The Cave Stalker Afterlife
In the Cave Stalker belief system, there is a place where all living things go when they die. Although dominated by Cave Stalkers, and certain deities, this place is a transitionary place between the known and unknown for all. How an individual Cave Stalker lives in life determines their fate in the afterlife, and thus, the survival of their kin in future life.
Overview
The Cave Stalker Afterlife - known to them as "Menōkam" - is thought to be a physical place. A special organ next to the gut of Tsamilīq, the World Beast. This organ was not used for much, presumably because Tsamilīq had no need to eat anything, and thus did not use organs for much. It was turned into a place for Cave Stalkers to travel to in death, in order to affect the real world one last time.
When a Cave Stalker dies, their consciousness leaves their non-functional body, and is placed inside an incorporeal form inside the afterlife. The dead soul then remains there since that point. Initially, they will be on their own, and will have to wander through the entrance tunnel to the afterlife by themselves. Then, they will be greeted with the guardian deity, named Melomīno. Melomīno takes the form of a large tube worm, who burrows from the walls of the afterlife. The god will search through the dead's memories, before opening a new path before them. What lies at the end of the path is determined by the individual's actions in life.
The Cave Stalkers have a widespread belief that good and bad cannot exist without the other, and if one were to diminish, creation would fall into chaos. If creation were to fall into chaos, Cave Stalkers would never have an opportunity to make something of the world. Therefore, it is important to understand that good and bad should be equally acknowledged in life. If one were to push too much for the currents to be completely calm, and conditions to be favorable every single hour, everything would be static, and life would be just a shell of what it once was. If one were to dwell on selfish desires to gather resources for themselves too heavily, it would cause harm on everyone else, and it would cause life to be needlessly overridden with hardship. Therefore, accepting both parts would make life and creation worth existing, and the Cave Stalkers could return to their former glory to ease the struggle of living in their realm.
If a dead individual were to yearn for perfection in life, they would be led down a tunnel that would at first be filled with life, with animals and plants living everywhere. Then, it would all clear away, and the individual would be left with an empty space filled with other dead Cave Stalkers. They could all try to communicate with each other, before realizing no one could hear each other's voice, and keep to themselves for the rest of their time. If a dead individual were to give into selfish desires and wishes of harm upon their kin, the tunnel would contain nothing at first but bare rock. Then, the individual would feel a stinging sensation all over their body that would only worsen with time. Before they could know what's going on, they would be sent to an empty space where dead Cave Stalkers would endlessly brawl with each other.
If a dead Cave Stalker were to fulfill their life duty, they would be sent to an empty space where they could simply interact with other dead individuals, akin to a family gathering in life. There is no set rule saying this place is good or bad, and it is likely everyone will meet someone new. As long as the deads' living family members remember them through oral traditions, they will remain in this empty space. This idea is true for the other spaces in the afterlife, though in the middle ground between perfection and torment, it can allow dead individuals to offer their wishes for a safe journey for their family. This will lead to the natural conditions slightly improving for them to find food, though it does not guarantee safety. These wishes, in tangent with paying respects to the gods, will compensate for the effects of living in an environment where resources are generally scarce.
Mythology
The afterlife was formed when the gods initially met the first Cave Stalkers. Thinking lowly of them for being "abominations," they would attempt to control the Cave Stalkers to keep them from threatening their status as caring for creation. They killed them, and ravaged their homelands in order to show who was in control. However, Melomīno thought differently, and sought to both bring them comfort and a way to help each other in a harsh environment. He burrowed through a separate organ in Tsamilīq's body, clearing away all of the monsters which lived inside, causing some of them to escape on accident. Then, he transformed it to take in the consciousnesses of the dead, to provide them a place for them to help their living brethren. Now the Cave Stalkers would have a purpose even after leaving the mortal realm. Meanwhile in life, they and their gods would come to terms.After the afterlife was established, the various monsters that once lived inside began to kill off Cave Stalkers themselves, and threatened their existence. One of these creatures grew into a deity, just as the others had in the beginning of creation. This deity, called Kom-Norūhi, would invade the afterlife. The endemic monsters were under her control, and were beginning to be reintroduced to the afterlife, interrupting the deads' groupings. Melomīno had to drive her and her monsters away, with the assistance of a living Cave Stalker experienced in hunting. Now, it is believed she remains in the mortal world, waiting to convince Cave Stalkers to join her ranks.
In Art
Cave art depicting this afterlife have been found on several occasions. Most often its depicted as three separate chambers, connected by three tunnels. One chamber has spines surrounding it, and another one is drawn using dotted lines. These are thought to be the both of the bad afterlives, while the plain-looking chamber is the neutral afterlife. Stone carvings of Melomīno are also common artifacts, and are said to be a sign that a family is grieving. They carry the carving in the off chance they have to speak to Melomīno to help their deceased family member in any way possible.Related Traditions
Because Cave Stalkers believe that their consciousness and their bodies separate when they die, the body is completely useless. Supposedly, some nomadic bands of Cave Stalkers don't care what happens to their dead body, and thus have no apparent traditions relating to death. Other bands will wrap the carcass in cloth, before depositing it in the ground, or a halocline river. They speak messages to the body, in the hopes that they will be carried over to the individual in the afterlife once the body is disposed of.There is also a common belief that an individual's consciousness could occasionally linger inside the body. This would cause a certain family member to hear voices, or to see things that were not there. However, it was just the dead Cave Stalker trying to tell them something was wrong. The only way to resolve this issue was to attempt to alert Melomīno through carvings depicting him, in the hopes he would one day notice the lingering dead and bring them to the afterlife. It is thought this entire concept was used to explain psychosis, or possibly schizophrenia in Cave Stalkers, inferring they may be able to have certain mental conditions of their own, much the same as humans.
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