The Ascension Ritual
The Ascension Ritual is one of many magic rituals practiced around the world that seeks to attune and strenghten the spiritual link of Soulbound Mages to the Etherial realm.
History
While no single point of origins for the first ever ritual of this sort is known, scholars from around the world have noted that only a few centuries into the Second Age, most cultures with significant Soulbound Mage populations had developed similar rituals, all with a similar goal of strenghtening their spiritual link to the Ether, which protects them from the effects of various ailments, most notably Silver poisoning and a Temporary Ikshai Possession, while also strenghtening their abilities.
However, each regions developed various different methods to acomplish that goal. In Arros, it was the ritual developed by the Rumalians which came to dominate the continent and the Continent of Enaskia. While in Rumalia, it is called Dusastrika, or "Soul Reaching", the rest of Arros and most of Enaskia calls it the Ascension ritual, a name with heavy religious connotations which references Laris Choran, the founder of Choranism, and most precicely, his final ascension on Mount Agadir.
Execution
To sucessfully complete an ascension ceremony, a Soulbound mage has to follow these 6 steps:
Step one: Travel to a High Suriat
The first step for any Soulbound Mages attempting to do acomplish this ritual is to travel to a High Suriat. These large Choranian temples are buit atop mountains or other high altitude locations, as these facilitate the connection of a soulbound mage to The Ether. While it isn't impossible to do such a ritual at sea level, it is significantly harder, and combined with the religious aspect of the ritual for Chorani Soulmages, the vast majority of them decide to travel to one. High Suriats are rare, as only 3 of them exist in all of Arros, and they are all quite isolated and far from civilisation. Guides can be found in mountain towns which can help soulmages get to the High Suriats. For Chorani Soulmages, they must go as a teenager, which is why guides are so important.Step 2: Before the ritual
Once arrived at the High Suriat, they will be welcomed by the local High Cleric, who will offer them a room to stay in for a day or two, in order to rest before the ritual begins. Each of the 4 types of Soulbound Mages have their own distinct living quarters inside the temple complex, and individual mages must state and demonstrate what type of soulbound abilities they have, before being asigned a room.Step 3: The Ritual begins
At night, after a couple of days, the High Cleric brings out 4 mages, one of each type, to the Suriat's Inner Sanctum. There, the moon maidens working for the High Cleric serve each mage a cup of Dreamer's tea, a potent concotion which induces a profound state of calm in them. This, with the help of the light of Veos flooding the Inner Sanctum, allows the souls of the mages gathered to leave their bodies, which go limp and enter a state between life and death.Step 4: Traveling up the Spiritual link
As their souls leave their bodies, they begin traveling upwards, along the mage's spiritual link and towards the sky. As it does, the link is naturaly strenghten and allows the soul to travel faster and faster, until after a few minutes, they reach the edge of the sky, and go beyond.Step 5: Entering the Ether
Right before entering The Ether, and just after ascending past the edge of the sky, the souls enter a metaphysical region known as the void, black and featureless. Thankfully, they only stay there for around 30 seconds, before the space around them takes on a bluish tint, signaling that they are getting close to their final destination. Finaly, they reach the Ether. For most mages, this is where the travel ends, as their souls will then be violently pushed back, towards their body. They will cross the void again, then descend from the sky before slowly reentering their body. For a small minority, once they reach the Ether, they will be able to stay there and explore the dimension for a short time, about 5-20 minutes. However, once that time runs out, they will also be forced out and travel back to their body like all the others. A few minutes after that, the person wakes up, thus completing the ritual.Step 6: The Aftermath
While the ritual itself is completed, the mage's stay in the Suriat is far from done. Indeed, it is common for mages to stay up to a week after the ritual is completed. This is done because while their spiritual links to the Ether have been strenghtened, their bodies need some time to ajust to their newly strenghtened abilities. This is especialy the case for Soulstriders, Necromancers and Shapeshifters, who's abilities can cause serious trouble if they loose control over them. A few days is enough to confirm that the ritual and its side-effects have been well accepted by the mage's body, and it is only then that the high cleric sends them off.Participants
Most people who go through this ritual are late teens and young adults Soulbound Mages, aged from 15 to 25. However, people of all ages can and do participate in the ritual, as long as they are Soulbound mages. The ritual is always done in groups of 4 soulbound mages, including one Shapeshifter, one Soulstrider, one Soulweaver, and one Necromancer. The Suriat's high cleric and his staff, the Moon Maidens, will be present to ensure the well-being of the participants during the ritual.
Observance
There is no official date set in place for when chorani Soulbound Mages are required to show up for the ritual. However, because of the religious importance of The Day of Ascension for Choranians, many of them decide to do it during the weeks and months leading up and following that date, which falls around the 20th of january. Because of this, from November to March is the busiest period for any High Suriat because of the mages requesting the ritual. However, the ritual can technicaly be done at ay point throughout the year, as long as Veos shines in the sky that night.
Components and tools:
- Dreamer's tea: A beverage made of Dagfar leaves tea mixed with honey and goat milk. The beverage has a relaxing effect that allows people to meditate.
Primary Related Location
Important Locations
Related Organizations
I liked reading this article ! I definitely love everything about soulmages and their abilities. I noticed a little something weird in the last sentence of The Aftermath, so you might want to check it and fix it. Maybe it's me who don't understant english well enough, though ! I like that the temple look out for them for a few days, instead of throwing them in the wild where they would endanger themselves and/or others. I wonder what they can see in the ether and in the in-between !
You're right about the weird sentence, it doesn't make any sense lol, so i'll fix it. But thanks for your positive comment, Its really encouraging! As for what they see on their journey to the Ether., you can check the article on the Ether itself if you want an idea.