Marriage Inheritance And Funerals

VIII. Marriage, Inheritance and Funerals

MARRIAGE, INHERITANCE, AND FUNERALS

MARRIAGE IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRIDINE

A marriage is a ritual within the cult holding legal power, the layman usually marries for love, while the upper classes merge power and fortunes. Whether for love, money, or advancement of political clout, a wedding in Iridine is time for celebration.

Preparations start on the nightfall of the day preceding the wedding when the couple will fast till the break of day. At this time they are to prepare separately, bathing, and anointing themselves with rose oil. After this they will be garbed in white, with only modest jewelry and retire to solitary meditation in preparation of the holy event.

Cult-Officiated Weddings are traditionally conducted at dawn, when Ereal rises over the land, and is normally held in a shrine or Temple selected by the couple. The intended parties will meet with a member of the Cult (acolyte, priest or priestess) to determine the special touches to customize their wedding, such as cultural rituals, tokens to exchange, etc. It is custom to make an offering to the servants of the cult who will perform the ritual before the start of the ceremony, after which silent prayer will be undertaken and the couple will be offered oat cakes and sacramental wine to break there fast.

A wedding officiated by a member of the Cult of Ereal brings it's own special advantages, not the least of which is the knowledge your union has been blessed by Ereal. Additionally, a Temple-officiated wedding provides you with a marriage certificate that will be submitted to the city. This becomes a legally binding contract between the two parties, and brings with it the ability to have your property and belongings transferred to your spouse in the event of an untimely passing. At dawn the wedding will begin with the cult official seeking the approval of Ereal and ascertain if both participants are there of their own free will seeking this rite. It is custom for there to be rings which will be blessed during the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony you the couple will be asked to sign documents which will be filed by the Acolyte when a steward can be found.

Although common-law marriages are common, to gain official status as married, and therefore benefit from the legal binding of such a union, a couple will seek a member of the Cult of Ereal to get proceedings started for a Cult-Officiated Wedding.

INHERITANCE IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRIDINE

Inheritance is a fairly simple matter in the Republic of Iridine. If you die and are unwed, the property goes to whomever has posession of it when you die, be that the bank, the inn, your friend who you loaned your favorite trowel, etc.

Should you be wed, all property in your bank accounts shall be turned over to your spouse upon your death, providing you can supply a copy of your valid mariage contract, and the person spouse in question is declared dead by an official (authorised law enforcement, the Cult of Ereal, etc). All other property not held in trust by a reputable bank is forfeit to whomever has posession of such property.

FUNERALS IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRIDINE

A funeral is the last rite we hope to have; it is both a solemn and sad occasion for some, and though this is a greedy pain it is an understandable pain which deserves respect. It is also a great celebration, allowing us one last chance to sing the praises of the deserving be they common or noble in nature.

Preparations should see the fallen garbed correctly by custom, this can vary greatly from a housewife in her best dress, to a Legionary laid out in full battle regalia. The importance is in the honor being bestowed on both the fallen and the family.

The funeral will start with the celebrant in quiet meditation seeking Ereal's strength, guidance and grace, that his tongue will hold the words of comfort necessary to assuage the pain of loss. Followed by addressing the crowd and prayer, each funeral is necessarily as different as the fallen, though they will also hold the same comfort of ritual.

The funeral will end with the burning of the mortal form, it is important to note the Cult of Ereal holds that at the moment of passing the spirit is trapped in the body until sent to Ereals embrace through the rising smoke of a cleansing flame of a pyre (or until the corpse rots, which is also considered Ereal's will if it happens unnaturally fast). This is why burial is anathema, and considered blasphemous (and as such, illegal). To bury the dead traps thier spirit forever in their decaying body - never to face Ereal's judgement. Therefore taking that judgment out of Ereal's hands - something no true Erealite would ever do. The Cult holds that that final judgement is sacred and to attempt to deny someone their final judgement by burial is an utter sacrilege, and thus throughout the Republic of Iridine, the dead are given last rites at a funeral pyre, and their bodies burned. Even the worst of criminals are given this basic rite, as to do otherwise would be an affront to Ereal.

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