Houses of the Dead

What voice speaks now? Mother? Grandfather? What wisdom do you offer me?

— Inbas, epic hero from Cadrian theatre

Every Cadrian home has a separate section reserved for the dead where their ancestors skulls or preserved remains dwell and provide guidance to the living. Cadrians believe that their ancestors can still communicate and even influence the world slightly if their bodies or part of their bodies are present and proper offerings are made to appease Kerali. This communication and intervention has become a staple of Cadrian theatre and storytelling with many heroes visiting their family's house of the dead at least once in the story.

Traditionally the ancestors are visited every morning to be offered food to sustain their spirits. Afterwards the living can consult the dead on issues, implore them to intervene in a situation usually by asking them to implore a diety or quasi-deity on the living's behalf, or practice in front of the ancestors so they can help their descendant improve. Those that can afford it or are particularly noteworthy are mummified while others are simply skulls as skulls are thought to decrease the effort necessary for the dead to communicate with the living.

Those city dwellers are almost as stupid as they are lazy. How could you ask your ancestors to advise you when you won't even build their house yourself? Lazy good for nothings. I pity their ancestors.

— Brinnal, frustrated village elder

Houses of the Dead are constructed as any other room or building of the Cadrian people. Mudbrick is the building material of choice and allows for easy creation alcoves and shelves. Traditionally houses of the dead have been built by the family of the deceased a tradition that has managed to survive the increasing urbanization of the area remarkably well. The capital is known for its two large tombs, the Palace's House of the Dead, which holds the remains of the sovereigns of the empire and New Cadrial, their spouses, their children, their closest advisors, and members of the Nalmis Guard, and the House of the Unknown Dead, which holds the skulls of fallen warriors that could not be identified.

History

At first only the skulls of really important and influential people, like the family's founder, were kept and put in places of great importance. As the Cadrial Empire became more and more expansionist, keeping the skulls of fallen warriors, regardless of their accomplishments became common as they had made the ultimate sacrifice for the empire. This expansion paved the way for more and more common people and the occasional animal to have part of their remains kept in the family home or other location until the practice applied to all Cadrians. As the number of the revered dead increased, special rooms and even separate buildings to house the dead became common with the skulls of the dead stored in alcoves or on shelves and occasionally being painted with designs reflecting their lives and accomplishments.

What? I have to keep track of which ancestor is which somehow.

— supposedly one of the first people to paint their ancestors' skulls

It wasn't until the empire's golden age that mummification became common as after the beloved sovereign, Lamis. Her fear of death drove her to seek out all sorts of methods to gain immortality, one of which was a method to preserve her body after death.

My search may have not been entirely in vain. Kerali indeed must approve of my goal for they have provided me with the means to enact it. My soul will be firmly anchored to the palace by my embalmed body instead of a mere skull.

— Sovereign Lamis

After she died, her remains were mummified and placed in an special alcove in the Cadrian Empire's throne room where she remains to this day. Every sovereigns of the empire after Lamis were mummified. At first only the upper class were mummified, but in recent years mummification has become more affordable and there is a growing business of affordable embalmers for the middle class. As mummies have become more common, the alcoves have expanded so that a mummy can be laid out on their backs or stood up in the alcoves.

Related Ethnicities

• Cadrians

Mummy Creation

Alright, so first you remove the internal organs by cutting here then here like so, then you pull back the skin carefully. Next you pull all of this stuff out; yes all of it.

Stop giving me that look, you decided to go into this profession. And before you ask, no this part never really gets any more enjoyable.

— Nabas, professional embalmer instructing his newest apprentice

The organs are placed in a large urn and burred, usually near the family's home or by the embalmer's workshop. The cavity is washed and stuffed with reeds, cloth, wood shavings, and if possible fragrant spices. The incision is sewed back up and the deceased is dressed in their best clothes and jewelry. The body is then left to dry in the sun. Depending on how the remains will be placed, they are either laid flat on the ground or placed in the chair they will sit in.

Here's your stack of stones. If you let some vulture or coyote so much as side eye these bodies you'll be pulling out guts and cleaning out chest cavities for the next four months!

— Nabas to apprentice

Once the body has been sufficiently dried out, they are taken to their final resting place, often a family's house of the dead but sometimes the deceased are placed in a building significant like the founders of the Ciral Playhouse who have permanent front row seats in their theatre.

Embalmers' services extend beyond mummification to all sorts of post death services like cleaning and repainting of skulls and mummies and preforming funeral services. Some embalmers also build Houses of the Dead.