The gray cottage, surrounded by a minimalistic grass garden in which nothing stands out except the building itself. Standing at 10 foot high, its walls are composed of stacked stones without any visible windows except the grass doors that welcomes visitors whom dare to come near. No signs are needed to remind citizens or visitors alike what inside lays.
Inside, it’s quickly revealed that there is in fact no need for windows. The ceiling is open to the skies, the light flooding the otherwise secluded stone environment and enhancing its intense gray color. The sounds of the city seem to wane greatly inside, and the feeling of oppression and tragedy flood those that stand between the high walls. There is no furniture at all – except perhaps the wooden rafts that sometimes stand in the illuminated areas.
As one enters, there would be easily a clear distinction between two zones – the open ceiling being present in two rectangles, the biggest being just before the entrance while the other is in the other end of the stone chamber. Stone columns rise to support the few amounts of ceiling that, despite being open, presents a great thickness that surely could withstand even the worst of climates. Two small partitions stand divided from the rest by walls, and also connected with glass doors. The one located to the west is the wicker – a place designed to work plant fibers using the weaving skill, while its east counterpart is dedicated to the storage of plants along with some pots that also grow diverse flower species. These twin also present an open ceiling, yet once again no windows following the building’s design.
Death is common, yet The Mourner’s Rest makes sure it has a meaning for those whom lost someone to her. The deceased, if brought inside, was to receive a funeral unique to his accomplishments.
The northern door is the entrance, while the southern leads to the waters in which the rafts go once ready. The process is quite simple. The family or friendship brings in the deceased, whom is immediately to be identified before work began. If the corpse is fresh and in good shape, it is immediately bathed and combed before wrapped in the clothes selected by its family or familiar, armor replacing the clothes if the deceased was a warrior. Meanwhile, the family are in charge of stripping their own home of all flowers Riverfall encourages them to grow in order to place them besides their loved one on his journey to the next life. Seeing a household without flowers and only empty pots is a sign of a recent burial and, until the flowers bloom again, of grief. Close friends can also strip their homes of flowers to decorate the deceased’s journey, yet this is highly unusual due to the lack of enough bond and is usually enough with a single pot, a single flower being an offering given by his acquaintances. Those flowers are stored in the Mourner’s Rest’s floristry, where they shall remain until needed. Meanwhile, the workers tailor quickly a wicker raft, which depends on the deceased’s social status and wealth, and eventually lay the deceased beside all the flowers that were donated for his funeral, the more flowers and colors the more love he’s shown by his kin and friends. On the specified date, the raft containing the deceased is released at sea at sunset with a small flame that eventually sets the boat on fire and, effectively, buries the deceased at sea.
Those corpses that present imperfections, such as open wounds or incomplete physical attributes are instead corrected with the use of flowers, open wounds being sewn and hidden with flowers. The deceased that lack entire limbs, present thorough imperfections, or simply lack a corpse due to dying in the wilderness, are instead crafted from scratch using wicker. Gigantic figures are woven together using plant fibers and filled with soil, effectively replacing the laying body with a material that both symbolizes the deceased’s return to the earth and also burns with ease. Depending on the deceased’s social status, the figures grow or shrink, in the case of those of lesser economic means.
It is not unusual to sometimes send rafts at sea with gigantic figures that, instead of laying in the raft, stand on its feet. This often means the deceased died peacefully of old age, or that its contribution to Riverfall’s society was significant enough to be worthy of praise and devotion. These individuals can be both Council Elders and plain warriors that, throughout their lifetime, had inspired hope and love in the hearts of those around them. These burials at sea, however, are instead walked through the city’s main road until the opposite side of the bay, being walked around for the citizens to contribute and appreciate them with flowery gifts.
An example of the wicker-woven figures crafted for the deceased.
Goora
Name: Goora
Former titles: The Gouger, The Grandiose.
Race: Myrian.
Age: 101.
Skills: Undertaking 67, Weaving 56, Floristry 51, Embalming 36.
Gnosis: Myri - 1, Dira – 2,
One of the most feared Myran women in her time, she quickly earned her Goddess’ favor by showing no remorse in battle. She was said to wield two daggers, one for each eye she gouged out from those whom looked at her without the fear she deserved. But one day, she found the love of her life in the form of a Svefra, whom she married immediately and escaped with at sea for years. Came the day they docked in Rivefall, and in the fourth night her husband quickly left to sea promising he’d one day return, for there was something he had to do before being able to be with her. Days, weeks, and years passed, yet Goora refused to ever abandon her wait. Ninety years later, being old and weary as she is, not one day she looks away from the sea, hoping her eyes would spot the very ship that took away her heart and that was never to return.
Prices list
Prices: Standard burial (Raft + Grooming) : 30GM
Standard Extra (Raft + Grooming + Adornment) : 80GM
Premium Burial (Raft + Medium Wicker Figure + Adornment) : 165GM
Grandiose Burial (Large Raft + Large Wicker Figure + Adornments + Procession) : 1500GM
Employment Opportunities
Although there is no required knowledge needed to begin working in the Mourner's Rest, those skilled in the arts of Undertaking, Weaving, Floristry, or Embalming would find themselves favored with increased salaries.
Location Credit: This location was written and designed by Wikus.
