Kotrond Shulora (Ko-ˈTrohnd Shoo-ˈLoh-Ra)

From the Travel Journal of Barran Forefire

The Thraedra Lizardfolk of the Maba'ji Wastes have no worship of any gods. They also have no celebrations to mark the year, no feasts for a day of birth or a wedding. But they do have one ritual that is extremely important in a tribesperson's life, and that is the coming of age ritual, or Kotrond Shulora, literally the Survival Test.
The candidate, anywhere from 12-16 years of age, is decorated in beautiful mud patterns by their peers. This helps deflect the sun and hold in moisture, as well as looking attractive. This young person then goes to an elder of the tribe and declares, "I am an adult," to which the elder replies, "Prove it!" The candidate is given a small waterskin and a knife, and sent out into the Wastes. They will return in 14 days, or they will not return at all. This is the whole of the ritual. If a member of the tribe reaches 16 years without initiating the ceremony, they are forced into the wilderness to take the test. This is a mark of shame and disgrace, and will not be forgotten.
The peoples of the tribe will return to what they do as if nothing has

happened. Meanwhile, the young man or woman will go out into the Wastes entirely on their own. They will take what they have learned and use it to survive. When they return, they are considered a full adult, and may marry and have a say in tribal meetings, and so forth.
One of these ceremonies took place during my stay. I asked my guide, Lashrev, if that was not a harsh thing to do to a child. He shrugged, as he often did, and said, "What child? They say they are an adult, they choose this test. There is not one who doesn't know what he is facing. The strong survive, the weak do not, and the tribe is stronger for it." A harsh way to look at things, but then, this is a harsh land.
On the third day of our stay, as the tribe prepared to move out to a fresh camp, we went to fetch our belongings only to find them gone. A tribesman with a big toothy grin handed us each a waterskin and a knife, and told us that we were now old enough to survive on our own. Then we were pointed out into the Waste and dismissed.