Remembrance

Day of the Departed

The day dawns quietly, without the normal hustle and bustle that defines the small village. Simple breakfasts are eaten before each person wraps themselves in cloaks of warmth, tucking candles and flint into their pockets for the trek. Some will travel to graveyards, others to shrines, and more still to battlefields and other sacred places. Little is spoken during the travel; each person is left to their thoughts, praying silently on their lips to the God of Gravestones, the one who will remember their loved ones when they are gone.
Others will make their trek in the twilight, their silent day preparing them for the whispered prayers that will pass on the winds, ferrying their words to the afterlife. Those who travel late carry larger candles, ones that will be lit from their torches and will illuminate battered graves and moss-covered headstones. Some could not handle the weight of their remembrance in the daylight, but the coolness of the night relieves them of their burden enough to grieve and love fully.
No matter the culture, the people, or the location, all will grieve those who have departed this world for the afterlife. Lok, the God of Gravestones, becomes the keeper of these souls, and on his day, the world remembers those who were once loved and lost, those taken but whose memory still lives on. While the peoples of the world may have their own traditions, everyone will light a candle in remembrance of those they have lost, whether at a graveside, a temple, a battlefield, or whatever holy place holds their heart.

Observance

On the 6th of Fall's Morning, it is common to observe a quiet day or one of silence in observance of those who have passed on. People will make a trek to a place of their choosing, most often a battlefield, shrine of a hero, temple, gravesite, or other sacred place, to remember those who have passed and pray, whether silently or aloud, and to share stories of the departed so that they may live on in others.
Lok and the day of Remembrance are not associated with any one people or culture in the world. Because all souls will be listed in the Temple of the Departed, almost all peoples of the world partake in the day of Remembrance in one way or another. The two most common observances that are followed are candle lighting and Stone Remembrance.

Candle Lighting

Observers of the day of Remembrance will take a candle to the gravesite of the departed and place it there once lit. While the candle burns, stories may be shared of this person, passing on the legacy of those who have left. It is encouraged for candles to be lit from one person to another, passing on the stories from one generation to the next, allowing old stories to live on with those that are still here.

Stone Remembrance

Another part of the day of Remembrance is the placing of stones on gravesites based upon one's relationship with the departed. While this observance is practiced throughout the year, the day of Remembrance is a time for replacing stones that have become too weathered or to witness the impact that a lost loved one has had on others.

Candle Lighting

Candles by Mike Labrum on Unsplash

The lighting of candles at gravesites and other places tied to a departed loved one is the most common observance of the day of Remembrance. This symbolizes the passing of the will and legacy of the departed to those who still remain.

Related Deities

Lok

Important Locations

• Temple of the Departed