Proving

Proving contestants before a proctor

The Proving is a tournament held by the Nora tribe that tests their young members, with those who complete it being awarded the status of Brave, with the winner also being given a boon, able to request whatever they want.

Description

Bast, Aloy and Vala placing their trophies on the altar.

The Proving is run atop a snowy mountain pass. Contestants must climb the mountainside to where the Proving actually begins. The first task is to kill a machine and take a part from it as a trophy. The contestants then run the Brave Trail, where they race each other to reach the end of the trail first. The first contestant who plants their trophy at the altar is the winner. All contestants who make it to the end and place their trophies on the altar are made Braves, regardless of place. The boon given to the winner is incentive to be first to finish. It's not unheard of for some contestants to lose their lives during the Proving.

Nora tribe members are allowed to participate in the Proving at 18 years old.

Outcast children are allowed to participate in the Proving, and upon completion, will be welcomed back into the tribe as a Brave. Aloy is the first outcast child to exercise this right.

When Bast broke Aloy's trophy, Resh made no attempt to intervene. Whether this is allowed or it isn't and simply wasn't enforced is unknown.

According to old studies of the Nora by the Carja, the Proving was a ritual where Nora men battled one another to gain favor from their women rulers. As this bares no resemblance to the Proving of the present day, it's likely that these reports are incorrect, if not entirely fictitious.

The Blessing Ceremony

The Blessing Ceremony

The night before the Proving, a large celebration is held in Mother's Heart. Before the aspirants return to the bed house to sleep, a ritual is performed by the High Matriarchs to bless the Proving. Each aspirant kneels before a lantern made by their mother (or in Aloy's case, Teersa) and lights the lantern in honor of her. The aspirants then lift up the lanterns as they float in the sky while the High Matriarchs bless the ceremony. The aspirants then spend the night together in a lodge.

History

Horizon Zero Dawn

Upon learning that she can request a boon from the Matriarchs if she wins the Proving, a young Aloy decides to train to win in order to learn where she came from. Rost trains her from an early age, until she was old enough to finally enter.

After arriving in Mother's Heart for the Proving, Aloy takes part in the Blessing Ceremony, then goes into the bed house to rest. She is insulted first by Resh and then by Bast for being an Outcast, and is only defended by Vala.

Those who completed the Proving.

The next morning, all the aspirants journey up the mountain where Resh is waiting to proctor the beginning. The competition begins when a herd of Grazers come running towards them. Aloy successfully kills and collects a trophy, but the trophy is shot and damaged by Bast. Aloy then loots a second trophy, but she falls behind as most other competitors have already started the Brave Trail. Dead last by the time she gets to the start of the trail, she decides to traverse the dangerous old trail instead as a shortcut. The proctor warns her that two died on the trail the previous year, but nonetheless, Aloy manages to traverse it, getting ahead of the others at the last stretch. She plants her trophy at the finish line first, followed by Bast and Vala. Bast accuses Aloy of cheating, but the final proctor declares her winner and a Brave nonetheless. However, Aloy's victory is cut short when the Proctor is shot dead and the attackers begin killing the others, marking the beginning of the Proving Massacre.

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