Wailing Rocks

Just outside the borders of Ute territory, you can find the wailing rocks. It is said that when the winds blow, the rocks themselves sing of the stories of those buried beneath them.

Purpose / Function

Each wailing rock is a memorial for a fallen Ute, marking his or her final resting place.
The winds blow through these rocky passes nearly all the time, producing moaning, wailing and mournful notes up and down the scale that sound like singing or chanting. They create an aura of fear and oppression which must be resisted to approach.

Denizens

Many of the Ute are Earth Warlocks who have a close relationship with Earth Elementals. It is often the case that the elemental partners of deceased warlocks will mourn them deeply. Some choose to maintain a vigil at the memorial of their beloved warlock brother or sister while others choose to depart this world along with them. When an elemental returns to the spirit realm, its physical body remains, vacant and lifeless.
Because of this, it is common to find a hulking mass of rock in a vaguely humanoid shape near some of the wailing rocks. Whether that shape is still an active elemental standing vigil or is a vacant statue is to be determined.

Architecture

Owing to the affinity of the Utes to elemental earth, they are capable of forming these ten meter tall organically-shaped pillars of pure stone and turning them into musical instruments played by the wind itself.
They appear completely natural and there are no marks from tools or any indication that men had any part to play in their formation. Only those familiar with the Ute would even suspect that they are man made.

History

It is uncommon but not unheard of for a Warlock to have an affinity for more than one element. It is much rarer for one to have an affinity for opposite elements, such as earth and air. One such warlock existed among the first Ute to find and settle in these mountains and canyons. He often made flutes and wind instruments from stone in order to combine his two elements into a form of creative expression. Since this was just after the great cataclysm, he created the first wailing memorial and dedicated it to all those who had been lost. He spent much time but was finally able to have the memorial create a mournful chant sound as the wind blew through it. As his friends and loved ones died, he made individual monuments for them. Over the years, others learned how to make them and copied the practice.  Eventually it became the custom of the Ute to honor all their dead this way. Typically, they bury their dead into the rock itself using their powers of earthshaping, along with keepsakes and items precious to the person and his or her loved ones. A wailing rock memorial is then shaped above the body, sometimes ornamented with those same keepsakes and items.
Being ever practical, the Ute made it a practice to arrange these memorials along the limits of their territory, marking it for all to heed and taking advantage of the mournful wailing sound to scare off any wanderers or roaming beasts.

The cover photo shows a detail of one of the wailing rocks. Each hole and passage would seem to be a single voice, giving the impression of an entire choir ensemble. There are hundreds and each is unique.

The following is a sample taken from the first memorial, To Those Lost in the Great Cataclysm

Alternative Names

Whistlerocks, Crying Cliffs, Wind Flutes, Death Chanters, Honeycomb Rocks

Type

Memorial / War Memorial

Owning Organization

Ute