You have to show that you have undergone a woodsland survival journey, solo.
Arrick nearly died. His way of survival is to use magic and money to cheat rather than working with the nature of the wilderness. The guidelines of the journey are something that he initially thought would be easy but without his crutches he faltered then he fell. He was not able to find anything to eat he just didn’t pay attention to that sort of thing in his travels feeling that it was beneath him. He quickly learned that you can’t just eat anything that you see and that eating enough leaves and berries to survive is far more than he thought it would be. He also is unable to actually kill small game with his sling-staff. Over time that desperation forces him to become more focused and respect the gravity of the situation. He finds that he can reliably eat the small berries that grow a few feet in from the road and while they take some time to harvest due to the thorns on the bushes he is able to sustain himself. Eventually he arrives reduced and humbled by his journey but successful.
You have a vision journey, which is induced by hallucinogens. They make you physically super ill for a few hours too.
Arrick wants to give up well before he consumed the awful hallucinogens but he has committed to this quest and honestly how bad could it be… Weakened by this travel and without the rest that would give his mind the resilience that he would prefer he swallows the draught of noxious mushrooms in the tea that is administered to him. At first nothing happens to him but then slowly he feels a sense of dread. His balance is lost and his vision swirls. Everything feels so REAL then he remembers how he left this town the last time. The argument with his writers circle when he doubled down when they kindly asked him to be more considerate. He called each of them terrible names and cancelled his forwarding address closing off the possibility of reconnecting with these folks forever. He hears the booming accented voice Arrick imagined Tibor’s voice to be chiding him. Reminding him that while he is a wizard he does not need to pick apart his friends and mock them for their difficulties… He begs Tibor for forgiveness as he vomits over and over. The delicious food from the Temple betraying him after his time in the woods. He attempts to correct Tibor then stops and considers… and apologizes and vows to send him a letter at the next station that he arrives at that he could receive return mail reliably. Not in this terrible town but soon.
You have to do something that proves you are an adult.
To become an adult is to accept the failings and missteps of your friends and yourself and to forgive them. Returning to his writing circle in disgrace but to attempt to mend a bridge that was burned.
In the end, if you are accepted into the clan, you get a new name. That name is to be kept secret.
The process is profound, extremely impactful, and transformative.
– April 4 2024
Autumn is at the head of the hill. This might be a trick but we need to. He appears differently than he did before. He asks to be called Ama-Rillus.