Toasomu - Master of Ashes

"Your body was given over to the fire to prepare you for your journey. Now we spread your ashes to the winds for your soul to rest, and we give your bones back to the fire from which you were born."

Priestess during the Ceremony of Ashes-

The cremation of the dead and the scattering of ashes during the Tikijitoas are sacred and an important part of the Layikanian culture. The cremation is performed by Masters of Ashes, whose craft is highly regarded in the firewalker's world as it creates a link between becoming and passing through the cleansing power of fire. The guild of ash masters also plays an important part in the success of the festival at the organizing of the Inzisanas, Layida's highest celebrations.

Master of Ashes by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

by Blue Fairy 74 via Armoria

Development of the profession

Cremations have existed since the first Layikani. Originally, the families of the deceased built pyres on which the bodies were placed and then burned with grave goods. This task was gradually taken over by sons or male relatives of the dead. From the 4th millennium BEC onwards, there are first records of traveling ashmasters who moved from city to city to cremate the dead, which was easier at that time than it is today due to the long and limited regional spread of the Layikani.
With the development of the ceremony of ashes from the 3rd millennium BEC and the spread of the Layikani across the continent, it became increasingly important that Toasomus settled on the borders of larger communities and cities and burned the dead in established rites.

Motto: "Purity of fire bound in ashes!"

Coat of arms:

The coat of arms shows orange flames framed by a silver crystal on a black background. The coat of arms represents the remaining bones of the deceased and the fireworks according to Inzisana, both of which symbolize important work tasks.

Mainly male Layikani are trained to become ash masters. Not because men are viewed less in the matriarchal Layikanian Culture, but because since the development of cremation rites, it has been primarily men who have taken on this physically more difficult task.
Female masters of ashes are very rare. Most of them are daughters of Toasomus who have no male siblings and were trained by their fathers.

Training to become a Toasomu

Many Toasomus are trained by their fathers, having grown up with the craft since childhood. Ash Masters are very empathetic Layikani. Their charisma has a calming effect on grieving people. Not all sons or daughters automatically follow in their fathers' footsteps, although most of them have very high empathetic abilities. Daughters with these skills in particular are very good pyromancers, so many become active in this field after successfully completing their fire magic training in the Flames of Wisdom.
Since some descendants have been trying to take other paths and use their empathetic abilities for other professions over the last 200 years, this character trait has become an important selection criterion for new trainees. So in order to be appointed to a Toasomu as a newcomer, he must first prove his ability to empathy. Once you have passed the test, you begin your three-year apprenticeship as a journeyman, which is followed by a three-year employment with an ash master. After six years, the Year of the Master follows. Only then can you call yourself a Toasomu.

Tiala stood next to her mother as the Toasomu and an assistant picked up her grandmother's body and cried. The assistant knelt in front of her and clasped her small childlike hands in his hands. Then he massaged her wrist three times with his index and middle fingers. He looked straight into Tiala's eyes, a fleeting smile crossing her face. She relaxed her shoulders. The tensions in her body seemed to ease and she slowly calmed down. It was as if the assistant had absorbed some of Tiala's grief.

Empathy test of a candidate -

Work as an apprentice

During the three-year training, the existing skills of empathy are refined through techniques for localizing grief and its currents and effects on the body and the respectful interaction with the bereaved is learned. A second field is learning the rites around the Tikijitoa and the Inzisana as well as participating under the leadership of the ash master or a journeyman who is in their master's year.

Work as a journeyman

During the three-year work period, the journeyman is allowed to prepare and carry out cremations independently, but still under the supervision of the master. He is also now allowed to make the fireworks for the coming season that are left over from the remaining ashes of the Inzisana celebrations.

Preparation for cremation of the body by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Construction of a fire tower for the Inzisana by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

Year of the Master

In the last year, the prospective master independently takes on all the tasks of a true master and also coordinates the training of apprentices. As a final test, he is responsible for setting up and monitoring the fire tower for the Inzisana.

When the tower has burned down after Inzisana, the new ash master is anointed with holy Siya oil on his forehead by the priestess who also lit the fire and the master's chain is hung around his neck.

Equipment and tools

Ashmasters usually wear gray-brown clothes such as a caftan or cape made of fire- and tear-resistant fabrics for their daily work. On solemn occasions such as mourning ceremonies or the lighting of the fire tower, they wear a gray robe that usually has orange-gold decorations on the edges. Above it hangs the chain of office, which adorns a round amulet with a red ash crystal.

Ashmasters mostly live with their families outside of cities, as the cremation of the dead takes place in open areas. For this purpose, they have larger plots of land on which several deceased people can be cremated at the same time if necessary. The festival sites for the Inzisana are often not far away, as some of the most important tasks are related to the festival.
The cremation sites are surrounded by a fence of flat geometric bushes, which gives the place a peaceful feel. In the center there is often a pillar with a statue of the aging sun goddess Banyula, as the Layikani believe that Banyula leads the dead to the underworld. Shallow excavations have been dug into the ground, with a hole in the middle from which lava seeps up to the edge. The Toasomu place a metal coffin on top of it, which does not burn up, but burns the corpse until only a few bones remain.
Other rooms include a workshop and a business space. The ash master keeps tools in the workshop and prepares the ashes with color pigments or additives for the fireworks displays at the sun festivals. In the business premises, relatives will find various urns that they can individually design for the “ceremony of ashes”.

Garden of cremation by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney