Ceremony of Union

This ceremony is one handed down through the ages from one generation to the next. Though it’s origins are lost in the shadows of antiquity, it is said that the Over God, father of the Seven Perfect Gods, dictated it directly to the first mortals he created, in celebration of their sacred contract – to live in and care for the world he had created, in harmony and peace. This ceremony must be performed once every five centuries, as a renewal of that contract and a demonstration of mortal accord.

The Ceremony itself is a reenactment of the creation of the world itself, as detailed in the Librera. As such, the passage is read aloud in its original language (Celestial) as the “outline” of the ceremony. Legend says that originally, a priest of the Over God himself, known as the Speaker, read this passage. Later, when the Over God gave the Seven Perfect Gods dominion over Crescent, a priest of their pantheon took that responsibility, and so it has remained since then.

Scripture

From Librera, translated by Gnoble Pennyworth, 1245 Sun

Librera, First Book, chapter I

“And the God is, and the God was, and the God shall always be, unto this world and unto all worlds, the maker of all and the keeper of all.”

Librera, First Book, chapter II

"...And so the God said, 'Let there be five elements, Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit, each in its own domain, and of these five elements shall the world be composed.' And it was.

And the God said, 'let there be, running through this world, two threads of power, the Arcane and the Divine, like night and day, like dark and light, like female and male.' And there is.

And the God said 'Through each of these elements let there be creatures, great and small, and in the joining of these elements let the greatest of beings reside, that of elf and man, dwarf, halfling and gnome.' And there are..."

Librera, First Book, chapter III

“...And the God said to his creations, ‘Go forth, children, and let us discover the wonders of this world together, for We have wrought such wonders as even We are eager to discover. This world of Crescent We give to you, for your use and also for safekeeping. And as a symbol of this contract, shall you together come once every 2000 seasons, and share with Us your power and your discoveries, and We shall hold the world together...”

The Ceremony Begins

To break it down by steps, it is necessary only to follow the script.

"...And so the God said, 'Let there be five elements, Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit, each in its own domain, and of these five elements shall the world be composed.

Each of the Amulets of the Elements is slotted into its place in the Spirit Stone – the Circle of Elements – and the stone itself is raised to the heavens by the four crystal-bearers, who remain holding it throughout the ceremony.

And the God said, 'let there be, running through this world, two threads of power, the Arcane and the Divine, like night and day, like dark and light, like female and male.'

As the Speaker reads this part of the passage, an Arch Mage steps to the Spirit Stone, and devotes to the world a measure of his power, calling upon the highest and most pure of Arcane Powers – the wish spell. At the same time, a High Priest (of any religion) must step forth, and perform the same duty, requesting from his God a miracle. One of these casters must be male, the other female, though it matters not which is which.

...that of elf and man, dwarf, halfling and gnome.'

At this point in the ceremony, there are arrayed around the Spirit Stone at least four mortals (usually six), plus the Speaker. If, within this grouping, there is not a representative of each of the mortal races, then must there step forth a representative of each race, until all the mortal races be accounted for.

The ritual is completed with the reading of the third chapter, renewing the contract with the Over God.