Vasharan Rituals

As a culture without gender roles, and which embraces a wide array of gender presentations, it is difficult to codify these rituals as undertaken by "male" or "female" participants, or to say that only "girls and women" or "boys and men" undergo a particular ritual. Instead, I will say that a ritual is associated with a "masculine" or "feminine" aesthetic, when it matters.

### The Scarifice of Vasha

The Scarifice of Vasha is ritual mostly commonly undergone in childhood, around the age of 9, and regarded as a feminine ritual. In this ritual, the subject undergoes a symbolic scalping, taking into themselves the suffering that the First Human told the gods they had inflicted on Vasha. In ancient times, the scalping was literal and permanent, and visual depictions from ancient times can be found that depict legendary Vasharan beauties with exposed skulls.

Over time, the practice evolved into its current form, where the scalping is still real, but not permanent, taking on a symbolic form.

Participants in this ritual will be attached to a heavy metal frame, secured by bolts, manacles and straps such that all movement is prevented. The participant is closely monitored at all times, and care is taken that their circulation is not impeded. Once so restrained, an attendant shaves their head bald, and makes a series of marks on their scalp.

An ur priest oversees and performs the ritual, having taken special training to do so correctly and safely. An obsidian scalpel is used to cut through the flesh of the subject's scalp, which is then pulled back, revealing the bone beneath. Then, using a tray of tools, including various lenses and carving picks, and a set of scrolls delivered by the attendant, the ur priest carves the poems of the epic Songs of Vasha into the bone.

The subject of this ritual is fully awake and aware during this process, and no attempt is made to muffle or stop their screams and cries. The only concern given to how they respond to the incredible pain of this process is that they cannot move, even involuntarily, which would disrupt the carving. This process can take several days, with the ur priest taking occasional breaks, while the subject remains in the rack. At night, the ur priest and attendant retire, as another attendant takes their place, cleaning the participant, giving them water, and continuing to ensure their safety, but the participant remains in the stocks.

Once the carving is complete, a contraption is set up which slowly drips minute amounts of molten gold into the carvings, which generally takes most of a fourth day. Once the gold has fully cooled and hardened, the subject's scalp is stretched back over their head, and sutured closed. An attendant then applies a dark red paste to the wounds, which both dyes the flesh and irritates it, promoting bright red, highly visible scars to form. A small amount of healing magic is then used, mostly to stabilize the skin and prevent it from dying off.

Many Vasharans who undergo this ritual will also have the poems which have been carved into their skulls tattooed into the skin over them. However, whether this is done over the several days immediately after the carving, or later in the life, will vary.

**[Mortification]:** This ritual is one way which the feat Self Mortification may manifest.

### The First Theft

The First Theft is a ritual most commonly performed in childhood, around the age of 9. There is some feeling among the Vashar regarding it as a sort of masculine counterpart to the Scarifice of Vasha, but as it symbolically mimics The First Human's theft of divine fire, and the First Human was not a man, it is not actively treated as such. While scars of The Scarifice of Vasha are commonly only seen among those who present with a feminine aesthetic, the scars caused by The First Theft are commonly seen marking Vasharans of every presentation.

The ritual of The First Theft begins shortly after the first major act of defiance or disobediance shown by the participant once they have come to the appropriate age (typically 9 years, but it can vary regionally), after which the participant receives a lengthy corporal punishment over three days. This is usually flogging, but other forms of corporal punishment may be used. Much like in the Scarifice of Vasha, the health and well-being of the participant is carefully monitored, even as they are made to suffer incredible pain.

After three days of such punishment, the participant is given minor custodial duties in a temple, generally cleaning and tidying the spaces, but these duties may also include serving the priests. This service is a sort of narrative figleaf, because the true next step involves the participant stealing a coal from the soul fires of the temple. This is done with the most stealth and secrecy the participant can manage, although of course the ur priests are aware it is coming. It is a part of the ritual that they must be unseen, even when it is known they are undertaking the ritual. In a way, the knowing ur priests turning a blind eye is a part of the ritual, symbolically taking the role of the one wise god who saw The First Human steal the divine flame, and allowed it to happen.

This theft must be done without material protection from the flame, but is, nearly, always done with magical protection given by the adults in the participant's life, or the head priest of the temple that is part of ritual. Suffering is one thing, suicidal risk is quite another. The magical protection will protect the participant from long term harm from the flame, but not the pain or scars.

Once the participant has stolen the burning coal, they must escape the city unseen (again, the stealth need not be successful, any honest attempt is sufficient. The adults of the city play along as their part in the ritual), holding the burning coal in their hands and ensuring it stays lit. Quiet is not necessary at this point, though it is generally considered appropriate for the participant to channel their verbal distress into reciting The Murmurings of First Human, which happen to be a litany of oaths, obscenities, and profanities attributed to the First Human as they themselves stole the divine flame, in the tongue of demons, the Dark Speech.

For the next three days, the participant must survive in the wilderness outside their city, while also ensuring the coal stays aflame. Once out of the city, the participant is allowed to carry the coal in a way which frees their hands, but it must remain in contact with their body in some way. Some, particularly courageous (or foolhardy) young Vasharans will carry the hot coal in their teeth. Others will use small cages, commonly used by children to keep pet vermin, secured such that the coal is held against their body within. The chosen manner of carrying the coal does not matter, only that the coal remains close enough to the body to burn.

Ostensibly, over these three days, the participant is alone, and can only rely on themselves for survival. In actual fact, the city does keep a watchful eye on them. They allow the participant to meet their own needs and defend themselves, but they do ensure that any particularly dangerous creatures or beings far outside the means of a child to avoid or overcome do not endanger them. Adults from the city may come looking for the child, often in elaborate, but carefully shoddy costumes representing the gods, their servants, or the various dangers of the abyss, representing the dangers the First Human faced in their own theft of divine flame. The child is, generally, expected to hide from these adults, but attacking them is allowed. While a Vasharan child *is* capable of killing an adult (at least generally, not accounting for particular skill), neither side of this mock conflict fights to kill. Both sides know this is symbolic. That doesn't mean there are no real wounds. Both sides fight with true weapons, and neither pulls their strikes, but neither means to kill the other. In general, the adults with "play dead" or retreat in a bombastic panic if they feel the participant has put up a good fight. However, if they manage to apprehend the child, and the child cannot get away, they will return the child to the city, and the ritual is considered to have been failed.

After three days in the wild, the participant may now return to their city. This is done openly, and as brazenly as the participant can manage, as it is the symbolic claim of their status as a free person, who will not suffer subjugation to another unless it serves their purposes.

While rare, it is possible for the participant to die in, or as a result of, their fights with the adults who pursue them. In this case, the child will be brought back to the city and resurrected with all haste, and instead of failure, this is considered a successful performance of the ritual, as the child has showed in a very real way that they will accept death before allowing themselves to be apprehended and subjugated by the enemy.

The scars of this ritual can be found on virtually any part of the body, and may involve many different kinds of scars, but every Vasharan who has undergone this ritual will have heavily scarred hands and forearms from carrying the burning coal out of the temple and city.

**[Mortification]:** The scars of this ritual are one form which Self Mortification can take. It is also possible that the participant may have taken various actions during their survival in the wild which might result in the Hands, Skin, Teeth or Tongue [Mortification] feats.