Rites of Passage is a metaphor that represents a point you and everyone else comes to during your existence: death, where within the reconcilium, you face yourself and the actions you committed during life. Your task is to complete the passage where your movement is determined by the Crystal of Destiny. You are set to encounter Unis, the Eater of Souls, who really represents the obstacles that you yourself create during life. The passage is a race. If Unis wins, your fate is in his hands. If you win, you have completed the passage. The Seven Principles of Summum can be your friend or your foe during the passage. Know them well, and the Principles become your ally. Remain ignorant, and Unis may devour your soul.
Should you complete the passage, you will find yourself transported to the Sanctorum known as the Halls of Justice. There, the Scales of Truth will weigh your heart against a feather. On one side, the forces will place an exquisite peacock feather and on the other they will place your heart, weighted by the deeds and actions of your life. Cause & Effect will determine whether your heart is heavy or as light as the feather.
If your soul weighs heavy, you are left to contemplate what changes you must make in life to lighten your being. It is an ancient concept that was later referred to as karma/dharma in Eastern philosophies, and in the West, it has come to be known as the reconcilium. If your heart is light, you may join the company of Neters and progress on in Creation.
Rules of Play
Rites of Passage pits you against Unis. Each of you is represented by a pawn. You, the Initiate, attempt to move around the board and bear your pawn off before Unis does. If you do, you have completed the passage and will stand before the Scales of Justice. If Unis bears off before you, then you have failed to make the passage.
The Passage board is comprised of thirty (30) squares. Square 1 is at the top left of the board and square 30 is at the bottom right. Movement along the board is in a reverse S fashion. The movement of your pawn is determined by consulting the Crystal of Destiny. You must consult the crystal on behalf of Unis when it is Unis's turn. The Crystal of Destiny will always return a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6.
If, during your turn, you land on a square occupied by Unis, you bump Unis. In other words, you and Unis exchange squares. You take the square Unis is on and Unis is moved back to the square you were on. If Unis lands on a square occupied by you, Unis bumps you back. There is an exception to this rule. There are four squares marked with silver hieroglyphs. These squares are called "Safe Squares." If, for example, you are on a Safe Square and Unis lands on that square, you cannot be bumped. You are protected on the square and Unis must stay where he is. The reverse holds true as well. If Unis is on a Safe Square, Unis is protected and you will not be able to bump Unis.
Square 27 is filled with water and is a trap. If you or Unis land in the water trap, you are moved back to square 15. If square 15 is occupied, then you are moved back to square 14.
Unis knows the passage well. He always manages to start first and he moves quickly. Unis has an advantage over you, however, you can change this. Seven squares are marked with golden hieroglyphs. Each of these squares represents one of the Seven Summum Principles. When you land on one of these squares, you are given the opportunity to answer a question about one of the Principles. If your answer is correct, you get another turn to consult the crystal. If you answer incorrectly, the turn passes to Unis. Therefore, it would behoove you to know the Principles. Unis is not allowed to answer any questions because he knows all the answers.