The Dune Rite

The nomads of the Wilderness are a close-knit community organized in tribes of 300-400 people that travel from place to place. Usually travelling in a circular motion, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, the children of the clan are born into a travelling society, never staying in one place for too long. When the children of the clan reach the age of 17, they are advised to proceed to the so-called Dune Rite. The Dune Rite is a coming-of-age ceremony and revolves around the idea of their people being born in the sand and rising from the depth of the desert. The teenagers are buried to their waist in the warm, soft sand beneath them. Flowers and gemstones from all over the place are carried towards them, while their family members dance around them, humming songs of their ancestors that grant their children a rank of their own. As soon as the singing and dancing stops, the gemstones and flowers are gathered and its value weighed against gold and gear. Their children are taken out of the sand and receive their first pieces of armour and weaponry for self-defense. They receive coins and an extensive adventuring kit for their first journey, sending them onto their pilgrimage. Members of the tribe are encouraged to visit the cities laying close to the Wilderness, so they can see the value in both their continent and the society they grew up in. Many of the youngsters carry a bag of desert sand with them, often with a gem embedded in the middle of it. It reminds them of their heritage and it is said that these gems function as proof of their origin, enabling them to return to whatever tribe of the desert that they encounter. The Dune Rite is a ceremony of love and support. It shows each and every child leaving the clan that they will always be welcome in the Wilderness, embraced by the arms of their friends and family. Nomad children might face hardship in their lifetime, but they will always feel the support of their parents and grandparents, symbolised by the Dune Rite being held for every single one of them. Children are included into the rite's preperations from a very young age and each of them is encouraged to participate in the dancing and singing for the next young adult starting their pilgrimage.