Attunement Test

Overview

The Attunement Test is performed within one week of a child's eight birthday with the purpose of determining if they are able to use magic and, if so, how much innate power a person possesses. This test is specific to Eoion due to their belief in Bolugama and a single source of all magic.
As approximately half of the population cannot use magic at all, a child failing this test is not considered lesser in the eyes of the general population. Nobility, however, are more interested in their children at least having an alchemy level of ability. The Shiroko dynasty is very concerned with a child's ability to manipulate essence magic, particularly the heir, as this is necessary for the creation of the Ilyannoi.

History

This test was developed while Eoion was still a single kingdom and was used throughout the other members of their alliance. The original version involved prayer at a temple of Bolugama. If possible, the child would be taken to the temple or hometown of a Dea they respected highly or who had some connection to their homeland or family. This was usually seen in rich families who could afford to travel long distances.
Once at the temple, the child was meant to pray to their chosen Dea and then they would be shown representations of the six essences. Before the discovery of irum and its wide use, these would be literal.

• Heat and light - fire
• Liquid - water
• Void and air - a dark room
• Earth - a cup of dirt

The child would be instructed to manipulate each of these things, generally seen by the essence showing some sort of movement or change. If the child was able to do so, the other essences would be removed and the child told to concentrate only on the single one that responded (or two in the case of aliq-esh children).
Depending on how much reaction was seen in the essences, this would tell the priests and family how much magic the child possessed.

Modern Practice

Rather than traveling long distances, the child is brought to the nearest Bolugama shrine. However, in the case of the royal family, priests from the temple on the grounds of the Gandenye come to the High Grand Hall where the test is administered for the heir and royal siblings. Extended members of the family go to the temple.
Irum is now used in place of the other implements as it is easier to store and load with a consistent amount of a given essence. The child is expected to pull essence from the mineral. However much is able to be extracted is directly proportional to the innate power of the child.
While most are only able to manipulate one essence, all essences are still tested with every child to determine whether or not they are an aliq-esh.