Sirotumir Ice Tombs

The clans of Shadowkin who roam across the Sea of Black Ice have a different relationship to death than their cousins from the Twilight Lands. The environment presents challenges for internment, with little to burn, and decomposition impossible in the deep cold.   As such, the clans do not cremate their dead like the Uferbrech Goblins, nor leave them for hungry scavengers like the Dawncrag Goblins.   Instead, they construct burial sites across the ice where they bring their dead for memorial. These are called the Sirotumir, or the ice tombs, and are sacred places of pilgrimage where the clans visit their ancestors and seek communion with them.   A typical Sirotumir is carved into exposed ice and rock in stable places protected from the extremes of wind and sea. It may house anything from one to dozens of ancestors. On the outer edges of the mound are carved niches, where the dead are placed standing - looking out across the ice to the horizon.   The bodies are frozen in water and the freezing controlled in such a way to remove impurites and bubbles so that the resulting block is nearly as clear as air. The dead are often frozen with objects and clothing that they used in life. Once frozen, the bodies are placed into the niches, and the edges melted and smoothed over so they seemlessly join the main structure of the Surotumir itself.   The Sirotumir are usually tended by a Spiritseer who ensures they are kept free of snowdrifts, and that the windows to the ancestors remain clear.   Similar to the Spiritseers of the Uferbrech Goblins, those amonst the Shadowkin maintain strong connections to the Kahi, Ancestor Spirits, and their bodies and objects entombed with them act as Moji which help keep the ancestor spirits connected to the world.   Clan members will visit their Sirotumir regularly, and ceremonies will take place during the key phases of the two moons to seek wisdom, celebrate their lives, and keep their memories alive.