Draelish Burial Customs

"As Drahxdin headed down into the ancient catacombs of Clan Dashkular, he couldn't help but marvel at how Draelish architecture was remarkably uniform in design no matter what clan he visited. Following the zepalath-style finish that the Draelish have used for thousands of years, the geometrical layout and trapezoidal design elements distinctly complemented the rough-hewn stone boxes making up the walls of the cinerarium. Holding the uraguun, ash urns, and d'kar-crafted relics of countless generations of Draelish, the halls he now walked glittered softly as he made his way toward a particular stack of ossuaries. Taking down each box with reverential care, Drahxdin continued until he reached a particularly well-worn ossuary that contained the remains of an old mentor and friend. "I'm back, Thuul, this time with a Helekris-tooth dagger." Drahxdin took out one of the juran crystals contained in an old leather pouch found within the ossuary and fitted it to the long-bladed dagger's pommel he held in his hand. "I know that you always wanted to hunt one of these ur-beasts, so I thought it fitting to bring this trophy of a successful hunt back to you."
After placing the pouch and dagger back carefully into the ossuary, Drahxdin replaced the lid and restacked them in the order that they had been in. Taking a moment to compose himself, he breathed out Essence and infused the uraguun crystals embedded into the front of the ossuaries around him and listened to their soft crackling. He missed his friend, but seeing Thuul's crystal arc and shine with essence reminded him that even though Thuul was gone, together they still had many more stories to tell through the d'kar left in his box. "One day I'll be able to tell you in person how they went. For now, rest easy in the Slumbering Halls my friend, and may you feel the energy coursing through these crystals race towards you, with them carrying the memories of the great hunt against the Helekris."
With one last crackle, the essence slowly faded from the glimmering crystals, and as Drahxdin headed out of the Singing Halls and on to his next adventure, he was looking forward to what new stories awaited them." -Excerpt from A Hunt Told, A Journey Remembered by Drahxdin Nawsklahmadin
There are several rituals and beliefs associated with Draelish burials, some of which are evidenced above and explored further below.

Clan/Family Catacombs

Draelish catacombs are underground cemeteries composed of long passageways used for storing remains, with Sankara clans often utilizing large shared rooms while Kasniska clans have a series of separate family vaults. Often placed on shelves or stacked together, the remains are contained in individual burial boxes called ossuaries that are placed flush against a wall. Though most catacombs are simple and unadorned save for support pillars, some may include a glossed stone finish or even stone-carved busts of the individual buried within (these busts are usually associated with Kasniska family vaults and represent that family's founding matriarch, though some Sankara clans may feature busts in honor of the Shr'keldar in interspersed niches). Care is often taken in Ulkar clans to construct these catacombs in such a way that visitation is comfortable and inviting, with spacious corridors offering unhampered access and stone meditation plinths being dispersed throughout. This has been helped by the fact that the body is cremated, removing any natural discomfort upon seeing the bones of a deceased clan member, though the presence of one's ashes and uraguun continue the feeling of quiet reverence and contemplative meditation.
Though customarily found underground, smaller Midan and Ridel clans found in areas where underground catacombs are difficult or even unviable may op to instead construct a dwelling that is artificially underground or even fully above ground within a designated building or temple room. In such instances when a clan needs to move in order to find the next essence pool or spring, these burial sites are either left (ideally with the initial construction placed within a protected or obscure locale) and marked with special cairns or brought with them. For Ridel clans that are constantly on the move, finding a site where a permanent catacomb can be built then returned to is more ideal.
One notable example that deviates from the traditional underground catacombs found within most Ulkar clans is the Sankara Life Affinity clan known as Nejinjul. Hidden within a crevice located deep within the mountains is an open air memorial garden that constitutes as the clan's columbarium/catacombs. Displaying a beautiful Midnight Willow sporting the area's iconic biolumiscent touch, the garden contains several Nelina Shr'keldar statues and is surrounded by arched walkways carved into the rock that contain the clan's ossuaries.

Ossuaries

Draelish typically bury their dead within the catacombs using carved stone boxes called ossuaries, stacking them like how one would see in the form of a columbarium and filling them with an urn containing the ashes of the body along with any satellite crystals (small, gemstone-like "organs" usually found along the tail) that they had on them inside a leather pouch, with one being set aside for the clan's collective tithe for interclan trading. The deceased's core crystal (called an uraguun, which is an organ-like crystal found fused to the sternum) is then taken and carefully cut and embedded in the front side of the ossuary, completing the entombment process. Anyone who knew the deceased, including family members, clutch mates, and even future descendants, is encouraged to then craft burial relics that would reflect the life and value of the one who died using the satellite crystals left behind, with the relics being placed inside upon completion.

The Uraguun

All Draelish possess an uraguun (also known as an "essence jewel"), which is seen as a sacred part of who they are and is believed to be the main essence repository used throughout their life. The uraguun and d'kar are known as "living crystals" for their ability to hold infused essence for a time, with d'kar holding it for several seconds while the uraguun can hold it for several minutes, though due to the naturally volatile state of essence, it typically doesn't last for that long except in rare cases where the d'kar and uraguun are particularly potent. Those who knew the deceased are known to infuse the uraguun in the belief that doing so connects the deceased's spirit with their own, even if only for a brief moment. As for the d'kar relics, their use is for the deceased individual to reclaim following their reconstitution during the reclamation of the Kingdom, though descendants may be gifted these relics for a brief time with for holy missions or journeys of significant importance for the clan.
Crackling and giving off glimmers of light, these living crystals can be found in a variety of states, with each Affinity possessing its own unique crystal type and infusion effect:

• An Irilisk is a Relu crystal, with a color that starts off as a pale tan and ends as a caramel-amber color. It is known for emitting a field of static shocks when infused.
• A Malunzil is a Gana crystal, with a color that starts off as a light azure and ends as a deep blue. It is known for fluctuating with a slight push/pull effect when infused.
• A Kadusk is a Kish crystal, with a color that starts off as a smoky, dirt brown and ends as a rich, semi-translucent chocolate cosmos. It is known for producing infrasonic rumbles when infused.
• A Neluun is a Nemuun crystal, with a color that starts off as a pale, pear green and ends as a vibrant, deep forest green. It is known for draining small amounts of life energy into the crystal when infused.
• A Jurnan is a Duras crystal, with a color that starts off as a dusty maroon and ends as a sparkling crimson. It is known for causing heat and fumes when infused.
• A Heraz is a Het crystal, with a color that starts off as a cloudy white and ends as a gold-specked, colorless jewel. It is known for radiating heat haze and glimmers of sunlight.
• A Jagrel is a Tejet crystal, with a color that starts off as a coral pink and ends as a bright pink. It is known for inducing psychedelic effects when infused.
• A Lixil is a Patuk crystal, with a color that starts off as a gritty orange and ends as a fiery opal. It is known for quickening adrelnline when infused.
• A Takel is a Zinu crystal, with a color that starts off as a pale cyan and ends as a deep teal. It is known for creating a small tear of distortion for seeing into the Ethereal when infused.
• A Yunjin is a Mejul crystal, with a color that starts off as a pastel yellow and ends as a golden sun. It is known for causing faint gravitational distortions when infused.
• A Tardeka is a Sedrak crystal, with a color that starts off as a dull periwinkle and ends as a deep violet. It is known for temporarily absorbing light and color when infused.
• A Zkalgon is a Januris crystal, with a color that starts off as a pinkish-grey and ends as a viva magenta. It is believed to absorb magic into the crystal itself when infused.

As Draelish grow in age and power, their living crystals change with them. Starting off as pale and opaque, these crystals change to become more transparent, growing deeper in hue and larger in size the more time they have to grow.

Beliefs of the Afterlife

Drawing upon the legend of The Slumbering Halls, Draelish believe that they can communicate to their gods by infusing essence into d'kar crystals and meditating on it's fluctuations and infrasonic rumbles, with Draelish who have passed on slumbering nearby within the Halls, ready for the day that Heaven is reclaimed. While Draelish are able to connect to eachother via essence, sharing their power and even a certain level of emotion, such beliefs have thus far only yielded fragments of visions or snippets of prophecy, with clearer pathways to their gods still eluding them. When such a day does come however, it is believed that the soul of the Draelish slumbering within will reconnect with their uraguun, reconstituting their bodies from the ashes contained within the burial urns and preparing them for the reclamation.
In the event that a Draelish's uraguun and d'kar were not able to be recovered or was destroyed, while devastating to the clan due to not being able to communicate with the deceased via essence infusion and conducting the rituals of artifact creation, it is believed that the Duma will be able to reform their bodies based on the memories retained within their spirit and written upon the pillars within the Halls. In such an event, the deceased's ossuary is instead filled with artifacts representing their life, with a mourning sigil placed upon the front where the uraguun would've been. If even a single d'kar was recovered however, it was to be placed in front, with a prayer sigil inscribed around it instead.

The Soul

The exact breakdown of what constitutes a Draelish's personality can be found in the belief of the spirit and the soul. It is believed that a Draelish's soul is first crafted by the Duma deep within the Slumbering Halls and is then sent out and absorbed by the egg alongside a stream of Essence during the Absorption Stage of incubation. As one's life is lived, the soul is continually built up with Spirit Essence through knowledge, experience, memories, and acts of personality. This building up of the soul can be seen in the uraguun, with the strength of the spirit being reflected in the living crystal as seen during burial depending on its color, composition, and ability to retain Essence. Only when it is determined that one's life has reach a certain level of experience (though premature death does occur due to various factors) is the soul recalled back to the Slumbering Halls, where that Draelish's spirit is then written upon the pillars of the world as a form of living memory, with the soul residing within the Halls and awaiting the call of Heaven. Because of this, it is believed that when a Draelish dies and their body is being prepared for burial, that the uraguun bears trace remnants of the passageway used to ferry the soul from and to the Slumbering Halls, leading to the belief that when one infuses it with essence (as Drahxdin did for Thuul), it can bring messages and impressions to the slumbering soul.
In terms of the creation process of souls, some believe that souls are crafted beforehand in clusters by the Duma, awaiting for the mating process to begin before being sent out, while others believe that each soul is crafted as soon as the act of mating occurs. It is not clear in the former belief if the souls were crafted eons before or if the souls are crafted with a particular clan in mind, or even if it is crafted in batches under the direction and supervision of the Shr'keldar, with the souls then being sent out when the Draelish of that Affinity is then bodily formed. Further, are Kasniska and Sankara souls crafted by the Duma together or does each parent-god craft the soul that corresponds with them? If the former, then what makes a Draelish soul a Kasniska or Sankara? Is it just the clan they are born into, or is there a deeper reflection to be found in the soul itself? Some believe that all souls are neutral when crafted, with each parent-god determining which is marked based on lot, while others believe that each soul is crafted with this in mind. Whatever the case, it is known that in life, the spirit and the soul combine, permanently making the Draelish's personality the personality they are to be for when the call of Heaven comes.
These beliefs have helped shape how Spirit Affinity Draelish are viewed. Believing that the Zinu are born with an unusual amount of Spirit Essence already accumulated, it is believed that these Draelish have been entrusted with carrying with them the spirits of former Draelish for continuing formation, either due to life being unexpectedly cut short for them or for the continual strengthening of already-strong souls. Whether due to this or other reasons, it is known that Spirit Draelish that achieve auramancy are generally stronger compared to other types of auramancer Draelish.

by George Batchvarov

A Note On Draelish Architecture

Employing a number of design principles passed down from ancient steles and traditions, Draelish architecture has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. Known for their penchant with sticking with geometrical layouts and trapezoidal designs, Draelish buildings focus on providing stout appearances and sharp inclines, with the central building of a complex keeping to a rectangular appearance followed by lower and/or higher elevated sections. Preferring environments that would allow them to build partially within the terrain, Draelish architecture focuses on a cacoon methodology, with their exteriors to giving off a strong front while their interiors follow a radial-like tree structure, with the more spaticous rooms and courtyards nestled within the innermost reaches.
As for more particular features, a clan's central complex often includes elevated courtyards and plazas while private buildings (such as clutch dens and family palaces) focus on a central, columned riad, with any elevation being traversed across long-sloped stairs (set between 5-20 degrees) and a large, communal sleeping chamber with a small pool located nearby for soaking and bathing. As for larger buildings, columed halls and a stacked structure are preferred, as Draelish don't often build larger than 2 stories straight upward for lone buildings.
Known for their natural affinity for stone carving, Draelish routinely display a mixture of bas and low relief sculptural works and mosaics within their builds, along with fabric canopies, leather and/or bead door and window coverings, trapezoidal columns with Draelish statue capitals, and angled, plinth-like seating and stomach lounging. Particularly skilled artisans even employ a type of mosaic mural using carefully angled etched edgings and gilded, sculptural low reliefs, usually reserved for prominent placement within a clan's Wandering Hall.