When a Current‑Keeper’s term ends, they are honored with the Rite of the Outer Rim. The huddle forms a circle. The outgoing keeper stands in the center and speaks three things they learned while leading. Then they step to the edge of the circle, and the huddle presses close around them—symbolizing that they now return to the humblest tasks, warming the outer rim where the cold is hardest. A new keeper is chosen by Convergence. No one serves consecutive terms unless the huddle unanimously agrees, and even then only for one more season.
This rite prevents the accumulation of authority and reminds all that leadership is a temporary burden, not a throne.