Adulthood ceremony

Your form has been painted with the color of our moons and sun. Let your dreams guide you throughout life and death. You are on your own now, for better and for worse.

— Amanth Aether reciting the ancient mantra as she parts with her last child.

History

The ancient traditional parting of parrents with their offspring dates back to around 200 AA when the oldest recorded parting message was discovered on a stone tablet in a deep underground cavern.
The words and meanings of the parting message has shifted slightly ever since and many dragons and gryphons tend to alter the message of the mantra to suit them more.

Execution

Standard procedure involves painting one's feathers, scales or hide with yellow and white in half-circles around shoulder and hindquarter area and waves beneath their eyes and on the upper side of their wings.
The mantra is repeated several times over as the individual is painted - generally by their parents.

Components and tools

Purveyors of dyes provide specifically made paints for this ceremony.

Participants

Parents of the one who reached adulthood or his/her guardians.
For Jungle dragons who are raised by the entire tribe, the one that paints them and recites the mantra has traditionally always been a Wingbinder.
Water dragons on the other hand are given a new name by the council of females upon reaching adulthood.

Observance

There are two possible ways one may reach an adulthood, whichever comes first.
- Either by passing their seniorship test in their profession.

Or by reaching a pre-defined age. This is specific to each race.