When an orckran reaches maturity, usually around 15 or so unless they have earned the contempt of the father of the tribe who can delay it for a few years, they are brought before the father and are presented with a knife made from pure umberine and are instructed to cut the back of their arms until they cannot do it anymore. This is mostly a show of strength and mental discipline but it is also a show of fealty and dedication.

After the ceremony the new adult is given the knife they cut themselves with and they are bandaged up to heal. The more they are scarred the more they are respected although there is no real stigma about having too few cuts. If the orckran begins to learn shadow magic they must repeat this ceremony with a new knife and must cut at least 60 times, it takes place over three days and is sometimes fatal among younger initiates. Orckran who wield shadow magic are known as sleepers as the night after their second ceremony is known to cause strange and powerful dreams.

The Elva have a more ruthless approach to adulthood, the results of which are seen in their general mannerisms. When a child reaches the age of 14 they are taken away from the other children and made to wear a blindfold and kneel at the tomb of the nine hundred the marks of every on of their names before them. They are then cut with silver blades across the back and head in specific patterns that mark them as an adult, the blood washing onto the stone in front of them, the few children who try to run are beaten and then placed before the tomb again. The markings cover the head, the shoulders and the back and sometimes the chest if the child shows willing and endurance.

The recovery process is a careful one as the cuts are kept to heal into distinct scars while also kept clean. Usually this care is done by the family but sometimes it is done by the hospital or town healer depending on the location. The trip to the city of Maer to visit the tomb is usually seen as a fun trip by the child but the return is often quiet and reserved. This ordeal is known as soul finding as the pain is said to link the child to the souls of the nine hundred.