Embalming is the preparation of a corpse for burial according to the observances of a particular faith — evisceration, immersion in spirits, wrapping, and the packing of mouth, nose and ears with herbs, spices and cotton. It is priestly work as often as it is a trade, and the techniques differ between religions in ways their practitioners consider anything but cosmetic.
A body is described by five levels of decomposition, and the pace depends on climate.
| Level | Condition |
|---|---|
| Minimal | Some skin slippage and hair loss. |
| Slight | Grey-green discoloration, bloating. |
| Partial | Brown to black, flesh caving, some bone exposed. |
| Most | Advanced decay, most bone exposed. |
| Whole | Dry bone; a skeleton. |
| Level | Subpolar | Cool temp. | Warm temp. | Subtropical | Dry tropical | Wet tropical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal | 7 days | 6 days | 5 days | 4 days | 3 days | 2 days |
| Slight | 10 days | 9 days | 7 days | 6 days | 4 days | 3 days |
| Partial | 45 days | 35 days | 30 days | 20 days | 15 days | 15 days |
| Most | 1 year | 6 months | 5 months | 4 months | 3 months | 3 months |
| Whole | 4 years | 3 years | 2 years | 1½ years | 1 year | 1 year |
Preservation. An embalmer extends each of those thresholds by a flat number of days equal to the Success Value of an Embalming Success Value test — an SV 8 treatment simply adds eight days at every stage.
Forensics. A successful Embalming test may draw conclusions from a body. The results are nothing like modern certainty, but cause and rough time of death are often recoverable.
| CF | MF | MS | CS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Incomplete | General | Specific |
Embalming is one of the trades that develops a nose, for reasons its practitioners rarely dwell on, and a character distracted or unfocused tests their best olfactory skill to register a smell at all.