The Caretaker's Sorting Table

A heavy stone slab dominates the center of this dim mortuary basement, smelling of formaldehyde and old parchment. Four copper basins are set into the stone, each placed in front of a small wax effigy that depicts a specific state of demise. Above the slab, a shelf holds four glass canisters containing strange alchemical powders that shimmer with a faint, unnatural light. A tarnished bronze plaque is bolted to the table's edge, its surface inscribed with a series of instructions for the final preservation of the city's dead. The room feels unnaturally cold, and the shadows seem to pull toward the empty basins as if waiting to be filled.