“Au Vam chose his royal guard thus: he would whip the men fiercely for two hours. Any man that could endure such a hellish flogging was strong enough to protect the God-King and receive his blessing.

The men that endured this ordeal in complete silence were not appointed to the guard – they were instead banished from his realm. Au Vam did not trust any man who had become so intimate with pain. A man like that must be fed with blood.”

– Chronicles of the Yellow City