Need Help - Elven Funeral Ceremony

[DarrenGMiller]

Okay, next session, we are starting with some of the PC's (Elves) attending their brother's funeral at an Elven village on the fringes of the Gnarley Forest in the Greyhawk setting. I have some ideas, but thought I would throw this out here and see if anyone else here has a concept of what an Elven funeral ceremony would be like. The body was horribly mutilated after death and the skull was crushed by a heavy mace (the killing blow) from an evil priest.

So, what would the funeral observances be like? How do you think the body would be treated or put to rest? Any and all serious ideas/concepts are welcome.

DM

 

[TheLostSoul]

I have always pictured Elves burning their dead. First they will prepare the body for its final journey, dressing the body in fine clothes and including any significant personal items. This includes items that show the deceased's station in live (jewelry, weapons, clothes). Then they dig a small hole in the ground, approximately 0,5 m deep and about a meter in circumference. On top of this hole they built a pyre.

The pyre is built by laying logs, about 2 - 3 m long, over the pit. The first layer is laid directly on the ground and each log is parallel to the next. The next layer is perpendicular to the first. When the pyre is around 2 m tall, it is finished. Small, dry branches and leaves are placed between the logs, so that the fire starts more easily.

The deceased is placed on the top of the pyre. During this, the community, or select members of the community (aids to the local priesthood for exampel), sings a song of lament for the deceased. After a little time (perhaps up to a day), the pyre is lit. After the fire has subsided, the pit is covered and the grave is marked by a small mound, possibly surrounded by a small circle (or other geometric formation. Perhaps relating to the deceased's station in live) of stones.

 

[Quickleaf]

The death of an elf is a BIG event. Elves can naturally live for 600 or more years. Some are said to never die. If the brother was an adult elf, he was at least 75 years old. Think about a 75 year-old person and how many people would know them. They may have children, possibly grandchildren. Other elves definitely know about the brother. The turn out for the funeral should be quite large. Perhaps there are groups of elves there who seek to use the brother's death in order to incite the people against the evil priest, fueling their own personal vendetta.

The ceremony is long, 2-3 days building up to the actual burial. Mankind is usually a more fiery race than elves, who always seem cooler, so perhaps sending the body on a raft into the misty lake would be appropriate? Or in this case an ancient elf clothed in white garments with a green laurel on his head may approach upon the end of the ceremony, and gather up the brother's dead body to take him away to the secret place the ancient elf came from. Others whisper he is the "Green Man" of elven lore.

White roses are cast from every tree or rooftop as the procession of PCs bear the brother's body. Various tokens are given to the PCs or laid atop the handwoven casket, things like written prayers, crystals, bronze coins with the names of all surviving family written on them, wreaths of flowers, etc. Bards sing slow sad eulogies of the brother, telling of his valor, and his charity. People the brother helped (perhaps even other races) that nobody knows about will appear at the funeral to give their gratitude to the PCs. Perhaps the PCs "inherit" the stranger's debt of gratitude.

The grieving process could go on for years, if not decades. The surviving family members will wear a token signifying the death of their loved one for a year (if not longer), like a black sash on the arm or a lock of his hair sealed in a vial worn around the neck.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

There is definitely some good stuff here (and in the previous post). I am doing this on Sunday afternoon, so I am hoping to augment and optimize my idea of what the observance would be like.

We are playing the event "out of time" since the death happened in the 2nd session of this young campaign (in a venerable setting), the recovery of the body in the 4th session and the funeral in the 5th session, near the beginning of the session, though in deference to the other players, I "fast-forwarded" to a month later (the other players let me know what their characters are doing during that time) and told them that the funeral would be role-played before the next session (the 6th, on Sunday) with just myself and the two players present. So, the characters can stay up to a month, with the heart of the rites taking up to a week.

About the deceased: To add to the background already given, he was a young adult in elven years, training to be a Wizard and just finished with 20 years of study at the academy, which he entered as an adolescent. His name was Nym. His sister is a Druid named Aria and his older brother, who returned home to lead the recovery of the body and exact vengeance on said evil priest, is a priest of Correlan Larethian named Shea. Their father did not want Shea to follow the path to the priesthood and Nym was his favorite of the two boys, though the softest spot in his heart has always been reserved for Aria. The father does not know that his beloved wife summoned the elder son home to recover the body and dole out retribution, but is going to find out Shea has returned when he bears the body home.

--- warning---
graphic description follows

About the body: The CE priest smashed Nym's head with a heavy mace while the brave Wizard performed a holding action which allowed his sister, Aria, to escape the encounter alive (not to mention the rest of the party). He died instantly, then his body was ritually mutilated by the priest and torn to pieces. The priest's Orc servants and his Ogre enforcer were allowed the choicest parts before the remains were dumped into the underground pit that served as their refuse dump. Shea arrived about a week later and recovered the body (though the priest escaped with the assistance of a Contingency spell) and slew the Orcs and Ogre (with Aria's help, along with the rest of her party).

Metagame: Nym was the PC belonging to the player who is now running Shea. The player made a heroic sacrifice of the character when a TPK was looming. The Paladin was dead and the Fighter down, so the Wizard waded into melee (out of spells) to buy time for the rest to escape. It worked and this funeral is my reward to the player (who always grows fond of his characters) for his selfless act to save the party from a TPK. I want to provide the player, as well as the player who runs Aria, with a special, memorable experience.

Thanks for the suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

DM

 

[Sigurd]

I imagine a long period of remembrance and contemplation that does not necessarily need the body.

The body could be entrusted to a ceremonial leader who will inter somewhere peaceful or whatever. I imagine its a relatively secret an solemn thing. The immediate family might know where it is taken but I imagine they would try and deter grave robbers.

Depending on the number of elves and the amount of wilderness it might be a solitary grave fire, or a cairn somewhere. Perhaps a ship burial? I imagine the treatment of the body would be really solitary and lonely while the treatment of the memory would be really shared and ceremonial.


Sigurd.


Interesting thread

 

[Quickleaf]

Yeah, interesting thread.

Have you considered a prestige class for Shea to interact with Nyn's ghost. Like a "speaker for the dead" PrC or something? (I know i have notes for it somewhere) At the very least, I'd allow Shea to swear an oath which operates like the ranger's favored enemy against the priest that slew his brother and the orcs that ravaged the body.

 

[Sigurd]

Have you considered a prestige class for Shea to interact with Nyn's ghost. Like a "speaker for the dead" PrC or something? (I know i have notes for it somewhere) At the very least, I'd allow Shea to swear an oath which operates like the ranger's favored enemy against the priest that slew his brother and the orcs that ravaged the body.

A vengence oath need not be a simple gimme. You might have them foreswear EXP until someone has died for the murder. Perhaps sacrifice 1hp a die on magic healing until the dead char is avenged.

I have used the hp sacrifice for good results in gameplay. Keep track of the sacrificed hp and use them to determine an XP point award when the vengeance is won. They can give up the vow anytime but suffer an XP penalty times the number of hp given.


S

 

[shady]

Maybe a dumb idea but if you have access to the LotR soundtrack the lament played for Gandalf in Lothlorien might make good backing music. The track is (unsurprisingly) "Gandalf's Lament" ... it doesn't seem to be on the official soundtrack (probably because it isn't by the main composer) but is on some other versions ... maybe you could find it at your local library.

 

[ivocaliban]

Maybe a dumb idea but if you have access to the LotR soundtrack the lament played for Gandalf in Lothlorien might make good backing music. The track is (unsurprisingly) "Gandalf's Lament" ... it doesn't seem to be on the official soundtrack (probably because it isn't by the main composer) but is on some other versions ... maybe you could find it at your local library.

Just a small note regarding this for those interested: "Lament for Gandalf" is performed by Elizabeth Fraser, the vocalist of the band Cocteau Twins. I believe this piece is included within the "Lothlorien" track. What's actually being sung however is "Olorin's Lament." You can read the lyrics and listen here: http://www.anorahithil.net/music.html

Fraser also contributed vocals to "Isengard Unleashed" from The Two Towers.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Maybe a dumb idea but if you have access to the LotR soundtrack the lament played for Gandalf in Lothlorien might make good backing music. The track is (unsurprisingly) "Gandalf's Lament" ... it doesn't seem to be on the official soundtrack (probably because it isn't by the main composer) but is on some other versions ... maybe you could find it at your local library.

GREAT IDEA! I don't have that one, but am sure I have some other appropriate funerary music. This really appeals to me as a musician and music teacher. I like the use of music to enhance the game, but my players, most of whom are musicians or at least avid music listeners recognize much of it and associate it with the movie it is from, or a performance they heard or performed in instead of the game.

Hmmm... off to find some obscure funeral music. Maybe I will try Edvard Grieg's "Death of Ase" from Peer Gynt Suite (though I know three of them have performed it, because I was conducting).

DM