The Funerary Practices of the Wood-Elves from _A Gazetteer of the Free Peoples_ Of the burial customs of the many races of the world, few are more curious than those of the Wood-Elves of the Western Forests. The Elves, as is well-known, spend their lives in the canopy of the enormous temperate rainforests of the slopes west of the World's Spine. Indeed, it is not uncommon for an elf to pass his or her entire (tremendously lengthy by human standards) lifetime without setting foot on the ground: only the hunting caste and some traders do so regularly. The traditional elf village is, of course, a series of platforms in the tree-tops; clearly, such a mode of life makes traditional burial, as humans or dwarves understand it, impractical. When an elf dies, the first order of business is to cut open a vein--usually the jugular--and to drain the corpse of blood before it can coagulate. The blood is retained in a funerary vessel. The corpse is then washed, clad in a white death-robe, and placed in a bower at the pinnacle of a high tree, above the canopy. For the next forty days, the corpse is left aloft in the bower to be eaten by birds and insects. Its blood is mixed with sacred soil--typically, loam from near the root of the village's central tree, blessed by a priest. The temples maintain a stock of sacred soil which is generally replenished yearly at the end of the rainy season (q.v. "Religions of the Elvish Races"). Into this mixture of blood and soil is planted one of the seeds of the central tree, and the seedling is nurtured within the funerary vessel until the forty days of mourning have passed. At this point, a party is assembled to transport the remains, any grave goods, and seedling to the burial grounds. The burial grounds are a vast expanse, comprising hundreds of square miles. Most tribes must journey many days to reach the grounds, which are held in common by all the elvish nations. The burial party descends from the canopy to the ground by means of rope ladders they have brought. A glade where sunlight reaches the forest floor is found, and the seedling is planted. The remains are laid on the ground nearby, but not so near that scavengers are likely to inadvertently damage the seedling. A barrow is constructed--either a mound of earth, a cairn of stones, or a handy cave--and the grave goods are laid within. Then it is sealed again; very often the priest will place runes of warding on the cairn, or, insidiously, work a bladder full of a typical elf-potion of rage or sleep into the construction so that a tomb robber will break the container and be exposed to the potion's effect. It is the belief of the elves that the spirit of the departed will be bound to the seedling as long as that tree lives, and it will act as a jealous--and nearly mindless--guardian of its burial site. When the tree finally dies and topples, the spirit does not depart. But just as the tree is reborn, in a sense, in the form of a circle of seedlings around the fallen plant, the spirit of the elf becomes more diffuse. As the enormous spruces and firs that form the pillars of a village live two or three hundred years, after a thousand years or so, the guardian spirit of the locale has none of its original individuality and has become a vague sort of impersonal forest guardian, infusing an area of a few hundred yards around the site of the original tree. Not infrequently, bands of adventurers decide that Elvish tombs will be easy pickings. They could not be more wrong. For starters, the terrain in which the burial grounds are found is often terrifically inaccessible on foot: creek-riddled mountainsides; the low, flat parts are miserable bogs of devil's club and slide alder, the steep parts are both slippery and sheer, and ravines and cliffs often make finding a route between two close-as-the-crow-flies places very difficult. Needless to say, there are not widely available maps to elven burial grounds, and any map purporting to be such is very likely false. The difficulty of the terrain, though, pales in comparison to the threats posed by the various inhabitants of the grounds. In addition to the spirits of the trees themselves, the burial grounds are home to animals natural (grizzly bear, dire wolf, mountain lion) and supernatural (shambling mound, dryad [see below]). Further, it is quite common for treants to take up residence in a burial ground; they have no objection to the occasional elven burial, and are quite happy to help the forest spirits defend their homes against interlopers. Any elven hunting or burial party that encounters tomb robbers will neither ask for, nor give, quarter, and will fight savagely and lethally. Even once the animal and plant threats are dealt with, the problem of frequent fiendish traps on elf-barrows remains, as well as the disappointing fact that few of the barrows contain anything of any real value: most elves are buried with a few pieces of jewelry, and, if warriors, their weapons and armor (which may or may not be magical or impervious to the ravages of time). Elves do not typically bury coinage with their dead, and since they employ little metal, weapons and armor tend to be unusable within just a few years. All of these factors combine to make looting elven tombs a high-risk, low-reward, usually quite-unpleasantly-but-swiftly fatal, occupation. ==== Sample Elven Tomb: The Tomb of Silenor The Dreamer The Tomb of Silenor is in a high mountain valley near the northern end of the Burial Grounds. The valley is a little over a kilometer long and a little less than a kilometer wide. The main valley floor, where A and B are, is at about 1500m elevation. D is at about 1350m. The rock just upstream of D is therefore a waterfall, which falls about 120m in three plunges before hitting the small splash pool and then cascading another 30m down to the larger lake east of D. Likewise, the inflow to the large lake at the top of the page (northwest) is a series of cascades and waterfalls. The valley itself is thickly forested in spruce and fir; it is typical climax forest, with some underbrush, then nothing but large branchless tree trunks until the canopy is reached some 25M up. Dotted throughout it are several glades, usually caused by lightning-strike fires or the collapse of large trees, which pulled others down with them. The valley floor slopes up to the mountain peaks and ridges which surround it; the forest gives way to meadow and scrub as one climbs the sides of the bowl, and then the scrub turns to scree, which slopes steeply up to basalt cliffs. The peaks which surround the valley are about 2500m, and can be reached by experienced climbers without technical equipment. There are four items of particular interest in the valley that contains the Tomb of Silenor The Dreamer: A) is the barrow itself, which is detailed below. It is found within a glade created by the collapse of the tree planted for Silenor some 400 years ago. The tree itself can be seen, slowly decaying into the meadow floor, having cracked from a massive stump which still stands some 15 feet high, and fallen to the west. B) is the circle in which the banshee--the vengeful ghost of Silenor--roams. Once inside the circle, there is a 10% chance per turn that the banshee will appear and attack. If the tomb at A is disturbed, the banshee will rush from wherever it is (it can move 60 feet per round, and is undeterred by solid objects) to attack. The banshee has no memory of being Silenor, and no spell-casting ability. C) is a cave that is home to a grizzly bear sow and her two cubs. They can often be found foraging near the stream. D) is a Dryad (see below). It is placed in such a way that a party attempting to find a route up the gorge by the side of the waterfall (and such a route does exist, and is the obvious path for a party that is not travelling in the treetops) will almost certainly encounter it. ==== Barrow Of Silenor the Dreamer: The entrance to the barrow can be found by a careful examination of the southern end of the barrow-mound; it is clearly a dry-stone wall, although overgrown with vines. When it is breached, a DC 18 Reflex save must be made to avoid rupturing the bladder of Rage Potion held within. The potion quickly disperses; each round its effects work one more small hex outwards, to a maximum radius of 500 yards (which is to say, yes, it will just barely reach the grizzly cave). Any creature inhaling the potion must make a Will save at DC 15, with its Fortitude save bonus applied *as a penalty*, or go berserk and be compelled to rush at top speed to the source of the smell and kill whatever it finds there. Even normally peaceful animals, such as elk, fishers, and marmots, are affected. The effects last for 1d6 turns. If the players choose to dig directly into the barrow, bypassing the wall, the thickness of the earth that surrounds it ranges from 3 feet (near the door) to ten feet (at the center). Inside the outer chamber, at the bottom of a flight of steps, are funerary offerings: dried flowers, jugs of wine (some, perhaps, still drinkable, and worth something to collectors), long-returned-to-dust baked goods. There is an interior stone wall with an obvious doorway, filled with a stone slab, in it. When the slab is touched, the rune inscribed on it activates: it causes 3d6 damage to the person who touched the door (DC 18 Will save halves) (a bloody stab wound appears on the person, per the Runic Alphabet, Fey spell), and 2d6 to anyone in the outer chamber (DC 15 Will save halves). Within the inner chamber are the grave goods of Silenor the Dreamer. Bone Armor: this armor is made from intricately-carved bones of large ungulates (moose and caribou, mostly). It is useless as found, as the leather thongs that bind it together have rotted, but if they are replaced, it protects with AC Bonus +4, Check Penalty -2, no speed penalty, Fumble Die d8. It is worth 400gp to a collector of elven antiquities. Exquisitely-carved bow: Unfortunately, the bow has dry-rotted, and an attempt to string it will result in its shattering. It is worth 35gp as a curio to a collector. Mithril Rapier: Incredibly light, yet sturdy. This mithril rapier hasn't corroded at all. It does 1d6+1 damage, weighs two pounds, and is worth 80 gp to a collector. Fly rod: Silenor liked to fly fish. This rod is unbelievably light, and beautiful in a minimalist way. It is enchanted to resist the effects of age. It confers a +5 on any effort to catch a fish with a fly, assuming that the wielder is skilled in the first place. A serious angler would pay 100 gp for it. Staff: This is a beech-wood staff topped with a small deer antler. Once it is bonded to a new owner, it becomes a +1 magical weapon that inflicts 1d4+CL, and can emit light in a 20' radius ranging from nothing up to full daylight. It grants a +1 to spell checks on all Sleep spells and a +1 bonus to all saves. Once it is bonded to an owner, the owner takes 1d4 hit points per caster level if the staff is destroyed. It is worth 300 GP in its unbonded state. Its primary value, in its bonded state, is to threaten the wizard to whom it is bonded, and it is worth whatever he or she is willing to ransom it back for. Spell Book: alas, time, damp, and insects have ruined Silenor's spell book; it is a mere pulpy mass of pages with no value whatsoever. Turquoise Necklace: This is a silver necklace with large polished pieces of turquoise. It's worth 50 gp, and has no enchantment or function besides being pretty. The silver is tarnished and needs a good polishing before its value is apparent. ==== Monsters (DCC statistics given): Banshee: Init +3; Atk Claw +2 melee (1d4). AC 16. HD 4d12 (28 HP). MV 60, Action 1d20, SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +5. SP: Fear: anyone viewing the banshee must make a DC 13 Will save or flee in terror for 1d6 rounds; there is a 50% chance that a fleeing character will drop any held items. Wail: once per day, the banshee can Wail; all creatures within a 30' radius of it must make a DC 15 Will save or die. Incorporeal, immune to non-magical weapons (+1 or better required to hit). Un-dead and subject to turning. AL C. This particular banshee appears as a transparent, floating, rotting elf corpse, dressed in the rags of wizard's robes and carrying a wizard's staff. Grizzly Bear: Init +1; Atk bite +4 melee (1d6), 2 claws +2 melee (1d4). AC 14. HD 3d8 (14 HP). MV 30, Action 1d20, SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0. AL N. This particular grizzly is a sow with cubs. If her cubs are threatened, she becomes enraged, and gains an additional +2 to hit and damage with each attack, and an additional +4 to Fortitude and Will saves. Grizzly Cubs: Init -1; Atk bite +1 melee (1d4), 2 claws +0 melee (1d2). AC 13. HD 1d8 (5 HP). MV 20, Action 1d20, SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0. AL N. Dryad: Init +0; Atk Tentacles +2 melee (1d4 + grab), Digest auto (1), Charm (DC 12). AC 19 (trunk exterior), 10 (dryad-fruit), 8 (interior). HP: 5 per tentacle, 20 (fruit), HD 15d8 trunk (must kill trunk to kill creature). MV 0, Action 1d20, SV Fort +6, Ref n/a, Will n/a. AL N. The Dryad is basically a giant pitcher plant. It's about 70 feet high; the trunk is 20 feet in diameter. Branches start about 20 feet up. In form it resembles a very fat weeping willow with a platform of broad, flat leaves atop it. On top of those leaves is what appears to be (from a distance) a beautiful, naked woman. When the tree hears/feels large creatures approaching, it dangles the woman atop the leaves and makes her dance. Viewers must make a DC12 save or be charmed; if charmed, they are compelled to get to the woman. The woman-thing is actually bait-fruit. It is kind of mushy on the inside, about like a mango, and smells of orange flowers and cloves. It probably tastes awesome. The willow-frond-like appendages hang down in a ring about ten feet outside the trunk; they can grasp anything from five to fifteen feet from the trunk. There are hundreds of these tentacles, but only one will attack a creature at any one time. If a creature is grabbed by a tentacle, it does 1d4 damage initially, and then the creature must make a contested strength check against the tentacle's strength of 17 (+2) to avoid being grabbed. A grabbed creature takes no further damage, but is lifted thirty feet into the air after one round (standard falling damage applies). After two rounds the creature is over the leafy platform (no damage, but see below); after three rounds it is partially lowered into the dryad's digestive cavity. On the fourth round the dryad drops the creature into the cavity, causing 1d6 of falling damage, and see below for digestion damage. The base of the tree is ringed by six large knotty sphincter-like openings. Anyone really determined can push a hand, spear, or whatever into one. See below for digestion damage. There is a notable smell of vinegar around the base of the trunk (this is actually digestive acid), and a conscientious search will turn up 1d6 gold pieces, as well as small bone fragments, outside the sphincters. The trunk is easily climbed (DC 5), as it is very knobby and burled. It takes four rounds to get to the lowest branches, and from there only two more rounds to get to the platform. Once on the platform, anyone who approaches the woman will trigger the big, flat leaves to collapse inwards. Anyone on the leaves must make a DC14 reflex save, or fall into the digestive pit, taking 2d6 damage (plus digestion damage below). Once the pit has collapsed, the bait-fruit will be pulled upwards, and the charm DC is reduced by two. If the fruit takes damage, anyone who sees it happen will realize that there can be no bones or organs inside the "woman", and rather than spurting red blood, she oozes green sap; that is good for another two points of charm DC reduction. Anyone in the pit takes one point of damage from the digestive acid per round. However, the acid will eat armor first; it reduces armor protection by one point per round, and only when the armor is no longer protective does the acid begin to eat the character. A character can cut his way through the side with a piercing or slashing weapon; it takes 25 points of damage to cut a hole large enough for a human, dwarf, or elf to squeeze through; 15 for a halfling. If the creature is killed and cut down, or if it is somehow persuaded to void the contents of its digestive pit (perhaps through a timely Acid Cloud spell), a further 2d12 gold pieces will be found in the (acidic) sludge. Anything that is not gold or glass is dissolved over time; every few weeks, the tree will spit out a mass of (white, polished) bone shards.