The Rite of Forging
A sacred ritual among the Watch of the Eternal Flame, The Ritual of forging is as much a test as it is a rite. Those who succeed are venerated by the Watch and granted Mastro's blessings; a suit of armor that is imbued with Mastro's power and attuned to their own life energy. Those who fail the Rite suffer his fiery wrath and perish.
History
The Rite of Forging was discovered and created on the Watch's First Crusade, a march against the Dreadlords, an invasive forces of evil from another world, now simply known as demons. With little time to prepare, many of the holy soldiers did not have proper weaponry or armor to face the new foe. Having faced the enemy and been defeated, the army encamped and tried to prepare themselves for another battle, where they were ready to fight to the last man. The cleric now known as Saint Selene was a blacksmith earlier in life, and blessed the forge before trying to make repairs to his armor. The forge erupted in flame, strengthening Selene and his armor by tenfold. Imbued with the might of the Eternal Flame, Selene replicated the process for the few strongest fighters still able to fight. Taking to the field, they slew the enemy by the hundreds.
It was not until after the Crusade was over until the legend had turned into a complete and proper Rite. Many early attempts did not receive the blessing of Mastro for not using a blessed Forge. Others were tested but found wanting by Mastro, and destroyed by the flame. The Rite was considered too risky to try for centuries. It wasn't until the Second Crusade that it was attempted again in earnest and found successful. What was found was that, while not a guarantee, the surest means of success was to have fought valiantly in Mastro's name before undergoing the Rite.
It was not until after the Crusade was over until the legend had turned into a complete and proper Rite. Many early attempts did not receive the blessing of Mastro for not using a blessed Forge. Others were tested but found wanting by Mastro, and destroyed by the flame. The Rite was considered too risky to try for centuries. It wasn't until the Second Crusade that it was attempted again in earnest and found successful. What was found was that, while not a guarantee, the surest means of success was to have fought valiantly in Mastro's name before undergoing the Rite.
Execution
The individual going through the Rite of Forging removes all of their clothing, along with any makeup and accessories. The clothing must have been previously worn by the individual, and be representative of their life somehow. The Firemaster takes the clothing that was removed and casts it into a holy forge and sets it ablaze as a sacrifice. Imbued with Mastro's blessing and slightly alive, the flame of the holy forge lashes out and surrounds the aspirant. The heat is incredibly painful, and the individual must resist any effort to put it out or flee. As the fire surrounds the aspirant and gets hotter, the person is being forged as well. In this time, those who have gone through the rite have said to have lost consciousness and had visions, or direct communication with Mastro himself.
If the individual is true of heart and strong of mind, they will survive the arduous test without a mark or injury to their name. The fire will also have created a suit of armor around them. As the clothing of their old life was sacrificed for the rite, the armor they now wear is a testament to their new life as a Paladin of the Watch. Blessed by Mastro's power, the armor is inherently magical in nature. As it was forged of the person's strength and will, the armor is also a manifestation of them, and part of them. Symbols and artistic flourishes representing the Paladin and their life are common.
If the individual does not have the fortitude to withstand the flames, or has been found by Mastro to not be one of true faith, the flames will grow even hotter and consume them, not stopping until the individual has died. Witnessing the failure is a gruesome sight, and is why public observances of the Rite of Forging is highly discouraged.
If the individual is true of heart and strong of mind, they will survive the arduous test without a mark or injury to their name. The fire will also have created a suit of armor around them. As the clothing of their old life was sacrificed for the rite, the armor they now wear is a testament to their new life as a Paladin of the Watch. Blessed by Mastro's power, the armor is inherently magical in nature. As it was forged of the person's strength and will, the armor is also a manifestation of them, and part of them. Symbols and artistic flourishes representing the Paladin and their life are common.
If the individual does not have the fortitude to withstand the flames, or has been found by Mastro to not be one of true faith, the flames will grow even hotter and consume them, not stopping until the individual has died. Witnessing the failure is a gruesome sight, and is why public observances of the Rite of Forging is highly discouraged.
Components and tools
The Rite of Forging must be completed with a forge that has been blessed by a Cleric or Paladin of the Watch. This, the Baptism of Fire, is a complicate rite in of itself, and a closely guarded secret so that only those faithful to Mastro may use such holy tools. This also makes the Rite of Forging a rare occurance that must be done with planning and coordination.
The second key part of the Rite of Forging is provided by the person going through the Rite. An offering must be made of the individuals old clothing, and something of sentimental value that represents them as a person. This is both a literal and metaphorical sacrifice of their old life. By subjecting themselves to the fires and judgement of Mastro, they are strengthened by him, having created something new and indistinguishable from the old.
Participants
Along with a forge that has been properly blessed, there must be another member of the Watch to perform the Rite. They are the ones who submit the clothing to the Forge as a sacrifice and inspect it throughout the Rite. The Rite can be done with an audience, but is typically done with only the two individuals and perhaps a mentor of the one going through the Rite.
The priest performing the Rite for the aspirant commonly gives a canonized incantation to accompany the Rite, but it is not required. It is a widely held belief that the Rite produces superior results when the person admitting the Rite is a blacksmith, causing many initiates to seek out blacksmiths to administer the Rite and for blacksmiths to be an even more valued and respected profession within The Watch than they are in ordinary society. Despite the prevalence of the belief, this has not been proven and is officially discounted by the leadership of the Watch as nothing more than a superstition or rumor. The last thing the Pontiff or any of the priests in the field want is those are able to survive the Rite and willing to undergo it refusing or delaying the choice to do so in order because of an unsubstantiated claim.
The priest performing the Rite for the aspirant commonly gives a canonized incantation to accompany the Rite, but it is not required. It is a widely held belief that the Rite produces superior results when the person admitting the Rite is a blacksmith, causing many initiates to seek out blacksmiths to administer the Rite and for blacksmiths to be an even more valued and respected profession within The Watch than they are in ordinary society. Despite the prevalence of the belief, this has not been proven and is officially discounted by the leadership of the Watch as nothing more than a superstition or rumor. The last thing the Pontiff or any of the priests in the field want is those are able to survive the Rite and willing to undergo it refusing or delaying the choice to do so in order because of an unsubstantiated claim.
Observance
The Rite of Forging is strictly voluntary, due to the risk of death associated with failure. Priests and Paladins strictly control who is permitted to observe the Rite to ensure the chances of success are maximized.
Volunteering to observe the Rite of Forge is commonly associated either with promotion into the higher levels of leadership of the Watch, or for those who are returning from having successfully defeated a great evil. If someone trusted within The Watch to have sound judgement deems it, an initiate or new individual may be recommended to undergo the Rite. When they do occur, it is strictly required that the sponsor be the one to administer the Rite. While this undoubtably strengthens the bonds between sponsor and sponsee, the reasoning has a more vindictive reasoning: it requires the sponsor watch their sponsee wrack in agony as they are burned alive if they fail. As a result, such events are rare.
Volunteering to observe the Rite of Forge is commonly associated either with promotion into the higher levels of leadership of the Watch, or for those who are returning from having successfully defeated a great evil. If someone trusted within The Watch to have sound judgement deems it, an initiate or new individual may be recommended to undergo the Rite. When they do occur, it is strictly required that the sponsor be the one to administer the Rite. While this undoubtably strengthens the bonds between sponsor and sponsee, the reasoning has a more vindictive reasoning: it requires the sponsor watch their sponsee wrack in agony as they are burned alive if they fail. As a result, such events are rare.
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