Ratimir Ganic's page

1st—burning hands, discern next of kin, hypnotism, mage armor, obscuring mist, sleep, sow thought
0—arcane mark, bleed, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light, mending, message, putrefy food and drink, read magic, resistance, spark, stabilize, touch of fatigue

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Traditional Spread(3x3)

CG:NG:LG
CN:NN:LN
CE:NE:LE
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[dice=Slot #1—CG]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #2—NG]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #3—LG]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #4—CN]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #5—N]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #6—LN]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #7—CE]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #8—NE]1d54[/dice] .
[dice=Slot #9—LE]1d54[/dice] .
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[dice=Role Card]1d9[/dice]
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[dice=Card Draw]1d54[/dice]
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Hammers—Suit of Strength
1—The Paladin (LG)
2—The Keep (NG)
3—The Big Sky (CG)
4—The Forge (LN)
5—The Bear (N)
6—The Uprising (CN)
7—The Fiend (LE)
8—The Beating[ (NE)
9—The Cyclone (CE)

Keys—Suit of Dexterity
10—The Dance (LG)
11—The Cricket (NG)
12—The Juggler (CG)
13—The Locksmith (LN)
14—The Peacock (N)
15—The Rabbit Prince (CN)
16—The Avalanche (LE)
17—The Crows (NE)
18—The Demon’s Lantern (CE)

Shields—Suit of Constitution
19—The Trumpet (LG)
20—The Survivor (NG)
21—The Desert (CG)
22—The Brass Dwarf (LN)
23—The Teamster (N)
24—The Mountain Man (CN)
25—The Tangled Briar (LE)
26—The Sickness (NE)
27—The Waxworks (CE)

Books—Suit of Intelligence
28—The Hidden Truth (LG)
29—The Wanderer (NG)
30—The Joke (CG)
31—The Inquisitor (LN)
32—The Foreign Trader (N)
33—The Vision (CN)
34—The Rakshasa (LE)
35—The Idiot (NE)
36—The Snakebite (CE)

Stars—Suit of Wisdom
37—The Winged Serpent (LG)
38—The Midwife (NG)
39—The Publican (CG)
40—The Queen Mother (LN)
41—The Owl (N)
42—The Carnival (CN)
43—The Eclipse (LE)
44—The Mute Hag (NE)
45—The The Lost (CE)

Crowns—Suit of Charisma
46—The Empty Throne (LG)
47—The Theater (NG)
48—The Unicorn (CG)
49—The Marriage (LN)
50—The Twin (N)
51—The Courtesan (CN)
52—The Tyrant (LE)
53—The Betrayal (NE)
54—The Liar (CE)

Ratimir sat down by himself in the back of the wagon. It was late, but despite the long day's journey, barely anyone had gone to sleep. They would rather stay up a while longer, laughing, dancing, drinking. Removed from the festivity, under the light of an old oil lamp, the Varisian man laid out a linen over the hard wood and produced a deck from the inner pocket of his vest. After gently removing the cards from their case, he looked up to the sky and thouroughly shuffled the deck while watching the stars. What a lovely night, he thought, praising Desna. When he finally looked down again, his agile hands had already laid out nine cards face down on the linen mat, perfectly arranged in three columns with three cards each. Ratimir pressed the palms of his hands against each other, closed his eyes, and asked his question: "Is it time to go back?" Without looking, he placed an index finger on the left uppermost card of the array, and chose it over the others. After thousands of readings, Ratimir had noticed that not many people picked the first card of the spread, as if it were too obvious of a choice, not random enough. Ratimir knew it made no difference. He flipped the card and looked at it: The Beating.

It figures, Ratimir, admitted. The dissolution of the self. It could have been a terrible card in another position, but not there, placed in the column of the past, in the line of good fortune. As it was, it stood as a reminder of Ratimir's great personal tragedy: the loss of his wife Bea, six years before. In his interpretation, it showed that it is possible to crawl out of the darkness after such pain, as Ratimir had done. He flipped over the remaining cards, discarding The Liar and The Courtesan from the spread, for they did not belong in that draw. Then, he moved on to the next card.

The Mountain Man was a true match and, rightfully so, a prominent figure in this reading: it represented the encounter with a physical power beyond Ratimir's capacity. It was also in the column of the past. "The Chopper", Ratimir let out, a cold shiver running down his spine at the memory of the serial killer that terrorized Sandpoint half a decade ago. The image of his wife, slaughtered and mutilated by the deranged murderer, came running to his mind. He shook his head and continued, recomposed.

A smile formed on his lips as he stared at the following card, also in the column of the past. An opposite match, this time. Funny, he thought, that the harrowing would have me look so closely behind, when I ask about what is ahead; and yet, so appropriate. Blowing a trumpet, a celestial archon boldly defies terrible perils. A good card, but in a bad spot: it meant he was not done with the worst of his trauma, and deep down still struggled with it. Is it wise to reopen healed wounds?, he pondered, before proceeding to the secondary cards in the reading, starting with the partial matches: The Idiot and The Snakebite, both of the suit of Books, both in the column of the present.

An ill omen, in both cases. Books, the suit of intelligence. Evil plots, Ratimir thought, arching an eyebrow. Greed, discord, mischief, pride. Perhaps other sins, too. But these were not perfect matches; perhaps, such evil was still dormant, rather than rampaging. Still, they were there, maybe momentarily hidden, but probably not for long. That would depend on the column of the future.

Still in the column of the present, in the first line, Ratimir saw The Rakshasa, a symbol of domination and enslavement. It was misaligned; an evil sign in a place of favorable chance. Whatever harm is underway, it has not yet grown so strong that it cannot be undone, Ratimir concluded.

Both cards Ratimir had removed from the reading at the beginning were in the third column. Now, only one remained, arranged in the line of good fortune: The Betrayal. So, envy, too, Ratimir noted, looking back at The Idiot and The snakebite. There it was: something, or someone, would come to take that which was not theirs. From the arrangement of the cards, it would be big. Still, that somehow meant good fortune to Ratimir. I must be there when it happens; if not to my good fortune, to the misfortune of my enemies, whoever they are. It is woven into my fate.

Ratimir carefully collected the cards, put them back in the case, and folded the linen. He looked at the stars again, and whispered "The harrow has spoken." He could still hear the music, and so he went to join his fellow Varisians. He did not say a word for the rest of the night, but smiled and reveled in the sight of his family and friends enjoying life, until he was the last one awake. The sun would rise soon. As they slept, Ratimir placed a loving kiss on the forehead of every man and woman in the caravan, and having thus said goodbye, set off to Sandpoint in the last hour of the night.