Berzatri

The **berzatri** are the heralds of death in Vozonid mythology. They are wights who serve the death god Zoval by bringing the dead to his court to be judged.

## Characteristics

The berzatri wear white or black robes, representing the nature of a person's death or the evil deeds of said person during their life.

The white berzatri bring the souls of people who die from murders or natural disasters to Paradise.

The black berzatri or dark berzatri can be seen after disasters and mass deaths, accompanying the white berzatri who rescue the innocent from their torment. They can also be seen by people who have committed great evils or murders: the black berzatri either kill the evildoers or arrange events that lead to the evildoers' cruel deaths. Black berzatri are known as "vosal", after an archaic name for themselves. Black berzatri also tend to wear frightening masks made of bronze or steel. In some cases, the black berzatri directly drag the evildoer's soul straight to Hell.

Only those who will die and their associates can hear the berzatri in the form of a slow drumbeat and a faint trumpet blast. If the drumbeat gets closer, so do the berzatri, and no matter how far one can go the berzatri will also come closer.

One way to stop them from catching you is by becoming an immortal, but even then, they will come back to retrieve your soul and bring it to the afterlife.

The berzatri are sometimes seen with their hounds, the hyena spirits (or zūğolso or zughulzo), who catch evil ghosts to be brought to the court of the dead.

Some berzatri, who are promoted to being officers and commanders leading legions of death spirits and earth wights, ride on chariots pulled by great hyenas, wreathed in green flames. Other berzatri, who are simply higher warriors, ride on great hyenas with fire in their paws. These are the hunters of evil spirits and ghosts who try to run away from their punishment, by becoming demons and monsters. If one of the hyenas bites a person, that person immediately dies and their soul is dragged into the underworld.

## Traditions

In Vozonid culture, priests wear white or black robes and masks when they carry the body to the pyre to be cremated. They also wear a bit of red, as red and black together represent death in Vozonid culture.

Normally, a funeral procession carrying the body would have eight people, four wearing white and four wearing black. If all eight bearers wear white, it means that the deceased was a very righteous person or a hero bound for Paradise or ascension to Heaven. If all eight bearers wear black and red, it means that the deceased was an evil person that is hated by everyone else.

In Sarmelonid times, dozens and scores of priests accompanied the body of the emperor as it was brought to be cremated. The colours of the priests' robes represented the actions of the emperor: if the priests were wearing white, the people stopped weeping and started celebrating, for they believed that the emperor had proven himself worthy enough to ascend as a guardian deity.

## Trivia

* The berzatri were inspired by the Heibai Wuchang of Chinese mythology and the "Coffin Dance" meme of 2020 from Ghana.
* The name "berzatri" is a Gauvajut word that means "messenger of death" (berz-atri: death-herald).
* The hyenas who accompany the berzatri are sometimes known as "hellhounds" because they resemble canines or their feared reputation, even though they are not related to dogs.

## See also

* Mithura, another bringer of cruel deaths.
* Valkyries, feared by Malendors as murderous deathbringers.