The Trial of Three Suns

Trial of Three Suns

This is an ancient Sun Warrior tradition (that I made up) of selecting a suitable suitor for a royal bachelor/bachelorette in order to keep the bloodline strong.

Day 0: The Sun Queen inspects the competitors and removes those they do not approve of. The remaining competitors will be branded with the Mark of the Challenger on back of the left hand -- a tattoo which signifies a vow of honor and sportsmanship.

Day 1: The Gauntlet of Dawn begins at first light. Competitors start at the base of Mount Agni and ascend to collect one panda lily from the volcanic rim. Then, they must return to the start point and place the panda lily upon the golden altar. Only the first 4 finishers advance.

Day 2: The Conquest of Zenith begins at midday. It is a 2v2 full-contact ball game, played by dribbling and kicking the ball with one's legs. To score a point, the ball must first be shot through the Dawn Gate, then both members of the team must each touch the ball only once and send it through the Dusk Gate. The first pair to 3 points advances.

Day 3: The Duel of Dusk begins at sunset on the evening of the Summer Solstice. It is a Suriya Kai, a firebending duel where each competitor wears one feather on a headband and another feather on an armband and seeks to burn the feathers of their opponent. A competitor loses if both of their feathers are burned. Aiming attacks anywhere else other than the feathers is highly dishonourable. The final 2 competitors face off against each other, and the Sun Queen challenges the winner.