This may be a touchy subject for some. But regarding player births and deaths, little is known about ceremonies upon birth or preparing the body upon death.
Human deaths are the more practical. Burial by coffin or Tomb.
Scourge deaths are equally simple. Burn/consecrate the corpses.
But what about the other races?
I could assume Night Elves are buried in a dirt grave so their bodies rejoin nature. Or honored in places such as Ravenscrypt beneath Black Rook Hold in open stone cavities or placed in stone sarcophagi like Telâanor.
Tauren are mummified and left on racks above the ground so as to avoid predators, as seen across Mulgore. I cannot recall those in High Mountain atm.
Trolls are either mummified as well but left in open mausoleums, or burned and their ashes are placed into urns, as seen in the Ghostlands.
But what of the other races? Draenei, Dwarves, and Pandaren especially.
For roleplaying purposes what kind of ceremonies could be involved or what have players often done regarding the death of friends/guild mates/others?
Share your ideas/thoughts.
After Shadowlands i started seeing players hanging out in the cemetery behind the Cathedral. Those that love hanging around graves for the dreary/gothic fun, or to pay respects to family theyâve lost.
How many lost family in the 4th war?
From the burning of Teldrassil, were any able to return to the ashes and find remains of family? I was curious if anything was written regarding that.
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Now opposite of death is the glorious cycle of life.
How many are proud parents raising a child? Do you often use the kids from the Orphan event and travel the world with them or stay at home and raise them?
Think of training your kid to be a swordsman, or a hunter, or taking them to the Church of the Holy Light to be baptized. Do you think even a Forsaken could be a parent?.
What kind of family related roleplaying do you engage in?
You know, the Pook was asking Mechagnomes about their funerary practices concerning their mechanical parts. I was curious if they buried the mechanical parts with the organic parts or if they repurposed them. Like, if your grandpa dies do you bury him with his mechanical legs, do you use the mechanical parts to upgrade another generation of mechagnomes or do you memorialize grandpa by making a clock out of his knees that you then keep on the mantle place as a reminder.
From the answers I got it seems they do all these things and it varies from Mechagnome to Mechagnome.
If a mechagnome is almost entirely machine by player choice, could they be immortal in a way? That brought up a very curious thought. Since Mekkatorque has the Spark reactor in his chest could that keep him alive far surpassing the life of a normal gnome?
Self repairs would be part of the mechagnome condition until parts or supplies run out.
I donât recall anything regarding dwarf funerals. I vaguely remember reading something about being born from the stone and returned to the stone but that may be a dragon age reference.
I know that among the Argent Crusade, the main headcanon is that we cremate our dead to prevent their bodies from being raised as Scourge, and then consecrate the ground.
There are exceptions to the rule, those in high enough positions are interred on the Holy ground of Lightâs Hope, or the Paladin sanctum underneath.
For the Forsaken, it is a matter of recycling and reusing the dead. Why let a set of good hands go to waste? Why not use spare flesh to repair an abomination?
Only one question regarding that. If the corpse or parts have been consecrated with holy fire or doused in holy water do the parts still operate when connected? Or are they just dead weight at this point?
The magic that binds a corpse together may not be able to link with the parts.
Most magic doesnât tend to stick around forever. It has a limited use, and there is a demonstrated half-life in most cases (ther are some exceptions). Even scorched flesh can give away to useful bone. Come now, as someone rocked the Mawsworn guild tag, you must be more thrifty and industrious with your spare parts harvest
We are ravaged/tortured souls that are bound to inanimate suits of armor. Forged from the Cauldron by fused stygia and anima (not fully sure about the formula ) that was poured into the maw thanks to that traitor Denathrius. Enchantments upon the armor are made by binding souls to power the enchantment at the cost of the souls existence.
But i see your point. A fallen husk is merely melted and forged to make a new vessel. I think the forsaken would enjoy a page out of our book.
This is an interesting proposal about cremation for the dwarves, considering thereâs a distinct lack of dwarven-style graveyards⌠but a giant lava pit smack dab in the middle of the city.
I could easily see the dead dwarves being cast into the Great Forge as a funerary rite.
I didnât even picture that myself. I was thinking old fashioned wood burning pit. I was more focused on the Wildhammer dwarves in that regard. Hopefully we will see an answer once TWW launches.
I dont recall if it was just a Cairne thing, but not only was his body placed up high, he was also cremated so that his spirit could join with his Ancestors. Again, not sure if thats something thatâs only done for the Chieftain or not⌠But itâs something to go off of.
I always assumed Dwarves just turned to statues when they died which were buried and then later get dug up by Dwarven archeologists and then maybe get turned back into Dwarves. The Pook has never seen a Dwarven child and I even lived in Ironforge for awhile after my home blew up and before my mom moved us to Poison Town when I started engineering school.
Before the destruction of Draenor, the draenei dead were entombed within Auchindoun and watched over by the Auchenai order. Since as far back as when they lived on Argus, souls of great eredar and draenei heroes have been installed in mechanical guardians called vigilants to aid their people after death.
Bronzebeard dwarves prefer to bury their dead, returning them to the ground that so benefits their race. They consider it both an honor and a repayment. Some dwarves seal their deceased in tombs, but those with a concern about the undead might prefer cremation.
The Wildhammers of the Twilight Highlands honor their dead heroes in Kirthaven before burying them with their gryphons atop Thunderstrike Mountain.
We donât know about Dark Iron funerary practises, I would imagine cremation.
A traditional pandaren funeral ceremony involves the lighting of the âIncense of Lifeâ, which not only has a pleasant smell, but also has restorative properties and can even help plants grow. The incense is made from strongly aromatic spices, which gives it its unique scent, as well as blue crab shells.
Tauren do not bury their dead, they prepare the body for its return to the elements by performing the traditional rites with a [Funerary Totem] and place it at their sacred grave sites. The most valiant tauren are laid to rest at the sacred burial ground of Red Rocks. It is an honor bestowed upon the great warriors who helped found and defend Thunder Bluff and those who have given their lives for the greater good of their tribes and chieftains.
Highmountain tauren have sacred burial grounds.
Night elf burial is done naturally, returning the deceased to nature. Priestesses begin by ritualistically cleansing the body in a moonwell, and they use nature and arcane magic to mend the body for a final viewing. The priestesses sing arias from their temples highlighting the deceasedâs life, after which the remains are placed on a flower-draped bier, carried to a grove, and placed on a patch of grass. A druid then spurs on the growth of plants around the corpse, creating a wide spectrum of colorful blooms which surround and then entirely encase the body. They believe that when the valiant die, Elune sends them riding across the sky as stars. Upon death they turn into wisps.
When a troll of the Darkspear tribe dies, they get cremated on a ritual pyre and their ashes are stored within an urn. The Zandalari trolls used to bury their dead in burial mounds but now they also cremate the dead. This tradition started after the Plague of corrupted blood broke out and the bodies were too polluted for proper burial. In time this practice turned to tradition among the majority of the Zandalari. Not all are cremated, however. The royalties and most respected trolls are taken to Kingsâ Rest where some of them are kept as mummies.
Burial grounds are used for members of the Drakkari Empire and its ancient kings.
Many troll tribes mummify their dead. Troll mummies are a common sight in places like ZulâFarrak and the Amani Catacombs.
Most humans follow the teachings of the Church of the Holy Light, which includes burying the deceased in cemeteries. Following the end of wars, the Church organizes ceremonies for the fallen, taking care of preparing the bodies to be buried according to the traditions. It is tradition that a small memento be buried on top of a Gilneanâs graveyard, beneath the shallow earth. The humans of Stranglethorn Vale have a tradition where they carefully remove weapons from a corpse before burial. They consider that a soul cannot rest if they carry the cause of their death with them forever. Since the rise of the Scourge, some humans like Danath Trollbane prefer to be cremated, as they donât want to be raised as undead.
For the most part, the humans of Kul Tiras do not bury their dead, but rather send them to the sea. The tidesages use an ornate bell named a Dead Ringer that calls the souls of the recently deceased to them, and release them through the âRitual of Releaseâ. The souls of the fallen are released into rivers that flow through the Shrine of the Storm and out into the open sea. Legends say that as their spirits pass through the Shrine, they aid in the great blessing rituals that all Kul Tiran ships undergo. In that way, they never stop serving their people. Mourners traditionally release a Star Moss, a magical flower notable for its sensitivity to feelings of loss, into the ocean during funerals. Despite this, there is a large cemetery in Drustvar, indicating that the region has a different tradition and does bury their dead.
Back before their corruption by the Burning Legion, orcs generally used to burn their dead on funeral pyres. Being laid to rest in the ground was an odd concept to them, for they wanted their bodies to be given to fire, their ashes to air, to be consumed by water and earth, while their spirits would be then left free to join their ancestors. That old custom was gradually abandoned as the orcs fell to their bloodlust and rejected their old shamanistic ways. In present days some orcs are still being burned on funeral pyres, but others are now also laid to rest in graveyards. The Shadowmoon Burial Grounds on Draenor contained many of the Shadowmoon clanâs dead.
Status is supreme in goblin society, which is reflected in their funeral practices; the higher the deceasedâs status, the larger and more extravagant the funeral. Tradition dictates that goblins be buried with their most valuable possessions so they can enjoy them at the Everlasting Party, the goblin afterlife. The reading of the list of assets that belonged to the deceased in life serves as the highlight of the event. All of this is performed in full view of the deceasedâs family and rivals in order to inspire feelings of jealousy.
The only thing more important than being buried with oneâs possessions is the burial gifts bequeathed to the dead by other goblins, which serve as a reflection of wealth and social standing and consist of everything from coins, pearls, furniture, and clothing to weapons, food, and alcohol. In at least some cases, the goblin can draft a list of burial gifts they demand from the attendees. Wealthy funeralgoers bring their gifts in chests or butler-pushed wheelbarrows that they then empty into the coffin (which can consist of a simple metal container hammered into a funerary shape).
After the gifting ends, the attendees dance on top of the coffin to usher the deceased on to the Everlasting Party before lowering it into a hole at a burial site. Prominent goblins serve as pallbearers at the head of the coffin, while goblins contractually obligated to serve as pack mules carry the rear. The burial is followed by partying and feasting; itâs common knowledge that a goblin funeral is nothing more than an excuse to throw a party with someone else footing the bill. As was the case with Trade Prince Donais, the goblin can pick out the musicians and refreshments that will be present at their funeral.
That is the extent of what we know of the canonical funerary practises and rites of the playable races, I would imagine cremation became the new craze after the Third War simply because it means loved ones canât be raised as undead - we see as much with Terenas.
I just remembered the quest chain in Stormsong valley that the kul tirans would send their souls to the shrine or the deeps and to the Tidemother. Considering its connection to Azshara and the Old God Nâzoth, you gotta wonder if all those souls just ended up as food/fuel/or prisoners for them.
It would be nice to eventually have a final answer in that regard. Was the tidemother Azshara this whole time, or is she a water diety/elemental. Unless Neptulon had a daughter of sorts.
I would say ânoâ because Tidesages can also call the souls of the departed back with their Dead Ringer bells, which is one of their several ritual implements. So theyâve clearly not been obliterated or consumed or anything.
The Tidemother is some kind of water deity that Azshara started poising as at some point just prior to BfA, as weâre told her whispers from the deeps changed for the worse recently and caused the corruption in Stormsong.
It will be an interesting sight once we see/unlock the Earthen dwarves. Maybe a school building. Although its rather odd to see them so far south before the cataclysm. Most were in Northrend with only those that were locked up within Uldaman because of the Curse of Flesh.
I think it was another diety/loa/guardian then Azshara interfered.
Theres is a water diety off the shores of Northrend in dragonblight if i recall. Compels the player to jump into the water before her then she tells the future regarding the Tuskarr.
Healing and helping, among all things good and peaceful arenât really azsharas realm. I donât see her helping a human generation for years then turn it all around.
) that was poured into the maw thanks to that traitor Denathrius. Enchantments upon the armor are made by binding souls to power the enchantment at the cost of the souls existence.
