The Vesskir (veh-skear-rh)

The Vesskir ritual is designed to test whether or not a young Gobling is ready to become an adult and a fully contributing member of society. There are 6 stages to this coming of age, 3 of which test the Goblings' courage, teamwork, independence, and respect.

Execution

1. Besulia - Goodbye

To begin the process of becoming an adult in the eyes of society, the group of eligible Goblins will be brought to a communal leisure building within their settlement, where the Goblings' yealdebur gathers around the young Goblins to celebrate the approaching changes. The Besulia is a large, joyful send-off, beginning with a large feast, wherein the attendants will all mingle together and wish the young Goblins luck on their coming journeys. Following this, the community leader(s) will sing epics telling the stories of old. Once the songs are sung, the yealdebur will paint sigils and Runes on the faces, arms and torso of the young Goblins to ensure their safety and good fortune.
At the very end of the Besulia, the leaders of the yealdebur will add the first section of the anodrach to each Gobling undergoing the Vesskir. Upon completing each stage of their Vesskir, the Goblings will add a new section to each others' anodrachs.

2. Nar Huskir - Survival

Once the Besulia is complete, the group of Goblings undergoing the Vesskir will leave their home settlement to spend 14 days in the wilderness together. Though they are allowed magical artefacts for protection and the like, technology is banned from this stage of the Vesskir. While the Goblings are encouraged to bring food rations with them, hunting and foraging is key to this stage of the emancipation; at least one hunt per Gobling is required, as each is meant to bring a skull home with them as a kind of trophy. This stage tests the courage and teamwork of the young Goblins.

3. Korin - Solitude

Immediately after completing the second stage, the group of Goblings separate in order to spend a further 3 days in the wild, this time alone. While Goblins in general are a highly community-focused race, most understand that sometimes people have to face challenges alone, either through circumstances preventing anyone from helping them or by choice. The Korin stage is designed as a time of reflection to test the independence of the Goblings.

4. Belbabos - The Unearthing

After the Korin, the Goblings regroup and make their way to their settlement's sibhuush. As proof of their respect, the Goblings will spend 2 days and nights amongst the bones of their ancestors, performing general maintenance on the sibhuush and ensuring the bones are still intact. The Unearthing itself is the most important part of this stage. It is the Gobling's job to locate the previously chosen grave and unearth the bones buried under the dirt. The bones are then meant to be carried to the other end of the sibhuush, where they are laid beside the last skeleton to be uneathed. Using materials gathered during the Nar Huskir and the amulets brought from the settlement, the Goblings will cast spells around the bones to repel scavengers, thus preserving the body and protecting the sibhuush. 
This can take some time, as the Goblings must carve sigils into the bones themselves and knit a thorough weave of protective magic around the new bonesite.

5. Raasennush - The Burning

Upon returning to their home, the Goblings must not greet anyone nor be greeted as they make their way to the bonfire, placing their supplies to one side and removing enough clothing to show their almost-complete anodrach. As the final, symbolic shedding of their minority, the Goblings must use the bonfire to burn a lock of their own hair, kept from their first year of life. The watching yealdebur cheers and shouts as the locks of hair burn and the young Goblins receive the final piece to their anodrach, officially ushering them into adulthood.

6. Riocain - Celebration

With the last of the tattoo in place, the Goblings are now considered adult Goblins in the eyes of their people. To bring the Vesskir to a close, the procession of Goblins will begin the Riocain, a massive celebration lasting 2 nights. Alcohol is shared, though moderated for the newly emancipated, music is played, dancing is done, and a magnificent display of magic is put on by the Elder Goblins. In times of old, there would have been rationed food, in order to preserve the food stores of the settlement, but by the 21st Century, no such rationing is needed. Thus, another large feast is shared to bring the Vesskir to a close.

Primary Related Location

UK

It Takes a Village

Goblins in general are a highly social, community-focused species. They typically raise their young with more than just the biological or adoptive parents taking an active role in parenting. In the past, most, if not all, adult Goblins in a village would've had a hand in raising the children born to or moved into the village. In modern times, it is much the same, only amongst quarters or sub-quarters of a settlement.

Occurrence

The Vesskir occurs on the first full moon of any year in which more than one Gobling will be reaching their 17th to 20th years of age. If no more than 2 Goblings are ready to undergo the Vesskir within a settlement, the Gobling(s) in question and part of their yealdebur will travel to the nearest settlement which has a suitable number of Goblings ready for their Vesskir.

Consequences

As Goblings, they would not have been punished for their wrongdoings, since a child committing a crime is seen as a failure of those raising the child and not the child themselves. However, upon completing the Vesskir, the young Goblins can now, by Goblin law, be held accountable for their actions and can be made to face the legal consequences for any laws they may brake. 

Funeral Traditions

Goblins don't typically bury their dead. Rather, they have a dedicated spot close to the village where they place their dead in shallow graves. These graves are temporary, purely dug to allow the bodies to decompose without becoming a biohazard. After a cycle, the body is ready to be dug up and the skeleton moved to its permanent resting place.