Crux Ordeal for Attainment of Title

The "Coming of Age" ceremony for House Crux is the Crux Ordeal for Attainment of Title (“C.O.A.T.”), which takes place on Hiera. Crucians who do not typically reside on Hiera are required to travel to the homeworld as part of this rite of passage.

### **16 - The Attempt**

Youth make their first attempt at the C.O.A.T. at age sixteen. The C.O.A.T.'s exact format and questions are a highly guarded secret within House Crux, and giving anyone an edge by explaining what is to come is a cultural taboo of the highest order.

The C.O.A.T. is in many ways similar to an oral argument at trial or a dissertation defense at a Hieran University.

The test is undertaken in a special courtroom in the Oberlandesgericht (Hiera Imperial High Court). The Aspirant at issue is provided with a topic to develop an opinion upon, and then given time to put together a presentation regarding that opinion within a specific time frame. When the time has elapsed, the Aspirant is told that they will be presenting and defending their opinion on the spot. Essentially, the Aspirant is defending and proving their right to be an adult to the best legal and philosophical minds in the sector. For many Aspirants, this is the first time in their lives where they are forced to perform a task without the trappings of nobility to serve as a safety net.

The Aspirant is not defending against their peers, as is often expected, but rather against a full panel of Richters, Anwalts, and Ministers. In the event that the panel cannot be filled by Richters and Anwalts on a particular date, or a member of the panel has to recuse himself due to blood relations with the Aspirant at issue, House Crux fills the panel with alternates by sending notices to venerable nobles within the house to report to C.O.A.T. duty. This is a high honor, and many nobles, if they are not otherwise engaged, will be happy to take part.

Success at the C.O.A.T. is not guaranteed. Nearly 99% of the nobility fail on their first try. Through failure, the Crucian noble is meant to understand that the path to personhood is arduous and indirect. But the C.O.A.T. is not an insurmountable wall. The test is designed to identify the skills that the noble is currently lacking in and give them a clear path to success.

Succeeding the C.O.A.T. is necessary to be recognized in House Crux as a full member of the nobility. All nobles are unable to assume their full rank and title until they have passed through the C.O.A.T. in full. For example, if a noble is thirteen and heir to a Gräfdom through an appropriate form of inheritance, the Gräfindom would then pass to the child when the title-holder dies, but held in abeyance. The child cannot assume the rank of Gräf until they pass the C.O.A.T., at which point, the rank is bestowed upon them.

### **16-17 - Training to Succeed at the C.O.A.T.**

During this year, the noble at issue is charged with improving their skills to retake the exam. When the noble feels they are ready, they can retake the exam at any time. Most nobles take around one year to do so and most succeed on this second try, though for those that fail an Aspirant is offered two attempts per year. Those not citizens of Hiera but nobles of other Crucian territories may elect to study at home or on Hiera before returning.

### **16-17 - Retaking the C.O.A.T.**

For many Aspirants, retaking the C.O.A.T. solidifies the growth they developed over the past year. Once completed, the newly-titled noble receives an individualized token from their family to signify that they are now a fully-fledged member of House Crux. This token is of the highest quality and greatly personalized to represent the individual and their family. It is quite popular for such tokens to come in the form of heavy overcoats, though scarves, sashes and other apparel are not uncommon.

An example of one such overcoat:

*Feldherr Crux Geier Berathram*, *CO of the HCS Vengeance*. Age 26.

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