The Holder of the Conscious

In any small town, in any country, go to any town hall or public meeting place you can get yourself to. Once there, if a meeting is currently taking place, locate and walk up to whoever seems to be in charge. If there is no meeting in session, leave at once. Wait until a meeting has started, and allow it to proceed for at least a half an hour before returning.

Once you are standing in front of them, do not move, talk, or make a sound of any kind, and, if possible, hold your breath for as long as possible as often as possible. Hold this stance until the eye of every person in the room is on you. If done correctly, the entire room will become silent, but you will hear a faint buzzing in the back of your mind. Then and only then, speak aloud the exact phrase: "I seek the collective, the Holder of the Conscious."

Whether you close your eyes at this point is up to you, but if you are of weak constitution, you may desire to do so. Regardless of your decision, the doors and windows of the room will slam shut, lock, and fade away, or, if you chose a meeting place outdoors, everything beyond the borders of the meeting will turn pitch black and cease to exist. The members of the discussion will stand and begin to approach you, the step of each member in line with the others.

This entire process is extremely unnerving. You may do whatever you wish during this time, but it is highly recommended that you remain as still as possible. If you shift your position and come in contact with any of the members, or if you panic and attempt to flee the area, your independent mind will forever be forfeit.

When the members are very near, they will stop moving. At this point, look the leader in the eye and ask, "What does the Holder desire of the Seeker?"

The leader will then answer, but you will not understand his speech. It will be a low, guttural sound, which no mortal human may produce. The members will repeat the answer, repeating the same bass sounds as the leader. They will speak slowly and individually at first, but they will begin to synchronize their speech, all the while hastening their words. The noise will get higher and higher, until it is a shrill dissonance that will seek to drive you mad.

Then, one by one, they will merge together into a single entity, shapeless and ethereal. This is the only part of the trial where you must shut away all senses by any means possible. The entity must not be seen, heard, or felt until its shaping is complete. If you fail at this stage of the trial, your mind will be erased, you will be cast from the meeting place, and this Object will become forever lost to you.

You will know when the shaping is complete when you smell a sweet-smelling aroma which will be unique to you only. When you open your eyes, you will see the completed entity, and it will be offering you the source of the smell, which will also be something of your own choosing. It will be something of great value to you, but you must decline and instead request what the entity holds in its other hand, a small, leaden set of scales.

This is Object 282 of 538. The Scales will weigh your ability. Pray that they find you worthy.