Rite of the Umbral Dagger

History

The Duskborn people of Atrareia have long understood and respected the need for violence as a way of survival in their harsh homeland. However, violence for the sake of violence will only render the victor weakened for the next predator. The Duskborn have developed a strong sense of community within their own tribes and within their factions (Ascari or Havokin). In order to be an active and contributing member of the community, rather than seen as a second class citizen, it is necessary that you pull your weight. And, to pull your weight, you must hunt and fight to defend yourself, your tribe, your family, and to acquire resources for survival.
The Duskborn have been around for so long, that no one quite knows when this tradition began, but they have developed a method for gauging whether someone is ready to be a provider within the tribe upon a certain age.

Execution

Once a Duskborn child turns 17, they are eligible to undergo the Rite of the Dagger. This would mark the Duskborn as an adult and a true member of its tribe, capable of fending for itself and for contributing to the tribes' survivability.
The Duskborn initiate and a few selected members of the tribe (usually their family members) will enter a glowworm cave to hunt a full-grown, adult, carnivorous Glowworm. The actual hunting will be left to the initiate. The remaining members in attendance will release a batch of small rodents, which will be attracted to the glowworm larvae at the ceiling of the cave. With enough time and patience (and painstaking silence), adult glowworms will appear on the scene, ready to go in for the kill of a poisoned rat.
At this point, the initiate must hunt with their bare hands and the dexterity granted to them at birth and honed through lifelong teachings. They must take down one of the adult glowworms. They are not given any weapons to perform this ritual, so typically, initiates will wrestle it into submission or kill it with their bare hands (or with a loose rock found in the darkness). To confirm the kill, the tribe does not want to see the glowworm body, but the fangs. The initiate must rip the fangs from the glowworm's mouth, careful not to inject themselves with venom, as adult glowworm poison can prove lethal in large quantities.
Once the initiate has completed this hunt, they have earned their place among the ranks of their Duskborn tribe. A celebratory ceremony is performed, in which the tribe's blacksmiths will craft a special umbral dagger, affixing the blade with the teeth of the slayed glowworm. This weapon will be kept with the now-adult Duskborn for life, used as their primary tool for hunting and defense.

Primary Related Location

Atrareia

Related Ethnicities

• Duskborn