Magma Crematory

The magma crematory are a popular way of laying people to rest in Othlest Inod. While starting out as a practical solution it has since then developed into a religiously important funeral rite. In traditional dwarven society the dead would be laid to rest in personalised tombs, however the dwarven fortress was quickly running out of space for these well decorated tombs. Digging for more space would normally not be a problem for any dwarven society, despite this magma flows almost everywhere within the volcano known as the Stodir. This made expansion of the tombs, which are located close to the magma chamber, a hard endeavour. As such the fortress of Othlest Inod turned to the one resource they knew the best to find a solution, magma. If magma could be used to defend against any invaders it could also be used to 'dispose' of any bodies. So the construction of the magma crematory was started. Not without protest however. Many dwarves cried out against the construction of these crematory, quoting that it would go against the values of dwarven society. It eventually would grow out into a hot political issue in Othlest Inod. Necessity would eventually break tradition and the arrangements were made to develop the first magma crematoriums. While first seen as almost heretical this imago would change as the operations went on, eventually the citizens saw it as a way of given back. Reinvigorating the magma that had made their fortress so powerful to begin with. 
The crematorium themself were relatively easy to build, well mostly because Othlest Inod already has much experience working with magma. The first crematorium were constructed using simple rocks and were nothing pretty to look at. Inside the chamber was a simple rock slab on which the body would be placed. A small piping system to the side would allow magma to flow into the chamber, burning any corpse on the inside. The chamber would be closed of with an iron door. Later one the chamber would receive a series of changes. The rough rock sides of the chamber would be smoothed out and the doors would be decorated on the outside with gems or other metals. In addition some doors would be replaced with glass.
Category:Alex
Category:Othlest Inod
Category:Dwarves