TSD - The Sitting Dead

[piddy3825]

Came to the cannery in BI to reload all that brass I've been collecting when I was alerted to this poor chap's predicament by the murder of crows cawing overhead.  The crows swooped and cawed above the lifeless body and scolded me with a raucous cacophony of caws as if to remind me, they had found him first.   I can only wonder how he came to die in this place.  I relieved him of his possessions.  The knife was sharp, and the sardines were surprisingly good.  As a tribute to his final resting place, I fired his remaining flare in his honor.  RIP traveler. 

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by piddy3825
spelling

[hozz1235]

On 9/16/2023 at 7:09 PM, piddy3825 said:

Found this guy while venturing thru the Muskeg.  He was sitting propped up against this tree with no sign of foul play.  His revolver was loaded with three rounds only the remaining cylinders empty in his gun.  A box of cartridges lay next to it unopened.  As I turned out his pockets, I found a can of Stacy's grape soda and a dented can of sardines.   Hard to say what the cause of death was, as there were no marks on his body. 

I'd venture to guess that perhaps he had fallen thru the thin muskeg ice and after making his way to the safety of this ridge was able to make a fire.  It looks to me like he musta have dozed off as he was sitting there, no doubt hypothermia had set in and in his state of stupor he fell asleep as he was warming by the fire.  It musta been a particularly deep sleep, the kind where you're so tired you don't realize the fire has gone out and your slowly freezing to death.  I think he died in his sleep counting sheep...

"Why don't he write?"

 

[hozz1235]

Cave system dead-end - Far Range Branch Line

[piddy3825]

came across these two bodies today whilst I was out beach combing along Coastal Highway.

Found this guy sitting out in the open on this little knob of an island between Misanthropes Cabin and the fishing shack that's nestled between it and Jack Rabbit Island.  There was nothing about him that indicated how he died but I did find a single rusted can of sardines when I turned out his pockets.  At least he had a nice view from his final resting place.

then of course there's always this guy slumped against the base of rocks that make up Jack Rabbit Island.  
He had a decent view of the ocean from his final resting place, I hope he glimpsed a ship on the horizon before the shuffled off his mortal coil.  I found nothing when I turned out his pockets.

[artmunki]

I tend not to characterise the corpses I find around the island, so I didn't really expect to be adding to this thread. But yesterday I found ... something unexpected. Something I don't think I've actually seen in survivor before, which I immediately knew I'd have to drop here. You can craft your own tale tho ...

[Leeanda]

3 minutes ago, artmunki said:

I tend not to characterise the corpses I find around the island, so I didn't really expect to be adding to this thread. But yesterday I found ... something unexpected. Something I don't think I've actually seen in survivor before, which I immediately knew I'd have to drop here. You can craft your own tale tho ...

I find that couple sadder than the lone ones...

Similar to the couple found laying at the crash site in PV with hands stretched out to each other🥺

[artmunki]

18 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I find that couple sadder than the lone ones...

Similar to the couple found laying at the crash site in PV with hands stretched out to each other🥺

Aye, it's somehow more human than the solo corpses, if that makes sense. Like, it's not just a generic dead NPC in a game, but a couple who died in each other's arms. In a game entirely bereft of any human contact (not counting Wintermute of course), it kinda made me stop for a moment when I found them.

[Leeanda]

2 minutes ago, artmunki said:

Aye, it's somehow more human than the solo corpses, if that makes sense. Like, it's not just a generic dead NPC in a game, but a couple who died in each other's arms. In a game entirely bereft of any human contact (not counting Wintermute of course), it kinda made me stop for a moment when I found them.

It makes sense to me...  in a cold world there's still signs of warmth and compassion.

[piddy3825]

@artmunki, every picture tells a story doesn't it?  And although you typically don't characterize the abundant amount of sitting corpses you find in the game, I can appreciate the special nature of the touching moment you must have felt when you stumbled upon this scene.  Thanks for telling their story.

[Bloodskye]

15 hours ago, artmunki said:

I tend not to characterise the corpses I find around the island, so I didn't really expect to be adding to this thread. But yesterday I found ... something unexpected. Something I don't think I've actually seen in survivor before, which I immediately knew I'd have to drop here. You can craft your own tale tho ...

In all my runs, Ive only encountered this couple once, and in exactly the same place as you did. They made me stop a moment too. As a mythology buff, if I see any corpse that looks like it has some kind of backstory, I leave bundles of cash at their resting place. Money for the afterlife and all that. Yes, I'm a weirdo. No, I don't care. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Bloodskye
Misspelled a word

[artmunki]

12 minutes ago, Bloodskye said:

In all my runs, Ive only encountered this couple once, and in exactly the same place as you did. They made me stop a moment too. As a mythology buff, if I see any corpse that looks like it has some kind of backstory, I leave bundles of cash at their resting place. Money for the afterlife and all that. Yes, I'm a weirdo. No, I don't care. 

Hey, you actually found a narrative use for the occasional handfuls of cash we find about the place. Can't fault you for that! 

[xanna]

4 hours ago, Bloodskye said:

In all my runs, Ive only encountered this couple once, and in exactly the same place as you did. They made me stop a moment too. As a mythology buff, if I see any corpse that looks like it has some kind of backstory, I leave bundles of cash at their resting place. Money for the afterlife and all that. Yes, I'm a weirdo. No, I don't care. 

That's sweet. I love when people lean into the immersion

[piddy3825]

Making my way to the summit on Timberwolf Mountain, I found this bloke frozen to death in a little cave in Echo Ravine with his laptop.  Not too far away were a couple of intact cargo containers with plenty of useful items. 

I turned out his pockets before leaving only to finding my favorite soft drink, a can of Stacy's grape soda and a bag of ketchup chips.  

I always wondered what he was doing on his laptop when his fate befell him, so I waited until the next aurora before wandering back to his final resting place only to discover to my surprise what he'd been up to...

 

 

I hope he died happy...

 

[piddy3825]

Found this hiker having his last picnic in Pleasent Valley.
I wonder how he came to end up here with a backpack full of uneaten food.
I recovered an MRE and can of Summit Soda, both items in near pristine condition.  I dined on his dinner and 
left him to his fate.
Really baffles me as to why this fellow died here.

Having successfully transited from PV to ML via the Winding River, I stumble upon this unfortunate soul just sitting 
in this darkened hallway.  I searched his corpse finding nothing of value.  Nor could I tell if foul play was involved either.  Makes me wonder if he just plopped down here out of sheer exhaustion.  Was he being pursued by something or someone?  And this is a far as he made it?  I dunno, it's just another mystery...

[piddy3825]

18 minutes ago, Bloodskye said:

Ok so he's not exactly sitting but I found an interesting enough corpse to post it.

Here's my theory; when I turned his pockets, he had a single can of dog food and nothing else. He also had an improvised knife loosely in his hand. My thinking is he was squatting here at Three Strikes Farm and this wolf came across him. Scared the wolf would end his life (and perhaps due to a bit of loneliness), he hesitantly walked out to the wolf offering it the can of dog food he spotted in the corner of one of the destroyed buildings. He'd planned on eating it himself to fend off hunger but desperate times call for desperate measures. He thought to himself "wolves are kind of like dogs, right?". As he approached the snarling beast, he began to open the can with his makeshift knife slowly as to not give the wolf any reason to charge....but unfortunately, it did. In the struggle, he got a clean blow with the knife on the wolf, fatality wounding it. Battered and shaken, the man decided to harvest the wolf for the meat and resources. Sadly, during harvesting he bled out not realizing how badly he was hurt and collapsed.

appreciate the contribution and the story, but in the future let's just keep it to corpses that are sitting, please.  

[dudebuster]

(night picture because I was hunting for transponder caches)

Hunter's Blind near Hilltop Cave, PV

I wonder what happened to this guy. He had nothing on him. Along with the newspaper there was a piece of cloth, orange soda, a box of revolver ammo and a chocolate bar.

[dudebuster]

And this. Nothing on him either, wool socks in the backpack, and a gunsmithing book on the table.

[piddy3825]

Thanks for the posts @dudebuster
There does seem to be a lot of sitting dead in PV for some reason!
I hope you made good use of the loot they left behind.  At least the gunsmithing book was something of interest and value.  Keep em coming and don't be afraid to speculate on the nature of their demise, that's what makes finding them and telling their story a little more entertaining.

[piddy3825]

As I make my way into the mining camps, the first thing I encounter is a sitting corpse in the guardhouse shack.

Surprisingly, he is covered in a layer of snow, while sitting in an enclosed room with intact windows and closed doors.  Doesn't make any sense if you ask me.  I turn out his pockets and find nothing of value, except this nearly ruined can of Stacy's Grape Soda.    I left shaking my head and curious as to what killed this person.

 

As I make my way up to the buildings behind the guard post, I find another sitting corpse.

Clad identically to the corpse in the guard shack, this guy apparently just sat down and died right outside of the bunk house.  He too had nothing to yield when I searched his corpse.  I did pass a couple of toxic spots on the way here and the air was thick with nauseous gasses, so perhaps this poison in the air caused these people to die?  I dunno, but I'm not sticking around here for long, just in case the wind shifts an starts blowing toxic fumes my way. 

[piddy3825]

The Langston mining complex is a deadly place and the amount of dead bodies strewn about is a testament to the harsh conditions of the job and the unyielding forces of a nature.  As I explore the dig, I find another body...

I can't imagine what led this person to come down here into this toxic accumulation of gases without being properly equipped with the company issued respirator and assorted ppe.  I suspect he was not a worker here and was unaware of the hazards.  They probably were quickly overcome by the accumulation of toxic fumes, brought on by the lack of any wind as the day was nice and clear, basically breezeless.  Being at the bottom of the pit would probably be like sitting in the bottom of giant bowl as the heavy toxic gases slowly displaced the breathable air.  

[piddy3825]

As I continue my exploration of the Langston mine, the body count continues to rise with each newly discovered corridor and shaft in this mammoth excavation.

I found this guy in a little alcove around 100 ft below ground near a stairwell landing leading down to the 200 ft level.
Having just come up from that level, I knew that area was full of toxic gas, basically unbreathable atmosphere where you'd have to be wearing the proper safety gear and equipment in order to survive.   

Besides a dented can of Stacy's Grape soda, this wretch had nothing of value and was now doomed to spend his eternity in darkness.  I wonder if he was one of the Forest Talkers, maybe he had been sent here to sabotage the mining operation and somehow got lost and ended up just dying here as they couldn't find their way out.  We'll never know.

[piddy3825]

As I continue to grope my way along the darkened passages of the Langston mine, I found another unfortunate soul.  Considering the heavy accumulation of toxic gases, I'm surprised this wretch even made it this far down this corridor as they had to pass numerous signs that clearly read, "TOXIC GAS."  I can only imagine this individual either was illiterate or actually thought they could nonchalantly stroll thru the mine without the proper gear.  He could have avoided death as there was a sign pointing to the elevator.  If only he had chosen a different path he might have survived.  As I turned out his pockets, I found a key, apparently to a minebox!  I guess I'm going to have to make another trip down there in order to locate my prize!  I thoroughly enjoyed drinking his soda as soon as I was clear of the toxic gas.

[Smol Alien]

Found this guy at the Camp Office in Mystery Lake. Poor dude must've died from boredom, or something else...

[piddy3825]

As I made my way out of the Zone of Contamination via the connecting transfer tunnels to Forsaken Airfield, I found this wretch deep in the cave system down in a dead-end chamber.  I suspect this guy got lost in the labyrinth maze that this tunnel system was comprised of and ended up here, alone, afraid and in the dark.  I found a few lumps of coal nearby, an unused flare, his backpack containing a bag of beef jerky and a nearly empty bottle of pain killers near his corpse. Did he overdose on pills?  I dunno, but I rolled his corpse anyway and liberated him of his green thermal underwear. 

He didn't need them anymore and I was so cold...

[piddy3825]

I found this guy recently in Broken Railroad as I returned from the toxicity of the mining complex.  Seems he was here to catch some ptarmigan, or at least watch them.  He didn't seem prepared for the task as he was without weapons or stones, but at least he had a can of orange soda and some beef jerky when I turned out his pockets.   The nearby ptarmigan weren't disturbed by his presence but seeing me caused a couple of them to flee and their ruckus alerted the wolves patrolling the maintenance yard down below to my presence.  Good thing I found a brand-new sport bow back down in the zone of contamination...