Trial of Fangs

The Trial of Fangs is an ancient tradition among the Neragi, dating back to the earliest days of their people. Considered to be one of the greatest tests of survival and endurance, all Neragi hunters undergo this trial as a rite of initiation, honing their skills and instincts to the heights that grant them their fearsome reputation.

History

The Trial of Fangs has been in practice since the earliest days of Neragi society. Since hunting was the primary means by which the Neragi clans scattered across the planet of Shanar could support themselves, and since the environment of the planet could be highly dangerous further awy from the strongholds, it was important to them that only the strongest and most skilled among them be sent out beyond the safety of the strongholds to hunt, as they would have the best chance of returning alive. Despite becoming a spacefaring race, the Trial of Fangs didn't just persist into the modern day, but had expanded to accomadate the new elements that came with interstellar life, such as the expansion from patches of wilderness some distance away from the strongholds to unsettled worlds on the frontiers of inhabited space.

Execution

In the old days, participants of the Trial of Fangs would be sent to an uninhabited wilderness some distance from their home stronghold, with the most common being the jungle floor below the near-impenetrable canopy of the equatorial jungles of their homeworld. In modern times, participants are instead transported to an uninhabited Wild World (a designation reserved for planets that are completely untouched by civilisation) for the duration of the trial, often alone or in pairs, and are only brought back to civilisation at the trials conclusion. Upon their arrival at the trial site, the participants are left to fend for themselves for a month ,including hunting and foraging, with the trial only being considered a success if the participant brings back some form of proof of their accomplishment, such as a trophy taken from am impressive kill. Despite numerous technological advancements since the trials inception, participants are required to use hunting tools made to the standards of their pre-FTL ancestors, under the belief that doing so would ensure that the future hunters wouldn't become overly reliant on their advanced tools for future hunts, and to encourage them to hone their natural instincts and skills instead. Upon successful completion of the trial, the participant(s) will be officially declared to be full fledged hunters, and given the right to access the numerous tools and technologies that come with the title.

Components and tools

All Neragi who participate in the Trial of Fangs are equiped with primative hunting tools, including a spear and a knife, as well as five days worth of rations to get them started (all food beyond then must be hunted or foraged by the participants themselves).

Participants

Participants of the Trial of Fangs include the new hunters to be initiated, and a veteran Huntsmaster who oversees the trial. The initiates are typically grouped together under the Huntsmaster of their clan, who is responsible for dropping them off on the world the trial will take place on, as well as initiating successful participants as official hunters.

Observance

The Trial of Fangs occurs whenever a large group of aspiring new hunters volunteers to participate, usually when they come of age.