The Cliffchild Ceremony

The Cliffchild Ceremony was an ancient practice of The Mountain Kings of The Broken Teeth which was meant to prevent any squabbles over succession concerning bastards of The Mountain Kings or of other members of their families.

Origins
The ceremony birthed the name bastards of The Broken Teeth were given, Cliffchild. Its purposes were to expel "foul blood" from entering noble families, the bastards' survival signifying that their blood was worthy enough to be inducted into their house. Of the few who do survive, they usually end up as either vegetables and sometimes receive mercy killings, or they sustain brain damage that leads to great impairments on thought processing, registering and expressing emotions and handicapping the bastards' ability to function normally.

The Ceremony
When a Mountain King or a member of his house birthed a bastard, son or daughter, they let them live to the age of five. Following this age, the bastard would be taken to a mountain top, the following being said;

"If this babe's blood is deemed pure enough to dwell in (his/her) (father's/mother's) household, then let this fall not take this babe's life oh great Braehor, God of The Sky and the Heavens Above! Let this babe survive this perilous plunge if he is worthy and let his blood be forever lost if he is deemed unworthy. We, the children of the mountain leave this babe's judgement up to, may you judge (him/her) as you see fit."

This is said by Priest of Braehor, a closer ear to the sky and therefore able to listen to the wishes and wants of Braehor more keenly than most others. The babe is then stripped naked save for a loincloth and then pushed off the edge. Depending on the fall's length and how far the babe travels, survival is in relation to that. Rarely did a babe ever not fall to its death. The most famous of which that did not was Howmander Cliffchild, who survived to become legitimized as Howmander Norclyffe, eventually becoming the Mountain King who united The Broken Teeth for House Rand, becoming the Lord Of The Broken Teeth.

Banning
Following the arrival and conquest of The Twenty Realms by King Cyvil Rand, the practice was viewed as barbaric and blasphemous to the emissaries of House Rand, who sent word back to King Cyvil Rand in The Goldlands, regarding their shock and disgust over the ritual.

King Cyvil therefore issued its illegality and banning, which caused rioting in The Broken Teeth over the banning of such a traditional and respected ritual. Despite their unwillingness, the mountain lords complied, at least formally that is...

Contemporary Practice
Not all of the Mountain Lords, complied with the King's decree, continuing to practice in secret the age old ritual.