Bone Charms

Many cultures have their own ways of remembering loved ones who have died and even ways of communicating with them. Among the Vriaran indigenous people, these traditions intersect in the form of bone charms. These charms are small bits of bone, often teeth that have been charged with intricate designs. The carvings depict pivotal moments in a person's life or important relationship milestones. While some are made into beads and tied around the wrist, most are made into necklaces. 
Members of the community work with the carvers to decide what patterns will be carved on the bones and who will receive them. There is no set time when someone starts this process but most do not start until they have reached old age. This is a very important part of preparing for the end of one's life. Whether one receives a bone charm from a loved one, what is on the charm, and what bone or tooth it is are all very important to the grieving process. In some communities, these factors dictate how one mourns and for how long. They also show the importance of your relationship with the deceased and how close you were to them. 
In most communities, this tradition is mostly used as a way to remember loved ones and feel close to them after death. That said some use it as a way to communicate with those relatives, to ask them for advice, or to give them vengeance. How one does this varies greatly often by family and sometimes between relatives. Some believe it can only be done by casting the bone into a fire and calling for the relative to come to you, but in these instances, it can only be done once. When the bone breaks that is a sign that the relative has truly moved on and will not come back to the mortal world again. Others say that you should soak the bone in the person's favorite beverage, like tea or alcohol. Although this can be done more times it does weaken the bone. One tradition even goes so far as to suggest that the bones can bring a person back to life. The tale goes that if all of the bones are returned to the body and put in their proper place on a dual full moon the person will come back to life.