The Cracking of Tusks

"No self-respecting orc has good teeth--not if they have a good chieftess. An orc with unbroken teeth is an orc who is afraid to bear them."

-Agapiro Rav, sailor and member of the Shattered Peak Clan

The Cracking of Tusks is a coming of age rite common to Talzhu orcish clans. It remained shrouded in mystery for countless years--existing merely as a rumor of a barbaric and bloody ritual performed by the orcs in the steppes--before half-orcish scholar and adventurer Deumagh Blacktusk published his memoir Wardens of the World's Edge, which depicted life in a nomadic orcish clan with far greater vibrancy, humanity and fairness than any other well-read work of literature had before. Though certainly still a ritual involving injury, danger and bloodshed, it is now fairly well understood--at least by those in Veturoth sympathetic towards orcs and their cultures--as an incredibly meaningful stepping stone in a Talzhu orc's life.

Execution

The Cracking of Tusks has three major stages. The first of these is the liminal stage, referred to as the Waning of the Moon. During this period, initiates are neither child nor adult, outcast nor clan member. They are viewed as unstable and unclean, and in order to win the right to participate in the trial that will make them a full member of their clan, they must serve the clan's elders for a period of 10 days. During this time, they are forbidden from visiting their kin, as doing so in such a liminal state may bring ill-fortune to them, and they may only spend time with their fellow initiates and clan elders. After this 10 day period, the trial stage begins. One day is spent ritually cleansing the initiates and preparing them for the trial, and on the dawn of the next morning, they are lead to the chieftess's dwelling, outside of which they will engage in ritual combat with clubs. An initiate may only exit the arena after they have had one of their own tusks broken, and retrieved at least one piece of another's tusk, though they are allowed to stay in the arena as long as they wish. On rare occasion, there will be one initiate left who has either not had a tusk cracked, or who cannot find any pieces of tusk to retrieve. In such situations, they have a choice: face the chieftess in combat to prove their bravery, or accept that they have failed the trial, and wait for the next Cracking of Tusks to try again. After the ritual combat is complete, the celebratory phase begins. Initiates, now fully-fledged members of their clan, may visit their family and friends again, and the whole camp will throw a festival in honor of the newly minted clan members, complete with music, feasts, and sports competitions.

Components and tools

The items involves in the Cracking of Tusks includes:
-Instruments, played by the Soulsingers during the trial
-Red ochre body paint, which the initiates don before the trial
-Matongi extracts, which are ritually consumed, and used to dull pain
-A type of ritual club known as the Grazhu-Dul, which the initiates are armed with
-Plugs of glacial copper, an ore unique to the territories of the Talzhu whose location is a closely guarded secret, used to create a protective cap over any broken tusks that protects it from infection and further deterioration.
-Coldsmith's tools, for the creation of these protective caps.

Participants

The Cracking of Tusks is always organized by a clan's Chieftess, and the ritual performed and facilitated by the Soulsingers of the clan. The focus is, however, on the initiates who, after a liminal period where they must serve a clan's elders and follow all their whims (which are tightly regulated and prescribed, so as to prevent abuse of initiates), undergo the trial and emerge at the end as fully fledged, adult members of the clan. The clan's coldsmith(s) also play and important role after the trial, affixing caps of glacial copper to broken tusks.

Observance

An orc's Cracking of Tusks is traditionally scheduled for the 8th new moon after their last adult tusk stops growing, which generally occurs around age 12. However, due to the small size and often low birthrates in contemporary Talzhu groups, the Cracking of Tusks has become a bi-annual occurence, on the 8th new moon of a given year, allowing for all those who sprouted their last tusk to participate, and ensuring that there are enough initiates for the ritual to be performed.

Related Ethnicities

• The Talzhu