Rite of the Diamond Wheel
Once it it fully dark, the lights in the building all go out. The only light comes from a brazier set out in the Great Court, which burns fragrant woods. Slowly, a multitude of veiled, robed figures emerge from the darkness, moving to stand in a circle around the brazier. A voice pierces the darkness:
“The light of the world burns low. It scarcely illuminates anything, and the darkness closes in hungrily.” For a moment, the light gutters and seems on the verge of extinguishing.
“Who shall safeguard this flame, this light? Who shall raise it again to the heights? You know his name - a name which is not a name, a man who is not a man. He will come again, to raise the light to the heights, and with it storm the Lost Places.” The coals of the brazier shift, and a single diamond rises out of the coals, pushing through the flames and rising, gleaming with a red light in the firelight.
“How will he find his way back to us? He will not be of us, but we will be his first servants. We have made ourselves profane, that the way might be prepared for him. We have sacrificed much, that the wheel might spin.” Around the circle, knives flash as they are drawn, and a low humming chant begins.
Slowly, the gathered figures begin to draw closer to the brazier, as the diamond begins to spin slightly. A few at a time, shrouded figures step forward and cut their arms, flicking blood into the brazier, mumbling. Those who are near others when this happens hear what sound like names, dates, short descriptions - it soon becomes clear that they are reciting the things they have done for the Guardians, the sacrifices of Wisdom, of morality.
As the specks of blood hit the coals, they hiss, and tiny motes of light, like the reflection of white light on mica dust, rises and begins circling the diamond. It continues to spin, and the motes seem caught up in its gravity. They whirl, beginning to form the outline of a wheel. If any of the cabal step forward and make the sacrifice, they should roll Gnosis (Messianics add two dice to this roll). Each success recovers a point of Willpower. An exceptional success causes the mage to collapse into glossolalia.
Several of the mages in the circle do collapse in such a fashion, and their brethren rush in to support them, keeping them standing. As the strange gutteral speech - which seems to have elements of Atlantean in it, that are just outside of the realm of comprehension - the diamond wheel spins faster and faster.
Finally, it collapses, the motes returning to their bearers - mages receive a number of points of Mana equal to the successes they rolled on Gnosis. Finally, the voice speaks:
“Take up your gift. Use it in the service of the Diamond Wheel. Remember our goal, and work only toward that. Keep it ever in your mind, your heart, your soul.”
