The Tiles of Existance

The tiles of Existance are a form of divination used in the world of my campaign. Unlike methods such as tarot cards or palm readings they can not be used to foresee the future of a single person. The tiles are instead used to get an understanding of the current state of things on a global scale, as well as the near future.

(The root of my ideas for this has come from the fantasy series, A Malazan Book of the Fallen, one of the best I have read for years. The link takes you too its wikipedia page.)
A "deck" of tiles contains a variable number of members, this is due to changes in the balances of power in setting. All the tiles are broken down into three categories, suites is the best way to describe them, these are "The People", "The Orders" & "The Influences".
The People. This group of tiles has never been known to change in size - none have ever left or joint the deck. The tiles are: - The Oracle, The Dark Seer, The Sorcerer, The Conjurer, The Mystic, The Artificer, The Mind Dancer, The Body Mage & The Invoker. One tile for each speciality plus invocation. When both tiles from a discipline are shown on the field of a reading it is said The True Seer, The Elementalist, The Blade Mage or The Soul Mage is in play.

The Orders. This group of tiles has had the greatest number of changes over time, when a new order is created or an old one destroyed their tile enters or leaves the deck. The current tiles are: - The White Sun, The Black Moon, The Purple Dream, The Orange Flame, The Blue Wave, The Golden Sword, The Crimson Soul & The Unaligned.

The Influences. The last category of tile, these represent both the major supernatural groups, as well as key features and symbols of the setting. The tiles in this group have been known to change but the last time was hundreds of years ago. The current tiles are: - The Elemental, The Spirits, The Angelic, The Demonic, The Mundane, The Dead, The Heart Stone, The Gift, The Portal & The Circle.

A reading of the tiles is made upon a field. Each tile is placed in a fixed order upon a named location in the filed. The diagram below shows this casting space.

So in order the these locations and there general meanings are:-

1. The Focus. The tile placed here is the focus of the entire reading and it has an influence on every other tile that comes into play.
2. The Ally. This tile supports the focus.
3. The Foe. This tile has the opposite function to the ally and is at odds with the focus.
4. The Lands. This location represents reality out side of The Risen Hold and is usually considered as a positive tile.
5. The Risen Hold. This tile in this location is considered to be in a position of power, risen above the rest. Like the Lands this is usually a positive tile, but when at odds with Lands both become negative.
6. The Wastes. This is a barren location and the tile placed here is viewed in a negative light.
7. The Shattered Hold. A tile here is in a position of weakness, its power base damaged or destroyed.
8. The Ascendant. The tile that is placed in Ascendancy is rising above the field, generaly a good place to be. At least for what the tile represents.
9. The Mirror. The last tile to be placed in a casting, this tile is the mirror through which all that has come before is seen. A good way of looking of it is imagining it as a kind of filter.

And so that is the Tiles of Existance. I will leave you as an example the casting my players saw at the start of the Concord (A meeting of the mages from the orders to discuss issues). This reading confirmed the suspisions of some of them and horrified others.

The focus is the heartstone and its ally is the gift. In opposition stands the mundane. There is a war between the magical and mundane world. Moving to the lands, occupied by the White Sun and in the risen hold the Black Moon. A representation of their current conflict for these two can never be reconciled. Next in the wastes are the Angelic and the shattered hold is of the Golden Sword. The guardians and their patrons cast down! Rising ascendent above this field is the Demonic. And so the last tile the mirror through which this field of conflict and war is seen is that of the Crimson Soul, returned to the deck at this inauspicious time.

With the mirror certain things come into light, the heartstone at the focus is that of the Crimson Soul as is the gift. This means the war between the magical and mundane world is that of the Crimson Soul and the mundane world. The conflict between the lands and risen hold is to the Crimson Souls benefit as two very powerful potential foes are occupied with each other. The ancient foe and opposite of the Crimson Soul is in the shattered hold with there allies in the wastes.

Finally the Demonic is rising in ascendance. This last line means a lot as the characters discover that not only was the original order destroyed for binding a powerful war demon its members had the blood of demons running through their veins. These are the ancesters of the characters and so they too have a demonic legacy.

Wisp