Life and Death

[Yeorl Oakenleaf]

A lot of people since they were children wonder what happens when you die - it's a curious thing having someone be there one minute then as if blowing out a candle they are gone. Of course any who follow the gods know exactly what happens when you die. You go to one of two places, Sky world or the Under dark.
For some people these different places mean different things; naturally they are very different places. To a worshiper of Scithis the Under dark is a paradise and Sky world an eternal prison. While naturally the reverse is true.
Within a mortals life we are tested three times, the tests vary from person to person and they are all administered by the gods themselves. These tests are enforced by the angels unseen hands and are all but unknown to us. Each test can be as small as helping a girl crying by the side of the road or as large as dying to save a loved one. The three tests determine where one will go after life or whether or not they will simply remain.
There is the test of courage, the test of compassion and the test of anger.
Or at least that's what we call them by. The gods believed that fate is the enemy of choice and that choice would be the greatest gift bestowed upon their children as the mortals are virtually unchained and free to live their lives how they want. So as the gods cast away destiny they did not know who would be born good or who evil but that was merely up to their children to decide for themselves. From this arose one problem, where would the souls of those deemed wicked and those deemed true go? And why? That is why they created the tests, so the mortals could prove to the gods themselves that they were indeed good or bad.
The test of courage usually brings us mortals face to face with that which we would do against or that which would harm us. It is said that upon entering Sky world this is the first and most important test it tests the will and strength of a person and his/her ability to do good in the world. The primary characteristics for anyone wishing to live with Meirn in Sky World.
The test of compassion is the test of love and the ability to nurture others, this test could often come as simple as deciding not to kill an animal. Or as complicated as giving up a lover for her/his own well being above one's own lust. Gaia herself administers this test and considers it to be the most important in a mortals life, those who pass her test are often given the third alternative unknown to many in this world, that upon death they join nature and become one with the bounty of the Earth. An alluring path for many.
The last test is the test of anger, designed to see how far one can control their emotions or how strong of might a person can be. To Scithis this test is prime and foremost, it is what he deigns the most vital to being a citizen of the Under Dark. It could be anything from killing for revenge to going as far as containing an extreme amount of emotion.

In the gods eyes there is no right or wrong, mortals decide that for themselves, you do not pass a test you gain a result. These tests tell a lot about the individual and the gods then decide for themselves how they see them. Certain people however; have been deigned as malicious even by the gods standards and are forced into an eternity of reliving their acts through the eyes of their victims. However; since our gods even Scithis are benevolent and true their is always hope for redemption.