The Pilgrimage

Princess of Yildasa

To become queen the princesses of Yildasa's cat clan must complete The Pilgimage. A sacred and closely guarded ceremony, The Pilgrimage takes the women across the gilded bridges to the east of the city of Yildasa, and deep into the uninhabited islands. None but the royal line who have made the trek know exactly what awaits on these islands.

Security

The gilded bridges are guarded with magic that alerts the palace when an unauthorized person is atempting to travel to the eastern isles. Runes carved across the bridge will either trigger these alarms, or in the case of authorized travelers bestow blessings and protections. It is possible for a member of the royal line to challenge a princess who has recieved the blessings by crossing the bridge and making The Pilgrimage without the security of the blessings, choosing to disable the runes and travel the dangerous route on their own merit. Should she return, the princess may challenge the other queen candidate to a trial by combat for the right to rule.

If a princess dies or leaves the islands before completing the pilgrimage runes will flash red and then go dark once more.

Lost Princesses

Though a rare occurance, princesses have been lost along the way. Their loss is seen as the islands deeming the princess unworthy or unfit to rule as a queen. One of the most famous accounts of a princess not returning from her Pilgrimage was a promising young woman loved by the people, the last golden tiger. She was believed to be incredibly suited to rule but never returned from the islands. It was the first and only recorded loss that was grieved by the entire kingdom for months.

Who Shall Pass

Only the daughters of the cat clans may cross the bridges, however only those chosen by the queen receive the mark of passing this trial. In a ceremony before crossing the bridges the queen will carve a rune into the skin of the princess' arm and when the princess returns the rune is transformed by the queen into the royal crest. This mark is permanent and a sign of her right to rule.

In the case of a challenger winning the right to rule, the royal seal is moved to the challenger's arm.

The Shorter Trail

Those that travel the bridges to the eastern isles do so for many reasons. Some go for curiosity's sake, and other seek enlightenment in the wilderness. There are shorter trails to travel than those of the full pilgrimage route that some prefer. Still others forsake the paths all together and choose to be wild and free without the weight of royal obligation for a time in the trees and forests.

Those who travel the shorter trails are not eligable to recieve the royal crest, and even those who enter the islands and do the full trails do not see all the sites that are required to activate the rune bestowed on the chosen heiress. The rune carved into her skin provides access to the most sacred and protected yildae ruins and temples along the trails. Challengers must make their declarations publically in order to receive this rune and visit these places before thier trial by combat.