Ouroboros Vocation

Ouroboros Vocation deals with the human cycle of life. They’re there at the beginning of life, giving the newly born their identity number. They run the cultural festivals that take place throughout a person’s life. Ouroboros also prepares and buries the dead.
They have these duties for practical reasons as well as symbolic. Those who have died go to Ouroboros. They can take care of the maintenance side of the identity system and those who are left don’t have to worry about it.
The population of Talitha Harbor isn’t especially high. There are only three cities and each has a population cap of 500,000. With food, housing, and health care available to all, regardless of their economic contribution, the death rate is low. On average, each city is dealing with less than 800 deaths in a sol cycle. There are natural disasters and outbreaks, which can cause an uptick, but they are rare.
The birth rate of Talitha Harbor is also low. The Talithans as a society encourage slow reproduction. Because they were a vocation that, historically, would have a lot of downtime, they were given the task of running the larger cultural observances. They do so with the help of the other Vocations and Artisan, but they are the primary point of contact and lead.

Vocational Armbands

While on duty, Talithans wear armbands to show what work they are performing. These are used only by vocations. Artisans and other independent workers don’t have them.
Each vocation has a base color. Ouroboros is white. The armbands also show the rank Tier-I to Tier-III using chevrons. The Deputy wears a star instead.
Each branch has a secondary color, with the exception of Cultural Events. They still have white armbands, but they have rainbow bands. They don’t designate their Tier when wearing the cultural event armbands.
The image below is an Ecologist from the Vocation of Preservation.

Art by SeraphRDM

Structure

Ouroboros follows the same Tiered structures as all vocations. Their branches, however, are not held as rigidly. There’s a skill set to their duties and Specialists. But, the lower Tier members will often move around. Some find it an honor to care for the dead, but they may also find it depressing as their only duty. So, allowing those members to work in other areas helps them stay balanced. They also teach death acceptance among their members and to Talithans who feel like they would benefit. This is the acceptance of death in general, as well as their own future death.
Allowing people to move readily between branches is also for practicality. The duties that they cover are not steady. During certain times of the sol cycle, Cultural Festivals can be especially busy, at other times they are not. The same goes for births and deaths.

Care of the Dead Gray Chevron

They give all Talithan dead the same funeral services. Their bodies are put into specialized pods that will turn them into compost. There is no preservation of bodies. As a practice, Talithans try to bury their dead as soon as possible, but sometimes circumstances don’t allow this. Aside from making sure all the proper materials for composting are added, these members also make the body as presentable as possible. Sometimes this is with careful placement of plants. There are also natural deodorizers and herbals or floral smell that can be added to mask smells.
If Ouroboros can’t make the body presentable, a closed pod funeral may be required. Depending on the reasons, sometimes the body is put in a fabric shroud. Other times, it will be completely closed.
Talithan funerals have two stages and those who care for the dead will run both. The first stage is to say farewell to the body. The second, roughly thirty days later, is spreading the compost in The Grove of Lost Souls.

Arborists Dark Green Chevron

Their primary duty is to care for the Groves. They manage the health of the trees. The smaller plants, often left by mourners, are left to nature.
The groves are also home to some Earthian species whose seeds had been preserved. These require extra care to make sure they don’t spread. There is a tall plant native to Talitha Harbor called a Snow Stalk Plant that releases a chemical that turns seeding plants dormant. They plant these throughout the grove, especially near the Earthian trees.
The arborists also check the area outside of the grove for signs of unnatural tree growth. Preservation will also do this during data collection.

Identity Services Yellow Chevron

When they are born, every Talithan is given an identity number. A sample of their DNA is collected, put in a program, and an algorithm creates a thirty-two digit hexadecimal number. Even if the person chooses not to carry this information with them, it’s still in the system. At a minimum, the number allows for quick access to medical records. These can be pulled up in any of the Great Cities.
Identity Services programs the identity chip. A piece of hardware that is placed in a digital device that accesses the full identity system. They also set up those who don’t want to use this system, taking their chips and giving them a printed identification card with photo ID, which is used solely for medical purposes.
When someone is born, a member of Ouroborus will visit the Medical Complex and welcome the new person into the world. They also take the DNA sample, though Health Services could easily complete it. A numbing agent is used, and the sample is taken from the infant’s foot. Only members from Ouroborus who have been trained specifically for this duty may perform it.
The samples are processed at the Health Services Complex. They save them to a database that only specific members of Ouroboros and Health Services have access to.
The family is given a special birth certificate with the baby’s identity number, but it is more for the ceremonial purposes. Once the information is in the system, a quick mouth swab will give the person’s identity.

Cultural Festivals Rainbow Chevrons

Technically a branch, but one that almost everyone in Ouroboros will contribute time to. Talitha Harbor has several significant festivals that the entire population takes part in. Each city, or sometimes district, will run its own.
A festival that can have upwards of 500k people is a massive undertaking. There are sols worth of experience, and they’re all fine tuned process. But, it’s still something that requires a lot of organization.
Some Talithan Festivals:
Emporium Under the Sun - A massive arts and crafts fair. It’s an all day party at several coastal/beach locations throughout the three cities.
Carnival In the Stars - A city wide day of bomb fires, music, games, and gaiety. Requires less organization, mainly setting up the various bomb fires and being prepared, with canopies, if rain is on the forecast.
Founders Day - A street fair, but centered on coming together and learning about the history of the Talithans. Music, plays, live readings, poetry, etc are set up and spread throughout the cities. Each city has its own celebration, but all three localize it near their Fortress.

Culture

The Vocation of Ouroboros is one of the most respected vocations in Talitha Harbor. They are willing to take on some of the least pleasant duties. Their members do so with serenity and grace, respecting those who are grieving. They also care for each other, checking in and making sure everyone’s mental health is cared for.

The Thirteen Vocations

Ouroboros is one of Thriteen Vocations. The Vocational Government System is the framework for government, civil services, resources, goods production, and distribution. The Talithan society is cooperative, with each vocation acting as an independent government. This decentralization helps to prevent corruption for power grabs.

Type

Governmental, Department