Wildwood Tournaments
Every year, in the middle of the first month of spring, Veyan, the elven cities of the Wildwood Realm hold a series of tournaments. In the five days that these tournaments take, young elves and half-elves prove their skills in a variety of challenges. After completing the tasks and recieving an overall ranking, they are approached by the local masters of crafts to join a profession. With the acceptance of such a profession, they are then considered adults.
For half-elves and mixed-elven races, they usually take the tournament during their 25th year. Full-blooded "true" elves are expected to compete during their 50th year. The ritual is partially biased towards the rich and the true-elves, both of which demographics have more time and ressources to prepare.
If a town is too small to have more than 3 competitors a year, it is easy to find a town close by to hold the tournaments together. During the days of the tournaments, most cities limit their expected working hours, so that the masters and parents can go watch the youth compete.
Execution
The tournaments test a variety of skills, separated into different days:
Day 1: Knowledge
This includes showing off their proficiency in languages, history, magics, arithmetics, literature, and strategizing. Receiving great scores on the first day usually means getting approached by master scholars, archivists, historians, arcanists, priests and administation. Day 2: Applied Skills
On this day, the young elves are tested in the different crafts: Jeweling, smithing, leatherwork, construction, art. It rewards creativity and dexterity, with high scores usually drawing the masters of the tested professions. Day 3: Nature
The tird day usually takes the tournament out of the city into the local woods. They are tested with their animal andling skills, show their understanding and of nature and living beings, tend to fake wounds and are tasked with finding and preparing their own food. Common professions for good grades in nature include rangers, hunters, farmers, nurses, midwives, fishers, priests of H'Kaye and messengers. Day 4: Social
Moving back into the city for day four, the challenges include leading public discussions, upselling items, performing for crowds, entertaining kids, and multitasking, good grades in which is appreciated by community leaders, politicians and diplomats, performers, attendants and tavern- and shopkeepers. Day 5: Physical Condition
The last day, which is often considered the worst day, drives the participants to physical exhaustion. The tournament concludes with many activities that require a trained body, such as swinging from tree to tree, parcour, fights, balance excercises, proving weapons mastery, sneaking around and ends with sending the group off to run as many times around the city as they can until sundown. Those with high grades here, are nearly always recruited to the armed forces. Conclusion Ceremony
The grades are decided on by a local committee and an administrator from the capital comes by to collect the scores in the weeks following the event. The overall best participant wins the tournament, which is a great achievement. They receive an enchanted headband of H'kaye "The Woodland Emperor" God of Forests and Healing with the village crest, and the title of Favourite of the Forests/H'kaye's Favourite. Both the title and jewels carry weight in society as symbols of diligence and self-improvement, and can better one's social standing greatly.
This includes showing off their proficiency in languages, history, magics, arithmetics, literature, and strategizing. Receiving great scores on the first day usually means getting approached by master scholars, archivists, historians, arcanists, priests and administation. Day 2: Applied Skills
On this day, the young elves are tested in the different crafts: Jeweling, smithing, leatherwork, construction, art. It rewards creativity and dexterity, with high scores usually drawing the masters of the tested professions. Day 3: Nature
The tird day usually takes the tournament out of the city into the local woods. They are tested with their animal andling skills, show their understanding and of nature and living beings, tend to fake wounds and are tasked with finding and preparing their own food. Common professions for good grades in nature include rangers, hunters, farmers, nurses, midwives, fishers, priests of H'Kaye and messengers. Day 4: Social
Moving back into the city for day four, the challenges include leading public discussions, upselling items, performing for crowds, entertaining kids, and multitasking, good grades in which is appreciated by community leaders, politicians and diplomats, performers, attendants and tavern- and shopkeepers. Day 5: Physical Condition
The last day, which is often considered the worst day, drives the participants to physical exhaustion. The tournament concludes with many activities that require a trained body, such as swinging from tree to tree, parcour, fights, balance excercises, proving weapons mastery, sneaking around and ends with sending the group off to run as many times around the city as they can until sundown. Those with high grades here, are nearly always recruited to the armed forces. Conclusion Ceremony
The grades are decided on by a local committee and an administrator from the capital comes by to collect the scores in the weeks following the event. The overall best participant wins the tournament, which is a great achievement. They receive an enchanted headband of H'kaye "The Woodland Emperor" God of Forests and Healing with the village crest, and the title of Favourite of the Forests/H'kaye's Favourite. Both the title and jewels carry weight in society as symbols of diligence and self-improvement, and can better one's social standing greatly.
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