Zellara's ghost manifests a few moments later. She smiles, brushes back her hair and fixes her headscarf. "My friends, I sensed the forces of destiny gathering around you once again. I hope Desna's blessing can aid you in whatever lies ahead. Shall we begin?"
The ghost proceeds with the Harrowing. As before, she starts with the Choosing, having each of you pick a card from the deck to represent your influence through the ritual. She then draws nine cards for the Spread into the 3 x 3 pattern and reveals them in trios, speaking of the past, present and future in turn.
As Zellara reveals the cards and divines their meaning, the details of the Harrowing and the room around you become vague and ghostly, so much that you have difficulty recalling specifics of the ritual later, or even which cards were drawn. The dreamlike quality also manifests in visions and images of the things Zellara describes.
For the past, the cards displayed symbolize the early days of Korvosa’s founding and that the Shoanti dwelt there before the place was colonized by the Chelaxians. Visions of their clashes are like a wall of fire set against the silhouette of a massive ziggurat.
The present bleeds from the past like smoke crawling across the ceiling. The Shoanti expulsion centuries ago mirrors your own forced flight from Korvosa -- you are both now fugitives from home, and your route follows theirs into the Cinderlands.
Images of the future paint Korvosa as a dangerous place, shadowed by a great evil but not yet so pervasive that it cannot be resisted. The miasma that shrouds the city is strong, but motes of light within -- your allies and other possible points of weakness -- give you hope. Your path back to the city is blocked by trials you must overcome, where strength will be your most important ally: a mountain of skulls, a preying mantis engulfed in flames, a bottomless pit hiding a vast, tentacled abomination, and a great, fiery maw, consuming all in its path.
Zellara smiles, "On its own, nothing really. The Choosing establishes your role should that same card appear in the Spread, which, in this case, it did not."
Zellara frowns, shaking her head, "I see nothing so specific about Queen Ileosa or any powers that be. Likely, this knowledge is held by those you seek."
You feel the subtle nudge of fate as Desna's blessing passes to you through the Harrowing. (See discussion tab for specifics...)
You remain silent so Zellara continues. "And now, the Spread." She finishes shuffling, cuts the deck, then sets down nine cards in a 3-by-3 pattern.
"The Past..." she declares, turning over the top three cards in turn. "The Liar, the Tyrant, and the Unicorn." Zellara's eyes widen in surprise. "Two cards appear in significant places. The Liar is an opposite match for its position, signifying a new relationship has begun, meaning good Jarha here most likely. The Tyrant appears dominant here, symbolizing Queen Ileosa. The Unicorn is a true match for its position -- you have been successful, finding what you sought after, defeating Blood Veil and its creators."
She then turns over the next three cards, calling them out in turn. "Now we see the Present: The Courtesan, the Desert and the Waxworks." She chuckles grimly, "Seemingly another mismatch, but the chaotic Courtesan is never truly misaligned. This infers the political intrigue of those closest to the powers that be. The cords that tie the Queen, Sabina Merrin and Marshal Kroft are a complex knot." You find the blank mask depicted on the card eerily reminiscent of the Gray Maidens' helmets. "The Desert symbolizes a trying journey -- certainly you are in the midst of one now, and forces are at work against your good health. The Waxworks represents the helplessness that pervades Korvosa, drained and demoralized after so much tragedy, increasing with oppression and martial law."
Zellara turns over the bottom three cards. "The Future: The Inquisitor... Jarha's chosen card, the Vision, Seren's choice, and the Eclipse. She sits back and ponders the cards for a few moments. "Intriguing that two chosen cards appear together." To Jarha and Seren, she speaks directly, "You will seek one whose visions empower him to knowledge beyond his reality. Beware those who seek to pry such information away, or yourselves should you become so driven. As I said before, knowledge and information -- those who have it, or desire it -- are tied closely to your fates." She then points the last card, adding, "The Eclipse signifies self-doubt, or the dark triumph of mind over body. Keep to your path, and eventually the light will return."
"I selected the suit of Books for your Choosing, for I sense you will be facing situations where reasoning, logic and attention to detail can save lives -- your own and those you mean to protect."
Zellara reads off the cards as you pick them in turn. Absinthe goes first, turning up The Wanderer. Seren next picks The Vision. Melianthe then selects The Idiot, eliciting a wince from Zellara. Segang draws The Joke. Lastly, Jarha selects The Inquisitor.
Posted a pic of the Choosing spread on Roll 20.
"The cards in the Choosing are not directly indicative of you or who you are, but rather give a sense of significant influence should your role card appear in the Spread. Although, if what you choose closely matches your demeanor, it is a fortunate sign."
"The opposite is also true -- Melianthe chose The Idiot... a threat from those lacking logic or intelligence, or to your own mind." She lets that sink it as she starts to shuffle the cards back into the main deck.
Zellara nods a welcome to Jarha. "Be at ease. As Seren infers, I am not a ghost or soul-sucking wraith. Desna has bid my spirit to help guide you through these difficult times. If you would permit, I will try to divine your fates in the Harrowing." As she speaks, her Harrow deck shuffles fluidly through her hands. She separates nine cards from the deck, setting them aside.
"The Harrowing begins with The Choosing, which gives one the role they play in the divination. If you wish to participate, please select a card." She fans the nine cards out, face down, for you to choose.
Zellara appears. The specter of the fortune-teller appears as you last saw her -- a middle-aged Varisian woman with long, black hair tied with a headscarf. Despite her translucent form, her skin and dress remain bright and colorful.
"My friends. I have sensed you are on the verge of another great transition. Powerful forces are growing around you. Desna beckons me to perform another Harrow reading, if you would have it?"
Zellara raises an eyebrow at Absinthe's command. "I obey only Desna, my friend. My own fortune is not mine to tell. She will see to it that my destiny is fulfilled, whatever it may be."
Zellara sits and holds the deck quietly while you each choose a card. Segang goes first, pulling The Desert. Cherias picks The Waxworks, Seren The Brass Dwarf, and Melianthe The Survivor. Lastly, ominously, Absinthe draws The Sickness. Zellara remains silent, taking each of the cards back before reshuffling and starting the Harrowing.
The first three cards that turn up are The Snakebite, The Foreign Trader, and The Mute Hag. "Darkness clouds the past... pacts made in secret that are deadly to those bitten by their fangs. An outsider is key, and a ship that carries the winds of death in its sails."
The next three cards are The Fiend, The Rabbit Prince, and The Lost. "A great calamity is befallen us, and it capriciously knows no allies or enemies. Many will lose their way, lost in the unease, scattered among the mass graves."
The final cards drawn are The Paladin, The Tyrant, and The Inquisitor. "Axiomatic powers in contention: those who inflict pain, and those who endure. The immutable reality of conflict is not the winner or loser, but rather the carrion birds who feast upon the dead left in its wake."
Zellara blinks, looking up at you. "None of your chosen cards are revealed in the spread. You are not tied to a specific destiny. Desna's wisdom is for you to use or discard, at your whim."
Upon Absinthe's call, Zellara appears in the corner seat and runs her hands over the arrayed cards. Her face carries a wistful smile as she regards the Harrow deck. "I now exist between the realms of the living, and those of the dead. I cannot enter either permanently, but I can see things with Desna's eyes. To me, these cards are no longer the mysterious cyphers they once were, but are now windows looking into the future and past."
"Like before, when our common tie to the monster Gaedren Lamm allowed me to draw you like cards from a deck, I can sense a powerful doom surrounding you. If you like, I will perform another Harrowing, to send you on your path with Desna's blessing." Zellara takes up the cards and begins to shuffle them with practiced grace.
If you wish to participate, draw a card for the Choosing with a 1d9 roll.
Gaedren Lamm, weak and blooded as he is, has no energy to respond or resist. He only glares back until the deed is finally done.
Zellara lets out a long sigh. "For Eran..." She lets a moment of silence pass out of respect, then abruptly spits upon Lamm's corpse. No spit actually flies, of course.
She turns to you. "I was able to sense your anguish, like my own, that stemmed from Lamm's cruelty, and draw you together to rid the world if this evil. I thank you... for finishing what I failed to do."
"I... I do not wish to pass on, just yet, though I am accursed in Pharasma's eyes. I still owe you a debt of service. I am bound to my Harrow deck, and I will go wherever you take me. My powers are limited, but my divinations may aid you on your path ahead." She lowers her eyes, and her image begins to fade. "I have expended all I have to stay this long. You must do what you feel is right, of course. If you wish to bring me to the Pharasmans, I understand."
"Thank you..."
Zellara blinks out, and the house returns to normal.
"I am... what was left when my son's life was cut short, and my own after I was betrayed by my own thirst for justice. Desna laughed, for though Lamm sliced my throat open, my spirit carried on to bring about his end." Zellara smiles, but there is no humor in it.
As Absinthe lays down the first card, The Midwife, the surroundings flicker and you catch glimpses of the warm and welcoming place this was before. You smell incense, but scent nothing when you try to identify it. Like a flash in your peripheral vision, you realize the images are welcoming illusions, which fade when you concentrate on them.
The woman sitting at the table remains, though. It is Zellara, but a ghostly version of the woman you met before. A jagged scar rings her neck.
"You found the murderer, I see. But why does he yet live? Has he not done enough to deserve death?"
Zellara nods, "Indeed, but it showed in reference to the past. The Crows tell of something stolen, which we have all suffered to some degree. Seren's link to that event may be stronger, in the reading, but how it will affect the future, even I cannot read."
"The Twin makes me wary whenever it appears. Often one will face indecision in their life, and the worst of it comes when loyalties are brought into conflict: friend vs friend, family vs self, mentor vs liege, ideals vs duty... the list goes on." Zellara frowns, looking again at the cards.
Zellara smiles. "Alright. I'm happy to do what little I can. Please sit and relax. Desna's vision can be clouded by agitation and impatience." As she speaks, her hands quickly sifts through the deck, drawing out nine cards and setting them aside. "We seek justice for Gaedren Lamm. I feel the path ahead will include tests of your reflexes and locked secrets, so I have isolated the suit of Keys." She picks up the nine cards and holds them forth in a fan. "This is the Choosing. Pick one of these cards and it will highlight your potential role in the Reading."
Zellara nods as each is drawn, then returns the card into the deck. When all are done, she shuffles the deck with experienced grace. "Now, in the Spread we will speak of the past, the present and the future." She places cards face-down on the table, in a three-by-three pattern. "The first column speaks to the past, positive, negative and the unclear." She flips over the first three cards, in turn, calling out each as she does. "The Crows, the Courtesan, and the Tyrant. The past is set, but how we understand it can change, even as we change with age. The Crows refers to a theft of valued possession or loved one, which we have all faced under Lamm, but its misaligned place hints at a positive result from such loss. Seren's role there, is more pronounced. The Courtesan's mask hides the intrigues within, physically or mentally; one twist and everything turned to the worse. The Tyrant can only speak of Gaedran Lamm, a powerful paternal influence and source of pain. "
Next, she reveals the center column. "The Marriage, the Juggler, and the Twin. Here we see ourselves in the Marriage, a union of disparate persons to better the individuals." She lets out a chuckle at the center card. "Desna laughs at us with the Juggler; it represents the whimsy of fate, or in the fickle influence of the gods. We have balance today, but will the Juggler keep it? The Twin is always difficult to read; I sense divided loyalties or sense of purpose, which could be our undoing."
Finally, she turns over the third column. "The Rakshasa, the Empty Throne, and the Forge. Zellara spends a long minute pondering these cards. "A mis-aligned Rakshasa tells me the chains of dominance will be shaken off. The Tyrant falls, but the Empty Throne's placement is unclear on whether that loss will bring good or bad tidings. The Forge is clear, though; strength through diversity will help overcome the dangerous events to come."
Zellara looks up at you, "I'm sure you have questions."
Apologies for the delay and wall of text... there's no quick and easy Harrowing! =)
"The fishery is only a few blocks from here, and you are welcome to stay for as long as you need. If you prefer more of a tavern, there's Bailer's Retreat, but its a tad... rough."
Zellara sits quietly, wearing a tight smile as she listens to your planning. She nods with grim satisfaction; she has found the right people.
Leaning forward, she speaks up before you break. "I am useless in a fight, but I can try to aid in my own way. I can offer you a Harrowing to guide you through the coming strife, if you wish.
A few minutes after you have all arrived and gotten introduced, the door opens and an attractive, middle-aged Varisian woman steps in, gracing you with a smile. She has long black hair, tied back with a bandanna, and she wears the long, colorful skirts her people are known for.
She circles to the remaining empty chair and sits, producing a Harrow deck and collecting the cards from the table. She shuffles them in and idly handles the deck while she speaks. "Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you."
"My name is Zellara. 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."
She sighs, looking at the cards in her hands, holding them still for a moment. When she resumes talking, the cards continue to dance in her hands and between her fingers with an expert's easy grace. "You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me. It is important to me, and heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When pickpockets stole it, my son, Eran, tracked them down. He recovered the deck, but the thieves were in the employ of Gaedren Lamm. When he learned of my son's deed, Lamm had him murdered."
Zellara takes a deep breath. "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 Seventeen, where he trains his abducted children to be pickpockets and worse."
"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 that he would be punished? This criminal has evaded justice 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."
