Death & Dying

Afterlife for the Good

In death, Yvonne plays the role of reaper and brings the soul of the dead before the gods, Helgin and Hyth. When a good Stardragon dies, another star twinkles in the sky, and they join the gods and their loved ones in the heavens. However, in the case of an unjust death, they're given a second chance, to be given a new form and placed upon Jo'Arca as a Robber. 

In the case of a death where one leaves behind unfinished business, Hyth may choose to allow them to continue walking the earth as a ghost, until they are able to find the peace they seek. 

Afterlife for the Bad

When a bad Stardragon stands before Helgin & Hyth, they are punished for their sins. Jo'Arca does not have Hell as we know it though, but rather a 'Spirit World'. They're put to work 'tending' to the planet, assisting Lenus, Raziel and Yvonne, be it causing the wind to blow, helping the plants to grow, making the waves ebb and flow. In short, manual labor to repent for their sins, where they eventually fo enough to be given forgiveness and go to heaven.

Though, regardless of the work they've done, a star does not form in the sky for them. They join their bretheren in heaven, but do not get the honor of having a star as their own.

StarEaters
Eaters shirk the idea of cremating or disturbing the body in any way. To them, this is considered mutilating this body, this gift that the Gods gave them. Instead, Eaters bury their dead. An Eater's funeral will have many flowers. Many.  Flowers. The more colourful and pleasant smelling the flowers are, the better. The Eater will not only be buried in these, but flowers will be place over their grave as well. This is in honor of Hyth, and Eaters believe their loved one will have these in the afterlife, as gifts to give to the mother of them all herself. For those who come from a more modest living, or live somewhere where flowers are not pentiful, planting a garden on the grave is just as acceptable. Some may argue it is the better option, as it continues life, from another life

StarFishers
Most view how Fishers handle life is a little over the top. That doesn't stop when it comes to how they handle death as well. Fishers cannibalize their dead, believing their strengths and spirits will stay with them. Unfortunately, if someone who is perceived as strong passes, there may be a volitile line of hungry Fishers looking to take a bite out of them. Funny enough, having a feeding frenzy at someone's funeral is considered an honor, as it makes it evident the Fisher who died is someone of power. For those who son't participate in such practives, or for the Fishers who spend their life on land rather than water, the dead are placed on rafts and sentout to sea and lit on fire. This is so their dead is still sent to the sea, to Lenus. And the fire is there to make sure there's nothing left for the sea life or other Fishers to get ahold of. This tradition was birthed purely from spite.

StarCrafter
Crafters lean towards cremation, and are mostly known for their creativity put into the process after death. From urns of all colours and shapes, to tiny keepsake jewelry, to making blwon glass from the cremated remains themselves, or compressing said remains into gems. They're also known for taking the life gem and using that in their crafts, more often times than not making the lifeless gem the urn. For those who have little care in keeping their loved ones remains, it's not uncommon tha the body is given whole to Raziel. Given the Crafter's heat resistance, this generally means bringing the deceased to a volcano and releasing them. 

StarShooters
Like Crafters, Shooters have also taken up cremation. This is in beleif that if they cremate the body, their loved ones will not come back as a Robber. Unfortunately, this doesn't prevent one from becoming a Robber, as Robbers do not always inhabit their original bodies. They often follow suit with the Crafter's creativity as well in regard to containing remains.. be this by commissioning a Crafte, or purchasinf the time from a Shooter who owns a Crafter slave. Shooters are not known for their religious beliefs, so it's not common the practice 'giving' the deceased to a God. 

StarSweepers
Sweepers practice sky burial, which is where the body is brought to an opening and left for scavengers, such as vultures, to feed from. This is considered giving back to Raziel, who raised them from the earth- and to the earth, they return. Gems and bones may be used as heirlooms, and possibly jewely making. If the family is not interested in keeping the remains, the bones are taken once picked clean, and ground down into a fine powder. The powder is then mized with flower, milk and butter and left out for the smaller birds waiting for the bultures to have their fill. The gems are buried near the family's home. In the event they move, they leave the gems buried, and return on occassiosn to remember their dead. 

StarDashers
Similar to Sweepers, Dashers also give their deceased to nature, favoring the scavengers that walk the earth rathe than take to the skies. Dashers are known for preferring to keep their loved ones with them as close as possible, even after death. This means bones, gems, hair, and fur may be reused for weapon making, clothing, jewelry, and crafts- or erecting shrines. If they choose to not keep the remains, they follow suit in breaking down the bones for wildlife to feed on and bury the gems near their home. Unlike the sWeepers, if the Dasher's move, they will disinter the gems, and rebury them at the new location.

StarWeavers
It isn't often you'll find a Weaver who keeps the remains of the dead. Cremation is the preferred method of disposition, followed shortly after by scattering the remains via air, land or water. They prefer to follow the wishes of the deceased on that part, if they'd prefer to be put to rest via sprinkling their remains in a garden, or sending them out to sea. Their gems are also broken down and mixed in with the cremated remains, which leaves the ashes with a glittery appearance with spread. Important figures, such as Weaver leaders, find their gems collected and placed in a catacomb where they can be visited and honored for whatever services they had provided to the Weavers and world. 

StarRobber
Robbers take on the culture of those around them. While they are trying to stand out among the others and build their own culture, the greater majority still flock to theose they remember, or cling to any memories that may lingers from their past lives. Due to this, they follow the rituals of those around them, rather than establishing traditions of their own.