Griffons of Light

The Griffons of Light are supernatural creatures who carry the fortunate dead to be judged by Argalak, the Weigher of Souls. While the exact details vary, most Tarsan cultures share common beliefs about the afterlife: When a person dies, their soul spends some indeterminate time in one of the Summerlands before eventually either losing all sense of its identity and being reincarnated or being chosen to appear before Argalak. Those who are judged by the Weigher of Souls either ascend to a heavenly paradise or are resigned to oblivion (which many traditions interpret as reincarnation rather than annihilation). Most of these traditions posit the existence of beings like the Griffons of Light who can intercede to take the deserving directly to their judgement.

Summary

For as long as anyone can remember, the tombs of the most powerful, respected, and wealthy Tarsaks have been placed as high above ground level as possible. Cliffside tombs are the most common final resting spot for earthly remains, but the dead may also be placed (with or without tombs, coffins, cairns, or other enclosures) on isolated mountain peaks or ledges, atop hills, or in the upper branches of tall trees. The purpose of this practice is to improve the likelihood that the the deceased soul will be collected by the Griffons of Light. The Griffons of Light are elephant-sized beasts who look like a massive lion with the head, front legs, and wings of an eagle. As their name implies, the Griffons' bodies (particularly the wings) emit a glowing light that ranges in color from bluish-white to fiery orange. This wide range of luminescence allows practically any strange light spotted in the sky to be interpreted as a griffon. More intimate encounters with the griffons are rare and usually show up in stories of heroes who have managed to gain an audience with Argalak while still alive--usually by tricking the griffons. The Griffons of Light are the servants of Argalak the Weigher. Because the vast majority of souls who come to Argalak through normal means are destined to be resigned to oblivion and Argalak is a creature obsessed with balance, he created the Griffons to seek out souls of the noble, wise, and heroic dead so that the number of worthy and unworthy souls would be more closely aligned. The griffons are neither particularly intelligent nor particularly invested in their task--generally collecting the first soul they find that seems like it may have a chance at paradise--and their lackluster performance of their duty is why the Tarsaks believe it's important to make the dead as easy for the griffons to find as possible. While it's unclear exactly how the griffons detect whether a soul is worthy, it's widely believed that they can be tricked by performing certain rituals over the dead and applying various sigils and substances to the body. This is why even the less-than-noble often seek or are given high burials. Some believe that they (or their loved ones) can trick Argalak or convince him that they deserve paradise due to special circumstances. Others know that they will be judged unworthy, but would prefer to face their judgement right away without having to endure the tedium or even suffering of existence in the Summerlands.

Historical Basis

The people have Tarsa have followed the funerary traditions that the Griffons of Light belong to for as long as anyone can remember, and some believe that the practice dates back as far as the Eloszorian Empire. According to this theory, the Eloszorian practice of constructing high towers originated with the goal of providing a high place where the dead could be laid to rest more directly in the Griffons' path.

Variations & Mutation

The Horse Lords and some of their distant kin to the west believe that the task of selecting the noble dead is carried out by the Hertzwarters--warrior spirits visible only to the dead who scour recent battlefields for the worthy. Since there's no way of determining whether a dead person's soul was selected, the Horse Lords burn all their dead to ensure that they will spend their purgatory in The Beastlands.
The people of Hugelwald suspend their dead from ropes and poles stretched across gorges, canyons, and chasms.
The Seven Hills Tribe ties the bodies of its dead to tall upright poles or crucifixes.