Viàn Falínai ([vi:a:n fa:li:naɪ])
The Viàn Falínai is a cave-system located North of The Forest of Doon and is a sacred burial location belonging to the Woodsmen.
The Meaning of the Name
Unsurprisingly, Viàn Falínai is a Foyiitùn name:- Vià|an: meaning "Way of"
- Fàlínasz: (verb) meaning "to free" or "to liberate", therefore the present tense of that verb is Falínai. In its nouns form, it is translated as "freedom" or "liberty".
Who Is Buried Here?
In order to understand this, it is necessary first to discuss what end-of-life ceremony means for the Woodsmen.The Returning
Burial is, in fact, highly unusual in Foyii culture. The dead are usually "returned to the Elements" through a tribal gathering, blessing and group-wide incantations that are simply referred to as "The Returning". This spell - or series of spells - causes an instant disintegration of the physical form into "micro-shards".
Where these dissipate depends on any inherent Elemental Alignment. For the Woodsmen, this is often Erdé, therefore the "micro-shards" are usually absorbed into the ground. Others, remembered by the current Elders, have Returned to Ousii - which can include the small lake at Everspring, or the Aszilousii or Blànousii Rivers. On the very rare occasion, "micro-shards" may dissipate across various Elements.
Note: these should not be confused with Elemental Crystal Shards, which occur in Nature and can be collected.
Note: these should not be confused with Elemental Crystal Shards, which occur in Nature and can be collected.
Chronicler's Note: These Micro-shards should not be collected, trapped or harnessed, even by the greatest of Mages. This is because life does not belong to the mortals, but to the Elements. Even those who do not "spiritualise" the Elements generally hold that someone else's life is not theirs, so micro-shards should be permitted to nourish nature. It is through this process that the living are blessed. I only wish I could claim no one had ever tried to capture another's essence. Certainly no record exists of success, but whether one would dare document it...leaves me in a state where I cannot rightfully claim shards are unable to be collected.
Woodless Cremation
If a deceased has perished through a disease, or Elemental Essence Degradation (EED), then "woodless cremation" is preferred. In the case of disease, a fire would force the attendees of the ceremony to stand a safe distance away to protect themselves from infection. For the avoidance of doubt, a mage of Fire would ignite the flames from a distance also.
For EED, the purity of Fyr is believed to supplement the lost Essence, completing a proper Returning. Doing this also avoids the chance of destroying what essence remains through mispronunciation of the Returning incantations.
Chronicler's Note: In the past, the Guardian Mage of Fyrkai would sometimes be asked to attend as a show of solidarity between Qal'ath and the Foyii, whether or not the deceased was known to Qal'ath.
Choosing Burial
However, if a particular Foyii has requested to not be Returned, they may be buried at the Viàn Falínai. The only real condition is that their health, or circumstances of death, do not force the requirement for cremation. "Notable" Foyii are offered it by default. The reader should not assume "notable" to mean "high ranking". Anyone who has served the Forest in a particular, observable way - more than their peers - may be classed as "notable".Why Would a Foyii Choose Burial?
Reasons are often personal and kept secret as a matter of honour between the Elders and the departed or their family. However, some general reasons I have gleaned are:- Delayed Joint Returning:
This is a simple thing to request, but far more complicated to execute. One example is of one life-partner remaining entombed until the second departs, so they can be Returned together. The Foyii, as much as they can, try not to disrupt natural processes, so they do not preserve the body of the first. However, in this situation, their portion of the Viàn may be sealed off from others with incantations, to delay the essence from returning haphazardly. When the second partner dies, the Returning takes place in the first partner's chambre, with both being Returned to Erdé, given the place for the ceremony is already underground. - Preservation of Legacy:
With great impact comes a great legacy. However, people are prone to forget that which is not regularly re-prompted. Some people, with agreement from others in their respective clans, may have achieved things, or taught lessons, that they wish to be remembered. A permanent tomb, along with an external inscription can be that prompt. Their essence eventually Returns through natural processes, but a tomb is never repurposed. - Lower Elemental Sensitivity:
If belief in the Elements were a formal religion, you could classify this as doubting that religion, or potentially even being an unbeliever. While almost all Foyii care for Nature and all Foyii defend Doon (or the White-Woods) with their lives, not all share, for want of a better term "Spiritual Sensitivity". This is more likely in the Foyruszii clan, compared to the Foyverii. A Returning is never forced on someone (even though dead) if it had been clear they did not believe in it much, or at all.
The Burial of Others
On the rare occasion, non-Foyii may be buried here. As the Woodsmen hold all life as sacred, if a non-Foyii person perished "Under the Roof" then, if they could not be returned to their kin, burial would sometimes be the only answer.
- Returning would not be imposed on a being who had clearly been an atheist or disregarded the Elements.
- If the deceased home culture included avoiding cremation, then that would be respected.
Chronicler's Note:
It is only in revisiting this document a number of years later that I realise the similarities in the treatment of outsiders' deaths between the Foyii of today, and the Aevyormii. Or at least, what precious few notes we have about them. The Founder of Old Qal'ath, Senzàn-Fai noted his confusion at the respect the Aevyormii had for his fallen comrades.
The Viàn's Two Sections
While the Viàn appears to be three large hills above ground, the caves have a tunnel system that bores deep underground. While the initial tombs were naturally-created caves, they were subsequently dug deeper. This allows the Foyii to place many of their fallen or naturally-passed family in its shelter. This is the largest section of the site and its tunnels are never "finished" with masonry, so as to be easily extended, and welcome for any newly-departed.
The walls and ceilings within are sealed with enchantments to protect against erosion collapses, though anything more serious than a minor ground tremour would likely be too strong for those seals. That theory has not yet been put to the test, thank the Elements.
The Outside Site
There is a smaller, more traditional-looking graveyard outside the cave complex, but these are rarely added to. It would be only in extreme situations that the dead would be buried in this plot - such as people dying in numbers that meant neither a mass Returning, nor Cremation were practically possible. In this situation, the ground would have incantations chanted over it instead, led by the Chief Blesser, or the Chief of the Woodsmen, asking Erdé to accept them safely back, that their energy may enrich nature once more, freeing up the Elemental Essence.Who Dug the Viàn?
Despite its protected status, delving and stonework are not tasks suited to the Foyii of the The Forest of Doon. In past decades, Dwarves are thought to have helped in its reconstruction and initial extension. But with the race presumed all but wiped out in the Known Lands, the Woodsmen have had to look elsewhere. The Foyii found help through the unlikely location of Traders Square, where some Elelupii came to a mutually-beneficial barter trade with the Woodsmen. However, no employed hands were permitted to work in the tombs unaccompanied by at least one of the Foyii.Crystal Formations
One last observation, if I may, is that occasionally, when a person has been Returned, a crystal formation develops. These take various forms and colours, with the latter correlating really obviously with a natural element:
- Red or Orange: Fyr
- Yellow or Brown: Erdé
- Pale Pink or Pale Blue: Ethkiel
- Blue or Blue-grey: Ousii
- Grey or Clear: Aevyen
Who for/When Were These Formed?
So far, the Foyii have seen no pattern to define who a crystal (lowercase 'C') forms for. It appears random and not only for Foyii. Sometimes non-Foyii may be buried here and others, having an affinity with the Woodsmen, may even choose to be Returned. The only tangible links they have discovered are from a select few who could be identified (due to recent burials/Returnings). These "links" indicate the element (or Element, though the two are often indistinguishable) most inline with the person. Some examples are:- Brown: A non-mage Woodsmen, known for tracking, foraging and working the land.
- Red: A fire-mage Parànt
- Blue: A boat-crafting Foya.
Artist's Impression
by FJ Brodie
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Where Is the Viàn?
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Chronicler's Note:
While the Viàn is conveniently located near the Forest of Doon, its proximity to Frostplain should equally not be overlooked. Cool air is often swept down and over the Viàn, even occasionally in Spring and Autumn. Such a natural placement has often delayed a natural Departing, or more crassly, decomposition, affording relatives more grieving time. If extra time is required - such as the digging of a new tomb, the Guardian Mages of Ousiikai and Aevyenkai would be asked to attend. These two Elements make the quasi sub-element of Ice, aiding preservation.
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