Day of Joining (Goliath)

Among the Goliaths of the Desert of Penok, there is no great attention paid to celebrating a persons birth. The only exception to this is the Day of Joining, which marks the Goliath's 18th birthday, which is a major celebration in the tribe which marks the transition from child to adult.

History

The tradition of the Day of Joining has mutated from a Maat (Giant for Purity) ceremony during the years of the Giants Empire. The Maat ceremony was when a young Goliath would enter the service of the Empire as Overseers of the non-giant servants of the Emperor. This was the entire purpose of the Goliath's place in the giant civilization and so each Goliath was prepared for it since birth. 
After the fall of the Empire, the Goliath's who were lost in the new forged Desert of Penok clung to their Maat traditions but reforged the Day of Joining into a ceremony where the Goliath youth were dedicated to the service of their tribe.

Execution

Begins at midnight before the Goliath's 18th birthday. The Goliath youth is blindfolded and led out into the desert by members of their family. They are left in the desert with a single water skin, and two pieces of a jerky made from desert lizards. 
When the youth feels the first light of the rising sun on their face, they are allowed to remove the blindfold and the have until dark to find their way back to the tribes camp. Those who fail to return before the sun sets are dead to the tribe, whether they survive or not, and cannot return to the tribe who would kill them rather than allow their weakness to bring ruin to the tribe. 
Upon the return, the youth is treated to a feast in his honor which lasts through the night. At the end of the feast, the leader of the tribe declares the the youth an adult and assigns their role in the tribe. If the new adult accepts this role, they are declared Maat and the tribe welcomes their new adult. 
If the youth denies the role, they may declare that they are undertaking the Maat-duran, a search for purpose. The youth declares to the tribe a great task that they will undertake to prove themselves able to name their own purpose. The tasks are of extreme difficulty and nearly always require the youth to leave the tribe and their lands to complete. The Goliath is considered to be a child until such time as they complete the quest, no matter how long it takes. 
If the Goliath returns successful, they are declared Maat and allowed to determine for themselves their role in the clan. Some accomplish such legendary deeds that they claim leadership of their clan. Those who fail and survive, are outcasts called Maug-Shaitan, and are forbidden to return to the clans lands on pain of death.