A jagged piece of fallen timber, its surface carved with crude but deliberate symbols representing the manner of each fall. The wood is dark, almost black in places, with pale mineral veins running through it like old bones. Charred edges and splitting fibers speak to close calls with prairie fire, while knot-holes that seem to watch like eyes remind bearers that the wilderness is always observing.

This entity marks those who carry the memory of fallen travelers, ensuring no death goes unremembered in the great accounting of the trail. Bearers understand that their position in the wagon column exists because others fell to dangers they saw coming and avoided—every step westward is purchased by those who didn't make it.