V.L.A.D

Depending on where one travels, it is not unusual to see V.L.A.D (Voluntary Labour After Death) crews, usually serving as labour for public works.

As unintelligent Undead are not inherently dangerous, more pragmatic cultures often utilise them for strenuous or dangerous work. It is less common to find them in smaller townships but occasionally a single V.L.A.D is installed in a mill or lighthouse to power the structure.

The lighthouse in Buckie which Tharin Longview has worked at has a skeleton sequestered away to power a rotating cylinder with alternatively hides and reveals the light source, giving it a flashing appearance from a distance.

Volunteering

Many V.L.A.D donors volunteer without financial incentives, however it is increasingly common for potential donors to be paid a lump sum as an advance payment which can make a significant difference to the average family. The volunteer then receives a distinctive tattoo which is recorded in a registry; the type of tattoo varies significantly based on geographical location, sometimes written, sometimes stylized pictograms etc.

When a person dies, if they have one of these tattoos they are to be taken to a Cleric who will raise the body as a zombie or skeleton. The newly-undead bodies are all clothed in a simple uniform for their city, often just a wrapped robe, but most important is the mask.

Mask

Even those who fully support the V.L.A.D program consider it poor form to come across the corpse of a deceased family member, and so VLAD workers wear specially made masks to anonymize the corpses.