Proving Trials
“The Proving Trials are a vital part of a Tartyn's rise into adult hood, to both test the Tartyn and to show their respect to the Vadi that made us. It is important for us, but for any other Stellaborn who wishes to try, all I can do is wish them luck.” - Queen Batea
This book is a copy of an ancient text by the Tartyn who had no name explaining the Proving Trials. The original, hand-written copy is kept safe and locked away in the Laurel Institute in Demithos. It has been translated from ancient scribbles to the common Esuric thanks to Queen Batea for studying the one with no name's original written text.
Ever since I have emerged from Photia's Blood, watching my fellow Tartyn join me from the red and orange depths, it has become apparent to me that I am not special. I am not the only being meant to carry on the tasks of my Vadi alone, yet I am the only one who understands their truths. I am the only one who can translate their language to that of my people so that they might understand the importance of their kindness over the impurity of the ones who have forgotten us.
For my fellow Tartyn, I write to you so that in a thousand years from now, the importance of the Eire we breathe, the Photia we light, the Sados we drink, and the Edall we manipulate is understood. So that way you do not fall for the promises of the sky gods that tossed us aside like stones when they inevitably find out we are here. That we survived.
I do not have a name, so that way you remember theirs.
Photia is the Vadi who brought us fire, brought us flame, and is the one who created the very core of this planet. She is the oldest of us all, and to honor her, we must show her that we shall endure as she has. Endure through the pain of loneliness, the pain of the eternal flame, and watch as you grow stronger from understanding the core she created. Go to the edge of Photia's Blood and drink a mixture of Oppalla, Devigano, and a dusting of Silverscale. It will protect you from the damage of her flame, but it will not take away the pain. Endure through it as you honor her, and once an hour has passed, submerge yourself. It is there that the worthy will get to see the beauty and the danger of the flame from inside its source. The lucky may even get to see the dragon mother herself.
Edall followed Photia once the core solidified, creating a shield of dirt and stone to protect the vulnerable and malleable center. He spent millennia ensuring in silence, ensuring that the soft center would be protected from any threat, creating the plants and the ores we rely on today. He created a surface where life could flourish, even at the cost of his own. Pay your respects to the self-sacrificing Vadi of our land by looking to your reflection in Edall's Grove, and remember your life. Focus on the beauty of the world Edall has created for us, and do not reach for sustenance for the five days you must reflect. One day for each millennium it took him to create our home. Then greet his visage, finding comfort in the silence of your meditation. Take his blessing as a reminder to help others.
Sados is the serpent that gave us the water we drink and the ability to house the creatures in the water in which we find food. He fell from a stalagmite as a result of the steam from Photia's Blood, starting no larger than the palm of our hands. He grew as he avoided his elemental sister's watchful gaze, weaving around the rocks and collecting the droplets until he grew large enough to counter Photia. They bickered, yet they understood that both were necessary to balance the planet. So Sados burrowed and wrapped himself around Edall and Photia's creations, giving us the lakes and oceans to cool the ever-warming heat of the core. If you are to please him, you must navigate his labyrinth under Sados's Cove to show that you are ever-flowing to change as he is. Drink a mixture of Sapphire Celery and Wavemint to breathe under the water for half a day to maneuver his domain, and survive the labyrinth to survive his trial. Once you have maneuvered the same path he once did, greet him with an understanding of his fluidity and adaptability to change.
Eire is the very element that gives us the ability to live on and below the surface of the planet the other three have created, having emerged not long after the plants that Edall planted sprouted. However, do not let her playful nature deceive you. She might enjoy whispering her secrets along the wind or bringing a fresh breeze on a hot day, but underestimating her power is a death sentence. Just as quickly as she might send a reprieve, she may take the very breath from your core. Visit Eire's Cyclone with this in mind, and push back against the dangers of a wind that may change against you. Make the several-mile journey to the end, where Eire awaits, her wings outspread to welcome you to her domain. Let her whisper to you a secret of the wind, then leave on a storm without mistaking her kindness for weakness.
The Vadi are the reason we walk today, the reason we talk, the reason we breathe, and the reason we survive in a world that was not meant to be ours. The sky gods may have forsaken us, but they have not, and it is vital to remember that.
I may have been the first and the only one who was told their story, but I do not matter.
I am the Tartyn with no name, and never will I claim one.
Remember our Vadi, and survive.