The Crucible

"Sons and daughters of the Va'arin. Your time as a milk suckling juvenile is over. You now stand before the Crucible, the ancient training grounds of your ancestors."

As soon as the drill master began barking, the collection of leather clad youngsters knew better than to continue their boisterous banter. It did not take much for them to understand that misbehaving now would have dire consequences for the event to come. Nobody here wanted to return to their families a disgraced student of the drill master.

"Before you lies the path of the ranger. For some, it is the path to glory. For others, it is the path to ruin. For those who think thus will perish the thought, for there is no greater calling than to the defense of our home. There is no greater wisdom than the teachings of the Va'arin, for without it, we are lost."

A hushed whisper came from his right, "How many do you think will make it back up the tree this year?"

An unceremonious sigh escaped his lips. It was the only answer he would give.

"Recruits, to positions! May the Great Mother guide you!"

Without hesitation, the congregation surrounded the enormous ringed opening in the center of the vinewood platform. Even though not a word was spoken between them, one could witness the mixture of reactions to the seemingly bottomless pit below. The thrill seekers wore expressions of excitement. The competitors casted an arrogant gaze upon all other challengers, and the ones who lacked courage began to shift in their boots. There was no greater way to expose the truth of the heart than in the face of almost certain .

There was no waiting for them to be ready. With a wave of his hand above his head, the ranger at the top most branch blew the starting horn. It took no further encouragement to persuade the youngsters to make the jump into the abyss.

"Guardian bless their souls."

"They will need more than blessings this day. Come. Let us see who lives first."

The elders began their descent, hopping from branch to branch with expert agility and balance. Morgan was the last to leave, as he was to make sure no one was left in the canopy before he could join the others. Cartwheeling onto a bough before dropping down onto an observation platform, he was then within sight of the first phase of the test in full sway. The imposing formation of gargantuan tree trunks had changed little over the centuries, still bearing their branches in tangled webs of dense obstacles, sudden drops and snake like pathways. He could already see several safety nets had been deployed in various areas across the course, containing students who had failed to navigate the initial fall from the top of the canopy. One particular net contained an embarrassing display of floundering as the juveniles struggled to roll off the net to continue the challenge. The elders in his company passed judgement over their lack of discipline and skill.

"What a sorry lot...."

"Butter Flies, the lot of them."

"The result speaks for itself, Elder Maran. There will be much more for them to learn before the day is done. Onward."

The invigilators moved on. Below the branching pathways was a challenge in navigation. The trees that they called home had equally formidable roots, forming long, twisting mazes much more in density than the challenge before. It was harder to spot the recruits in this environment, but the elders and rangers standing by to assist had sharp hawk like eyes. They could already see many losing their way, or worse, falling victim to the numerous traps that littered the few viable routes leading to the next trial. Morgon watched as a pair of needlessly competing recruits rush straight into the spray plume of a Jinka plant cluster as they attempted to overtake each other, shaking his head in disdain as the pair tumbled over like ragdolls, their bodies paralyzed by the inhaled toxins. After sending rangers to aid them and passing judgement upon the trickling numbers who manage to complete this part of the test, they finally reached the forest floor, where the next grueling test awaited. Within the two mile region of the Crucible were as many Sabinine Blue mouse deer as there were recruits, released and corralled by the rangers into the area to freely roam about in the foliage. A recruit must hunt and capture this flighty and highly intelligent creature of the forest alive, before facing the final phase: the return climb back to the top of the canopy with their prey in tow.

As far as Morgon could deduce from the observers stationed here, there were several already who made it through to the hunting zone. He had seen enough potential in previous tests to not show any greater amount of impression upon them just yet. Keeping mobile in the high branches above the ground, he observed their progress indifferently.