By Diane Keating Sciacca (wolfinblack@pagan.net) for the Keepers of the Silver Flame
Simply, the Rite of the Silver Flame raises a temporary caern. A location is scouted out and prepared for the rite. Through use of fire, drums, dancing, communal feasting, group sex, vigourous play, and celebration, Gaian energy is forcefully awakened and raised in the area and for the space of one or two nights a caern is created. Taint is purged from the area and Sleepers do not suffer the Delerium while inside the perimeter of the Temporary Autonomous Caern. Very often, Gifts are used and minor and lower level Rites accompany the casting of this wild group ritual.
Roll Wits+Rituals difficulty 7; ten successes are needed to punch through the Gauntlet and cleanse the immediate area. The ritualist then needs to roll every turn, gaining as many successes as she can while the Rite is in progress. Multiple inceptors can work together and pool their successes. The main ritual group is helpless during the Rite and this, like any other Caern Raising, attracts Wyrm and Weaver agents and spirits; typically there is an Umbral "away team" patrolling during the Rite: whatever Asesinos Brujos present will invariably be among this group if not primarily composing it.
The Temporary Caern will stay up for one or two nights, depending on the number of successes. If more than 100 successes are scored, it will stay up two nights; less than that and the caern fades and falls back into Gaia after 24 hours. The ritualists stay in the general vicinity for the duration, fueling their Gnosis and picking off any straggling Wyrm spirits or creatures that come around. At the Keepers' inception, this Rite used to be a midnight-to-dawn affair but as the Tribe and ADRV's reputation snowballs they are having a harder time finding towns and locations where they can enact this Rite with the minimum of disturbance from outside forces. Obviously a Rite of the Silver Flame done on a desert mesa or lonely headland will attract fewer fomori, snipers, Black Spirals, HIT Marks and police than one done in the warehouse district....