Once a Dracovarian comes of age (at 120 years old), their mentor or a family member may sponsor them as they attempt to join one of the four Septs (listed below). Upon successful completion of the Sept Ritual, they are ceremonially ordained by the accepting Vipera and the 'Varian's eyes change colour.

A word of caution

It is impossible for a 'Varian to withdraw or transfer to another Sept once the initiation ceremony is complete, so it's important for them to be sure. To this end, the Sept Ritual can be long and sometimes torturous, which of course means that there are as many failures as there are successes. It also means fewer regrets.

As many sponsors will refuse to do so more than once, 'Vari who lack confidence in their ability to successfully complete the ritual usually put it off until they're more sure of themselves rather than waste time and resources. Because of this, many 'Vari are well into adulthood by the time they join a Sept. However, although many 'Vari approve of this caution, they also tend to view unSepted adults as idiots who are beneath them, so trying to choose can put a person between a rock and a hard place.

The ritual

Under the scrutiny of their sponsor and an official from the Viperos' office (rarely the Viperos himself), initiates undergo a series of gruelling exercises and contests meant to test the skills and knowledge most relevant to their chosen Sept.

Aurumus & Peteulanus Rituals

For would-be empaths? and telepaths?, much of the testing is of their academic knowledge, specifically their education in the morals of using their skills. Their character comes under much greater scrutiny than either of the other Septs (because, even though many 'Vari do not consider the moral implications of these abilities, even they draw the line somewhere and if an initiate shows obvious signs of being power-made they'll be turned away). It is, however, their willpower that is most tested, as this plays a huge part in their ability to use the skills they'll gain.

Rutilus Ritual

For Rutilus, this usually involves a lot of physical exercises such as simple obstacle courses (eg, running a route through a forest or crossing a river without use of a bridge or boat). Some officiates also expect would-be warriors to already be familiar with at least one weapon and would test them in combat, while others leave them to learn once they've been accepted.

Viridis Ritual

Viridi often have a background in herbalism and/or wildcrafting before they join the Healers?' Sept, since it allows them to get into the game, and gain experience, much faster. To the same end, they're expected to have at least a general knowledge of the humanoid body, and both of these are tested.

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