Bespoken

Pilgrims who are to be apprenticed to the Lily dream of a five layered Glide glyph symbolizing evolution of or through Glide. There are six possible additions to the glyph to make a hexagram, or rune, which is the basic unit of identity by which a member of the community is known. Depending upon the degree of power inhering to the apprentice naturally, there are different degrees of initiation. When a greater adept meets a lesser one, there is total comprehension on the one side, taking the semblance of a bewildering and incomprehensible force on the other.

The basic open ended nature of the glyph (i.e. the five lines, one short of the stable six lined hexagram) lends itself to completion much as a sub-dominant chord in music cries out for resolution to the tonic key, especially at the end of a composition or musical phrase. The ritual of petition for apprenticeship would involve meditation upon the five lined glyph, and upon how there are six different trigrams that would link to either the top or bottom of the petition in such a way that one line would be added to it to form a basic, stable rune.

An oversimplified description of this process would be to observe the effects of adding one of the three primal glyphs (i.e. arc up (yin), arc down (yang) or wave (change) at either the top or the bottom.) The deeper contemplation described in the paragraph above is a prerequisite for a petitioner, as part of the process of becoming attuned to the informing spirit of the Lily is in contemplation of the trigrams and how their stacking, linking deeply, or linking superficially creates different interior glyphs.

When the Lily calls a predestined apprentice, the dream of the glyph may already show a fully completed rune. Children of elite families or of mages, the second sighted, or atavistic reincarnations of wizards are trained to recognize the Call, and those receiving it do so in solemn pride, undertaking the pilgrimage immediately, pausing only to receive the blessings of family, loved ones, and priest/shamans, who scan the dream of initiation with their higher vision.

When a chosen one is called, they are greeted festively at the Place of Power of the Lily. High Adepts occupy vantage points where they await the arrival of the apprentice. The glyph of petition or completed rune of the call will, in these cases, be part of an overall decorative motif, or if the pilgrim be one whose coming has been foretold, the glyph will be projected in mid-air above the altar in the central square.

The apprentices will be linked to the sign of their Call or the response to their Petition until they achieve another, deeper initiation, assuming the attributes and carrying the Sign of their level in all ways. The Adeptus Minor will ceremonially fix their rune into a crystal sphere, which will then be used as a skrying glass. The apprentice can use meditation and breathing techniques to send the glyph in his skrying glass anywhere. While a skryer regards another place or person in the glass, the glyph fixed in the glass is visible at the point of view the skryer has taken.

The Adeptus Major, having fulfilled all the requirements of the lower grade Adept, is free at any time to bind a new glyph in crystal, and is then linked to this new glyph, which the Mage possesses in his/her own right, where the glyph of petition is linked to the apprentice through the power of the Lily, and the more advanced initiates. A new Master could retain the glyph of petition as well, but this is considered a sign of weakness or uncertainty, and lack of faith that would limit the future advancement of the neophyte to the outer circle.

A more powerful adept may choose, at any time, regardless of distance or resistance, to take possession of the glyph of a lesser one. The only protection against this is the Invocation of the Lily, not to be assayed in the spirit of folly. Should a greater will possess the glyph of another, absolute power over them is taken, as the glyph is mutated or changed by their Will, the neophyte undergoes changes on a deep level.

Vox, an unaligned sorceror, was called by the Lily for purposes as yet undisclosed. He is allowed occasional visions and visitations, has powers as yet unassayed, and motives of which he seldom speaks. When needed, he is entranced by the Lily and used as her Voice. In this manifestation, he is linked to the Wizard glyph, and can be summoned by visualizing the glyph and bespeaking it. The Lily has charged him to assist those who are bespoken. These have sought the transformative power of the Lily, which is not withheld from those who seek it in the Glide glyphs.