Warmth Ritual
Health Through Warmth and Relaxation
I heard that the waiting times keep getting longer and longer. Perhaps we should book a time now before it's too late?
The Warmth Ritual is a procedure that the Rustilian, Klenti, and Hardislander people go through whenever they need help to cure the flu. These rituals are traditionally performed in Hillenistic Kirevesiati in the eastern parts of the Empire of Pallernia.
Execution
The Warmth Ritual starts after the patients have left their clothes in the dressing room and they've entered the section of the Kirevesi that has all the private baths. There a Seris will assign them a bath and light up the incense to make the experience even more pleasant. While the patients bathe, the clerics that had been appointed to take care of them will bring them herbal tea with medicinal properties. Once they're out of the water, a Seris will conduct a thorough deep tissue massage.
The Symbol of Hillenism by Mihkel Rand
After the massage session, the patients will head to the nearby sauna room. There they can stay up to a maximum of 45 minutes, after which they will be politely told to leave and head back to the place where they took their bath. In the bathroom, they will be adequately washed by the Seris. After having the sweat washed off of them, the patients will get taken to a bedroom on the second floor of the Kirevesi.
They will be allowed to stay there until the next day, and the clerics who were assigned to take care of them must occasionally check up on them and bring them soup and tea.
History
The Warmth Ritual became popular in the Kingdom of Rustilia-Hardisle after the great flu outbreak of 768 AA, during which the Hillenistic clergy attempted to cure people by offering warm baths and free treatment. Unfortunately, there were too many afflicted, and the Kirevesiati weren't large enough to provide all of them their aid. After the flu had ended, the Warmth Ritual became a well-known procedure for the people of Rustilia, and a few decades later the Klenti and the Hardislanders adopted the practice.In the year 1127 AA a Saralian merchant fell ill while on a trip to a Rustilian town. Despite not being a Hillenist, the local Kireseriati allowed the foreigner to go through the ritual. After the merchant had recovered, she spoke highly of the procedure and offered to help fund a sauna extension to the Kirevesi. The local clergy saw the wisdom in her words and agreed to build saunas.
Observance
As demand to partake in the Warmth Ritual is high, the procedure takes place every day from 8 am to 8 pm. Participants have to register by setting up a time with one of the Kirevesi's Serisati before the event. Individuals who are already sick get prioritized over those who want to stay healthy.Participants
A single individual, a couple, or a whole family can all go through the ritual together, but groups that aren't connected by blood, love, or marriage will get barred from partaking in the procedure. Around 1 to 4 Serisati guide the participants through the process and make sure that the ill get the treatment they need.
This article is dedicated to my fellow Spark, Good Cookie, and all-around wonderful person, Ninne, who was suffering from the flu at the time when I wrote this article
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