Location Maria Satterthwite Memorial Cemetary

[Neologism]

Maria Satterthwite Memorial Cemetery

For nearly two long seasons following the Spring Djed Storm of 512AV workers, through weather, heart ache, and residual storms worked meticulously upon the hill overlooking the Ancient Quarter which few people went. For centuries this land lay untouched, but viable for the construction of buildings. For on this hill lay the dead. From this new effort sprang a beacon visible from anywhere in the city. A large stone construct, resembling an elegantly carved gazebo fashioned of white stone, large enough to house hundreds of men and women. Aesthetically perched within the cemetery, the new Memorial was accompanied by the striking statues of those lost, sturdy mausoleums for the influential of the past, and adornments to the markers that already stood.

Now that the Cemetery has aged past its construction, vines and other expertly placed foliage can be found growing tall around small plots of family graves and private crypts. The feeling of the cemetery is predominately private, reverent, and sensual. Ghosts are known to walk among the graves, talking with those who have passed. But not all are kind, and most citizens fear the cemetery and the lost souls who dwell there. The only ones brave enough to watch over the cemetery are the Envoyers, and even they are just as new as the monument. The Envoyers are a small collect group who choose to guard the cemetery and its undead inhabitants after the Djed Storm of 512AV. Envoyers prepare funerals and bury the dead upon the hill as well as keep the ghosts in line and contained in the cemetery. For the most part the Envoyers are left alone and forgotten by the city. Any vandalism, violation of spirits, or unlawful appropriation of the deceased will be met with strict objection by the Envoyers, likely leading to an unmarked grave for you and any accomplices you might have.

Funerals in Zeltiva have always been tiptoed around and simply forgotten. There was no tradition other than a simply pillar with a description of the person’s life to commemorate them. Envoyers would bury people alone and no family would participate for fear the ghost would return to haunt them. Often it was this lack of tradition which created a large ghost problem in Zeltiva, where sudden deaths went uncared for and the spirits came back for vengeance, requiring the existence of the Envoys. After the loss of multitudes of people during the Djed Storm of 512AV, Maria Satterthwite decided to chance that. The new tradition of carrying fish to lay a loved one to rest was born.

Even now, funerals are a simple and private matter, mostly because people are scared to enter the cemetery. Rarely are there large processions of grieving peoples, but typically just a small gathering of the closest family members and friends wishing to offer some closure for their fallen loved one. The tradition of carrying fish has helped families find peace with the loss of a loved one. During the construction of the monument, a pond was created for this very reason. Within the elegant marble walls of the monument lay set into the black marble flooring a dark as night pond taking up half of the monument's inner sanctum. Within this pitch pool swims dozens of fish within water which naturally flows in from the stream the temple was built upon. Since its presentation to the general populace it has been common for those that wish to honor the lost or dead to carry a large fish caught from Mathew’s Bay, up the winding steps of the hillside and deposit the fish into the water after speaking the name of that which they have lost. This ritual has soothed many grieving hearts, and is believed to help those which are lost to find a suitable place for it to continue peacefully on its natural path, vastly lessening the plague of ghosts that haunts the cemetery.

In 516AV after the disappearance of Morwen when the preserving of bodies through ice at the Center of Healing was no longer possible, cremation became a very common form of burial for the dead, in fact traditional burials were impossible. Now the tradition has evolved to the carrying of the fish and then the burial of the urn that holds the ashes of one’s loved ones into the smaller more compact modern plots. There are currently only two Envoyers who receive the urns and oversee all funeral operations and help with ghosts when necessary, and having only been in the career path for a few years, their job is hard.

 

Maria Satterthwite

Race: Human
Date of Birth: Fall, 461AV
Place of Birth: Zeltiva
Title: Ex-Lord of Council
Skills: Materialization (65), Soulmist Projection (60), Rhetoric (55), Law (50), Politics (40), Negotiation (35), Possession(25)
Language: Common (Fluent), Fratava (Basic), Kontinese (Basic)
Concept: The unfortunate fate of an ex-Lord of Council is that of being forgotten. Although Maria had pushed to retrieve power to the Lord of Council more than any before her, when her time in office had passed, she was quickly pushed out of Zeltivan memory. It was also that very spirit which had put her under danger from the Sailor's Guild and the Board of Regents, who have throttled the Lord Councilor's power for so long. During a famine in the year 518AV, Maria was not given a rations card even though she qualified for one. Out of the spotlight and without food, Maria found herself vulnerable to disease, and while her family tried to assist her, Maria was shunned from the Center of Healing when she was in dire need, and was ultimately taken by a simple flu. She now haunts the cemetery she had once tried to save, seething with hatred over the treatment of Lord Councilors and wanting revenge for the corruption that she had fought against in life.
Other: PM an ST for use.

 

Employment

Envoyer: The Envoyers are not undertakers. The undertakers who handle recent deaths and cremate them are found at the Center of Healing. Envoyers are Spiritists and guardians of the cemetery. Due to the difficulty of their work, they are picky about who they choose to train to become an Envoyer. Base pay is 7 gm/day, must possess the Spiritism skill.

 

Note

The Cemetery is horribly infested with ghosts. Although the Envoyers can keep them more or less contained, enter the cemetery at your own risk.

Original location credit goes to Echelon.