Passing of Life Ceremony

"The Passing of Life ceremony-- a very important, integral ritual necessary for a Soul to pass to Anima. We Daemon are the keepers of memories; without this ceremony, the memories of the dead will haunt their most Beloved Person until they both have met Mother Death herself."
---A cultural account by Ke'tlan, Lith of the Zilra Kim

History

A very important ceremony for all Daemon, the Passing of Life is a rite of passage for the deceased that allows them to go to Anima (the afterlife) and rest there until the Day of Spirit’s Leap; without it, the deceased will be lost to memory, forcing them to wander aimlessly until The Day of Blackened Sky.

It is speculated that this ceremony started to truly come into fruition due to the events of The Great War, as the overabundance of lost lives caused Anima to overcrowd. The prayers that are involved in this rite call forth Mors and Vite explicitly, which allow the lost soul to gain a guaranteed audience with both.

Execution

In Daemonic tradition, the ceremony is initiated by the deceased's Beloved Person, and the rite is spoken by a ritual healer. In most cases, this healer is the Housecarl employed to the house, but this individual could also be a family apothecary or even The Seer. All that is needed is a devout Asezhurin priest that can call upon the deities.

This prayer is said in the presence of all who were close with the deceased. A special tea, made from the deceased’s ashen remains and a combination of herbs kept secret amongst all Seers, is brewed and given to everyone present. This tea, when consumed, revitalizes the body, and allows the deceased's memories to remain in the Daemonic consciousness; it also allows the memories of the deceased to calm in the mind of their Beloved Person.

Components and tools

The items necessary for the Passing of Life Ceremony is as follows:

The Ritual Plaque: a plaque of the last remains of a Daemon. This is usually the horns, but sometimes this is a set of talons. Before the ceremony can start, the deceased's Beloved Person displays the plaque as a way to channel their soul.
The Ceremonial Tea: as mentioned previously, it is a mix of the ashen remains of the deceased, as well as a mysterious blend of herbs concocted by The Seer. The consumption of part of the deceased's body allows the memories to solidify-- and, for the Beloved Person, it allows the memories to rest by finding their original owner.
A Cleansed Tea-Set: as this is a spiritually-significant ceremony, all of the tools used in it must be cleansed; due to its strong significance, this dishware is cleansed with waters from Typhon's Caldera. It is often seen as a more literal way of channeling the power of the deities.