The Crucible
Category: Rituals and Trials
Associated With: Shikari Orders
Type: Mutagenic Transformation
The Crucible is the harrowing ritual at the heart of Shikari initiation, a brutal and often fatal transformation process that alters the body and mind of an aspirant to make them capable of surviving the horrors of Fera. Every Shikari who survives the Crucible is forever changed, reborn as something no longer fully human.
The process varies slightly between the different Orders, but the core elements remain the same: a combination of powerful mutagens, alchemical injections, binding enchantments, and psychic conditioning. These agents are introduced into the aspirant’s body over several days, often while they are restrained or immersed in specialized vats known as iron wombs.
The physical toll is immense. Many die from convulsions, internal haemorrhaging, or madness. Those who survive develop a suite of enhancements; heightened senses, greater strength and speed, enhanced reflexes, a vastly increased resistance to disease and poison, and limited regenerative capabilities. Their eyes often become pale gold, silver, or ash-gray in color, and their emotions are dulled, a side effect of the neurochemical rebalancing.
Some Orders include additional trials alongside the mutagenic process: psychological torment, ritual combat, or the forced hunting of magical beasts in controlled arenas. These serve to test the mental stability and instinctive combat ability of the soon-to-be Shikari.
The Crucible is not merely a transformation; it is a sacrifice. It marks the end of the aspirant’s former life and identity. Few Shikari retain memories of who they were before. For those who do, the memory is like smoke; haunting and intangible.
Among the Orders, surviving the Crucible is considered both a rebirth and a condemnation. It is whispered that the Crucible does not just create hunters—it kills the human inside to make room for the weapon.