Passing the Mantle

Rulers

Profession | Jul 10, 2024

Passing the Mantle is the ritual by which the next Village Ruler or Ruler is appointed to a settlement. As the Vellich Profession Paths revolve around a young Vellich choosing a path as part of the Path Choosing ceremony, people who reach this point have been working their entire life for it. Passing the Mantle has been around since the Vellich Profession Paths were first established, and was designed to ensure both that the new Ruler feels the weight of responsibility, and that the people of the settlement are satisfied with their new Ruler.

"I love a ceremony, a chance to see the community all come together, there is nothing like it. And while the Path Choosing is my favourite, close on its tail is Passing the Mantle. No one thinks that being a Ruler is an easy path to choose, and as a result, rising to the rank of Village Ruler or Ruler is treated with the necessary balance of solemnity and celebration. I had the honor of attending a Passing the Mantle just yesterday, and I think the new Village Ruler summed it up perfectly, 'waiting a lifetime couldn't prepare me for the emotion of my settlement placing all of their trust in you.' It was beyond words."
— Extract from letters written by Bukahnah Travelling Vault

Execution

The Days Before

During the days running up to the day of the ceremony, the soon to be new Ruler takes time talking to each member of the settlement about their concerns. They have an administrator taking notes, and then they start putting together a plan for the settlement.

On The Day

On the day of the ceremony, the people of the settlement gather at dawn in the communal gathering area (e.g. the village square, the meeting hall, whatever is most appropriate). The new Ruler sits on a seat, ideally on a raised dias, in front of everyone. In some villages, the Ruler kneels. The people of the settlement take it in turns to stand behind the seat, place their hands upon the shoulders of the soon to be new Ruler and state what it is they wish for from this Ruler. This part of the day is usually started by others in the Rulers Pathway, and the traditional wording is as follows, although it does vary slightly across Vellikka:

Today is the day [insert name of new Ruler here] becomes the Ruler. I hope that they...

Once everyone has had a chance to speak, as one, the people of the settlement will repeat the following words:

We are trusting them to make decisions for our settlement, and always keep us at the forefront of their minds. We are putting our faith in their ability to help us, and believing that they will understand and do what is best for our settlement, when we may not be able to understand it for ourselves. They have chosen to carry a heavy burden, and we will forever be grateful to them for bearing this load for as long as they choose to.

These words are sometimes spoken in phrases by an Administrator before being repeated by the group as a whole, if it has been a particularly long time since the last Passing the Mantle ceremony. The previous Ruler then removes the necklace from around their neck and places it over the head of the new Ruler. This necklace is known as the Mantle and is a symbol of the settlement and the people who live there. In most instances it is a thick cord, with a stone, gem or pendent at the end of it with an image or word carved into it. This, of course, varies from settlement to settlement and no two Mantles are alike.

The Ruler's Speech

It is then traditional for the new Ruler to stand and speak to the crowd. This speech generally starts by thanking the people for putting their faith in them, talks about understanding the responsibility of the position, and starts to layout their plans for improvements. Each Ruler works slightly differently, so they tend to then talk about how they will work. For example, some Village Rulesr may want to hold regular meetings with each person in the village, or with each profession rank, or with each profession pathway. Others may choose to only meet with the elders regularly, but have an open door policy. Others still may decide to have no regular meetings and deal with things as they arise. This is all laid out for everyone in this first speech. It is possible this is the only speech that the Ruler gives. Most of the time, when things need to be communicated to the settlement, this is done by the Storyteller in collaboration with the Ruler, but it is important that for this speech the people of the settlement hear the Ruler's voice, see their Colour Flashes and understand the truth of their words and commitment.

Variations

Within towns, settlements which are too large to have a single Ruler and instead may have two or more, this ceremony is still held, but within the area of the settlement that the Ruler is responsible for. For example, in The Vell, which is a settlement comprised of three villages, there are three Rulers, one for each of these areas.