Ritual of Aziz

WFRP4e

Work in progress!

ORC License

Slightly NSFW!

One time during summer, the Ondar, spiritual leader of the Dashani, climbs on top of the mountain Tanaan to perform a ritual to build a connection to the Dashani goddess Aziz. A small group of people travels along a small path with her for three days, then the Ondar continues alone for two hours until she reaches a small plateau. In the centre of the plateau, a big blue rock is located, named Heart of Aziz. The Ondar begins the ritual early in the morning by igniting three small fires around the rock which she lets burn down until they are only smoking heaps of embers. She places scrolls of paper and charcoal onto the rock, drops bits of dried Morcela mushrooms on the embers and climbs on top of the rock to meditate. The smoke of the mushrooms let her mind drift away and she enters a state called the Eye of Aziz. After the ritual, which usually takes three to four hours, the scrolls are filled with hundreds of words, signs and drawings. The Ondar carefully collects all the scrolls and descends to the camp, to return with the waiting group to Parafifi. The scrolls are examined and the words copies to small snippets of reed to be sold in the temple.

Components and tools

For the ritual, a set of items is required: a bag of dried Morcela mushrooms, a bundle of wood for the ritual fires, a stack of scrolls and charcoal for writing onto the scrolls.

Participants

Only the Ondar is performing the ritual, the group of people that accompanies her to the mountain stays in a camp further down the mountain and waits for her coming back to the camp.

Observance

The ritual is being performed once a year during summer, there is no exact date given. At some day the Ondar announces that it is the right time now, and the day after the small group of people sets out for the Tanaan. After about seven days the group arrives back in Parafifi, surrounding the Ondar, whose skin seems to glow from the touch of the goddess, and she is carrying the bundle of scrolls filled with the goddess' wisdom, soon to be replicated into the Words of Aziz. Some people call the ritual "Azizination" because each year one member of the travelling group vanished without a trace. Yet, there were always more people than needed willing to accompany the Ondar, as it is a big honour for everyone to escort the Ondar. Family members of the vanished person usually accepted the disappearance as a gift of Aziz. Five years ago the vanishing has suddenly stopped.