Varenhold

The Republic of Varenhold Lýðveldi Hlutanna
Flag
Motto: Från Glömska till Början 'From the End to the Beginning'
Capital	Klippenstaad
Official languages	Varen, Drachensprache
Recognised national languages	Varen, Drachensprache
Ethnic groups	Varenholt, Drachen
Demonym(s)	Varen
Government	Parliamentary Directorial Republic
• The Council of Masks	Refur (Lord Fox) Duva (Lady Dove) Skata (Lord Magpie) Korp (Lord Raven) úlfur (Lord Wolf) Pukki (Lord Ram) Orm () Kråka () Lumikani () Ilves () Linnorm () Koloss () Puhdas/Eitthorn ()
• Højttaler	Ansgar Anthonsen
Legislature	The People's Court
History
• Colonization of Varenhold by Drachenstaat	1631 C.E
• Rebellion	October 1892 C.E.
• The Great War	1893-1898 C.E.
• The Western War	~1940s
Population
• 1900 census	71,599,000
Currency	Varen Mark (VMK)
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd CE

Opening Paragraph

Demographics

Religion

The 'Old Gods'

Funeral Rites

Throughout time, the tribes and clans have had varying rites for their dead, but something all of the rites found throughout the region have in common was the belief that the body could not and should not be left, in any way, intact. If that were to happen, they believed, the spirit of the dead would be tied to their body and to the world of the living, unable to rejoin that from which all life flows, and unable to eventually, one day, reincarnate. This led to the adoption and continuing practice of cremation.

Despite the constraints their weather puts upon them, Varenholt faithfully burn their dead, often within the first three days of a death, no more than eight days after a death. Adapting one of the communal buildings they constructed in their villages, the longhouse dedicated to the gods and in which the shamans lived and carried out all their duties (this building later becoming a more official temple or shrine such as those seen today), on the day (or night, depending on when was determined to be the most astronomically significant time for any given cremation to occur) of the cremation, a large window without glass was opened in the ceiling, so as to let the smoke pass into the sky and any overhead storm without harm to those attending. Chimes would be hung all around the outside of the longhouse, and around the opening of the ceiling window. Then, after the chimes are hung, the funeral has begun. As the shamans finish preparing the body and set up the pyre, they and any others who decide to be present sing and chant, cycling through songs of both mourning and celebration, all in the hopes that these songs, combined with the chimes, with attract and call the spirit of the dead to where their body lays.

While cleaning and clothing the dead is something the shamans complete in the days prior to the funeral and cremation, there are some preparations that will can only be done after the chimes have been set and before the fire has been lit. These include the items placed upon the pyre with the body, to be burned with it. Two coins and a pebble are placed in a pouch on the belt of the body. A sprig of mistletoe is tucked behind one ear, and a shed snakeskin is used to tie the wrists together which are then placed upon the chest. Within the hands are placed two scrolls: one blank for the dead’s secrets, never told, never written; the other full of sayings and wise advice. Any locks of hair that the dead may have once given as a momento to a loved one would also be placed on the pyre, to ensure the dead would have no hold on the world. The dead’s protection amulet (and later, after the introduction of the Drachenkult, the dead’s mask) would hung upon the wall nearest the head of the pyre. The amulet (and later, the mask) would never be burned. If the dead had no amulet, or mask, one would be made for them.

Once the pyre was ready, the singing and chanting would cease and the youngest shaman present would light it. From that moment, there would be no noise, no speaking, save the chimes in the wind and the crackling of the flame. The shamans would always have one of their number present, to ensure the flames completed their task and that at the end there was nothing but ash, the melted metal of the coins, and the pebble. Often present would also be the family and friends of the dead. As the pyre is lit, those present, usually the children of the dead grown to adulthood, would use a knife to make a small cut on their palms, allowing the blood to sprinkle on the pyre, once again to encourage the spirit of the dead to not linger with the living.

Once the fires ran down, and the body was nothing more than ash, those left in attendance would be permitted to speak in quiet whispers. The shamans, however, would still remain silent until the last few tasks were complete. The ashes would be collected and taken to be scattered, at least a halfday’s journey away, whether into the ocean, the forest, up into the mountains, or deep into a bog (varies by region). The pyre would be cleaned, the ceiling window would be closed, and the chimes would be taken down and put away. Finally, the last shaman would collect the cooled and metal-covered pebble and take the amulet (and later, the mask) off the wall. These items would be taken away and underground, into caverns that were slowly carved out and built up, into the Omaholvi. There, the amulet would be hung, with a small carving to indicate the name to whom it had belonged. The pebble would be inset into the amulet. And later, when the people turned to masks, instead of (or addition to) the amulet, the mask would be hung, the pebble placed behind the mouth.