Dawn of Percipience

Valissans, in contrast to so many other humans living in the various kingdoms, only really have two coming of age celebrations. One of these is known as the Dawn of Percipience.

A rather quiet affair. Celebrations for the Dawn of Percipience are held in private, where only family or close friends attend.

What are we Celebrating?

The Dawn of Percipience is a celebration of a Valissan turning 25 years old. Though adulthood in Valissa is considered as having reached 20 years of age, reaching 25 is seen as a far more important achievement. Having finally lived through their youthful years and gained wisdom that would last them a lifetime. You see, the Dawn of Percipience is not about reaching adulthood, or a true adulthood as those outside of Valissa often mistake it to be, but rather about the knowledge one has gained within their first 25 years of life.

You pause in the doorway, gaze falling to Darak. He appears to be hunched over something in the corner but you can’t see past his sagging frame.

“Darak?” you call out as softly as possible.

He startles, head whipping around to look at you. Maybe it is just the darker lighting of the room - the candlelight really isn’t that good here - but his eyes look red and puffy.

“Sorry, Luce, didn’t mean for you to see me like this.”

“Are you–”

“I’m fine,” he says, waving his right hand at you flippantly, “just… did you know I’ll be 25 tomorrow?”

You shake your head. Mouth open, ready to speak, to congratulate him and maybe make a jab at how old he is now as a joke, but Darak cuts you off.

“Valissans have a tradition. You reach 25 and it’s a milestone - you celebrate with your family and anyone older than you, like your parents, or aunts and uncles, they pass on stories and knowledge that they’ve gained during their years. It's a passing of a torch, of sorts, of wisdom being passed down from generation to generation.” He chuckles, half-hearted. “A part of me really wishes my family were here to celebrate with me. In spite of, you know, all the dangers we’ve been running into.”

How do you Celebrate the Dawn of Percipience?

The night before a Valissan’s 25th, they gather their family members in one of the family households- typically the house that their parents own. Sometimes, the Valissan celebrating may want to invite close friends. In these instances, said friends are so close that they are practically family in all but blood. Younger family members are excluded from the celebrations as they are seen as still having wisdom to gain rather than share.

Once everyone is gathered, the group stays up until midnight telling stories of their own achievements, or recalling the knowledge that they have gained or had passed down at their own Dawn of Percipience celebrations. At midnight, a toast is shared. The Valissan celebrating will say a few words and the story or piece of knowledge that they believe has helped them to grow the most over the years. After that, one of their parents will recite the closing words of the celebrations. If a parent isn’t present, someone else may step in and recite these words instead.

Once the closing words have been recited, the celebrations officially come to an end. Often families will continue the celebrations for a couple of hours. They’ll pass this time sharing drinks and having snacks. Sometimes, they may even ask the younger members of the family to join in the after party as a way to make up for them missing out on the actual celebrations.

“What happens if you can’t celebrate?” you ask. Your gaze wanders from Darak to the open window, watching the twilight wane into darkness as stars begin to prickle against the sky.

“You wait,” he replies, voice quivering. “It’s not like you miss it and that’s it. You just wait until the next earliest opportunity arrives. But the whole thing just reminded me of home, of my family, and I just…”

A moment passes. Silence stretching out across the room as you wait, ever so patiently, for Darak to fill it.

He never does.

You understand, of course. How long has it been now since you last saw your father? Missing family leaves a hole in your heart that seems almost impossible to fill.

“If you need anything,” you start, wringing your hands together as you turn back to look at Darak, “you know where to find me.”