OVERVIEW
Silent Night is a holy day for followers of the Cult of the Silent. It occurs in November, near Autumn’s last dying gasp– one last celebration and send-off before the people of the Lakesea Region bunker down through the harshest months of Wynter.
True to the nature of the Silent, most traditions associated with the holiday are respectfully low-volume. It is a time to come together, contemplate the losses of the past, and comfort each other about the future. The customary phrase to wish someone well for this season is “Silent be your night.”
THE THIN VEIL
As any creature winds down to rest, some last-ditch restless instincts can kick in. The Mortis Amaranthine is no different in that respect. In response to the decreasing temperature, it reacts in a self-preservation reflex, and an increase in psionic activity occurs. This activity can result in all manner of strange, morgue-like phenomena becoming more frequent in the living world.
The Silent call this a “thinning of the veil,” and believe it is the Gravemind drawing close to bid this world goodnight. Many see this as an appropriate time to reach out and remember those who have already gone on to the peaceful Nothing that the Silent believe awaits after death.
THE VOICELESS WARDEN
One tradition associated with the holiday is a “Herding of the Echoes” – an attempt to lead as many Echoes as possible to a secure location so that they can be locked safely away during the Great Freeze. Participants in this tradition are given psionic lanterns and noisemakers covered in bells, then sent off to attract and guide as many Echoes as possible back down into the tunnels from which they came.
The Silent also tell their children stories of an especially powerful Echo, known as the Voiceless Warden, who comes out at midnight to make sure that the Herding was successful, and that no further disturbances to Wynter’s Silence remain. Though it is as blind as any Echo, it is said that the mere sight of the Warden is enough to cause severe pain. As such, all Silent spend that midnight period obediently hidden away, to avoid drawing its wrath.
THE GRAVE GUARD
During the Great Freeze, even the Gravemind must slumber to survive. The Silent believe that to accompany and watch over her during those months is a position of great honor– that those who sleep by her side will awaken with special insight once the world thaws.
Each year, a select few are chosen to be part of the “Grave Guard.” Each person is chosen for a different virtue of their character– strength, intelligence, and compassion. These virtues are proven through three corresponding Gauntlet Trials. The victors of these trials, if willing, will undergo a procedure to slow their bodily processes to a near-hibernative state– and then be anointed to the Guard during a final farewell ceremony – a ‘burial’ into the morgue.
Thank you to Kristen Lambert for writing this post.