Final Service

The ritual of Final Service is the process by which Dariworkers are created. There are no mysteries or secret rites about this ritual as a key part of people accepting the creation of Dariworkers is that those whose bodies are used consent to the process.
The details of the process were worked out between Tandariel Shimmerstone and Lissanna Starflower, a cleric of Starbrow. Spells to animate corpses have existed since before records began, but most have little concern for the dignity of the departed or the feelings of their families. There were also concerns about someone using the Dariworkers for nefarious purposes so care had to be taken to ensure that this couldn’t happen.

Consent

The first stage is gaining consent. Initially this was something of a challenge as few were willing to look favourably on the idea of their body being animated after death. A set form was developed to help show someone’s relatives that they wished for their body to be used in this way, but as the form says the relatives can object to this.

As acceptance of the workers has grown in places like Luicarnyelle village the form has become something of a formality and those who don’t agree to leave their bodies to village are considered unusual. A family objecting to a deceased relative’s wish for their body to be used in this way is now almost unheard of.
The Darimakers and clerics from the Church of the Starbrow are more than happy to spend time explaining the process and how it aligns to the teachings of Starbrow to those who still harbour doubts.

Spirit Passing

Before any use can be made of the body of a recently deceased the person’s spirit must move on. The rites for this are almost unchanged compared to older practises, which helps to link this ritual with the older ones and ease the concerns of more traditionally minded people.

Inspection and Classification

Once the spirit has moved on the body is checked for damage in order to determine which type of Dariworkers should be created. Bodies with excessive damage, such as those with heavily damaged bones, will not be animated. Bodies with sufficient flesh that is undamaged will have the internal organs extracted and the skin and remaining flesh treated with a preservative. Spells are worked into the flesh to help boost the strength of the preservative.
The bodies of those wasted by disease or old age, or those who have excessive damage to the flesh will have all flesh stripped from the bones. This is achieved through the use of beetles which are known for devouring dead flesh. The beetles are allowed to work for a month before the bones are extracted and cleansed with various liquids. The bones are then checked for cracks or fractures and any minor damage repaired. They are then treated with a preservative.

Sanctify and Animate

With the body or bones properly prepared the process for animating the body can begin. The first step is for a cleric of Starbrow to cleanse the body of any remaining negative influences and prevent any outside powers gaining control of them. The Darimakers then use arcane spells to animate the bodies and link them to one of the control token types. The type of token is determined by whether it is a full corpse or just a skeleton that is being animated. The spells take several days to complete and when they are finished the new worker will be checked by a cleric before being garbed in suitable robes and presented to the village.

Related Organizations

• Ancient Kingdom of the Forest
• Church of the Starbrow

Related School

Necromancy

A lengthy Process

Unlike the crude spells used by evil spellcasters to raise groups of undead the ritual to create a Dariworker is a long and careful process. This extended process allows numerous checks and safeguards to be worked into the spell of animation and also allows for control to be established through tokens rather than the workers being solely under the control of the person who animated them.