Rancher's siege

A rancher's siege is a ceremonial besieging of a fortress welcoming new people to their positions as ranchers (or farmers, or herbalists, etc). The ceremony is believed to have started among snake ranchers, hence the name, but is today practiced for most roles involved in a fortresses, as well as in some associations and companies that do not have fortresses at all. Despite their variation, rancher's sieges are distinct in Bep society as they always precede any other welcoming ceremony or banquet, since they symbolically prove the new arrivals are worthy of being let in. Rancher's sieges are typically done in waves every few months if there is a steady stream of new people, or for individuals who are "taking over" notable positions in the fortress (or other entity).

The specific traditions of rancher's sieges are highly variable by region and fortress, with some resembling outdoor welcoming banquets, and others downright hazing their new by putting them through harsh obstacle courses and making them climb the fortress walls. Rancher's sieges for snake ranchers especially remain some of the harshest. Some common practices include the aforementioned obstacle courses, rod sparring with the seniors of the fortress, and exchanges of taunting songs/chants before the siege begins. The term may also be used for a ceremony with none of these aspects, to specify that the ceremony is to admit somebody into their new "second home".

The most universal practice in rancher's sieges is the dousing the new in some liquid before they get to the top of the fortress, before or while they enter. The liquid symbolically imitates a common siege defence of inert tar mixed with large rocks, however the rocks are always omitted, and the tar is overwhelmingly substituted by something more pleasant, such as mud or water. More traditional ceremonies will douse you while you are climbing up walls or going through halls, while more contemporary ceremonies will douse you and let you through the gate. The most common substance to douse people in is water, mixed with heads of flowers that "recreate" the rocks from the symbolized siege defence.