Sukuinushi Graveyard [Open]

[Flower]

Sukuinushi Graveyard

The Sukuinushi Graveyard has been a place of frequent speculation and discussion, as it is one of the most holy sites in the city. During the day many people will go here to pay their respects to deceased loved ones and to worship their gods, but at night it is often rumored that more goes on here than the citizens know. There are over three hundred headstones that litter the sandy ground in this area, surrounded by various palm trees, bushels, and flowers that are native to the desert and the coast. It looks almost pretty out here, especially during the day, and various shrines and statues have been erected in honor of various souls and gods. There is a statue of the first Flower on Earth herself in fact, Misa, which stands directly in front of a small temple which houses her body in the walls. Services are sometimes held at this temple, although people go here all the time to pay respect to the founder of their city. 

When one dies in Sukuinushi it is hard to say how the grieving process and funeral rites will unfold. Some groups have solemn and grim affairs while others are more likely to send off their loved ones with lavish and joyous celebrations. Fortunately the soul within the graveyard is thicker than most of the sand across the city, so the coffins are more likely to stay in the ground, but just in case people often dig fairly deep holes and fill the coffins with heavy stones or metals to keep them as secure as possible. Various sand dunes rise up in the middle of the graveyard which are often avoided, as they are prone to erosion, but offer extra soil in case a coffin needs to be re-buried or as a hiding place for various creatures. No matter how the funeral processions go, however, there is a general feeling in Sukuinushi that one is closer to the spirits of the dead than elsewhere. 

The Sukuinushi Graveyard is broken up into four quarters, each defined by a direction. People enter from a gate at any of the four quarters, called the Eastern Gate, Southern Gate, etc. Each quarter of the graveyard is used for different purposes and will reveal different parts of Sukuinushi's history and beliefs -- as well as possibly danger in some of the less managed quarters. Each of the gates are surrounded by a large, iron fence -- to keep who or what out is not entirely apparent. 

The Northern Gate

The Northern Gate is the most populated section of the graveyard, in terms of living and unliving guests and residents. There are several hundreds of graves which have been formed into a semi circle facing the gate -- which players can investigate as they pass by and possibly determine that many of the gravestones were from several hundreds of years ago when the first Flower on Earth was assassinated (Investigate DC 50). Past the semi-circle of graves is a masoleum ten meters high made out of the cleanest white marble, and in front of it a statue of Misa herself with an inscription which reads: "Here lies the mother." There is no door to the masoleum and it is completely cut off. Many people come here throughout the day in hopes of recieving blessings, conveying their grief and prayers, or just to relax. There is a strong energy that seems to surround the masoleum and statue.

SPOILER: Click to show

It is said that at night the soul of Misa the first Flower can be seen walking among the graves and returning to her masoleum. If one interacts with her, however, there is tales that she is not truly the spirit of Misa but a maligned entity which has decided to patrol her grave so that she cannot return. The nature of this entity is not exactly known, but it assumed to be female from the sightings and it is said that a look at her face can kill. 

Rules

• The Sukuinushi Graveyard is an open thread which does not require being invited. Anybody is welcome to visit the graveyard during the day.
• At night only Sukuinushi citizens may enter the graveyard. However, they do so at their own risk as there is legends that the graveyard becomes a very different place at night.
• If a citizen wishes to explore the graveyard at night, they must have the roleplayed gm'd by either a GM, staff, or the Flower on Earth.
• Spoilers in this thread indicate plots and information related to roleplay at night.
• No citizens are allowed to destroy any of the sacred sites (statues, masoleums, etc.) throughout the graveyard. Doing so will result in a perma-ban from the graveyard and revoked citizenship status if the player is a citizen.