Awakening Gambit

The Awakening Gambit -also referred to as Kingmakers- is a Legacy among the Acanthus and the Adamantine Arrow who seek to shunt people into situations where they are forced to Awaken in an attempt to create more mages. They deal heavily with Mind.

Mindset
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. All Kingmakers are expected to be active members of the Adamantine Arrow. Loners and curmudgeons need not apply -- the Awakening Gambit isn't necessarily friendly, but it is social.The Awakening Gambit takes much of its inspiration, even its name, from the game of chess. Almost all members of the Legacy are avid players (and many also partake of other strategy games, such as Go and mah jong). In chess, the "gambit" is an opening strategy, one that usually involves a sacrifice for better position. The Kingmakers see what they do as a sacrifice -- they are giving up their own time, their resources and, in some cases, their Wisdom (depending on their methods) for the chance to bring new mages into the fold.