The Naming of a God
One of the most important rituals among the druidic orders of the Khelish realms is chronicling the lives and times of their gods. To this end, all five orders stay informed of regional affairs, and seek out information that might lead them to the identities of those Khelish that embodied the ideals of their gods and had an impact on their communities. Then, the druids investigate whether the individual in question did embody those ideals, and whether they could be the incarnation of the god. They discuss the matter among themselves, and once they have come to an agreement, they add the name to the ever-expanding divine genealogy.
These namings are typically not performed at existing shrines. Rather, the druids locate a suitable site for the naming ceremony, typically in the wild. When possible, they pick out a place that had some relevance to the subject of the ceremony. As a result, the painted stones and trees can often be found in natural clearings, the remains of a previous druidic ceremony. These sites are not maintained, but the namings are meticulously recorded.
As druidic worship is not centralized, different orders of the same god often have different genealogies they abide by. Neighboring orders might have few differences, but there is no overall consensus on the divine genealogies of the Khelish gods. However, all orders agree that no living human should be named. To find a god requires examination of their life in full context, after it has already passed.
Execution
A naming is not done without pomp and ceremony. And though the specifics differ between orders, the general thrust of the ceremony remains the same. First, the druids present vote on whether the proposed person should be named. Typically, votes are unanimous or near-unanimous as the druids have already conferred with eachother beforehand.
Once the voice vote is concluded, the druids prepare a sacrifice to their god, typically incenses and spices but sometimes animal matter as well. They recount the story of the named, except in each instance they now refer to them with the name of the god they are named as, celebrating their life as an avatar of a god. They paint the surroundings with depictions of the person named, made to resemble the god. They record their name in a formal genealogy book. Often this ritual lasts throughout the night.
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