The Grave Mounds
These lonely hillocks are found throughout the steppe. They are the grave sites of the nomads that roam across the Endless Waste. The mounds, containing the body and personal effects of the dead, are built on sacred sites. Typical places for mounds are hilltops or copses. The mound is usually marked by a cairn of stones. The mounds are never built near water, since this is considered a very ill omen.
Most grave mounds have nothing more in them than a body and a few simple offerings. Typical contents include slain horses, sheep, and cattle; leather bags of kumiss or dried meat: or some favorite piece of jewelry or armor. Nearly all of these are badly decayed or corroded and of little value anyway. A rare few mounds have small items of value—weapons or jewelry. The grave mounds of the powerful and wealthy are seldom found on the plain since most of the important dead are buried in the Ejen Horo. Few grave mounds are disturbed. The tribes leave the dead alone out of respect, fear of taboos, and the unwillingness to start a blood- feud between the two clans. Goblin-kind and giantkind leave the graves alone out of fear, both of retaliation and a healthy fear of the dead things themselves. This is the final protection, for some (but not all) of the mounds harbor fearsome undead.
These creatures are content to lie undisturbed, but once roused become consumed with a hatred for all living things.
