The Death Rock

The Death Rock is a mesa in The Old Sea. It is a sacred place for the tribes of the desert, The Fey'ri.  Often, when an important member of any tribe dies, they are taken to the Death Rock so they can be given a formal sky burial. The tribes themselves decide who they should bring to be buried closer to the spirits, yet practicality rules over the honor of being buried on Death Rock. For example, if the clan is very far away from the Death Rock when someone dies, it is not cost-effective to bring the deceased there. In such situations, the rites are performed locally and many tribes have smaller sacred places where they have a tendency to bury their deceased, often on high places following the sky burial ritual. Other ways of burial are also occasionally followed, mostly cremation (if there is available fuel to have a proper fire). Inhumation is rare, but it can happen; there are known to be small burial caves where the arid conditions of the desert turn the bodies into mummies. With mummies, though, there is the risk that they might rise up as undead, if proper rituals are not performed to make the spirit transfer onwards. Due to the magical nature of The Old Sea area, there are still risks...

Fauna & Flora

The Death Rock might be the only place where scavengers are tolerated and even venerated, due to the sacred nature of the mesa. The Clan Deathrock believes that their most dutiful deceased relatives are born again as coyotes, vultures and other scavengers, to help to guard the sacred place even in their next life.

Alternative Name(s)

The Burial Rock

Type

Mountain / Hill

Location under

The Old Sea

Owning Organization

Clan Deathrock