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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4574973" data-attributes="member: 3285">Purity and Corruption: Part 3 – An UndertakerThe second person on the list was Jurbe Nasaran. He was described as a human male, with red hair and hazel eyes, and a scar on his right arm. “That’s it?” asked Kham. “That’s something to start with, but not terribly distinctive in a city with a lot of red-haired Nierite soldiers.”“He’s also a priest of Nier,” said Beldin.Ilmarė rolled her eyes.  “And there’s not enough of THOSE in Nishanpur.”“The description says he used to perform burial rites,” said Sebastian. “All of the formal burials in Nishanpur take place in the Pits, so that’s why we’re here.”The Pits were a strange place compared to the cemeteries of any other city. The smell of ash and smoke hung heavy in the air, almost, but not quite, masking the underlying odor of death. The ground was whitish-gray from an accumulation of ash on the granite rocks, and indeed the cinders had almost congealed to cement in many places. The ground was pockmarked with large holes, a few of which had the burnt remains of large logs protruding from them.A few families were gathered around biers in various areas. One group carried a sarcophagus down into the catacombs at the far end of the Pits. On the west side of the field, a group of men erected a scaffold of logs on top of one of the large holes. A few shiny beetles, several inches long, scurried along the ground.Sebastian smiled benevolently down at the beetles.  “Flesh-eating scarabs.” He carefully stepped around the insects.  “We call them Neroth’s Children.”“Charming,” said Ilmarė. A man in the black and brown robes of a Nerothian approached.  “Greetings. Do you require our services, or are you here for a funeral ritual that has already been planned? I can direct you to the proper location.”“We’re here to find Jurbe Nasaran,” said Sebastian. “Does he work here?”“Ah, you require a Nierite ritual, then? Yes, Jurbe does perform services here. He is currently occupied, however. I can help with the details and make sure your ritual is added to his upcoming schedule. Tell me, do you wish an Erdukeen rite, or do you prefer one in the local fashion?”“No, we aren’t here for a funeral,” replied Sebastian. “We just need to find Jurbe, we have a message for him.”“I see,” the priest looked mildly perturbed. “Well, as I said, Jurbe is currently occupied. I can deliver your message.”Sebastian and Kham exchanged glances.  “We prefer to deliver the message in person.”The Nerothian shrugged. “As you wish. He is over there.” He indicated the scaffolding. “But he is busy preparing for a rite tomorrow morning. Please do not disturb him more than necessary.” The Nerothian pointed out a middle-aged man with thinning red hair, who was doing some work on top of the scaffolding.Jurbe Nasaran was very involved in his task. He was placing bundles of incense into specific positions among the growing structure of large logs. The entire thing was apparently intended to be a huge funeral pyre.When Sebastian finally got his attention, a brief look of frustration, quickly stifled, flashed across his face. “Yes, do you need help with something?”“Are you Jurbe Nasaran?”“Yes, yes, I am he. What can I do for you? Do you require services?”“We were asked to deliver this message to you.“ Sebastian handed him the note. Jurbe opened the note and looked it over. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. Then he crumpled the paper into a small ball and tossed it into a pile of kindling being prepared for the pyre.“Thank you for bringing this. You may go. I have no response.”“What?” asked Sebastian. “You won’t come with us to see Caius and Baecinia?”Jurbe winced visibly at the sound of their names. “At this moment, I cannot leave the task at hand, and whether or not I decide ever to I see them is not your concern.”“It is imperative you attend,” said Sebastian.  “This is of vital importance for all of Nishanpur, and perhaps Canceri.”“What they don’t seem to understand, and perhaps you don’t realize, is that the past is the past,” snapped Jurbe. “What they want to do won’t change anything. All they are doing is ruining their own futures. Do you realize that for the last eight years, I have consistently been passed over for advancement in my order? I am fortunate that I am permitted to have a job at all. I don’t wish to jeopardize my future because they have suddenly decided that now is the time for their strange notion of justice. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do!”Kham put one hand on Sebastian’s shoulder to silence him. “I know a thing or two about Nierite cremation rituals,” Kham said to Jurbe.  “Mind if I help?”“Y-yes.” Jurbe looked surprised. “That would be helpful.”Kham steered Jurbe away from the others, winking back at them as he did so.Jurbe handed Kham a bundle of incense.  “Placing these incense sticks is a challenge,” said Jurbe.  “They must be positioned just so, lest the wind blow them out.  If a stick goes out, the families consider it a judgment of Nier against their relative’s soul.”“I’ve seen this before.” Kham nodded.  “The trick is to put them low enough to the ground so that they’re not caught in the wind, but not so low that they’re in the updraft.  All that heat generates a lot of wind,” he grinned, “sort of like Nierite politics.”Jurbe laughed in spite of himself.  “You are learned man…I didn’t catch your name?”Kham lowered his lenses to reveal his white pupils and evidence of his val heritage.  “It’s not important.” He hoped that the priest hadn’t looked at any wanted posters recently. Jurbe began placing some of the sticks of incense as Kham instructed.  “How did you come to know so much about Nierite rituals?”“I’m part-Altharin; it comes naturally.”  Kham coughed into one hand as some of the incense wafted back in his face.  “Truth be told, I’m hoping you can teach me a thing or two.”“It would be my pleasure,” said Jurbe.  “Your instructions cut my task in half.”“I’ve recently…lost someone. I am concerned about his body.”Jurbe pursed his lips. “Undeath, you mean.”Kham nodded.  “I want to know how to perform the Nierite Sending ceremony correctly.  It’s what my father would have wanted.”Jurbe smiled sympathetically.  “Then I will do my very best to teach it to you.”</blockquote>

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