Almund: Witchwood Graveyard.
30th of Saun, 720
30th of Saun, 720
A pall of melancholy hung over Witchwood graveyard like a thick blanket. Though it had always been a place for grieving, never before had it been as crowded as it was today. Men, women and children from all across the island had gathered here today, all dressed in black and with downcast expressions on tear stained faces. Together they surrounded some kind of large pillar covered in a grey tarp like a ring of shadow.
In the centre of the crowd, upon a podium next to the covered pillar, stood Tio dressed in the robes of an officiator. This was one of the rare occasions where even he couldn’t seem to muster any joy or good humour, though he was perhaps the only one here who didn’t have a good reason to feel sombre. Nearly one thousand citizens had been killed or classed as missing as a result of the near eruption of Faldrass volcano; their bodies pulled out of the wreckage by the clean-up crews, and getting them all identified had been a complicated and harrowing affair. Such large-scale death made organising individual funeral services nigh impossible, so instead Tio had decided to organise a combined funeral service for all the victims.
This was quite a big break from the regular death rituals observed in Scalvoris, which were traditionally very small, personal affairs. In an effort to make this less problematic Tio had done everything else he could to apply the usual customs to this format. For the last three days anyone who had a suitable family home to keep their loved one’s coffin in with them had been invited to do so, while those who did not were allowed to visit Tio’s home Silver Point where the other coffins were being kept. Tio had not left his house for those days, doing what he could to provide comfort for those who had lost someone precious to them and otherwise keeping with the island’s traditions.
This service itself had only been open to approximately three thousand people: three for each victim. In the few cases of victims who could not be identified their slots had been given to the other people who it seemed most prudent to invite, and so as a result every registered victim of the tragedy could claim to have three people there for them and an officiator just as custom usually dictated. It wasn’t perfect, and judging by their expressions there were more than a few people who weren’t happy with the arrangement, but it was the best that could be done. Swallowing an uncharacteristic pang of nerves that bubbled up beneath his throat, Tio stepped forward to address the crowd, his voice carrying out across them and enthralling them with its enchanting quality.
“I would like to thank you all for coming today, and express my sincerest condolences for what has been, I’m certain, the most difficult cycle in years for many of you. Ours is a world of trials and tribulations; a world where chaos and tragedy lurk behind every corner. When nature itself bares its fangs against mankind there is little that anyone can do to fend it off, try as we might.”
“I know that this service is less than what many of you may have hoped for. I know that to all of you gathered here the people we return to the earth today were more than just the victims of a terrible disaster: they were friends and family, and today should have been a time to share the stories of the times they were alive and remember them as individuals. I regret that I cannot give you that. I regret that I cannot stand here today and give each and every one of them the requiem they deserve. Instead I would like to ask you all now for a moment of silence, and for everyone here to recall the memories they have in the privacy of your own minds.”
In silence the crowd bowed their heads as one, and for a couple of minutes only the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze could be heard as everyone reflected on their own thoughts. When enough time had passed Tio reached back and pulled the tarp off the pillar behind him, revealing a large obelisk of smooth black marble lines with gold. Covering its surface were hundreds of different symbols: each one a representation of a victim as chosen by their families or closest friends. It was a headstone for each and every one of the thousand men and women who lost their lives, and given pride of place in the centre of Witchwood.
“Let this obelisk stand here today as a monument for those who are gone, and a reminder that they are far from forgotten. For as long as the people who live here remember them then their presence, their strength, will endure within Scalvoris. The events of Faldrass were awful, but we will not let it defeat us. We will mourn them, we will remember them, but we will not let their loss stop us from moving forward with our lives.” He bowed his head low. “I would now like to hand you over to my colleague from the Immortals Tongue, to offer words as representatives as each of the Immortals. Thank you for your time.”
With that he stepped off the platform, letting himself glide down to the ground as a priest of Aeva stepped onto the stage and began a speech of their own. A priest or priestess representing each Immortal was scheduled to come up and give a speech so that each of the victims could have their faith honoured. Tio slipped through the crowd and took a place at the back, watching the ceremony continue in silence. He would stay here all throughout the ceremony and for as long afterwards as it took for all the guests to say their farewells and take their leave, though his active role in the ceremony was over. It was his hope that this would give the people of Scalvoris the closure so many of them needed, so that they could go forwards into the next season with strong hearts and begin to rebuild in earnest.