Veiamic Funerals

Waiting

When a person dies, their body cannot be moved for 24 hours. This is because their panai may have been away from their body during sleep, and if the body is moved when they return, they might become lost and become a ghost. Those who died in bed are left where they lie. If someone died elsewhere in the house, it is safe to move them to a more convenient location either in the same room, or a different room with the door left open.

With those who died while out in public, there is little fear that their panai was not present when they died, so there is more leniency. It's still unwise to move them far just in case their ghost gets confused, such as resisting moving on and trying to come back. Bodies are moved into the nearest buildings, left in the field, or dragged onto the shore. In the case of executions, gallows are built with a platform underneath where bodies can lie for a 24-hour period.

Vigil

During this time, a person close to the deceased performs the death vigil. For the full 24 hours, the body should not be left alone. The watcher keeps vigil with a stone light jar - leaving a body in darkness is bad luck. Generally, 2 or 3 people take turns during the vigil. These people are usually family members: spouses, children, siblings or close friends.

Cremation

When the 24-hour vigil is complete, a funeral can be held. Bodies are cremated; the funeral pyre is lit at sunset. Loved ones might add items that the deceased cared about in life to the fire, like a man's cloak or a child's favourite toy. This is more common for wealthier families who can afford to replace these items. During the burning, the gathered mourners sing a lament.

Burial

After cremation, the remains are gathered into an urn. What happens to that urn varies by region:

In Karuvian communities, the urn is buried underneath a portal tomb. Small villages have one dolmen to serve the whole community, while larger settlements have multiple in the area for specific families or classes.

Vaunens don't bother with stone markers. Vaunen druids create large circles of stones and bless the ground, so that everything within the circles is a sacred site. Urns are buried a few feet underground within the circle.

Taalites have the most distinct and visible burials, as they use large mounds. Each mound has an entrance at its base and a tunnel leading into it lined with stone. In the inner chamber(s), urns are positioned on stone shelves. Prestigious families have their own mounds that are finely decorated, with small alcoves dedicated to each person inside. Common folk are all interred in large communal mounds. Between burials, the mounds are sealed with stone slabs that are too heavy to be moved without magic. The entrance to the mound always faces the ocean.