Location Ice Fields Cemetery

[Noblesse]

Ice Fields Cemetery In the sad event of a Vantha’s death, the body is buried at the icy grounds of Ice Fields Cemetery. It is situated in a wide field behind the Temple of Everwinter, a result of the Vanthas’ wish to be laid to rest close to the place of prayer for Morwen. This stems from Avanthal’s tremendous love for their Queen. The winter goddess’ followers vowed to forever be loyal to her, resolving to keep worshiping her even in the afterlife. The cemetery is divided into eight parcels of land, one for each of the seven Holds, and one for Avanthal’s highly respected and most distinguished citizens. Ice Fields' layout roughly resembles that of the city's design: seven clusters of graveyards enclosing an eight area in its midst. In each of the cemetery's regions, there is a large and intricately designed mausoleum made of icestone, serving both as monuments and burial chambers for the deceased. These mausoleums house the bodies of the departed Hold leaders, their remains encased in elaborate ice crypts and preserved for hundreds, and possibly even thousands of years. Sometimes, outstanding members of a Hold will be given places beside their leaders, an honor gifted to those who had performed exemplary deeds of service by Queen Morwen herself. The eighth mausoleum, situated in the middle of the seven Hold graveyards, are for Morwen's priestesses and champions. This structure is the most impressive among the other mausoleums, decorated with the most beautiful of Skyglow pieces. Only the goddess' most trusted and most beloved followers are laid to rest here. To earn a place in this mausoleum is one of the greatest honors a Vantha could ever achieve. Those that were not as fortunate to receive such commemoration are buried outside, deep in the ground reserved for their respective Holds. The graves are marked with headstones made of sandblasted icestone, where the names of the departed are engraved onto the slab's surface. It is common for members of families to choose to be laid down next to one another. In many cases, spouses would request that their bodies be placed together in one grave, bound together by love even in death. Despite being Avanthal’s sacred burial grounds, visitors make sure to see and marvel at the sight of the cemetery’s famous winter blossom trees. The Ice Fields cemetery is one of the few places within the city surrounded by woods. The soil here is very fertile because of all the nutrients from the dead bodies buried underneath, allowing for the most resilient of flora to thrive. This is the reason why the winter blossoms are full grown and beautiful. To the Vantha, the bodies of their ancestors live on in the trees, and the enchanting, snow-colored blooms are proof of their devotion to the winter goddess. (NPC) Ilauro Iceglaze : Name: Ilauro Iceglaze Race: Vantha DOB: Fall 63, 486 AV POB: Avanthal Title: Cemetery Groundskeeper Skills: Undertaking 51, Organization 27, Engraving 39, Gardening 20, Architecture 43 Gnosis: 2 marks of Morwen Ilauro Iceglaze is responsible for digging and preparing the burial sites upon given notice by the Priestess Lee'ena Snowsong. The bodies would first be given to the Whitevine Hold for embalming, then later on transferred to the Temple of Everwinter for burial rites. He does most of the work around the cemetery, even down to engraving the names of the departed on their headstones. He is quite the shy man, unable to start a conversation without choking over his own words. This is especially apparent whenever he is trying to talk with women, most particularly around Lee'ena. Because of this, Ilauro was teased by many who failed to see beyond the stammering boy. It would be one of the reasons for his career choice, favoring the company of the dead over the sting of the words of the living. Since then, he would disguise his inferiority complex with an aloof persona. Despite all this, Ilauro loves listening to the stories of the bereaved about the deceased. He would listen closely to both the joyful memories and the painful ones, wishing that someone would talk so fondly about him when his time finally comes. He also loved the winter blossoms dearly and has taken upon himself the task of caring for them, strongly believing that in one of the flowers are his parents that had both already passed away. During his free time, he loves going to the temple and watch Morwen's priestess from afar. He also gets along well with the local spiritist, Jared Snowsong, and even sees the man as a father figure. (NPC) Jared Snowsong : Name: Jared Snowsong Race: Vantha DOB: Spring 84, 464 AV POB: Avanthal Title: Hunter of Ghosts Skills: Spiritism 70, Longsword 65, Soul dart 40(melee), Crossbow 40 (unusable thanks to injury), Storytelling 56, Carving 20 (unusable) Gnosis: 1 mark of Morwen Whenever there are cases of 'hauntings' in the city, the first person the Icewatch call for help is Jared Snowsong. He is Avanthal's only spiritist and the only person capable of handling ghosts, both friendly and malevolent, expertly. Jared used to be a member of the Icewatch but he had to quit because of an accident he met while on a mission at the wastes. This left him with an injury to his left hand, rendering him incapable of continuing his duty as a city Guard. Bitter about this unexpected development, he put his ability to exorcise ghosts to good use by pursuing the path of a spiritist. Though more than capable of completely dusting a ghost if he so wishes, Jared prefers diplomacy over brute force. Most of his successful encounters have been dealt by asking the spirits to rejoin the cycle and reincarnate rather than through actual combat. Every day, at exactly the twenty-third bell, Jared patrols the quiet streets of Avanthal to sniff out the souls of those who are unable to move on, and finish approximately three bells after midnight. When not out combing the city for ghosts, Jared can almost always be found in the local taverns, telling the tales of his conquests so masterfully that even the worst incidents turn into an epic of an adventure. Lately, however, Jared has been itching to find apprentices who are able to continue his trade. The man knew he would not be able to continue the taxing job for long. He is not getting any younger, and he is getting weary of such work. The Vanthas' negative perception of spiritism makes it all the harder for the man to find a willing candidate, and even Ilauro had been politely refusing his offers. Jared fears that there will come a day when his craft will die with him, and there will be no one in the city left with the knowledge to protect the people from the more malignant among the ghosts.