Post by otiv on Sept 21, 2016 0:14:11 GMT -6
The Zener-Tarot of Carcosa
I like to think that Carcosans play games with modified decks of Zener cards:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_cards
Carcosans play with their own special Zener-Tarot deck with five suits of minor arcana numbered 1~10 and a major arcana themed around the Great Old Ones:
0. The Idiot (Azathoth)
1. The Frost (I'thaqua)
2. The Fire (Cthugah)
3. The Tomb (Nyarlathotep)
4. The Key (Hastur)
5. The Guardian (Hastur)
6. The Gate (Hastur)
7. The Dream (Cthulhu)
8. The Sphere (Yog-Sothoth)
9. The Tree (Shub-Niggurath)
Most Carcosans mostly use this deck to play a game similar to poker, but sometimes they also use it as a tool to identify psychics. A few Carcosans even use the deck for purposes of divination, and a rare few can use the deck to perform sorcerous rituals!
*Cartomantic Divinations of the Zener-Tarot*
Invocation Ritual
This ten minute ritual requires nothing more than a deck of Carcosan Zener-Tarot cards, and an offering of blood from any man (the sacrifice) whose fortune would be told. The sacrifice may take one to three points of damage to ask up to that many questions, and receive truthful answers provided that the answers can be communicated in the form of numbers from one to ten, colored shapes, or symbols of the eight Great Old Ones.
Note, that if any of the ten major arcana cards depicting symbols of the Great Old Ones is drawn, this ritual will have an additional effect.
The Idiot: The sacrifice loses 1-4 points of Intelligence.
The Frost: The sacrifice loses 1-4 points of Constitution.
The Fire: 1-4 Cthugah's Flame Creatures are summoned to claim the sacrifice.
The Tomb: A Byhakee is summoned, and takes the sacrifice to a tomb inhabited by mummies.
The Key: The sacrifice learns the location of a (probably cursed) treasure.
The Guardian: 1-4 Diseased Guardians are summoned to claim the sacrifice.
The Gate: The sacrifice is teleported to a random hex.
The Dream: The sacrifice falls into a deep slumber for one die months.
The Sphere: The sacrifice is granted 1-4 wishes by Yog-Sothoth.
The Tree: The sacrifice is transformed into a random Spawn of Shub-Niggurath.
I like to think that Carcosans play games with modified decks of Zener cards:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_cards
Carcosans play with their own special Zener-Tarot deck with five suits of minor arcana numbered 1~10 and a major arcana themed around the Great Old Ones:
0. The Idiot (Azathoth)
1. The Frost (I'thaqua)
2. The Fire (Cthugah)
3. The Tomb (Nyarlathotep)
4. The Key (Hastur)
5. The Guardian (Hastur)
6. The Gate (Hastur)
7. The Dream (Cthulhu)
8. The Sphere (Yog-Sothoth)
9. The Tree (Shub-Niggurath)
Most Carcosans mostly use this deck to play a game similar to poker, but sometimes they also use it as a tool to identify psychics. A few Carcosans even use the deck for purposes of divination, and a rare few can use the deck to perform sorcerous rituals!
*Cartomantic Divinations of the Zener-Tarot*
Invocation Ritual
This ten minute ritual requires nothing more than a deck of Carcosan Zener-Tarot cards, and an offering of blood from any man (the sacrifice) whose fortune would be told. The sacrifice may take one to three points of damage to ask up to that many questions, and receive truthful answers provided that the answers can be communicated in the form of numbers from one to ten, colored shapes, or symbols of the eight Great Old Ones.
Note, that if any of the ten major arcana cards depicting symbols of the Great Old Ones is drawn, this ritual will have an additional effect.
The Idiot: The sacrifice loses 1-4 points of Intelligence.
The Frost: The sacrifice loses 1-4 points of Constitution.
The Fire: 1-4 Cthugah's Flame Creatures are summoned to claim the sacrifice.
The Tomb: A Byhakee is summoned, and takes the sacrifice to a tomb inhabited by mummies.
The Key: The sacrifice learns the location of a (probably cursed) treasure.
The Guardian: 1-4 Diseased Guardians are summoned to claim the sacrifice.
The Gate: The sacrifice is teleported to a random hex.
The Dream: The sacrifice falls into a deep slumber for one die months.
The Sphere: The sacrifice is granted 1-4 wishes by Yog-Sothoth.
The Tree: The sacrifice is transformed into a random Spawn of Shub-Niggurath.
