The Curious Case of Francis Dashwood

Life, Supernatural

Following his accidental death following a missed communication while depositing a grain harvest in one of the many silos within the Greenlands Commonage, Francis Dashwood, much to the surprise and horror of those in attendance, disrupts his own funeral proceedings by sitting up in his coffin, in as much shock as the guests and family who witness the event.

Francis Dashwood was a fairly common individual who's achievements in life were of little note. While he worked hard within the borders of his home, The Greenlands Commonage he made little lasting impact beyond the day to day contributions made through his effort, and in keeping with the Ongommu Tae cultural norms, this was enough.   Having pulled a short straw for labor detail following the final grain harvests of the late spring, Francis went about his duties with no real memorable complaints. The work was arduous and carried on for many hours, Francis being responsible for taking the load up on the vertical elevators that run along the silos and dumping the contents into the tops of them for long term storage. During one of the last loads of the day, Francis, in order to avoid bringing his load back down and having to move it to another silo, attempted to walk down the grain, a very dangerous attempt at displacing enough of the contents of the silo by walking on the surface to free up enough space to hold the rest of what remained. The young farmer slipped while doing so and was pulled down into the grain itself which quickly enveloped him and there it was that he suffocated and died. The silo was emptied and his body recovered, much to the despair of friends and family alike, and an immediate memorial was prepared as is their custom.   During the memorial, much to the shock and awe of those in attendance, after about an hour of the proceedings, Francis sat up from where he lay and let out a terrified cry of fear, which in turn led to a short lived panic as the people rushed to gather weapons and muster the Peacekeepers in order to defend what at the time was believed to be a rising undead menace come to wreak havoc upon them. Luckily for Francis, cooler heads prevailed.   Noticing that the young man was reacting in a very human way to the ordeal, even going so far as to chase after several people in an attempt to take up arms against the threat himself, completely unaware that the ire that rippled through the Commonage was aimed at him, a small number of the Peacekeepers approached Francis cautiously and began to question him. His responses were everything one might expect from Francis as they knew him, and this led to the Benevolents being called in. Their examinations left them baffled, as for all intents and purposes, Francis was dead and yet here he was, completely cognizant and aware and yet displaying none of the behaviors associated with carriers of The Breathless Plague or Void Sickness or any other known malady that might potentially reanimate a corpse. Francis, upset by this news could do little but remain in shock at the news and horrified by the unknown fate that awaited him.   It was decided that, based on his behavior and the unique state of him, that Francis be quarantined rather than destroyed. Based on the state of the world and the discoveries that had come to light concerning the nature of life and death over the years, they did not want to act too hastily in that matter, though there was a substantial call to have him removed as a potential danger to the community. The young man was confined to his home and kept under constant guard and surveillance by the Benevolents whose number grew significantly as correspondence about the unique case began to circulate. They were astonished by the lack of decomposition, the lack of organic needs such as food and sleep, and finally relieved with samples of his blood, saliva, and other tissues came back from the local laboratories and showed no signs of any known communicable diseases.   After several months of this, the Director of Peacekeeping decided that, in good faith, they could not keep a citizen of the Commonage incarcerated without substantial reason, but also recognizing the public concerns over Francis's changed state, they had no choice but to exile the man. Francis took the news surprisingly well, and many noted that over the months of his interment, his entire demeanor seemed to have shifted, him becoming more and more calm and collected, and even more friendly and kind towards the Benevolents and guards, and several friends and family that came to visit. After a brief round of goodbyes, Francis set off Eastward towards Verdant Pass and on into the Ventryte Territories.   Over time, more cases like his were reported, though this occurrence remained incredibly rare. The name, An Rún Marbh or, "The Secret Dead" were given to them, and those that were subject to this unique condition adopted it fondly, even going so far as to paint their faces so their nature would be known wherever they roamed and they would not cause any disruptions in the lives of the living.