Death and Rebirth

To most Arasconians, death is a transition. The people of Arascon do not believe that a soul goes to some paradise or tortuous place upon death. Instead, they believe that for 107 days, the soul wanders the world free of mortal influences like morals. In the 107 days after a person dies, their soul can remember all of its previous lives and takes stock of what it learned. After 100 days, Shan takes the soul into her kingdom for judgment. The judgment takes 7 days. Once the soul is judged, it is sent back to the mortal world to be reborn.

Because of this belief (which is commonly known to be true), people only mourn the death of a loved one for 107 days. The first 40 days are called the period of reflection where you reflect upon the person’s life. On the 40th day, you say aloud what you have learned and experienced from that person’s life. You do this in case that person’s soul is there listening to you and is having some problems moving on to the judgement. The remainder of the time is used to ponder what kind of new life the person deserves upon rebirth. During this period of mourning, the living take stock of their own lives, pondering what sort of effect they want on the people around them. During the final 7 days, the people who knew the person pray to Shan to have their thoughts taken into consideration for the final judgment.

When one’s spouse dies, it is custom to wear a blue sash around your waist for the 107 day period. For the first 12 days of spousal mourning, it is tradition to continue to place meals at the table for them. When the 12 days are up, that final meal is the "Goodbye" meal where you wish them pleasant journeys into their next life. It is taboo to approach anyone wearing a blue sash with thoughts of courtship or lust. However, when the 107 days of mourning are over, a person is free to remarry as they choose.

In Arascon there are few tombs. Only those who are considered to be God Blessed are given tombs where their body is to rest. The God Blessed are considered to be people who have reached their final life on the land. Upon death, those people are believed to have completed the lessons of life. It is believed that their souls split into 12 parts. Eleven parts of their soul become new souls to be reborn through the world and the final part is said to go into the womb of the earth and become a part of it.

Most people are cremated and their ashes scattered in their homeland. Some people are sent to sea, especially those who follow Arin or serve in the Navy. These bodies are dropped into the depths of the ocean to be consumed by the waters and the life within.

There are exceptions to the rule of 107 days. Those who take their own life are taken into judgment immediately upon death. The reasons for their suicide are taken into consideration and should the reasons be found lacking, their soul is split into two and placed into twins to be reborn. Rarely, the soul is placed into two unrelated people born at the same time. This is said to be to make the soul understand the true nature of suffering. Not all twins actually are the same soul rendered in two, but all twins are believed to be two intermingled souls who must learn their lessons together for some reason.

Those who are unfortunate enough to find themselves thrust into unlife are seen as the most unfortunate of all creatures. The common belief is that the souls of those turned still cling to the bodies, unable to reach either death or life. To place someone in this state is a high crime not only to common law, but also to spiritual law. The Arasconians believe that no soul suffers like the soul stuck between life and death. Because of this, killing an undead creature is a holy act. You free the soul of the person suffering spiritual torment. Becoming one of the undead is considered to be on of the worst fates anyone can suffer. No act (good or evil) done as one of the undead is taken into consideration during Shan’s judgment.

The Judgment of Shan

Shan is the deity of death and rebirth. It is unknown whether this deity takes on a male or female persona and some believe that it depends on the soul of the person being judged. When Shan judges a person, she weighs not only their most recent life, but also their previous lives. Through this process, a soul is said to be able to work off any past misdeeds they have committed. Shan is neither good nor evil as all the Gods of Amb are beyond such labels. To Shan, the cause and effect are important. Judgment happens with unclouded eyes for the period of 7 days. The prayers of those praying for the deceased are heard by both Shan and the person being judged. This way, the soul can see what they did as well as Shan.

Many times, the lessons the soul learns are more important that what the soul actually does with their life. The judgment is not final until the soul is placed into its next body. During the 7 days of judgment a soul has one day to speak to Shan and ask for its next lesson. When Shan places a soul in its next body, she tells them how many lives it will take to make up for any misdeeds the soul has committed in any of its lives.

When Shan judges a soul that has taken its own life, careful consideration is given to the reasons and situation of the person who took their own life. The amount of suffering, the circumstance and the effect of their death is taken into consideration when this judgment is made. If the soul is considered to be weak willed and spirited, it is split into two and placed in separate bodies for rebirth to give the soul a taste of true suffering. If the soul gave its life for another or because of true suffering, it is given a life of ease and warmth in its next life to balance the scales.

No one knows what Shan’s ultimate goal is for each soul, but upon reaching its final life, a soul is split into 12 parts to be reborn. One part is placed into the world itself and the other eleven are born into the world as new life.