Church of the Almighty Blaze

Mantras
"‘There is beauty in destruction, and only through destruction can creation begin.’""‘With life brings purpose, to shine and to behold, that is part of the glorious plan.’"

Fundamental beliefs
Followers of the Almighty Blaze, commonly referred to as Blazintites, hold the core belief that the Blaze is an eternal being who takes the form of what is commonly referred to as the sun. All life is attributed to the Blaze bestowing part of itself to spark its creation.

Once a living creature dies the spark returns back to the Blaze. Where the spark is allowed to rest is of great importance as returning closer to the core of the Blaze is compared to an afterlife in eternal bliss, where as being cast into the abyss will result the spark ceasing to be. This final rest is based on how productive the creature has been during its lifetime, as the spark, which often refers to blood, burns brighter the more it contributes to the world, this belief extends to both plants and animals as well as Astorians.

While the Blaze graced the world with life, should said life seem to be unsatisfactory by not burning brightly enough when returning, the Blaze will be forced to cause natural disasters to display their displeasure, the ultimate of which is the cleansing where the world will be completely wiped clean to be started again.

Birth of the world
"‘Fire, ash and wind was all the world was.""The unfathomable years passed as the Almighty Blaze lit the dark abyss.""Even with their glorious light they desired to burn brighter.""In a furious eruption the Almighty Blaze gave their spark to the ash.""So glorious was the spark that the ash took form of the world.""And from the world spread life.’"

General practices
Blazintites hold appeasement ceremonies every Firoday where a portion of their produce is sacrificed to a sacred bonfire on behalf of the local inhabitants, this ceremony is to both encourage growth and to also equally avert the Blaze from cleansing the world. The produce sacrificed is usually the lowest quality produced as if to ask the Blaze to give their blessing and improve the next batch.

It is strictly forbidden to sacrifice Astorians in any form on the sacred bonfire, and strongly discouraged against sacrificing young livestock, both of which are considered huge wastes in potential. Instead the most common sacrifices range from crops to old livestock. When sacrificing livestock however a test is first held to see if it will be accepted fully, this requires a sample of the sacrifice’s blood be tossed into the sacred bonfire, if the fire warps noticeably then it is accepted.

A safe livestock sacrifice requires it to be cut along its spiritual flow lines, which allow the spark to be released with the least resistance and then bled out over the sacred bonfire before finally being placed in it.

Marriage (Joining) practices
Joinings within the Church of the Almighty Blaze are focused on improving family relations and encourage growth. Before the event both families are needed to agree on the short and long terms of the joining.

The short terms refer to who will contribute what to the event itself, examples being providing food and drink, deciding on the venue etc. While the terms have to be agreed upon it is common for both families to contribute equal amounts rather than one more than the other to promote balance. The long terms of the joining refer to gifts to the newly joined given by each of the families, which can range from livestock to land, but ultimately are gifts which should last for at least an Astorian year. If the gift is rejected, or otherwise broken it casts a curse on the couple and the family who gave the gift.

Those outside the direct families of the couple also may present home hangings after the ceremony, which are items of any type to hang up in their home to give them good luck.

The joining ceremony itself are usually hosted in large open areas in the day, though depending on the size of both families and any other invited parties, it may be inside.

The couple, their guardian grandparents, and a priest are stationed in the centre of a circle made up of the two families joining hands to bear witness to the joining and symbolize the union of the two families. Friends, family members too young, or ill to join hands stand outside of the circle.

While in the centre of the circle the priest draws a consecrated blade across each of the partner’s palms, with their palms cut, the couple hold each other’s hands and exchange their personal vows of dedication. Once finished the guardian grandparents place their hands on the couple’s hands to give their final blessing and thus finishing the ceremony. Afterwards the after-joining celebration can begin, which involves eating, dancing and entertainment until the sun sets.

Funeral practices
Once someone passes away the body is prepared by a mourner who dresses the body in what was their favourite clothing before decorating them with fragrant herbs and completely wrapping the body in a plain white cloth. This wrapping process allows the departed to eternally dressed in their favourite clothes on their journey back to the Blaze, while their physical body’s features are obscured by the cloth wrapping this is to symbolize the extinguishing of their spark. The use of herbs however, are used purely to mask the smell given off by the body once burnt.

The body after preparation is placed upon a pyre of interlocked logs. While a priest recites their last rites with the deceased’s family and friends present, the pyre is lit by a sacred flame. Those attending stand around the pyre in a circle similarly to what occurs in joinings. The type of wood holds some minor symbolism due to their cultural influence as well as providing different smells once burnt, however the most commonly used is spruce or pine.

Burning the body removes any last remaining part of the deceased’s spark to give them the best chance in returning to the Blaze, the ashes also afterwards are used to fertilize sacred groves as to not be wasted even in death. While the body is burning however, anyone attending the funeral participates in a silent feast where everyone contributes food and drink to be consumed without talking. This time is used to reflect on memories of the deceased and as a mark of respect to them. Once the pyre has finished burning the funeral is officially finished, though the family members may leave before it is completely finished.