The Banishment

The Silence of Ice – The Rite of Forgetting

 

The Meaning of the Ritual

The Rite of Forgetting is the harshest punishment a Frostborn can face. It is not used for minor offenses or personal disputes, but solely for acts that irreparably harm the community. These include murder, grievous bodily harm, betrayal, or other transgressions that shake the foundation of Frostborn society.
  A Frostborn does not exist in isolation. When someone turns against the community, they lose not only their place—but their identity. The Rite of Forgetting erases them from history, not through violence, but through the complete removal of their existence from the memories of the Frostborn.
 

The Circle of Farewell

The members of the community gather in a half-circle around the condemned. There are no speeches, no words. Each stands in silence, eyes fixed on the one who has been judged. Before the condemned lies an ice slab—the same one that has borne their name since birth. Every Frostborn is immortalized in ice, but today, that name will be removed.
  A speaker raises their hand. This is the signal for the mage who performs the ritual. Without another word, the mage places their hand on the slab. There is no further explanation, no defense. The decision has already been made, and the ritual is merely the execution of judgment.
 

The Erasure of the Name

The mage begins the ritual with a silent whisper. It is not a spell, but a deliberate, controlled act. The ice responds instantly to their touch. The slab begins to tremble, and slowly, the name begins to fade. It is not shattered, not carved away. Instead, it vanishes piece by piece, until no trace remains. The ice itself removes it, as if the person had never existed.
  From this moment on, the name is never spoken again. No one will remember it.
 

The End of the Ritual

Once the name has vanished, the community slowly turns away. No one looks at the condemned. No one speaks to them. No one will ever mention them again. They still stand there, but to the Frostborn, they are no longer present.
  The ritual is complete. The community leaves the site and returns to the city, while the condemned remains behind. They may go, they may stay—but in the eyes of the community, they no longer exist.