Mastrell's Path

The Mastrell's Path is the name of a test used by the sand masters of Taldain. As the name indicates, the Path is meant only for those who have achieved the highest rank of mastrell in the Diem. It was created by the most powerful and egotistical sand masters as a way of showcasing their superiority, and it is therefore extraordinarily challenging and dangerous.
==Rules==
The test is not mandatory and primarily serves as a way for the strongest mastrells to gain bragging rights. Several sand masters have died while running the Path and most mastrells simply choose not to attempt it. Anyone in the Diem can choose to take the test, although those of lower rank may require sponsorship from a more powerful colleague. However, this is essentially unheard of since weaker sand masters would not be expected to survive the attempt. The test is held alongside other contests once per year, and precedes a ceremony to award new ranks.
The Path consists of five red spheres hidden around the Kerla. The goal is to find all five spheres within one Dayside hour, or 90 minutes. This is ceremonially measured by watching the moon pass behind Mount KraeDa and reappear on the other side. The challenger is monitored by a group of mastrells; he may request help at any time, but if he does, his run is automatically terminated. There is a significant danger of overmastery during the test since sand mastery dehydrates the user and challengers are only allowed to take a single qido of water. There is no "pass" or "fail", as one's performance is judged by how many spheres he is able to obtain within the time limit.
The site of the Path is in a secluded location in the desert near the base of KraeDa, with no water sources nearby and some pockets of deep sand. The area is revered among the members of the Diem due to the ceremony that surrounds each attempt. The specifics of the Path are a closely guarded secret among mastrells. The spheres are hidden shortly before each run by one of the mastrells who is monitoring the attempt. Marker flags are also placed to let the challenger know they are in the right area. Part of the challenge is simply finding the first four spheres; they are well-hidden, but a powerful sand master should not have much trouble retrieving them. The fifth sphere, however, is placed near a massive deep sandling, specifically a Marken. This massive creature is terken, or immune to the powers of sand mastery. Markens are very rare and normally found only in deep sand, but this specimen somehow became isolated on the Kerla. The mastrells have fed the creature for centuries and use it as the final guardian for the fifth sphere.
== Attempts ==
===Traiben===
Mastrell Traiben ran the Path and only found three spheres. He managed to conserve some water until the end of his run and poured it onto the deep sandling to scare it away, but its digging buried his last sphere deep beneath the sand, preventing him from retrieving it.
===Kenton===
As the son of the Lord Mastrell, Kenton consistently tried to prove his worth to the Diem despite his minimal talent with sand mastery. He convinced himself that if he could complete the Path, his father Praxton would be forced to offer him a higher rank. Multiple people tried to talk him out of what would surely be a fatal exercise, but Elorin ultimately agreed to sponsor him. Praxton offered him the rank of fen if he called off the attempt, but Kenton refused to give in. He brought a sword with him, which was not prohibited by the rules, and cleverly used his powers of observation and sand mastery to find the first four spheres. He then spotted the fifth sphere near the Marken. When the sandling emerged, he spotted a sixth sphere attached to its body. Unsure if there was some sort of trick involved, he resolved to get all six spheres; the only way to do so was to use his sword to create a weakness in the beast's carapace and then run a ribbon of sand through its brain, killing it. He later learned that the sixth sphere was presumably left over from a previous run, possibly Traiben's. His unbelievable accomplishment at the Path created a sensation in the Diem, with some calling him a hero. Praxton, however, was angry that Kenton had disobeyed him and then ruined the Path by killing the Marken, and offered him the even lower rank of underfen. Kenton refused, and Praxton was forced to finally offer him the rank of mastrell, warning him that the rest of the Diem would still see it as nepotism.
==Trivia==
*In the original version of White Sand Volume 1, the challengers were not permitted to bring any water on the Path. The intended solution for the Marken was for the challenger to slatrify sand into water and use it to scare the creature away; Traiben mentioned using this method during his run. However, the concept of slatrification was removed in the Omnibus edition. The Path's rules were changed to allow a single qido of water, and Traiben's dialogue was altered such that he simply poured water on the sandling instead.
== Notes ==
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