Scaling

Scaling is a ritual practiced by the people of the Southern Volcanic Flats that involves luring an arsi out of its firey chasm, and knocking its scales off with arrows. The scales are then sold to Auran traders for food, water, and other supplies.

Types of Scalers
When children begin training to become scalers, each are trained in certain skills, which give the scaling troop a better chance of success. They are:
 * Leader
 * Medic
 * Thief

Leaders
The job of the leader is to direct the actions of the troop and the thief. They oversee the thief's actions during the scaling and are in charge of the selling of the scales once the troop has returned from their mission. Leaders often also fight the arsi to keep its attention to them, and not the thieves. It is also the job of the leader to call the arsi out of its home with an arsi horn.

Medics
Because scaling is an exteremely dangerous practice, those trained in the ways of medicine and healing are needed to ensure the safety of the troop. Medics generally do not fight the arsi, unless crcumstances require it.

Thieves
Thieves are the members of the scaling troop that obtain the scales from the arsi. Thieves normally use an arrow, shot from a bow, to pry a scale off of the arsi's arm or other body part. However, thieves may need to use a knife if the arsi's arm is close enough for physical contact.

The Price of Scales
Petra mentions that "A single scale could be traded for a month's worth of food for the entire tribe".

Later, in Aura, a merchant buys a scale from her for a sack of fifty bronze dets, worth 12,500 Auran coyns.

Scaling and Success
A Scaling mission is considered successful if at least one or more scales is harvested from the arsi. If a scaling troop returns to the tribe without a scale, it is considered very shameful. Scalers, such as Niles, have become famous among the people of the Southern Volcanic Flats for completeing many successful missions and acquiring many scales per outing. Petra recalls that the most scales she had ever heard of a troop obtaining on one mission is four. Arsii are never killed during the scaling missions, because their heads and bodies are completely submerged in the chasm beneath wet fire (lava).

In the culture of the Southern Volcanic Flats, scaling is comsidered a very honorable profession and is taken up by many young children. Few, however, emerge from training as successful scalers, as many children find that the training can be too harsh. Children of current or former scalers are more likely to become scalers themselves and are encouraged and expected to do so.

Scaling and Danger
It is known that scalers frequently are killed, but this does not deter people from the profession. Arsii are massive creatures, and usually only show their arms to the scaling troop. Many scalers die from getting pushed into the chasm by these arms or knocked up high into the air or crushed. It is not yet known how the arsii tell where the scalers are located when it head is hidden away under the chasm.