2nd Level Necromancy (Ritual)
1 ActionCasting Time
1 action
Range
Touch
Components
V, S, M (A pinch of salt and one copper piece placed on each of the corpse's eyes, which must remain there for the duration.)
Duration
10 days
Draconic
“Slaythulul Dethixrath”
Elvish
“Qualin Núrnen”
The caster kneels beside the deceased and begins the ritual of preservation with solemnity and reverence. They place a copper coin on each of the dead's eyes and a pinch of salt on their lips — the copper to pay passage, the salt to ward decay. The caster then lays their hands on the body's chest and begins a slow, mournful chant — not a song of grief, but a hymn of stasis, commanding time itself to release its hold on the flesh. A faint silvery frost forms over the body, preserving it as if sealed in crystal. The body does not grow cold; it simply... stops. No decomposition, no rigor, no change. The ritual is deeply personal and many casters add their own traditions: a cleric might pray for the soul's safe journey; a wizard might speak the deceased's name and accomplishments; a druid might weave a crown of preserved flowers. The ritual is as much a kindness to the living as to the dead — granting time to grieve, to plan, to seek resurrection.
You touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can't become undead. The spell also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this spell don't count against the time limit of spells such as raise dead.