Bring out your dead!

[Alcatraz]

Hi, I was wondering about something and wanted to see what other people thought.  I'm sure this was brought up before, but I couldn't find it either in the docs or the past posts on the board, so I may have missed a line about it somewhere (I'm sure somebody else will find it and quote it with a 'nyah nyah').

Anyway, I was wondering about what happens when a commoner dies in one of the major cities?  I've seen players die and other players will either burn the body or bury it in the sands, or just leave it there.  I always wondered which would be the most appropriate giving the harsh world of Zalanthas where death is always right in your face- even in the "safety" of the cities.

So if Joe Stone-Gathererer comes home and finds his father dead, what does he do?  Most commoners I would guess couldn't risk going outside the gates to bury their loved ones and burning it in the street would probably raise some eyebrows.  Is there supposed to be a virtual 'bring out your dead' cart?

I don't think this is one of those find out IC deals, either.  For a commoner living in one of the city-states, it would be common knowledge how people usually get rid of their dead (or not quite dead yet) relatives.

[Bestatte]

In allanak, I've tossed them on mounds on the road. In Tuluk, I've RPed chopping them up and stuffing them in virtual bonegrinders in the stables (since I'm assuming bonemeal is important for every mounts' nourishment, of course!)

Some cultures have actual rituals..and that would definitely be IC info - but for a commoner, who isn't affiliated with any particular cultural group, I'd say you could probably be creative and emote standing on the road, waiting for the virtual dead-cart to roll by, emoting tossing it in, and junking the body if there's an actual body to junk. Seems like a reasonable idea to me - afterall, what do you -think- is in those open sewer pipes? <snicker>

[JollyGreenGiant]

Sandy graves combined with arid climates have this strange way of actually mummifying corpses.  To avoid leaving corpses around (for various reasons, none of them pleasant) I would assume that most dead are burned.

[sarahjc]

It would be pretty cool to have an NPC dead wagon though wouldn't  it. Maybe have one circulating around the commoners quarter, Have that guy shouting, "Bring out your dead!" I would think that with no major medical care, the disease and infection that can be spread  by rotting corpses would be something to be avoided and thatt he city would offer some public service..

And while on the topic, I went to the disease portion of the site, thanks to the odd urges thread and I would love to see a good plague spread around.. I have played the game for a couple years and I have yet to see a nice coded plague that wipes out a large portion of the population of either and or both cities, maybe a RL week and a half of infection.. Takes PC's three or four RL days to die. Be interesting to see what happens.

[Galdun]

Well, the Northern folk do practice cremation and there is a proper place within those mighty Scaien walls...however, its up to your characters to explore the city and figure out what it is I'm talking about.  No, its not the fire pit.

Its a very, very neat place though, and highly overlooked.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like the idea of the NPC 'dead wagon'.

[spawnloser]

Heheh.  You would, V.

I do too, though, which shouldn't be surprising either.

Still, there is a place in one city that (not code-wise, but RP-wise) is often used for the disposal of bodies for a slight fee for the person operating it.  In several frequented areas, there is a place that is quite large and very ideal for the disposal of bodies with varying degrees of safety in these places.  In many areas, you really don't have to walk to far or have much to worry of just dropping the body and leaving it there to rot...in fact, some people would find that preferable to burying or cremating, depending on their societies beliefs.  And of course, in a pinch, you can always resort to cannibalism...usually with IMM support, as PC bodies are not able to be skinned for the meat.  Hell, be creative with each body disposal, legitimate or otherwise.

Still, the NPC drawing a cart calling, "Bring out your dead!" like the Kadian Hawker...I love it.  I'd love to see an IMM say, "Okay," on this one and put that NPC in somewhere.

[Lazloth]

Thumbs down.  This isn't Monty Python.

[Alcatraz]

The 'bring out your dead' thing was a play on Monty Python, but it's not like the cart guy has to actually shout, "Bring out your dead."  He could shout something like... ummm... "Dead-mobile!  Dead-mobile!"  How about that?

Actually, my point wasn't that there should BE a dead cart guy, I was just curious what people (virtual people) would do with their dead.  I've stumbled across a couple of places where in small amounts, dead bodies could be brought, but on the scale of the whole city, I don't know if they'd be feasible.  I forget how many people are supposed to be in Allanak, for example, but in a city, I think it'd get a little smelly if you just stacked all the bodies in one place, or left them out to rot.  I mean, picture a town today with like 60,000 people.  If every time somebody died, somebody just threw them in a pile somewhere within the city limits, or just left them to rot, there'd be all sorts of crazy diseases flying around and that's without the Zalanthian sun and those damn dirty smelly dwarves.

Every time I've read a clan doc that is from one of those outdoorsy-type clans, they usually have a section in it detailing how death is looked at and what sorts of rituals/etc are done with dead bodies.  I just thought it interesting that I couldn't find anything on it for major cities.  I guess most people would opt for burning them to get rid of them, or maybe the city has some sort of virtual body-pickup thing that picks the bodies up and burns them all at once outside the gates or something.

[Xygax]

I usually throw -my- dead commoners into one of the many midden heaps laying about.

[Cenghiz]

Once I got out to bury a corpse.. I emoted the working for a good one hour IRL, then a scrab came in and happily devoured the body
It was too much realistic, then I thought.. Scrabs are like big beetles.. Most beetles can dig. Most of them can dig with incredible speed. They would probably find the corpse with ease, since digging the sand is not something easy.. The grave should be shallow.
A wish to actually burn the body after emoting throwing a torch on it works, by the way. Also they can be burned easily in real fires.
Still, odd urge.. Make a scrab invisible in a way. Subdue it.. Take it to the door of Temple of Dragon and leave it alone

[Dracul]

I think it would be kinda cool if body objects were tagged with a code to make them save over a single or few reboots...just to show how corpses could pile up in certain places.

Would be amusing...although...there is no use.

IC I say theyre dragged out of the main ways by people who care a little...quickly dried up by the heat sand and sun. Nibbled and ate upon by the rats, bugs, and desperately poor. The people who live in alleys and such would move the corpses out of their way. And theres always the rinth...just throw a body in the rinth and your fine....unless you have deeper cares...*dun dun dun dun!*