Death & Burial¶
How the peoples of Terrun dispose of their dead, as custom rather than doctrine. In the Fifth Age the question is urgent: with the gods of the old faiths dead or sleeping, many souls fail to pass on, and an ill-buried corpse may rise. Why the dead turn, and what each faith teaches about it, is on Death and the Afterlife; what they turn into is on the Restless Dead.
Consecrated ground¶
Among the faithful of the Kalari and the Rakkarim, burial in consecrated ground is the custom that matters. "Priests consecrate burial grounds/tombs and it is critical that the faithful dead be buried there in order to ensure their transition to heaven" (S318). Warriors and nomads who may die far from such ground carry a substitute: "many priests of the Kalari/Rakkarim sell consecrated symbols for warriors or other nomads which serve as a replacement for consecrated ground, so long as they are buried with it."
Whether the corpse survives matters too. A body left intact may rise months later as a ghoul; one "destroyed by either fire or animals" most often returns as a ghost (S318).
Pyres¶
Funeral pyres "have gone out of fashion in Kalari lands, and are considered very dangerous and the practice of heathens" (S318), because burning a body of uncertain dominion speeds its return as a haunting spirit. The older histories remember one great pyre: when Chaulssad fell to King Rodruk II of Dalmar in 2016 MA and the Draconians had slaughtered its several hundred thousand slaves, "Rodruk ordered the city burned as one giant funeral pyre", and it is "now rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of that massacre" (S372).
Executions¶
In the Sancturi Imperium the dead are managed at the moment of death. "All executions are performed under the supervision of the Sancturi Clergy and they are careful to mark heathens so that they will transition instead of turn" (S318). Witches are burned at the stake under the eye of Namakan Runecasters, who trap their souls so that they are never reincarnated and add them to the Vigils. A citizen facing dishonour may be granted ritual suicide, "the right of redemption", to avoid losing his house's tokens or his succession, though in severe cases even that right can be revoked (S323). The laws behind these sentences are on Law.
Grave Salt¶
Grave Salt, an enchanted salt of the Aegic witches, is "used to protect a corpse from Devourers & Necromancers" (S216). It is one of the salts the witches lay in circles and barriers; the craft is on Aegic Witchcraft.
The Naher¶
A Naher rider is buried with the horse bonded to them in childhood. If the horse dies first, its rider "must enter a state of mourning and will be buried with this horse when they die", and must choose a lesser horse to ride in the meantime, after which "you are treated differently, much like a cripple" (S524). The Naher page tells more of the bond and the Ghosthorn stock it is made with.
The Aeseans¶
The Aesean clans "place a great amount of importance upon their ancestors and heritage, often preparing elaborate tombs and structures to honor their revered dead. They see their ancestors as providing their strength, and in some ways worship them" (S372). Their tombs are one of the few places they carve with care: detailed panels in "Temples, Shrines or Tombs (which have the practical purpose of telling a story)". The Old Aesean word for a tomb is howe, "burial mound, tomb".
Gap
No elven, dwarven, orcish, Silek or Proturan burial custom is recorded, and no source describes a funeral rite, a period of mourning other than the Naher's, or a grave marker.