Hi all.

I'm five stories into a major campaign, and the next one begins with a main character presiding over the funeral of his father. He's a native of Hive Tarsus, and I know that I read somewhere that Tarsinians have an idiosyncratic custom RE their dead, something that almost rivals the Sibellans custom of having their ancestors stuffed, preserved and put on display. I've scoured all the books and for the life of me can't find the reference. I'm pretty sure it was just a single line, somewhere, and there's no reference to it anywhere on the net.

It might have referred to vast mausoleums, or a practice of freezing and storing them...? It's driving me nuts, and would be an excellent piece of verisimilitude to drop into the opening of the next session.

Anyone out there able to help me with this?

Best,

Cam

According to the original Hive World information (Necromunda) a thralls service to the Emperor ended with the Recycling Vats. Corpsestarch and water to feed the masses. A good guess would be unless a character was from a Noble House or Upper Echelons of Imperial Service no trip to the Cemetary World of Granithor for them.

Of course this is pure speculation on my part- but in my campaign it's Soylent Green.

Man. I have exactly the same problem. It's the same part where it mentions Ambulon strips everything of the body so only the bones remain. In my personal opinion I think it's in Disciples of the Dark Gods, the Night Cult section. That's where it'd make the most sense. But I don't remember it was exactly, so don't quote me on that.

Well, there's a very brief mentioning of Taursus on pg 61 of DotDG. It simply mentions that Taurseans are quite obsessed with sacred bone fragments and ossuaries. Going off of that, it wouldn't be a far stretch to see them as stripping family members of certain "sacred" or memorable parts and constructing mementos of the loved one from such parts, enshrining them in personal household shrines or in jewelry worn by the mourners.

Graver said:

That's it! Thank you.

Not much to work with, but better than zip. Much olbiged.

Cam

Fideru said:

p61 DotDG, care of Graver.

So 'excarnation' is the stripping of flesh and organs from the body? Never heard that term before. Why do they do that? To what end?

Cam

In my games the dead of the upper class hivers are generally recycled in some way. Composted in a private garden. Or consumed by a fungus in the family vault. Then eaten by the family in an reverent meal.

Dalnor Surloc said:

for some reason i think of corrupted mutant mushroom hive nobles in a royal fungus blood bath...anyone else think thats a bit weird?

I think 'weird' is a necessary component in most DH plotlines.