Blade Maidens: Dead in the Water – 6

“The Verdannian dead are treated in a great many ways. Often depending, as they so often are, on the wealth and prosperity of the deceased.

Nobility are often buried in great tomb-gardens, specifically made for each deceased. A collection of their favorite flowers and fruit-bearing plants are prepared as soon as they are old enough to make a selection, to be ready for planting should the day of their departure to join Sepestra arrive unexpectedly.

For those among the poor and peasantry, more mundane alternatives are found. Buried in the fields they tend, or in the gardens outside their home, so that their flesh may bring new life. For the most respected among communities, a tree-cairn will be sought out. Sometimes requiring a funerary procession of miles in search of an appropriate tree, specifically one with a large enough hollow to house the corpse, and with a small enough opening that the tree may be coaxed to grow over and seal the cairn by mundane or magical means. Given the precise requirements, any Verdannian residing within such a tomb is to be taken as one of utmost esteem and treated with respect in any dealings.”

– From The Traditions of Death, by Corpsespeaker Kayn, of the Church of Sepestra