Cultures, customs, and short reference articles that are not places on the map and not session recaps.
The Shearing Ceremony is an old traladaran custom that has become a defining part of Karameikan culture.
When a youth approaches adulthood, their family declares it is time for the Shearing. This usually happens between the ages of 14 and 19, often at the youth’s own request. Waiting too long is considered embarrassing.
The ceremony itself is simple and solemn. During a family dinner, sometimes attended by elders or local leaders, the youth stands in silence while their parents dress them in traveling clothes. The bottom of the cloak is then cut and left ragged, symbolizing the youth’s new state: a poor traveler with no claim on family wealth or protection.
From that moment on, the sheared youth is no longer considered part of the household, though they remain a friend of the family. They must live on their own, earning their place in the world through trade, labor, travel, or adventure. This period often lasts several years.
If the family later judges the youth to have proven themselves capable and honorable, they invite them to another formal dinner. There, the youth is presented with a new garment bearing the family’s markings, signifying their return as a full member of the clan.
Both men and women may be Sheared. Young men are expected to undergo the ceremony; young women are not pressured, but those who choose to be Sheared often gain significant respect within their families.
When the Thyatians settled Karameikos, they recognized the ceremony as a useful way to test independence and adopted it into their own households. A Sheared youth from a noble family holds no title or rank until formally accepted back.
The Shearing Ceremony is practiced only by humans. The demihuman peoples of Karameikos do not share this custom.