Death & Beyond
Most species and races in the world have their own cultural, religious, or traditional practices regarding disposal of the dead. For some these are simply a means to remove bodies and prevent disease, while others believe the correct rituals must be observed for the departed to be able to actually leave this world fully. Noted below are common practises amongst various peoples of the Varolian.
Human
Humans seem to have no universal inclination towards how their bodies are dealt with after death, only that they are, and that their passing is marked. Whether by cremation or burial, humans often believe that for them to be able to be collected by The Reaper or his allies, their name must be written on their grave, tomb, or urn where their body or ashes lie.
United Isles of Gátia
The Merchant Isles are home to traders and artisans who spent much of their lives on ships, and tend to favour sea burials over most other methods, but do not seem to be strongly attached to the concept. To ensure that their souls can pass on despite having no true resting place, each village and city has a great monument where they record the names of all who have died, with high paying jobs going to those who would properly take care of these obelisks.
Elf
The beliefs surrounding elven reincarnation and the Halls of Arkadia all specify that for a soul to return to the Halls, the body must return to the Earth. Cremations are rare, but do not prevent a soul's passage so long as the ashes are buried. It is thought the worst thing that could happen to an elf is a burial at sea, where their body may never find the earth's embrace again, and thereby be barred from The Halls forever.
For elves that are laid to rest within the Earth, funerals are bittersweet affairs filled with songs and memories, and even at the end they will not say "goodbye". Always and forever the dead are told "until we meet again".
During the genocides of centuries past, many elves were thrown to the ocean deliberately - a fact which forever haunts the memories of those old enough to have seen it happen.
Dwarf
Dwarven funerals are often grand events, bringing communities together to celebrate the life of the deceased and to carve them a great tomb to rest in, until their bones are reclaimed by the mountain and the statues of them are all that remain. Views on cremation vary greatly, with those that undergo it typically requesting to have their ashes used to forge new weapons or artworks, and leading to thoughts that it is either a holy act or one born of greed and desire to live beyond one's years.
Orc
Tribal villages often have burial mounds nearby where they inter their dead, though many orcs opt for cremation instead, asking for their remains to be kept as part of the tribe as long as possible - forged into swords or mixed into war paints or even (according only to rumours), used as a spice for the food served at their funeral celebrations.
Other rumours claim at savagery and cannibalism, claiming that orcs eat their dead to strengthen their own blood, but this has never been observed by reputable sources and never been confirmed by common-speaking orcs.
Goliath
Goliaths place little to no value on the corpses of their dead, finding other races' obsession with death and the physical bodies of those who passed on pointless worrying. That, coupled with the fact Goliath despise the idea of growing old and will often travel away from home specifically to find some foe or beast strong enough to kill them, leads to goliath bodies being left as food for animals, or dealt with in a manner that matches the customs of whichever land they died in.
Leonin
Though they follow no Gods and have little faith in an afterlife, Leonin hold a somewhat spiritual view on the dead themselves, and will travel extreme distances to lay their loved ones to rest in a location chosen before death, believing it will set them at ease for the rest of time.
Genasi
Genasi tend towards rejoining their elements after death, with Earth Genasi preferring to be buried and Fire Genasi preferring to be cremated. Air Genasi are unique for, lacking a true way to easily join with the sky, their family members are often required to take the body of the deceased to the highest mountain they can find, and leave them on the peak for the birds to reclaim.
Tortle
A tortle's shell does not degrade or decay like the rest of their body, and bears the marks of a life well lived. For these reasons, Tortle communities have "graveyards" where one can walk amongst the shells of those long gone and speak to those who tend these graveyards to learn the names of those recently passed. It is not uncommon for the shells to become dens and nests for nearby wildlife - a fact which discomforts some and yet brings joy to others - and some tortles will request flowers or food to be grown in the home they spent their entire lives.
Comments