You'll thank me someday
The Acanthus of the Adamantine Arrow are tacticians first and last, a natural extension of their prowess with analyzing probability and causality. Thus, they know that mages are in a treacherous position by dint of their numbers. The Awakened are rare, and it’s only because of their penchant for remaining hidden (and their power, obviously) that they survive. But what happens when the Seers of the Throne or Banishers, or some more esoteric enemy, attack and kill the Wise of a given area? The survivors have no way to shore up their numbers. They can’t make more mages.
The mages of the Awakening Gambit beg to differ. By analysis and careful manipulation, they say, it is possible to arrange a scenario in which a person must either Awaken or perish. These “Kingmakers” step in only if the target seems to be leaning more toward the “perish” option, but otherwise they welcome a new mage, a mage who is already suited by the circumstances of his Awakening to join the Arrow.
Obviously, this position is controversial. Manipulating a mortal’s fate this way can legitimately be viewed as a violation of the Lex Magica, and certainly as an act of hubris. Also, some mages see the Gambit’s strategy as trying to “cheat the system,” arranging false crises so that a mage’s soul is tricked into waking up. What kinds of mages are created from such situations, they wonder? Are these mages dishonest, perhaps with a penchant for underhanded manipula- tion themselves? Are the Kingmakers, in fact, making more mages like them?
Other mages, though, see the Kingmakers’ actions as perfectly viable. The Fallen World isn’t a product of magic, after all; it’s a product of the war between the Exarchs and the Oracles. Clearly, laws for Awakening exist, so why not exploit them? The concern isn’t one of ethics, but of efficacy — do the Gambit’s tactics work?
Whether or not they do (see the sidebar), the Awakening Gambit Legacy is tolerated and not viewed as left-handed for two reasons. First, the Kingmakers are planners and logicians without peer — they have to be, to do what they do — and that’s good for the order. Second, the Kingmakers have a reputation within the order as being good judges of character and highly moral in their own right (with respect to matters other than arranging people’s fates like pawns on a chessboard, that is). If the Gambit has an agenda beyond their stated one, they hide it extremely well.
Orders
The Awakening Gambit is exclusively Adamantine Arrow.
- The Mysterium regards the Gambit as a fascinating experiment, and potentially enlightening about the nature of the Awakening.
- The Silver Ladder and the Free Council have similar reactions to the Gambit. They either applaud the Legacy’s efforts in trying to codify the Awakening, or they damn the Kingmakers as meddlers and manipulators. Often, whichever attitude one order takes, the other order takes the opposite.
- The Guardians of the Veil take an extremely dim view of the Awakening Gambit. People Awaken when they are meant to, and forcing the issue doesn’t lead to anything but risk for all involved.
Attainments
- En Passant
- Mysterious Rook
- Grandmaster's View
