The Trial of the Forest Tradition / Ritual in Shireon | World Anvil

The Trial of the Forest

It's time for you to take on the trial of the forest, child.

Don't be scared, you have the skills. You'll do fine.

— Enari parent

To be considered an adult in enari society, everyone without a valid reason need to partake in the trial of the forest. Generally done in their 50th year, the young enari is sent out into the Kael Thalori to survive there on their own or as a pair.

Preparation

The enari send their children out alone in the forest to survive? For a week!? How barbaric!

— Kuprian mother of three

The young enari aren't sent out into the wild unprepared. Through their years before the trial, they are taught survival skills specifically to survive the dangers in the Kael Thalori. This is vital skills to have when living in the vast forest, so there's a reason why it is done this way.

The Trial

At one point the day will come, and the young enari is sent out into the vast wilderness of the forest. From that point they're supposed to use their skills to survive alone for a week. This includes setting up a safe camp to sleep in at night, hunt or forage for food, and hopefully prevent getting mauled by enari forest cats in the process.

Even though this sounds extremely dangerous and a quick way to lose a child, the number of young enari return to their family in one piece, and with important new experiences for further survival.

As the young enari return home after the trial, they are now considered an adult in enari society.

Those Who Cannot

Those who can't do the trial for some reason are still considered adults. There are several reasons why a young enari can't - or shouldn't - do the trial. These include, but are not limited to, some physical or mental ailments or challenges. A young enari who can't do the trial can still achieve greatness in the enari society. One prime example of this is Matron Elanaith Alamaris, who was born with nonfunctioning legs. She is the only matron of an Enari Great House in history who haven't gone through the trial when young.

There are some career choices that are off-limits to enari who haven't gone through the trial, however. One notable example is to become a member of the Kael Thalori Foresters. Due to the risk of getting killed during duty if you can't survive in the forest the Foresters won't ever consider anyone who haven't done the trial for joining their ranks.

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Cover image: by stokpic

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