Shodir As'hal - the scarlet embrace

Practiced all across the vast, sun-scorched wastes, this ritual, as ancient as the sands themselves, forges families, clans or friends together into a new whole. Be it out of rational, cold logic, in the aftermath of a feud or just for simple survival, the Shodir As'hal is the forging of a new family or tribe. What once was two becomes one. It is not a step to be taken likely, for while the honor of both families is shared with the new one - so are their debts. Sealed by blood with the land itself as a witness, bonds forged by the scarlet embrace cannot be broken - they will endure as long as the winds blow and the sands sing.

Origins

The origins of the scarlet embrace are lost the swirling sands of time. As far back as the kaharan people can remember, the bond has always been a part of the people, even back when the kaharan people roamed the deserts as nomadic tribes, following their herds and the stars. In those harsh times, survival depended on trust, hope and blood - all of them precious things in these dark times.
And out of these three rare things, so is said, the scarlet embrace was forged by the ancestors. With the desert as a witness, its an oath taken to the very land, upheld by tradition and faith. It is said that those trying to break the bond incur the wrath of the land itself. And so it exists until today, a scarlet, shimmering thread weaving warring tribes and families together in the face of life's endless challenges.
As generations passed, it became a cornerstone of kaharan culture, a tradition passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter. Though time may have eroded the practice in recent years with more common practices like adoptions and marriages, this ritual is still honored in the hearts of those who cherish the ancient ways of the desert.

Ritual

Shodir As'hal can take many forms - while two friends may forge a new family within a single hour, with only the desert and the stars above as a witness, the merging of two clans can be cause of celebration that spans days or even weeks. However, as much celebration as it may surround it, there is always the same custom at its core:
At night, beneath the vast, star-kissed expanse of the desert, a circle of stones is carefully arranged, each one bearing the mark of an ancestor or a beloved person.
The two people who desired the bond the most (not necessarily the leaders of the tribe or family) then enter the circle. Here, they exchange their history, make claims to their deeds and debts so all present know each other.

Great care is taken to be honest and truthful here, else the Evil Eye may fall upon oneself.

Under the watchful eyes of the moons, the clasped forearms of both speakers are then wrapped in a crimson scarf made from Kaharan Silk. A curved dagger, often a family heirloom passed down through generations, is brought forth, it's blade gleaming in the starlight. With a single, deliberate stroke trough the scarf, blood is drawn from each forearm, a shallow cut that draws forth the water that connects all life.

Crimson tears fall onto the parched earth, their essence mingling with the sands. It is then the scarlet oath is spoken, while the blood-stained sands become part of the desert's tale, forever sealing the new bond.

The scarlet thread binds us all. Only a fool would cut it and incur the land's wrath.

Kulan Mi'shar, Scholar

Kal'hyr Shodar- the scarlet oath

Let the sands and stars be our witness.
By the blood we shed, the hope we guard and the trust we share,
we bind ourselves together, a family remade before the crimson sand.
May our bond be as enduring as the mountains,
as deep as the silent sea,
a shield of protection, a home to our hearts.
Now, take all that we are, all that we were, all that we ever will be and forge it anew.
With blood and sand, we seal this bond, once and to the end of times, forevermore.