The Grand Soothing

Description

This is a ritual that has been decreted by Triumvirate decades ago to diminish the ever growing number of undeads in the Necropolis. It essentially consist of enrolling adventuring parties and assigning them crypts to clean.

It is sometimes called a 'Festival' but it is generally viewed by the citizens as a public service. Most view this with mixed emotions as it allows cleaning the Necropolis to bury the newly deceased without any issues, but in the back of their minds are fearful a loved-one may be Soothed with all that intices. It brings adventurers from all over the kingdoms and in a way stimulates the economy altough everybody knows some pillaging occurs in the most revered place of the city.

Execution

This ritual starts roughly two weeks before the summer solstice when adventurers start arriving from different parts of the Coast and the surrounding kingdoms. The inns start to fill, parties are formed and the rumor mill activates. The opening ceremony occurs exactly 10 days after the summer solstice. This allows any religious observance to be completed and minimize religious tensions.

The opening ceremony starts at sunrize in the middle of the Holy Plaza with a speech from the leader of the Church of the Crocodile God, the appointed Prelate and representatives of other religions such as Kelemvor. Parties have the whole day to register and at sunset, the lottery begins to assign sites to registered parties. Unofficially participants mingle and celebrate in a variety of inns.

The next morning all parties gather at Final Rest for the opening of the gates ceremony. Once the gates are open, the adventurers are free to enter teir sites but must come back at sunset before the gates are closed again for the night. Ceremonial guards are the first to pass the gates as they start sweeping the surface undead and assure protection, maintain order as well as making sure parties are only entering the assigned sites. This repeats over the next three days before the final closing of the gates.

The closing ceremony occurs at the plaza on the fourth day, with a tally of sites 'Soothed' and a closing speech.

Observance

Participants must obey the following rules:

1. Above all participants must act respectfully towards the holy grounds, the restful dead and belongings.
2. Parties are only allowed in the Necropolis between sunrise and sunset.
3. Parties are assigned sites randomly via a lottery.
4. Parties are only allowed on their assignes sites and may not swap or give it away.
5. Parties are only allowed to slay animated undead.
6. Parties are strictly prohibited to fight each-other.
7. Participants are only allowed to take items that have clearly been disturbed by undead.
8. Parties are strictly prohibited to loot or desacrate tombs.
9. In case of death, participants will be buried with all their belongings in the "Adventurer's Tower" unless otherwise stated in a predefined will.

Undead Slayer Poster by CowWarrior via Midjourney

Primary Related Location

Whadi's Necropolis

Important Locations

• Smoking Croc Inn
• Whadi
• Whadi's Holy Plaza