Embers of Soulfelt Farewell

Light my path as yours is ended, guide my way where you cannot go...

— mourner

Where flame represents life, in Hvalgora and its Living Mausoleum, it may be used to remember the dead. The Embers of Soulfelt Farewell is a traditional Hvalgoran memorial ritual often involved in funerary processes, able to be performed at any time for a deceased or missing individual.

Embers of the Departed by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Strict interpretation suggests that the deceased in question should at least have a memorial present in the Living Mausoleum, but as not everyone can make it to the Mausoleum, this is usually waived.
Unlike some memorial rituals, the Farewell focuses not on erasing the sadness and absence of the deceased. It is a ritual designed to provide comfort to the living and offer a measure of peace to the dead by sharing tales of the deceased's life alongside tales of what they have missed in their absence, and grants the living a chance to promise their lost friends or kin that their memory will accompany them on their future ventures.
While it is a Hvalgoran ritual, nothing restricts it to Hvalgora's people. It is sometimes performed in Yksinka, Halsgard, and other nations that share culture with Hvalgora as the ritual is often more simple to perform than other funerary rites, and its repeatability serves it well. It can also be integrated into other memorial traditions with ease for cross-cultural ceremonies.

Performing the Farewell

All you'll ever need is a voice and a flame.

— Hvalgoran traveller

To perform the Embers of Soulfelt Farewell, a fire is needed. If in the Living Mausoleum, this fire is the lantern that stands lit outside the burial chamber of the deceased in question; anywhere else, and it is said that any flame will do, as it burns in sync with the Mausoleum's soul-fires.

If there is no fire burning in the Mausoleum for the person in question, those performing take the extra step of praying to the gods to anoint this flame as a temporary gateway to the spirit.
No response is needed (or really, wanted) from the dead - it is more ceremonial than anything.
When the fire is lit, those joining in the service settle on the ground around it (or in view of it, if the service is too large to fit around it). Individually, those wishing to tell a story stand. Their words ring out through the silence, filling the air. They speak first of their memories of the deceased; of how they feel, now that their friend is gone. They share, to the whole crowd, the fullness of their love for the deceased, emotion on full display.
They share next what has happened in the deceased's absence that they feel the departed may want to know. Career advancements, new births or recent deaths, progress on projects; nothing is too small an item to bring up, and no topic is off-limits.

Embers, More Formally by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

More private information, like new relationships or sexual developments, are often shared in private ceremonies; there's no limit on the amount of times a ceremony may be performed, which means private farewells may follow more public ones.
The ritual ends when all participants have said their piece, and all sit and watch as the flames steadily die down to embers, and finally to ash. Each participant, even if they did not speak, collects a portion of the cooled ash. Those ready to move on from the ceremony release the ash to the wind, allowing the deceased's spirit to share in the world's winds once again as a final breath of life.
Those who still need more time instead keep the ashes with them until they feel ready to again say their goodbyes.
These kept portions of ash may either be released at a later time, or added to the pile of kindling at another ceremony. Sometimes, ashes are kept to be used in ceremonies to kin of the deceased; this is especially common in larger tragedies.

History

In winter's grasp, we always looked for the light.

— Hvalgoran storyteller

The Farewell, or the Embers, or however one wants to call it, is a long-standing tradition that has been passed down through so many hands and cultures that its history is utterly muddled. Hvalgora itself is a younger nation than some of its neighbours, but those living there have long held it true that flame is life. Embers, as the beginning and end to many fires, are the last lingering glow of a life; in funerary tradition, this is equated to the deceased's lingering presence in life.

Embers, in Dramatic Ceremony by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

By rekindling these embers with this ritual of memory, it is said that their flame burns longer in hearts and minds.
Its simplicity has varied over the years; some ceremonies have been far more involved, with belongings cast into the flame or enemies sacrificed to their burning altar in some dramatic cases. Some years have seen the flames of life personified into a deity of sorts, or connected to existing deities of healing and light.
The ceremonies performed in those times became more strictly religious, with prayers offered towards the gods in guiding the dead; they were less centred around the deceased themselves.
Religions do often still manifest in current rituals if the deceased was particularly religious, but the gods are generally seen as having already performed their role in guiding the dead. Most religious utterances these days are more thanks towards a particular god for looking after the dead in their passing.

Regardless of how the ritual has changed over the years, one aspect is consistent: it always begins and ends with the flame.

Bidding Goodbye by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Primary Related Location

Living Mausoleum

Related Organizations

• Hvalgora

Time of Day

While the Farewell can be performed at any time of day, it is seen as most appropriate to perform it at one of two times: the time of the deceased's death, if known, or the dead of night.
These are the two times it is seen as easiest for the spirits of the dead to see what is happening on the material plane, and even to manifest under some particularly extreme circumstances.
The hour of their death is naturally when the spirit is closer to the living world, especially on their anniversary - it is their most significant time of day.
Meanwhile, the hours in the dead of night are when the world as a whole draws closer to that of the dead in Hvalgoran myth. This is why the undead prefer the darkness as well, according to their traditional lore.

Messages to the Beyond by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Some folk prefer the bigger ceremonies. I've no idea why. Takes bloody ages for everyone to get through their speeches.
Way I see it, it's best in private. Just family and friends, the way they'd want it.

— Hvalgoran citizen