Degrading Dead Bodies

Ms. Midori,

My thanks for your clarification, but I do have one minor quibble. All who reside here are subjects and not citizens.

Nesterin,

If you are given permssion, by all means. Therein lies the entire purpose of Lt. Allyce's notice here on this board.


-Sgt. Nalick DeMonteforte

(OOG: Not Chenjing)

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AGHARᚦA

Look at all of you, at each others throats over respect for the dead, yet how many have rooted through corpses for gold?

I had a similar situation happen a few moons ago. Some ritual in Kaladonia was happening and people were left to suffer on the ground bleeding out slowly. A healer, I believe Thalia stated to slit their throats and it would help the process go faster, ending unneeded suffering to those afflicted but alas... I was attempting to help only to be threatened by a guardsman!

Why is it that those simply trying to help and make sure people are safe are accosted the most? I pray for the day that Travance sees people trying to help and puts them up on the mantle they deserve to be on!

Signed,
Dunn Ironwill

Nalick,

I am confused. What is the difference between a subject and a citizen?

Everyone else:

Everybody's getting so angry! I've lived in a lot of different places and everybody seems to have different ideas about what is a respectful way to take care of a dead body and what is desecration. Some places bury their dead. Others burn them. Others send them into the sea. Some, like my friend, Bitzzz, even eat their dead so that they will always have a piece of their loved ones with them. I think Mr. Mantel is smart to carry a note with him that tells people how he would like to be treated. Maybe I will do that too.

I think that Damien and Nesterin and others were not trying to disrespect the dead or destroy evidence. They were trying to protect their bodies from the scary monsters that wanted to eat their bones, and the rest of Travance too so the monster didn't get stronger. That was smart, and I think better for the people who were dead than to be eaten by a monster.

Miss Allyce isn't saying anyone's in trouble for that. She's not yelling at anybody. She's just asking that, in the future, now that the monster is gone, people ask the soul's permission before doing something like that because some people might not want that.

Agartha, I don't think they meant to disrespect your people (they are your people right? I shouldn't assume you are a Vanier just because of what you're writing). I think they probably didn't know your culture and their customs as well as you do. I would like to learn though. If you're going to stay in town for any length of time, maybe you could do me the honor of teaching me? Then in the future, if we have any more Vanier dead (hopefully not), then we will know the right way to care for them if you help us.

Mr. Grim also raises a good point. How can the guard investigate anything if they can't examine the body? If you don't know how someone died, then maybe we can call the guards before we do anything else so that they can get what they need to as fast as possible. The sooner that happens, the sooner people can take care of the dead.

Mr. Ironwill, thank you for helping. They shouldn't have threatened you, but maybe they just had everything in hand. Rituals are funny like that. The slightest thing could mess it up, and maybe they were afraid that would happen and they overreacted. I like to help people too. Maybe we can talk about that sometime. But I have been on a "mantle" before. It's not comfortable. I think if you were on one, you would want to get down. I did! But nonetheless, than you so much for always trying to help, even if people get mean about it sometimes. It is appreciated.

-Midori Suarez
Daughter of Mercy

I shall not argue as I am awaiting a response from the Captain currently and will tend to this matter with him.

I will ask however what if a situation arises where one who can talk with the dead does so and recieves the soul "Permission" but when said soul returns through the phokus has decided that was not what they wished. Or what of situations where no one who can speak with the dead is present? How about if the soul refuses to answer? What if the clergy refuse? These are questions I can keep on asking but the only thing I see this doing is filling the streets with the dead. I am not against burial rites in anyway, I prefer them as they are the respect all the dead normally deserve. I even own Funerary Services in Valdalis. It is the cases where the burial is not an option, burning is great and for some cultures is the proper way, however this takes time. Decomposition is quick and painless and does the same thing years worth of natural degrading does but in seconds. So as long as the body was not desecrated and proper rites performed I have no quarrel against this act. Unless I am reimbursed for the use of my faith in any matter to speak to the dead I will not be doing so, last feast was an oddity for me to be using such druidic power. I will however if the laws of the barony allow for them to be used by anyone, be selling psalms that will allow anyone who is advanced in their literacy to whisper through the black gate to speak with a soul.

Midori,

To my knowledge, the word "citizen" is not in use in any governmental system on Arawyn, though I will peruse the Baronial Library to make certain. Here, we are subjects of His Majesty, King Aleric Nostrov II, as Travance is a settlement of the broader Kingdom of Kormyre. The laws here were passed down by His Majesty and, on occasion, altered.

Damien,
If you had the soul's permission at the time, that would suffice, regardless of their answer after the fact. If you cannot speak with the dead or if they refuse to answer, both of these will be treated as a lack of permission. The same would apply to those persons who are conscious and able to respond.


-Sgt. Nalick DeMonteforte