Patron Ceremony

A Patron Ceremony is an event that usually occurs within the first six months of an Elemental child's birth, and is considered extraordinarily important to the point that if a child does not have a ceremony before their first birthday, the child will be taken from his or her family by the government, as not having a ceremony is considered a type of child abuse.

In the Patron Ceremony the Elemental child receives his or her Patron Fayne, who can be any of the fifty named Fayne in ''The Yugen. ''The Patron Fayne plays a significant role in every Elemental's life, with most calling upon their Fayne to assist them in times of need. In some communities, a child's Patron Fayne is used to make important decisions about the child's life. For example, a child with the Patron Fayne Brokka, the Musician, would likely be encouraged (or forced) to pursue a career relating to music.

The Ceremony
Most Patron Ceremonies occur within a family's local Fayshin, though more affluent families may choose to travel to one of the Five Great Fayshins instead. The ceremony is performed by a Devoter, who places the child on an altar before the fifty individual symbols of each of the named Fayne. These symbols are sculpted from fay wood, which is believed to change color from brown to white under influence from the Fayne.

The Devoter then will read a passage from The Yugen before lighting a fire in a small, circular hole at the base of the altar. Within the next minute, one of the symbols will turn white, and whichever Fayne the symbol corresponds to is the child's Patron.