Burial in the Dark Mountains

When a person dies, the family and friends of the deceased brings the body up the Path of Judgment to the City of the Dead. This road, located in every inhabited valley, ends at the gate of the City of the Dead, guarded by a Praetor of the valley. He questions those present about the life of the deceased person, asking whether their life was in service to their Lord. If the deceased was found guilty of any crimes, it is asked whether or not they were atoned for. If the dead is found to be honorable, they are taken inside. Otherwise, the body is confiscated by the Praetor to be turned into walking dead. Walking dead are used as menial labor or as soldiers. Since they are considered expendable, they rarely last very long. Eventually, they decay, are torn to shreds, or otherwise destroyed. Obviously, this makes any hope of future bodily resurrection doubtful.

However, honorable dead of every valley are eventually given rest by the morticians employed in the City of the Dead. They dutifully preserve the body for its future resurrection, and then encase the body in cement. The deceased’s death mask is imprinted on top as well as the dead’s name and noteworthy deeds. The entire assemblage is then placed in the city as one would place a brick. The entire structure is mostly made of this sort of de facto mausoleum. The great mortician-artists of the City of the Dead live there with their families. They keep the grounds clean, tend to gardens inside, and see to the wellbeing of those interred within.