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"Beware logic, or direct meaning in the cards My Dear. You have been doing good, despite the grim words here spoken. Keep up your good deeds." With that last, Zellera fades away, her magic spent for the time being.
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Card 1d9 "Hmm, the brass dwarf. Usually shows invulnerability to your current peril."
"For you dear, the Desert. You will be traversing a bleak passage in the near future boy, steel yourself!" Zelerra takes back the cards and shuffles them into the deck. Anyone looking closely can see that the cards are moving in ways that defy reality, even blending between one card and another in the ghosts hands. Finally, she lays out nine cards, face down in a three by three grid. "The columns represent past, present and future. The rows, Good, neutral and Evil." The first card to be revealed is the top left, as far as Zellera is concerned. It shows a man in shining armour, and a whinged helm. Although upside down. "The paladin, in the Positive Past, not only miss-aligned, but in an opposite match. It would seem that even the good you have accomplished in recent times has turned sour. Saving the girl did not end well, or as most believe. Discovering the tainted meat sellers lead some to starve, despite your best intentions. Proceed with care my friends." The next card down reveals a cricket, playing an accordion. "The unclear past hmm, the cricket represents speed and quick passage. The cards believe you have completed the events of the recent past quickly. I only hope quickly enough." The final past card reveals a pale woman, holding leeks -a traditional healing herb- and dice, to show the odds of survival. She is surrounded by flies. The card represents Sickness. Zellera looks aghast. "The negative past, true to form, but ever so close to the present. This card, as you can see, is never any good. Disease of the body, or the soul. In this case, I suspect both. You have seen disease of the body this day. Korvosa suffers from disease of the soul I fear." She moves on quickly, turning the top centre card next. The card shows ab angel in flight, playing a trumpet. "The trumpeter! This card represents a declaration of power. It remains to be seen if the declaration is yours, or some others. That was your card, was it not Basil? Perhaps the power is yours, perhaps an enemy you face will show power over you." The next card, called the peacock, is represented by some zombie beast, with a key right in the centre. "The peacock, strongly aligned, in the unclear present. This card represents a strong personal shift. That shift could be in your perception, your emotion, or possibly even something else. It is, unclear. Something is going to experience a shift in power though." The final card in the present set, the eclipse, is inverted. "Inverted, hmmm, this represents unheralded abilities. The present is suffused with disease, shifts of power and new abilities to be seen. I hope this last relates to yourself, not to those who ail the city. But I fear I am too optimistic." "Onto the future, the part I am sure you will find the most important." Another inverted card, this one shows a cyclone blowing destruction. "The future shows renewal after a trial. Your present looks troubled, but this hints at success if you can hold your nerve, and keep strong." The next card shows an avalanche in the mountains. Zellera hisses as it is revealed. "This meshes not at all with the last card. Your future holds unmitigated disaster, but in the unclear future. So strong, and yet hidden, disaster, but success. I... " she moves to reveal the last card, even as her thoughts race. "An impossible situation." She says as she sees the last card, a swamp with eerie lights floating above abyssal waters. "Your future holds an impossible situation. This could not be more clear, or more strong. Even as you succeed, you succour your enemies. Your every success embeds their power. But you must hold firm through that, or even the success that is there for you to take, will elude you."
"Ahh, the Trumpeter basil, a card of personal power."
"The survivor, the card Suits you Gwen. Rebirth through ordeal."
Zellera beckons Roj to turn it over for everyone to see. "The Mountain Man, a strong card."
"You've done a good job girl. It's not quite how I would have it. But you should be comfortable. You deserve that much. Now, for those of you who haven't done this before. First, we perform a choosing." Zellera takes the top nine cards from the deck, and spreads them in a fan, "Please take a card each.".
"Close, but not quite correct Rojerick. My spirit is attached to the Harrow Deck that young Gwen there carries. Korvosa is in a time of need, and until that need is met, my spirit will remain. I can help in many ways, but the future, as ever is still unclear to me."
Literally, out of nowhere Zellera appears, seated in a chair (which also wasn't there a moment ago). "My friends. Thank You. Lamm is defeated and his thugs scattered, and my death is avenged. I owe you more than I know how to put into words, which for a Varisian as old as I was, is saying quite something!" her smile fades as she continues. "You know now that I am dead these past weeks. The story I told you was not false, it was simply, unfinished. I confronted lamm, and his thugs killed me out of hand. He didn't understand the power of the card desk he left with my head though, or the way the magics of this world work." "The deck now carries a very strong enchantment, which has carried over to this house to some extent. I am able to minifest images such as this, and to feel the world working around my Harrow Deck. The readings I performed earlier have a greater than normal chance of being correct, and showing a glimpse of the future. More useful to you, I can identify magics if you touch the cards to an item, and I can communicate with the holder of the deck quite reliably." "The city now is in chaos, and although the future is clouded, the causes of the chaos many, and powerful, I feel I must help the city as my last act." "We must set right the wrongs that we can here, and bring peace back to Korvosa. If you are willing." "My final two things before this manifestation is completed. 1) The broach you have found is not all that it seems, it is not magical, but it is important. 2) Do the right thing. You each know what that is." With that, her image fades. With her fading, the guardsman's eyes roll up into his head, and he passes out. Apparently ghosts are a touch too much for the drunkard at this time.
Zellera pulls up a seat opposite you, and begins to shuffle a large, old Harrow deck. You each notice that the card you had, is now cycling through the deck, but Zellera seems to take almost no notice off it, instead starting a long rehearsed speech. "The Cards will tell us many things, past and future, hopeful and dire. We start with the past, in it's positive aspects, moving down the line of cards to examine more and more negative aspects, then, following the same pattern, move to the present and the future. This means we always end with the most evil we can expect of the future, in order that we can be prepared, and deal with it as we see fit." She begins to turn out cards onto the table, forming a three by three grid. The first column is for the past, she says as she indicates the cards. The middle for the present, and the last for the future. She then turns over the first card. It shows a Whirling Orisian dancer, with a Key symbol in the top left. "Ah, the Dancer is a true match." Below that is a picture of a man being lowered into a vat of Wax. Finally for the past, a Cricket shuffles a pack of cards. "The deck shows that you have all played your part in the dance that forms our lives, that your contributions have been to improve that pattern, and bring others hope. You have traveled a long Journey, but the Cricket show's there may yet be treasure at the end of it. Funny, that card relates to you Askan in particular." The top card shows a swamp, with lights flickering above, the central card a rabbit with a broken sword, wearing a crown, the last a lock smith. "Ahh, the Rabbit prince in the unclear present. There will be battle soon, though who will win, none can say. The Demon's lantern in the positive present is a confusing symbol, but then, Bordan, you are a confusing person. Impossible, intractable? The situation could be like unto your good self, or perhaps you are the key to unlocking it. The locksmith shows you have the keys you need to unlock your future. Only you can use them." The final column contains a crow in battle armour, a sphinx in the desert, and finally, a winged serpent. "Ahh, the future as always is unclear. The Crows show a loss to come in the future, It will particularly affect Lazlo here. The Desert is a place that is impossible to survive without help, indicating that you will not survive the future alone. The help of each other, certainly you will need, but possibly others too. The final card, is a positive one, in an evil aspect. Knowledge and prudence are seperate keeps, bridged by understanding. You will need to know when to use prudence, to survie the future." "Now, I am done, and it is late. I hope you will take up my quest. I can offer you nothing but advice and thanks, but I am sure you will do what is right."
"Before you leave I would like to perform a harrow reading for you, it may help in the coming times, not just with Lamm. "
“Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you." She gentures to the seats for those not yet sat. "Please, sit. I have reason to remain hidden, you see—a terrible man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This is a man you know, for he has done something terrible to each of you as well. I speak, of course, of Gaedren Lamm, a man whose cruelty and capacity to destroy the lives of those he touches are matched only by his gift for avoiding reprisal. "You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, an heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran, tracked them down. The thieves were in the employ of Gaedren Lamm, and in reward for finding them, Gaedren murdered my son. "I sought help from the Guard, but they turned me away. And so I asked around. I paid bribes. I consulted my Harrow deck for advice. And recently, I was rewarded—I found out where Gaedren dwells. He can be found in an old fishery north of here at Westpier 17, where he trains his abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures. "And now, I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that if I were to go to them, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance. Even if they did arrest him—what guarantee would I have he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law for decades. But you know of these frustrations as well, for word on the street has it that Gaedren has wronged each of you, too. So there we are. It is time for him to pay.”
"My task is not yet done though children. I can feel in my bones that Korvosa has many months of trouble ahead, and that I can influence and help those things.
"Calandra, that wand will throw fire-balls when activated, with the word, igno. This will happen 23 times as I can see." With this, Zellara vanishes, obviously not happy at not being believed...
"Calandra my dear, you have found my cards! At last! Thank you" Zellera's form moves through the doorway into the main room, obviously expecting Cal to follow, and so that she can address the whole group of you. "Firstly, let me appologise for my earlier deception. As you can see, I am less than completely alive, and my cards, are no longer of any use to me.
Spoiler: "How observant of you child. Yes Lamm still has my cards, of which, these are a mere shadow. I would very much like it if you could return the origionals, they are in a wooden lockbox, which I doubt Lamm has had the whitt to get into as yet. "As for your sisters, of course you may, I will make them as welcome as I am able should they need my help. I sincerly hope that will not be the case though, you are a srong young girl, and in good company for this endever. I wish you luck, and may Desna look upon you with good fortune."
As the group leaves, Zellera smiles, "I have one last, small request. Please, when you have delat with Lamm, either " with a nod to Jubrayl "bringing him to the justice of the watch, or removing him completely from Korvosa, return here, so that I can look upon the faces of those her bring justice to the streets of my home."
"I have been to the guard Mr Mallachi. They believe that Lamm is what we say, but have neither time or resources to spare for him. I doubt your Church will be much more help." "I cannot guarentee that he will stay at his current location either, and if he is lost, he is lost for good to me, I will not be able to find him again." "I thank you for your patience with the reading, I understand you do not believe, and will bear no ill will if you disregard what I say there. All I ask is your help in the aprehension of Lamm, if you can get him to the guard, with proof of his misdeads, then they will listen, but not before."
Zellara holds out a fan of nine cards, and allows each of the people at the table to take one, Torrilan gets The Locksmith card, Jubrayl gets The cricket, Malik gets the Demon's Lantern, Istace gets The Dance, and Atherton the Peacock, finally, Calandra picks the Rabbit prince.
Spoiler:
Those are all cards of the "Keys" suit, in game terms, they are all tied to dex, as you will probably pick up on when I post the rules bits in a while.... "Now for the reading." says Zellara as she takes back the cards you have chosen, shuffling them back into the deck, she deals nine cards in a grid on the table in front of her. "We start with the past, in it's positive aspects, moving down the line of cards to examine more and more negative aspects, then, following the same pattern, move to the present and the future. This means we always end with the most evil we can expect of the future, in order that we can be prepared, and deal with it as we see fit." Turning the first card she says, "Ahh, the Rabbit prince, that is the third time you have seen that card today my dear isn't it? In your reading this morning, in the choosing just now, and on the table for all to see? "This card relates to the unpredictable, and and impulsive battles you have all been forced to fight in the past, but must have some particular significance for you Calandra. "The next card speaks of an informative pact, " grinning at Atherton "well, maybe more informative for some than for others, but a pact has just been made, and is being bound even now by my reading. The impact, and repercussions of this pact will resound throughout your lives, and maybe even the lives of all Korvosans, but that impact is as yet uncertain. "The negative past card speaks of the duality of purpose or identity. I believe this relates to each of you in turn, in a different way, whether your lives have had a dual purpose, caring for other, and seeking revenge perhaps? Or if your identity has been torn in two by the pain you have suffered. "The positive present card speaks of rebirth through ordeal, and I believe this speaks more to Atherton, and perhaps Malik, than to the others. Though all of your lives are changing even as I speak, so perhaps I am reading too much there. "Ahhh, the card you picked out Istas, you do indeed appear to be bringing harmony to the group, though perfect harmony, of which this card speaks may well be far off." As she turns the sixth card, the Evil present, with it's image of a rackshasa Zellara's face appears perplexed, she obviously is at somewhat of a loss to understand this card. "I cannot see how this relates to you, it has the meaning of dominance or mind control, neither of which I can see as applying to any of you, much less the group as a whole. Please keep this card in mind, both through the reading, and also in the next days and weeks." Moving on to the future cards, the first card she uncovers reveals an old woman wearing a crown. "Ahhh, the Queen Mother, this card represents knowledge through fealty, this can be taken two fold, perhaps you will make a link with the queen, that will lead you to new insight, or perhaps it has a more personal meaning, that fealty to each other, as a group, will bring you your own personal insights." "The uncertain future shows brute force shall reign. You have battles ahead, but that much you knew. The outcome of those battles though is by no means certain. "The Beating! Oh, my, the evil future shows you are attacked from all sides. combined with the card before it, the battles you face will be intense, both your internal struggles, and the external forces against you will sometimes seem over-powering. In my experience when so much of a reading focuses on battle, it means the repercussions will be immense." "This reading speaks true to me, but more than that, no card is miss-aligned, that is quite unusual. This further reinforces the truth in the reading. "I am afraid I have brought you together to face not just the battle with Lamm. This reading speaks of greater things than that, and in the face of personal battles that will need to be faced, I hope I have done the right thing in putting your fates together. Looking at this, Korvosa depends on it."
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