It is rumored that the gnomes of these lands are cannibals. They eat the flesh of other sentient beings in great raucous gatherings that roughly translate from the gnomish dialect as “death moots”.
When asked about this gnomes will typically change the subject, but will never deny it. For a gnome, it’s better to be seen as a cannibal than to reveal anything about one’s culinary proclivities… or in this case… one’s funerary traditions.
Fortunately, the truth is far less salacious, but fascinating in its own right.
Gnomes have extensive family bonds that make up their largely clan-based society. In ancient times they were nomadic (yes, that’s a pun, “gnomes are gnomadic”). As small nomadic extended families, they didn’t bury their dead. Instead, they would burn them in a ritual.
It is lost to history when exactly the ritual funerals added an element of magic. But some ancient gnome decided that the knowledge of their elder was too important to just burn it away. Surely, there was some way to pass that knowledge down to the next generation.
Thus was born the death moot. At the end of the ritual burning of the body the ashes are gathered. They are then ground up and mixed with Mordayn, an hallucinogenic herb used to create dreammist.
This mixture is then packed into finely detailed ceremonial pipes which have been imbued with magic. Each participant of the death moot can smoke as much or as little as they desire. Each puff will bestow upon the participant a memory from the dearly departed.
Ingredients needed to create a pipe…
A masterwork pipe made by a gnomish artisan (technically a well crafted pipe worth at least 100gp)
A casting of Speak with Dead once per day over 12 days
A casting of Dream on the 13th day
A casting of Modify Memory on the 14th day