History of the tarot
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:59 pm
I read the campaign notes yesterday and collided them with the RL history of tarot and came up with this. Wondering what you think or would change. I was also going to try to make up an avlis themed tarot deck, some supplementary occult magiks definitions (numerology, astrology maybe if we have a constellation chart around somewhere) and an avlissian themed layout for the cards to be read. I'd put alot of wiggle room into it, no one likes being tied down to one method for this kind of stuff anyway.
History of Tarot
The reading of tarot has been a tradition of romini culture since the time of formation of the fold of nine. In these days the differences between the fruits of the vortex of mortal magic in the form of divination magic and communion with nature spirits were being decided. Tarot, like other forms of traditional Romini, Tyeduan and Khanjr Kuro magiks were named by the fold as not of their own domain.
From even the earliest times traditional divination magiks of this sort have been practised solely by women. The reason for this is rather straightforward. No man has ever had success using occult divination magiks. While there are tales of romini men who've had some success in creating protective charms, love potions and bestowing curses as time wore on the details and evidence of these practitioners faded from our ability to verify. Effectively, Romini men have left magiks as belonging to the mantle of women.
To a point should even these magiks be available to men, it is unsuprising that their use should fall to the wayside. Few stories of charms or curses actually doing what they should exist. Furthermore, love potions disagree with the revered message of Mikon's freedom of choice and is subsequently a practice frowned upon.
The tarot was at the very first a game. Played very similar to bridge and especially by sailors who would teach it to traders and port residents wherever they went. In a short period of time people began adding cards they felt were missing from the deck. The deck always conjured a homespun imagery to the players and to this end room was made in the rules of the game to allow for more cards here, less cards there as the composition of player homelands dictated.
To prevent fights over lost gold it is thought that a boat captain from Mikona encouraged his men to find a badge to signify the winner of a game so that prestige would be his. This tradition spread and the only remaining badge we know of is the jade ring. A captain of a boat home-ported in Andarr was doing a brisk trade to Khanjar Kuro but fell victim to an attack at sea. Limping into a foreign port, cargo intact but taking on water and very light of crew they were stranded for weeks until the ship could be repaired.
During this time the captain took on many local sailors to crew his vessel and bring it home. Somewhere during the repairs or the journey home the decision to use the jade ring as the badge became a subject of much scrutiny by the crew, by the time they reached Andarr even the Andarran sailors were convinced that there was a connection to the cards and spirits.
This concept was like a fire to dry brush when it reached the ears of Tyeduans and Romini and has been a principle method of opening the mind to the whispers of the spirits ever since. The use of the jade ring as a badge has been forgotton by most practitioners. Availability of the mineral doomed it being able to secure a firm place as a required article of the person doing the reading. It is however regarded everywhere as a luck and skill giving item, something an owner of one would prize.
History of Tarot
The reading of tarot has been a tradition of romini culture since the time of formation of the fold of nine. In these days the differences between the fruits of the vortex of mortal magic in the form of divination magic and communion with nature spirits were being decided. Tarot, like other forms of traditional Romini, Tyeduan and Khanjr Kuro magiks were named by the fold as not of their own domain.
From even the earliest times traditional divination magiks of this sort have been practised solely by women. The reason for this is rather straightforward. No man has ever had success using occult divination magiks. While there are tales of romini men who've had some success in creating protective charms, love potions and bestowing curses as time wore on the details and evidence of these practitioners faded from our ability to verify. Effectively, Romini men have left magiks as belonging to the mantle of women.
To a point should even these magiks be available to men, it is unsuprising that their use should fall to the wayside. Few stories of charms or curses actually doing what they should exist. Furthermore, love potions disagree with the revered message of Mikon's freedom of choice and is subsequently a practice frowned upon.
The tarot was at the very first a game. Played very similar to bridge and especially by sailors who would teach it to traders and port residents wherever they went. In a short period of time people began adding cards they felt were missing from the deck. The deck always conjured a homespun imagery to the players and to this end room was made in the rules of the game to allow for more cards here, less cards there as the composition of player homelands dictated.
To prevent fights over lost gold it is thought that a boat captain from Mikona encouraged his men to find a badge to signify the winner of a game so that prestige would be his. This tradition spread and the only remaining badge we know of is the jade ring. A captain of a boat home-ported in Andarr was doing a brisk trade to Khanjar Kuro but fell victim to an attack at sea. Limping into a foreign port, cargo intact but taking on water and very light of crew they were stranded for weeks until the ship could be repaired.
During this time the captain took on many local sailors to crew his vessel and bring it home. Somewhere during the repairs or the journey home the decision to use the jade ring as the badge became a subject of much scrutiny by the crew, by the time they reached Andarr even the Andarran sailors were convinced that there was a connection to the cards and spirits.
This concept was like a fire to dry brush when it reached the ears of Tyeduans and Romini and has been a principle method of opening the mind to the whispers of the spirits ever since. The use of the jade ring as a badge has been forgotton by most practitioners. Availability of the mineral doomed it being able to secure a firm place as a required article of the person doing the reading. It is however regarded everywhere as a luck and skill giving item, something an owner of one would prize.
