Memento Mori

Remember That You Die

"We were here..."

— Unus Annus

Remembrance of Death

When someone dies in Oryth the most popular methods of disposal are by flame or earth. It is customary to either build a pyre and place the body of the lost one upon it before setting it ablaze or burying the body deep into the earth to allow their essence to return to the world. By placing two coins over the eyes, one heads up while the other tails up, they are granted admission into whatever is held next for them in the beyond. While this is being done, the loved ones of the individual surround the deceased with heads hung low as they mourn their passing from this plane of existence.

Holy Symbol of Unus Annus

Art By: Kaizavair

Before the appearance of Unus Annus, bodies were generally buried into the ground with a marker placed with no other ritual other than honoring them on the Day of the Departed where shrines to lost ones would be erected to pay them remembrance so their souls would not vanish in the afterlife. Though the Day of the Departed is still very much celebrated across the world, the extra rituals listed here have been put into place to remember not only the person now deceased, but also to honor the two divine beings that visited Oryth and gifted their wisdom upon the world.

Celebration of Life

After the ceremony to put the body at rest, everyone in attendance puts in coin to help with the following tradition. Whether it be a couple of copper, or several gold, the amount is not of import, but the gesture. With the combined money, those involved throw a celebration to honor the deeds and accomplishments of the lost. They drink to their name, eat, and be merry to commemorate the occasion. There are laughs and tears alike, for everyone grieves differently. They all take their turns in sharing what they knew and loved of the person and their most cherished memory of the deceased.

Origin of the Tradition

Art By: QueenOfSpades010

During the Era of the Godless, two divine beings emerged on the Material Plane of Oryth bearing gifts of love, happiness, pain, and sorrow. One being called themself Unus, who was cloaked in black shadows as pitch as void with bright luminescent eyes while the other, Annus, as bright as the zenith of Peloris with eyes darkened like the Abyss. They wore strange attired never before seen. Those versed in the Primordial language understood their names to mean "One Year". Unus Annus was often described as two sides of the same coin. From the day they descended from the heavens, they would announce that their gifts would only exist on Oryth for the same time as their namesake, then there would be nothing left of them other than the memory of their existence. They reminded their patrons of their time left every day down to the exact second they would leave. Like a stampede, all that would remain would be their footprints; Their impact on the world. Many clerics of Unus Annus came into fruition with great power and affected the world for the better. For one year, there was world peace. For 315 Days people rejoiced to witness the return of the divine. There were many, though, who refused to believe they would truly leave. That it was just a test of their faith and to believe they would not be abandoned. However... On Raddis the 19th Day of Boccbis in the 1,332nd Year of the Godless in the 3,333rd Year of Recorded History... They were gone; Their divine presence with them.

Art By: Kaizavair
Twitter: @Kaizavair

The Day of Emergence
Raddis the 20^th Day of Boccbis
in the 1,331^st Year of the Godless
in the 3,332^nd Year of Recorded History

The Night of Retreat
Raddis the 19^th Day of Boccbis
in the 1,332^nd Year of the Godless
in the 3,333^rd Year of Recorded History