Guardians of Knowledge

It is said that when she passed the Seeds to her great-granddaughter, Evania, Daenna spoke of seeing a time when the Guardians would know how the Seeds were to be used. Many Rom believe the time for their use is coming soon, in the upcoming Convergence, when it is said the five Seeds will split open and grow together to form a tree linked both the body and spirit, which have been falsley split for many, many eons. The current Guardian(s?) of the Seeds, are unknown, although it is often assumed that each Seed is held by a member of one of the prominent families of power.
The Seeds of Knowledge are said to be round and deep brown, with silvery veins covering both sides in the shape of five-pointed stars. The Gypsies believe these pentagrams represents the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. So each Seed is said to correspond to one of these elements. As the Egyptian who built the Great Pyramids knew, there is power in such a five-pointed construction: four elements culminating in another, both containing and greater then each individual part.
Depending on which Romani Drabane, or wise one, tells the story, there are two branches of thought on how the elements are represented by the remaining families of power. The first theory holds that the Romani representatives of the five elements are already present and accounted for in the families known as the Ravnos, Lupines, Urmen, Phuri Dae and Tsurara. This theory is held by all of the Slayers who care, and by scattered others throughout the rest of the families. According to this theory, either the Tsurara or the Phuri Dae hold the trump card, and are the apex of all that is Romani. The Slayers maintain that they are the Rom, honed to a cutting edge, and that the others' time is past: other Romani generally hold that the Phuri Dae will be the once to witness the Tree of Knowledge blossom at the Convergence. Dark rumors abound that the Tsurara are attempting to systematically hunt down and slaughter the current Guardians of the Seed so that the Slayers will possess all the Seeds and the Rom who control the destiny of the world (as they see it) at the Convergence.
The second theory, accepted by most of the Phuri Dae and the Lupines, and many of the Ravnos who bother to give their opinions, is that the four families known as the Ravnos, Urmen, Lupines and Phuri Dae correspond to the elements of earth, air, fire and water. This being the case, the Tsurara are seen as marhime, impure, their Blood tainted, and thus are removed from any possible role as Guardians of the Seeds.

Such Gypsies believe some combination of Rom from these four tribes, perhaps including one or two of the other scattered families of power as well, will come together and play the role for the Romani at the time of the Convergence. Therefor, many Rom, the younger Rom in particular, are encouraged by the elders to do "a tour", as they term it. Such tours involve young members of Rom from different families banding together and traveling for a while. Touring promotes the mixing of both Romani blood and ideas, and it is in such intense and private groups, tossed out on the charming waves of gaje culture, that many young Rom prove themselves worthy of the name. Also, the elder Romani hope these temporary groupings will heal the fractures of suspicion and hate that have begun poisoning even the Blood of the Rom and chipping away on their now-fragile unity.
Debates rage over open fires and in the back of rooms of clubs and bars over which theory is nearest to correct, or whether there is still another answer to the question. But as with most things esoteric or remote in the world of the Rom, parties on both sides argue for the sake of the contest of wits than because they could possibly arrive at any conclusion. The Gypsies feel that when the Convergence begins, they will know what to do and where to go to get front row seats.

- Teeuwynn