be near the Onyx Tower in the Hierarchy. It is the site of a rebellion in Wraith: The Great War.
- The Temples of the Shining Ones who betrayed Charon; these ruins stand on the edge of the city as a reminder of their treachery.
Also common to all descriptions of Stygia are the echoes of buildings from the Skinlands that were destroyed and have come to exist only on the Isle of Sorrows. Modern skyscrapers jut up from ancient Roman ruins from the city's founding, and demolished factories sit alongside beloved family homes.
Districts[]
- Lower Bay
- Upper Bay
- Riverside
- Onyx Point
- Ironville
- The Spine
- Hangtown
- Sanctuary
- Newtown
- Whilestown
- South End
- Iron Hills
Seen When Needed[]
The following can appear in Stygia, but usually only when needed by a specific campaign or scenario.
- The Guildhouses of some of the Guilds were suspected to be located, but never confirmed to be, in Stygia.
- The Colosseum, which is also mentioned only in The Hierarchy and in no other place.
After Wraith[]
In Orpheus, the fabled Nameless City located on the other side of the Stormwall is, of course, a ruined and abandoned Stygia.
References[]
- WTO/cMET: Oblivion, p. 20, 25, 32
- WTO: Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 487-488