The First Dive

Overview

When a youngster of the The Itani wishes to be considered an adult and given more responsibility, they must perform a rite known as The First Dive. Which involves a dangerous solo cave dive under the island they live on to retrieve fallen scales amongst other things. This is a test of all they have learned and their first contribution to the greater well-being of the village. It isn’t without its dangers, however, some participants never return after getting lost and running out of air.

History

Originally just a way of making sure that young adults of the villages have properly learned to navigate the tunnels, this event has developed more ritual and ceremony as time has gone on. It has become a celebration of the person involved becoming an adult and of the practices of the village. A reaffirmation of all it is to be part of the Itani.
It has also become an event for the entire village to enjoy with large feasts and telling of stories while they wait to welcome the participant to the rank of adult.

Steps

First the participant presented to the village, and then the Elder gives a speech touching on themes like family, responsibility and struggle. After that the family says goodbye to the participant, this symbolises the new person they will be if they emerge victorious.
They take them to the entrance to the easiest of the subterranean tunnels and close them in. Once in, they must navigate their way down into the waters and through the submerged tunnel system until they find one of the Dragon Turtle caves. Here they must retrieve a few fallen scales of any quality and fill the waterproof sack the villagers gave them with turtle feces. This excrement will create a hardy clay that will form the outer walls of their new adult home that their families have partially prepared for them.
They then must navigate back out of the tunnels with their burdens. Now tired from the exertion of diving and laden with items, this is much more difficult.
Then they emerge back into the village to get celebration and good cheer. Welcomed back by their families as a new adult and equal.

Tools

Rules state that the only allowed items to take are a waterproof sack for the feces and an air bladder to help them breathe underwater. They strip off most of their clothes to reduce weight and drag under water.

Dangers

The tunnel system is vast and they mark passages with a discreet symbol language to tell village-folk which ways to go. There are many of these symbols so one of the first tests for the participant is to remember all they have been taught.
Many of the tunnels are under water and they must navigate them while holding their breath or, for extreme cases, using the emergency air bladder they carry.
Once they make it to the Dragon Turtle caves, the danger isn’t over. They must be very careful not to antagonise any of the creatures, for while they allow the villagers to come down into the caves, they do not suffer them interfering with them or their young.
Lastly, the swim back out with a full sack and an arm of scales is difficult. Villagers find a few that fail this last step, weighed down by their supplies and drowned in the deep tunnels.