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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4734397" data-attributes="member: 3285">Serpentine Path: Part 1b – The Hand of FateKham dreaded attending the Grand Church, but he knew it fell to him to perform the ritual for his cousin and, by proxy, make up for his absence at his father’s ceremony. Kham held the incinerated remains of Pallas high above his head. Mourners he had hired surrounded him. Kham chanted the Altharu Akbar:Praise be to Althares, Lord of the Universe, the Mercygiving, the Merciful! Ruler on the Day for Repayment! You we worship and You we call on for help. Guide us along the Straight Road, the road of those whom You have favored, with whom You are not angry, nor who are lost! He concluded the prayer in Altherian with “Assalamu alaikum.” It translated to, “peace be with you.”The funeral procession traveled slowly from the Grand Church to the gravesite, in a horse-drawn hearse. Kham walked beside it in silence.  The val’Abebi gravesite was enormous.  Although devout Altherians believed that extravagant decorations were unnecessary and could be better spent on the needy, val vanity required something more.  They were covered in small domes called makaams. Unlike traditional graves, Altherian graves were always elevated at least a foot above the ground so that none could walk over it. Normally, handfuls of soil in the grave would be poured on the face of the corpse, but there was no corpse.  Instead, Kham took the ashes of Pallas and poured them into a small hole.“We created you from it, and return you into it, and from it we will raise you a second time,” chanted Kham.The Priest of Althares said more prayers. Kham addressed the small crowd of men who had gathered there.  Cousins, nieces, nephews…there were many that carried the val’Abebi name who didn’t know each other directly.  It didn’t matter; they still came to pay their respects.“Pallas was a good man, who died in a strange land.  But he was doing Althares’ will.  A true patriot, he loved his country and died protecting it.  When the valinor judge his life, I am certain they will not find him wanting.”In truth, Kham wasn’t so sure.  It was believed that two valinor judged each Altherian after death, quizzing the deceased about Althares. Worse, the dead were supposed to be able to hear the words of the living.  If Pallas had any chance of getting into heaven, Kham would have to only think good thoughts about him.It was easy to believe Corinalous, a virtuous man, would pass the test of the valinor with ease.  But Kham wasn’t so sure about Pallas. His cousin believed he was right in killing ss’ressen eggs.  The question was: did Althares agree? Kham thought about that as he left to meet his companions.</blockquote>

Verification