'Án Sekáthis Rúdéhh

General overview

The Duiniken practise a special kind of ritual as young men and women get a promotion in the military for the first time. It is a relatively young ritual having only been introduced after the Duinikens move to Nuat Duinis Talou. With the Duinikens settlement in the East, some of the urged on necessities of the luckless last few years of the conflicts with Messellat Mdûlûn and Tarrabaenians established themselves as permanent changes to Duiniken society. The fact that now also women were engaged with warfare made inventing a new ritual on entering military necessary to fit the now both sex recruits.

Aetiology and history

The name of the ritual translates as 'walk into the shadow'. This name picks up the necessity to switch from open field warfare, which was hardly sustainable for the retreating Duiniken. Instead guerrilla tactics were involved, especially in what was not categorised as a gló magál (royal battle), where a member of the royal family led the expedition. A special type of attack was the salíd sekátis (in contemporary Duinis 'Éch 'salíd sekathis'), which consisted of spontaneously recruited men, women and teenagers led by a member of the military to execute surprise attacks on scouts, small outposts or transports of either the Messellat Mdûlûn or the Tarrabaenians. As the Tarrabaenians settled all across Duinis Talou for historical reasons, some of their smaller camps became target of these parties, too.

Regular army members were exclusively male, but the effectiveness of the salíd sekathis changed Duiniken warfare as well as recruitment for the army as women proved themselves no lesser than men defending their homes and people. Thus when relocating to Nuat Duinis Talou, the military started to not only conscript men, but also women to acknowledge their contribution to the defense and survival of the Duiniken people. Higher positions in military, while women are not excluded, have mostly only seen male occupancy and special forces like the palace security 'Áerenadh Hhiádh are reserved to men only.

Performance and role in society

When turning 15, every non-aristocratic member of the Duiniken has to enter military service for two years. This involves a phase of basic training which lasts one year for most and one year of advanced training. But people failing the basic training get a second chance after another six months of basic training. While entering the military is celebrated within the families or in smaller communities within that community, the 'Án Sekáthis Rúdéhh is a ritual performed in and by the army. Before, when only men were recruited and trained, an older ritual called fheiróm atámse (examination of the young men) was performed. It involved a competition between the contestants in various fields and with various weapons.
With military tactics moving to guerilla warfare and the participation of women in military affairs, these tests of strength became obsolete. Instead, competitions were in part changed to different fields of warfare like marksmanship, obstacle courses, construction and survival techniques and shadow-fencing with two melee weapons of each individuals choice.
Those passing the tests may chose a specialisation for the latter part of their training. Everyone also gets a tattoo on their left lower arm, showing three sickle shapes representing either three new moons or boar tusks, depending on whom you ask. The boar is the heraldic animal of the Duiniken, while three new moons play an important role in the Duinikens national epic. After the tattoo is received, priests rinse the wound and say a prayer. A huge tent is set up with camp beds for everyone and they lay down. They fall asleep to masked priests passing through the tents carrying incense and chanting. This part of the 'Án Sekáthis Rúdéhh serves two purposes: the communal sleeping makes them transition into the status of a full fledged recruit, having passed the basic training. The ingredients of the incense are alchemical in nature and cause the recruits to awaken in a trance and leaving the tent through one of the three exits there are to this big tent. This part of the ritual serves as a means to separate the recruits into equal parts for specialised training with a focus on either provision, field battle or intelligence.

Those failing the test on the first attempt get a second chance half a year later. Their tattoos though are not uniformly colored shapes but only the outlines. Failing the test a second time results in dishonourable discharge. This is the worst disgrace a Duiniken can experience and often results in the individuals becoming ostracised and living a live on the fringes of society.

The tattoo received during the ritual gets completed after finishing the specialised training with a motiv depending on what one specialised in. There are subdivisions in specialisation within the three aforementioned fields, each with their own symbol. For close combat, specialising in sword fighting a hilt is tattooed around the three sickle-shapes, representing military prowess in this field of expertise.