Location Focus - La Cité des Morts

    La Cité des Morts, or City of the Dead in common, is the primary cemetery of Ville des Marais. Architecturally, they are predominantly above ground tombs, family tombs, civic association tombs, and wall vaults, often in neo-classical design and laid out in regular patterns similar to city streets. Ville des Marais is at or below sea level, resulting in a high water table in the soil. If a body or coffin is placed in an in-ground tomb in Ville des Marais, there is risk of it being water-logged or even displaced from the ground. For this reason, the people of Ville des Marais have generally used above-ground tombs. Over the years as designs have evolved, these tombs have become architecturally, culturally, and historically distinct.

    Most of the tombs are large enough to accommodate four to eight bodies, usually placed 1x4, 2x3 or 2x4 with the individual coffins separated by thin concrete compartments. There are some small tombs designed to hold a single body, however, and these are usually tucked in with the other tombs. The opening to the tombs are normally locked shut, but once the tomb is completely filled then it is cemented over and closed permanently. Every tomb is whitewashed, and it is considered to be a family obligation to repaint the tomb once a year on the anniversary of the death of the last body placed within. Many have lost their whitewashing, reflecting upon the fact that the family is entirely deceased. Five years after the last whitewashing, the tomb is opened and the remains removed and placed in an ossuary that is located next to the south-western corner of the cemetery and the space is reclaimed. A fee can and is often paid that prevents this reclamation from happening, and in this case the tomb is marked with a magical glowing sigil that denotes that it is not to be emptied. These Lumières de la Mort (Death Lights) are usually the family surname, but given names are sometimes added.

La Cité des Morts

    Paladins of the Temple of Cavdes regularly patrol the cemetery in groups of three, looking out for any undead that might raise. Thanks to special funeral services that take place this occurrence is incredibly rare, and these patrols are reserved for new members of the temple. If any undead are spotted, however rare it may be, two of the paladins attempt to destroy the undead while the third moves at top speed to warn the temple and let it's members know what happened. As slaying undead is a way to move up through the ranks of the Paladins of Cavdes, acting as a "notificateur" is often considered to be an undesirable position.

    When someone of the middle or upper class dies in Ville des Marais, a non-denominational funerary service is held for the departed. A black carriage, drawn by two black horses, brings the coffin from the deceased's home to La Cité des Morts, and it is followed by the family and friends of the departed. Bards are hired to play dirges while the procession moves along, and random passersby often join the procession behind the bards. Once the cortège has exited through the gate to the Route du Sud, the music changes and becomes raucous and happy, reminding the dead that life continues on. Once on the grounds of the cemetery the music stops, the funeral service is held in the main chapel and the coffin is then moved to the chosen tomb. Gentle Repose is cast upon the body and again once every day for three days, usually preventing the corpse from rising as undead.

The ossuary

    It is considered by all in the city that entombing a corpse that had previously risen as undead to be incredibly unlucky. In these cases after the funeral is held the body is magically reduced to ashes and the ash is placed in a mass receptacle that has been built in the ossuary specifically for holding the powder. The dust is mixed together with the other ashes and the whole area is blessed by a cleric every single day.

    The lower class citizens of the city receive a simple funeral, but these events usually lack the bards and processions through the city simply because they can't be paid for. The poor are entombed in a Mur de la Mort (Death Wall) with entire families occupying the same space. As more members of a family die, the doors to the tomb are opened, the remains are pushed back and the corpse (never in a coffin) is added in. Unlike the tombs these vaults are never emptied, but once they are filled the main whitewashing is removed and they are permanently sealed shut.

A Mur de la Mort vault holds entire families of the poor