Tacnu Zoku

The Tacnu Zoku is a ritual of the **Endless Spears** that serves as a rite of passage for members of that culture. Though there are variations on the ritual for differing families and sections of the Venswood, it remains one of the most homogenous and consistent parts of Spear culture.

The ritual is believed to involve the aspirant (the person attempting to pass the rite) witnessing or visiting the **Otherside**, and there facing a foe or other challenge, which typically they must best with cunning, strength of spirit, or skill in battle. Should they triumph in this challenge their Tacnu Zoku will be declared complete. Should the aspirant fail they will be allowed to try again, assuming they survive such a defeat. To most Spears there is no shame in failing the rite, only in giving up entirely.

## Origins and Meaning

"Tacnu Zoku" is one of few remnants from a largely lost language of the Endless Spears. As they became one with the Choir, their language was absorbed into the larger common tongue, or forgotten as the centuries and generations passed. Some remains, however, in the form of sacred names, titles, and other terms of importance.

"Tacnu" is a word of undertaking and warning, and has a meaning best described as adjacent to  'Hunt', 'Challenge', or even 'Disaster'. "Zoku" is a word of the self, and best translates to 'Fate', 'Dreams', and the 'Spirit'. The traditional direct translation of "Tacnu Zoku'' is "Disaster of the Spirit", though why this particular interpretation has persisted is not clear.

The Tacnu Zoku rite is not merely symbolic. It's completion marks the aspirant as an adult, and even more than this indicates that they are a whole, fully-formed being. In facing a trial otherside and mastering their ethereal self, they have demonstrated that they are complete, and also that they are worthy of the responsibilities and burdens that come with being complete. "A spirit," goes a popular saying about the rite, "is a heavy burden to bear."

## The Process

The exact form of the Tacnu Zoku is not set in stone, and varies across areas of the Venswood and different Spear groups. What is common to every version of the ritual is that it requires the aspirant to perceive the Otherside strongly, and perhaps even to cross the veil completely. The rite is a test of the Aspirant's spirit, and as such is inextricably connected with the Otherside.

During the rite the aspirant must face a trial determined by their elders, mentor, or community. Typically this trial will match the values of their family, and test some quality of the self that is valued among them. This can be a test of survival, of battle, or even of gruelling navigation in some cases. Among lodges who keep close to the hunter's path it often involves slaying something with a bonespear, be that a mundane beast or even a shade of the Otherside, so they may witness what it means to destroy a spirit. Some trials even have the aspirant face some inner demon or reflection of themselves, and rituals such as this were common in the venswood, though their content and methods are often specific to each Spear family.

The aspirant faces their challenge, often overseen by a senior Spear who has already completed their rite, and will either pass or fail. In some cases, though it is uncommon, failure can mean their death. Should they pass, they are henceforth considered an adult and capable of bearing a bonespear, leading hunts, and other responsibilities appropriate to being a whole person.