| The dead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Debut | KSBD 2:32[1] |
| Occupation | Beasts of burden and vagrants |
| Gender | Various/none |
| Status | Dead |
In Throne, the dead are ubiquitous and harmless - though near mindless, they futilely mimic life. Mostly used as beasts of burden, couriers, or door keepers by the common and powerful alike, many take pity on them.[2]
Persistent shades can be pulled and bound into dead flesh or clay to create servants and mounts. Some people do this to themselves as a kind of contingency plan should they die. The living dead are not truly sapient though.[3]
They greet passersby, possibly harassing them for money, which it is against city ordinance to give them.[1] This is because they cause all kinds of noise with their panhandling and are public nuisances. Nobody wants the dead on the streets, there is a popular ballot measure in several districts to have them banned completely.[4] The attitude towards the dead is similar to some contemporary attitudes towards illegal immigrants.[5] A wall will be built around Throne and the Umbral Thrice-Crowned Lords of the Undying Masters are going to pay for it.[6]
The services of the dead are used across Throne in various places. The dead are used to carry goods through the Void. The services of the dead are also sought out to perform labor considered taboo or unclean - such as butchery.
Those beings who arose to take charge of the dead, organize their labor, advocate for them, and collect fees are known as the "Undying Lords". Grand Duke Nungsis and Grand Duke Arat are two prominent Undying Lords and Guild Masters of the Flesh Cutters Guild.
Outside the walls of the Red City in the district known as Ashton is a huge open air market populated entirely by the dead, the Ghost Market.
Red City Ordinances Relating to the Dead[]
- CITY ORDINANCE 335999 DS 20313, SUBSECTION 33 ALL PERSONS HAVING EXPIRED OF LIFE, HAVING BEING DRAINED OF VITAL ANIMUS, OR NO LONGER POSSESSING AN ATUM (BEING A BODY) MAY NOT 1. PANHANDLE 2. SLEEP IN PUBLIC SPACES 3. ENGAGE IN LOUD ACTIVITY AFTER 10PM IN PUBLIC SPACES 4. TRAVEL WITHOUT PROPER AUTHENTICATION 5. REMOVE BODY PARTS SO AS TO DISTRESS PASSERBY OR OTHERWISE ENGAGE IN UNPRODUCTIVE MISCHIEF IN EFFECT: DS 2000 (see section 30044 for more detail) KSBD 2-32
References[]
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