The Podium

There is no greater honor than being chosen as the next Lyimo bearer--at least that's what they are told. To hold and care for the word of a god--what more could someone ask for? And then, when the time comes to join The Great Orchard of Lyi, who would want to refuse?
This is the calling of The Podium, to bear the Lyimo until another is chosen and you may rest with the trees of old.

The people waited anxiously, all the able bodied boys and girls lined up with their heads bowed and their hands folded behind their backs. They tried to hide their trembling, but still some skinny shoulders shook in anticipation--and fear.
The Pastor walked infront of them, murmering words of encourangement and praise, his hand moving from one head to the next as he waited for a sign. It was Sieen who stopped him, her hands steady and her shoulders strong.
"Are you ready, my girl? Are you ready to hold the weight of our faith in your hands?" he asked, cupping her face in his palms.
Breathlessly, she nodded. "I am."

The Choosing

The choosing is a sacred ritual. After all, the one who will bear their book must be one pure of heard and steady of body. They must be ready for service. It is the youths who are chosen from, the ones right on the cusp of adult hood.
All who are willing line up to be judged. The life of the Podium is hard and they must be up to the task, spiritually and phisically. The book is no easy burden to bear.
The pastor walks infront of them, speaking prayers of guidence and strength. It is he who must choose, but it is with Lyi's governance that he does so. When a candidate is found, they are asked if they are willing, truely willing, to bear this burdon. If there is doubt, they are dismissed kindly, sent back to their parents for another year.
If they are ready, they are marked and their life from then on will never be the same.

Their Role

Once chosen, the next podium is taken to the chamber in the great tree and fitted for their new robes. The back is hard and sturdy, with clasps they can not reach to secure the Lyimo into place. they are fitted with a veil muddy their face from the others.
They are no longer a person, they are simply the bearer of the Great Book, of the Lyimo and all it's wisdom. When they speak, they are ignored. When they move, it is by comand and comand only. They live a well maintained life completely separate from the others. They live only for service now.

Tailors huried Sieen into the chamber. A blindfold was added first, pulled tight around her eyes. At her gasp of surprise, she was shushed, then study hands bent her into position. A robe was stiched on around her, made of thick fabid and heavy supports, holding her in position.
The Lyimo was heavy on her shoulders, and the snick of the clasps unyeilding.
And then she was alone.
Life got very simple after that. Led out in the moring, hand fed by the children, and guided away in the evenings, back to her rooms. Conversation brushed over her, words barely sticking longer than necessary. The book sprouted eventually, curling over her shoulders and supporting her head where it drooped. At last, her time was coming to an end and she could rest in the arms of the great orchard.

Back rounded and bent, Sieen rests, her eyes shuting slowly. The branches wrapped around her chest creak as she leans into them, and she goes slack. A hush follows the congregation, broken only by the slither of pages and the calm words of the pastor.
At the end of the service when the book is shut, Sieen remains lax in the trees hold.
"It is time," the Pastor begins with a grim smile, his hand resting on the girl's gnarled shoulder. She was so young. he brushed off a budding leaf "It is time for our podium to join the Great Orchard."

The End

As their time holding the Lyimo goes from weeks, to months, to years, the Podium will begin to change. The sapling that sprouts from the Lyimo will take root in their lunch, feeding off their living body as it grows. A tree will grow, wraping them in branches bearing fruit and reaching towards the sky with leaves and vines. Eventually, their body will give out, and the tree will flourish.
In their rest, their body is moved to the great orchard and laid to rest in the dirt. They are given all they need as their final days tick past. water for the tree to grow, the finest food for nourishment. While they may grow weaker, their work is not gone unnoticed.
On their last day, songs are sung around them, and the lyimo is removed from their back. Their passing is gentle and surrounded by love, or at least as gentle as it can be.

Type

Religious

Demand

While dreaded, it is considered a great honor to hold the Lyimo until the great tree takes you. There is only one Podium in servie at a time, making it a once in a lifetime honor to be chosen.

Used By

• Ochis Lyi

The Truth is most people never want to even be considered for the role. To be chosen as the Podium is to give up your personhood. You become less that what you are, even if you are then in direct service of the gods. Most would choose never to loose themselves like that, but most aren't given a choise.
All who are eligible are required to offer themselves, and if you are rejected, sure there are no outward consequences. But the people will know you were not worthy, and it will come back to haunt you in other ways.
People choose not to interact with the Podium because it is often too painful to do so. It's easier to forget you know the person bowing infront of you, their face covered and their body being ravenged by a holy tree. Its easier to forget and thank the gods its not you or your child instead.