View source for Prayers for the Dead

It is common for Wayfarers to pray for the dead. It works a bit differently than most human faiths. While the Bright Way has a similar concept to Purgatory, where the souls of the deceased are purified of sinful attachments in order to perfectly reflect the Uncreated Light in the Empyrean, the prayers aren't directed to the Light to lessen their loved-ones period of hardship, but to the dead directly, to encourage them to persevere, so they might enter the Empyrean sooner.

This period of purification is commonly depicted in art as a giant tree known as the Tree of Trials. Its branches reach into the heavens, and the glory of the Empyrean shines down through the leaves. The souls of the dead are pictured arduously climbing up the tree in order to breach the canopy, occasionally stopping to rest in the tree's branches along the way.

One of a bonekeeper's jobs is to pray for the souls of those who may not be remembered otherwise, and to relate their deeds in life to any who will listen, encouraging them to pray for them as well. In this capacity bonekeepers are known as rememberers of the forgotten dead.


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