To prepare physically, spiritually, and emotionally for the sacred hunt, a new warrior must undergo the Rite of the Colossal Hunter before traversing The Field of Colossal Beasts. It is not a rite of conquest, but of balance—acknowledging the beast’s power, the land’s will, and the warrior’s readiness to risk transformation.
The new warrior being initiated (called the Seeker)
A circle of elders and blood-kin
A druid or shaman who invokes the Verdant Pact
A ceremonial Colossal Bone or Colossal Bone Fragment (often from a previous hunt)
1. The Naming of Scars
The Seeker stands bare-chested before the circle. Each scar is named aloud—by the Seeker or their kin—not as a boast, but as a memory. If the Seeker has no scars, they are marked with ash in the shape of a beast’s claw.
2. The Star Bone Offering
A bone from a previously slain colossal beast is placed in the fire. As it burns, the Seeker must speak the name of the beast and what was learned from its death. If no such bone exists, a carved effigy is used instead, made from elderwood and inscribed with runes.
3. The Pact Invocation
The druid invokes the Verdant Pact, calling upon the spirits of the land to witness the Seeker’s intent. This is not a prayer for victory—it is a vow to fight with honor, to take only what is needed, and to return changed.
4. The Blood Trail
The Seeker walks a path marked with blood—either their own or that of a willing kin. Along the path are tokens representing the beast’s traits: strength, cunning, endurance. At each token, the Seeker must speak how they embody or lack that trait.
5. The Silence of the Grove
At the end of the trail, the Seeker kneels beneath a tree (often one grown from the ashes of a past hunt). No words are spoken. If the wind moves the branches, it is taken as a sign of acceptance. If not, the Seeker must wait until dawn.
Those who complete the Rite of the Colossal Hunter are considered Bound to the Field. They may not hunt for sport again. Every hunt becomes a sacred act, and every kill must be honored with a song, a carving, or a planting. Some never return from the Field—not because they die, but because they choose to remain, becoming part of the land, the beasts, or the myth.