Well... No, but the Vikings would put their dead in a boat, filled with rheir armor, weapons, and things they loved in life, and then send it out to see. Afterwaed they'd fire an arrow at it and set the whole thing on fire.
If you look at Tolkien they had crypts carved bro the rock in Moria. That is the Lyn place I know of that actually describes dwarven tombs outside of some WOtC novels. I could see a solemn procession to lay th3 led king in the tomb, then the crowning of the new king followed by a Dwarven drunken brawl.
Well... No, but the Vikings would put their dead in a boat, filled with rheir armor, weapons, and things they loved in life, and then send it out to see. Afterwaed they'd fire an arrow at it and set the whole thing on fire.
Seems pretty Dwarven and awesome to me.
Alas, sadly it seems that this didn't actually happen outside of Norse mythology (although funeral pyres were absolutely a viking thing in some cases). I really like the idea of fire in the ceremony in some way, but I also cleave closely to the Nordic/western European idea of dwarves being closely tied to smithing, so YMMV
I'd imagine either a designated successor or next of kin would become the next king. A last will would likely be made to help settle possible disputes that may arise as they often do when someone important passes away.
I'd believe dwarves would likely be entombed within a crypt deep underground, though traditions will vary between worlds and cultures. Being cremated and having the ashes returned to the earth also sounds pretty dwarfy and removes the risk of some random necromancer coming along and desecrating the bones or body.
Going by the general D&D dwarf vibe, I'd expect a big formal state funeral with several major figures recounting the deceased's life and achievements, a eulogy from the high priest of the dwarven pantheon/religion, and then something like a wake with lots and lots of ale, mead, and beer.
Only that Dwarves can't swim and detest water. So I don;t see that as a thing for a Mountain dwarf who lives in the mountains.. lol
Perhaps they detest water because their culture makes crossing water taboo. It is only allowed for the final passage back into the earth. To cross the water while living is akin to embracing death as a part of the trip. Superstition, not rules.
The new PHB still has dwarven lore as them being raised out of stone, so I’d say the king is returned to the stone. The high priest casts meld into stone on the body, and it is ceremonially pushed into the stone walls of the kingdom.
Then I’d add some lore about how the spell duration is 8 hours. So they hold a hard-drinking wake for those 8 hours. If the king was good, and favored by the gods, his body will stay there, embedded in the stone so he can be part of the kingdom forever. But if he was a bad king, the stone will reject his body and eject him at the end of the 8 hours.
This really opens up a chance for some intrigue. The king’s heirs, of course, want him to remain entombed, because if he is rejected, their claim to continue ruling is weakened. But the king’s rivals are probably looking to find a sorcerer with subtle spell and dispel magic to end the spell early and make sure the king is rejected.
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Anyone know what a funeral or tombing might be like for a Dwarven King who has passed? And then even a coronation for the new king?
Well... No, but the Vikings would put their dead in a boat, filled with rheir armor, weapons, and things they loved in life, and then send it out to see. Afterwaed they'd fire an arrow at it and set the whole thing on fire.
Seems pretty Dwarven and awesome to me.
Only that Dwarves can't swim and detest water. So I don;t see that as a thing for a Mountain dwarf who lives in the mountains.. lol
If you look at Tolkien they had crypts carved bro the rock in Moria. That is the Lyn place I know of that actually describes dwarven tombs outside of some WOtC novels. I could see a solemn procession to lay th3 led king in the tomb, then the crowning of the new king followed by a Dwarven drunken brawl.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Alas, sadly it seems that this didn't actually happen outside of Norse mythology (although funeral pyres were absolutely a viking thing in some cases). I really like the idea of fire in the ceremony in some way, but I also cleave closely to the Nordic/western European idea of dwarves being closely tied to smithing, so YMMV
I'd imagine either a designated successor or next of kin would become the next king. A last will would likely be made to help settle possible disputes that may arise as they often do when someone important passes away.
I'd believe dwarves would likely be entombed within a crypt deep underground, though traditions will vary between worlds and cultures. Being cremated and having the ashes returned to the earth also sounds pretty dwarfy and removes the risk of some random necromancer coming along and desecrating the bones or body.
Going by the general D&D dwarf vibe, I'd expect a big formal state funeral with several major figures recounting the deceased's life and achievements, a eulogy from the high priest of the dwarven pantheon/religion, and then something like a wake with lots and lots of ale, mead, and beer.
Perhaps they detest water because their culture makes crossing water taboo. It is only allowed for the final passage back into the earth. To cross the water while living is akin to embracing death as a part of the trip. Superstition, not rules.
The new PHB still has dwarven lore as them being raised out of stone, so I’d say the king is returned to the stone. The high priest casts meld into stone on the body, and it is ceremonially pushed into the stone walls of the kingdom.
Then I’d add some lore about how the spell duration is 8 hours. So they hold a hard-drinking wake for those 8 hours. If the king was good, and favored by the gods, his body will stay there, embedded in the stone so he can be part of the kingdom forever. But if he was a bad king, the stone will reject his body and eject him at the end of the 8 hours.
This really opens up a chance for some intrigue. The king’s heirs, of course, want him to remain entombed, because if he is rejected, their claim to continue ruling is weakened. But the king’s rivals are probably looking to find a sorcerer with subtle spell and dispel magic to end the spell early and make sure the king is rejected.