Expedited Funeral

When there are less living than the dead

It seemed like no family was untouched: the terror! The wall of water! The famine and the plague! [sob] I... I don't know why, it was just so awful, just when I had become an elder! Some were begging Kali for a sign of peace. Some, angrier types, left for the mountains as bandits. Some committed suicide after seeing their children and brethren die! And some, some like me, took to the more pragmatic task of burying the dead.

– Ravana, Bandit Commander

The expedited funeral is a hallmark of the troubled times of the Dakuina (Great Storm). So many were dying from plague or famine that soon, the dead outnumbered the living. In some villages, people simply dumped rotting bodies into pits, and went back to trying to survive. However, in most, a ritual was still carried out, to help the soul on its judging before the three Gods.

Execution

Kali, Bringer of Peace! Give peace to this man's troubled soul, bring him to the promised land. Tukod, Builder of Worlds! Judge this man worthy, judge him deserving of this place. Kahiga, the One who Sleeps! Awake for this man, and let him rest in the halls of light.

– Final Prayer for the Dead

The high priest of Kali, along with his understudies, would begin the ceremony. The body, in a rough-hewn coffin mass-produced by the carpenters for this exact purpose, would quickly be placed into a hole in the ground. The high priest would begin an incantation, unique for each person, lasting about ten minutes as others shoveled dirt over the grave.
Then, a temporary wooden gravestone would be inserted into the earth, marking the spot, with name and birth and death dates. Finally, the entire congregation would together say the final prayers for the person's soul. Once complete, the priest would let one dove, specially bred for this purpose, out of its cage to fly away free, as a symbol of freedom and peace. Then, the next ceremony would begin.

Primary Related Location

Pakani Island