Thurvishar D'Lorus (thatdlorusbrat) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-07-13 14:11:00 |
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So sorry to do this, but I've fallen down a research rabbit hole and wouldn't mind your assistance in digging my way out of it. The subject that specifically has a deathgrip on me is, ironically Death itself - a subject that I falsely assumed I was familiar with and discovered rather haphazardly over the last few months that it varies so considerably that I may as well start with the basics. My initial research was tangential to this - those who have prior experience with different dimensions - but what is the afterlife if not a separate dimension parallel to our own? To summarize:
- Upon your death, your family has two options. The first option is to accept your death with grace and move on with their lives, provided that they don't like you too much. The second is to petition the goddess Thanae for your Return. Little is known as to why Thanae might Return you (she is mercurial and petty), but the odds are good - around 10% of all deaths in Quur are Returned within a week or so of having occurred.
- Let's say you were, for whatever reason, not granted a Return. As a spirit, you would walk through the gates of the Afterlife into a cold, dark forest filled with demons who mostly want to eat your soul. The kinder you were in life, the closer you arrive to the safety of the door to Rest. I've heard some say that they awoke with their hands on the door itself. Mmmmhmm. Fortunate.
- If you succeed in fending off the demons of the Afterlife, and going through the door to Rest, congratulations. Here you will do as it says on the tin - rest safely - until it's time for your soul to be reborn once again. Because that is the principle tenet in our system of Death back home - rebirth. I was shocked when I learned that many of the religions in other worlds focus on the notion of eternal Rest - as in, you don't have multiple lives? Fascinating. And somehow horrifying, honestly. You've one shot to get it right and that's that, I suppose. Not so for my world.
- For obvious reasons, it's inadvisable to remember your past lives, and for the most part, people don't. It drives people mad. Additionally, Thanae the goddess of Death is spiteful and will frequently put old enemies in the bodies of siblings, or worse - mother and son. Or lovers. Relationship dynamics would get awkward quickly if past lives were remembered, so most just elect to not bother with it.
- (One minor note - the only people who miss out on all the above are the gaeshed. Those who die while gaeshed just go straight to the demon they were promised to serve, where they'll be tortured for a while until their soul rots and they themselves become a demon to continue the cycle. It's one of the many reasons that those who are gaeshed don't just kill themselves; it's worse for them on the other side. Currently, research is unclear on the fate of those who died with the gaesh broken, as no one's done it yetwhich is annoying, as this will likely be my fate.)