The Rite of Om'riggor

[Sadok]

Om'riggor is a rite of passage in orcish society. Om'riggor is practised amongst all orc clans, and both male and female orcs enter adulthood through Om'riggor. Typically, the rite of Om'riggor becomes available at approximately the age of twenty.

History:

In the time before the rise of the Horde, Om'riggor required the initiate to track and slay a talbuk by his or herself, in what was referred to as a 'solo kill'. Initiates were permitted only to bring a single weapon with no armour or provisions. If the initiate was successful in the solo kill, he/she will paint the blood of the prey upon his/her face as proof. Upon the initiate's return, a clan shaman will taste the blood, and if deemed genuine, the initiate will be inducted into adulthood through a formal ceremony. Their ceremony is conducted by the clan's shamans and presided over by the clan leader who declares the initiate(s) full members of the clan.

As the orcs settled on Kalimdor, they started to pick up their former traditions and return to their shamanistic roots. One of the many traditions that was reinvented was the Om'riggor. The basic principles remains the same with orcs who come of age within the Horde, and Azerothian orcs have adapted to applying the rite of passage to native creatures.

Within the Red Blade Tribe:

Within the Red Blade tribe however, the Om'riggor has an extra meaning. Many who join the tribe have not yet managed to fulfil their Om'riggor, typically because they were born after the corruption and were never given a chance to take the rite in the past. Orcs are allowed to take the Om'riggor once they are Oathbound or higher. No matter their rank, the orcs will still get their tribe name and an equal amount of honour appropriate to their deeds and their story told.

When the participating orcs are sent out, they may only carry one weapon of choice with them, and must strip their upper body of any armour. They are typically given an amount of time as to how long they have to track down a prey and bring it back to the tribe. When returning, they are expected to have painted the blood of their prey upon their faces, and bring back proof of their kill as well. This can be anything ranging from bones or teeth to a certain weapon (if the foe was humanoid) or otherwise. The prey they choose to kill equals the honour gained. This means that bigger preys or more impressive ways of felling a prey will be better rewarded than a simple kill, encouraging the more skilled to track and fell better opponents. After the story of the kill has been told in front of the tribe, one of the shaman will taste the blood on the face of the warrior and commune with the spirits to confirm that there was no lie about the story and the kill was made without help.

Rewards:

An Om'riggor is often a chance to harvest hunting trophies, as well as a chance for the hunter to come to meet their inner self as they're sent out on an important task on their own. More importantly, the orcs are given their last name after completion of an Om'riggor. This name often reflects either a trait of their personality, the means with which they chose to hunt, or something related to their chosen prey. If an orc already has an existing last name, it is up to him or her to choose freely as to whether to keep the old name, or accept the newly-given one.

Transcripts:

Initially recorded by Karak Stormsong, the Path of Wisdom now aim to write a transcript for each orc who has undergone the Rite of Om'riggor in recent years.