The sun hasn’t risen over Icewind Dale in two years. Many believe that the
goddess of winter’s wrath -- Auril, the Frostmaiden -- is weaving a spell to
lengthen winter and increase the suffering of Ten Towns. No one knows exactly why,
but the people of Icewind Dale are hoping for heroes to step up and save them
from the everlasting night.
On behalf of Sheriff Markham Southwell of Bryn Shander, bounty hunter Hiln
Trollbane has hired a group of adventurers: Anatol, a human paladin of
Amaunator; Harvan Stonebridge, a halfling cleric of Yondalla; Ligs, a dwarf
fighter from the Dwarven Valley; Ratimir, a human bard; Ziff,
a kobold rogue; Glim Peppadimmie, a gnome druid; and Lain Sorenstarr, a drow ranger. What began
as a search for a serial killer has become a struggle for the survival of Icewind Dale, and perhaps the world itself.
Focus: Donjon
Past: Warrior (Ten of Swords)
Present: Avenger (One of Swords)
Future: Necromancer (Eight of Stars)
Journey: Abjurer (Four of Stars)
Ratimir was about to bed down for the night in Kresselack’s cavern suite when he
decided a cup of milk and a biscuit or two would do him well. He pulled his
heavy woolen socks back on and padded down the corridor back to the dining
chamber, whose table was still laden with hearty foods and pitchers of drink. He
saw the rest of his comrades were all there enjoying precious moments of
relaxation, either deep in their cups or perusing the selection of books on the
shelves. Kresselack was sitting at his accustomed place at the head of the table
staring into the middle distance. Ratimir decided – right there on the
spot – to pull out his Tarokka deck and offer Kresselack a reading. He
was surprised when Kresselack said yes and leaned forward towards the deck,
bony visage in rapt attention. This was unexpected: fortunes are for the living.
What surprises remain for the dead?
This was the first time the rest of the Dawnbringers had observed the Tarokka
ritual from the outside, and as Ratimir shuffled and set the deck on the table,
they saw golden, gossamer threads reach out from the cards and wind themselves
around Kresselack's body, then extend outward to tether each of them in turn.
Ratimir's face was thinly veiled by a floating, transparent crystalline mask
with a third eye crafted into the forehead.
Kresselack reached a bony limb to cut the deck, then brought his empty eye
sockets to bear on the cards as they fell...
Focus (the Crown Deck a.k.a. The Fortuna Magna)
What has brought you to the reading? Is it a question that you have for the
deck or is it a question that the deck has for you? This is the “frame” card for
your reading – it offers you a key to interpret the four cards that follow. It
also brings to the fore questions and ideas that are swirling around in your
head, even if you don’t know them yet.
Response: The Donjon
A sharp intake of breath – a hiss – escapes from Kresselack when he turns this
card face up: a mirror image of the rough-hewn halls that constitute his home
and prison in the Vale of Shadows. He looks up at Ratimir expecting a joke, a
cruel card trick, but sees nothing but absence in Ratimir’s eyes, his jaw slowly
working as a hollow voice reads the omens...
Is there anyone in Icewind Dale who knows imprisonment more intimately than
Kresselack, the Black Wolf – the shackled Black Wolf –
left to moulder and decay, who witnesses everything yet can change nothing, his
world reduced to 50 paces, his companions in life and death now grown weary,
petulant, and irksome? He sees her shadow loom larger over his land and folk
with every cycle of moon and can do nothing...he grasps for one final gambit, a
bid for freedom: the one called Anatol Mrazdan, he holds the key to
his delivery, vengeance, and the fate of Lysan. Lysan! Is the
Donjon a portent for Kresselack or for his beloved, Lysan, locked away
Oghma-knows-where by that hellbitch of a half-sister? He knows she calls to him
as he to her...this Anatol, he has dreams of a grey wolf with green eyes, an
amulet he knows well. A message from one captive to another, smuggled in an
unwitting vessel? Does this Stärna share his and Lysan’s fate of captivity,
seclusion, and exile?
The Past
This represents past influences on you, already known to you or they may
still be a mystery. A person? A legacy? An event?
Response: Warrior (Ten of Swords)
Kresselack arranges his troops in battle line, the folk of Icewind Dale, a
hodgepodge of fishermen, miners, trappers, and rogues, now forged into a
formidable troop of warriors under the command of the Black Wolf. Across the
field, a mass of malformed creatures, crafted into grotesque mockeries of their
former selves by the necromancer Damien Morienus, cavort, shriek, and soil
themselves in anticipation of blood and bludgeon. Kresselack issues his final
commands and with Lysan at his side, moves into the vanguard – battle-hardened
and towering over his bannermen, Kresselack leads the charge...The Master of
Swords is triumphant on the field.
Kresselack, holding a quill in his massive and calloused hand, writes the
foundations of an enlightened society into being. Laws based on respect and
compassion, a government just and fair, roads that bring trade and news from the
Reghed Glacier to the Redwaters...The Master of Swords presides over a nation
pieced together from the squabbling settlements of Icewind Dale.
The Ten of Swords is power channeled towards a lawful end, be it on the
battlefield or in the halls of justice. Few embody the principles of the
Warrior like Kresselack and his legacy lives in all who pursue the common good
by the strength of their arm or their power to lead and inspire. He once scried
on an elf who fell in battle while vanquishing an ancient white dragon and was
reborn as a dwarf...something in this “Lyggz” reminded Kresselack of himself:
brash, confident, loyal, and ready to lay down his life for a principle or a
friend. Strength over stratagem, perhaps, but a being who exerts his power for
the sake of others.
The Present
This card offers insight into a current situation, but one that is immanent in
nature – a situation that is “becoming.”
Response: Avenger (One of Swords)
Imprisoned in the Vale of Shadows by Geluvicken,
Kresselack’s plan – hatched centuries ago – is coming to fruition: a
psychic nudge here, an astral visitation there, the pieces have all come
together. Kresselack will, of course, claim that it is all about restoring the
rule of justice to the Ten Towns, but he knows in his heart that sending that
icy cunt, his sister Geluvicken, to the darkest hole in the deepest layer of the
Abyss would give him satisfaction beyond anything. Not just for himself –
Kresselack may act from self-interest but is never wholly selfish – but
for his beloved, Lysan. It’s the memory of people you loved and whom you failed
that drive you onwards...there is one who caught Kresselack’s attention this
evening...the quiet observer who bides his time and sharpens his blades. A
kobold driven from his clutch, who sought refuge in the companionship of wizards
and mariners and was betrayed time and again. That one knows the path to
justice comes at a high cost, but that swift justice is a coin he’s willing pay.
Kresselack – and this Ziff – will grind whatever grist
the mill requires to see the traitors, the oath breakers, and the tyrants
brought low.
The Future
The card suggests future events, allies, and enemies. The card could very well
represent your fate, but always with the possibility of changing your
course...provided you properly interpret the reading.
Response: Necromancer (Eight of Stars)
Life in death, death in life...Kresselack looks at his bony arm, denuded of
living flesh and muscle, and remembers the pain and horror of his final moments
as he understood for the first time the extent of Geluvicken’s treachery. The
poison reached his throat and breath became impossible – he could utter no
words of warning to Lysan as Geluvicken loomed behind her. And then
darkness, light, and then...something else...a lesser life of shadows, and
sorrow. There is one in this group who knows the secrets of life and death...the
halfling who peered into the void. The undead recognize that look in another of
their kind; you carry that mark of fell knowledge you whether you wish it or
not. You don’t come back from the void complete, you always carry a piece of it
with you. And that one – who calls himself Harvan –
has seen something on the other side that he cannot – or mustn’t –
tell his companions. Kresselack grimaces in sympathy.
“Wait...” the Voice-That-Was-Ratimir says “...the necromancer is not for you alone”.
The Eight of Stars is power that turns against itself: a being who sows the
seeds of their own destruction. The skeletal figure depicted on the card
momentarily blurs and is replaced by an image of one Kresselack knows too well:
his half-sister Geluvicken, arrayed in regal garments, broken
swords at her feet, sitting in a vast and empty throne room. Behind her, a dark
cloud gathers, illumined from within by flashes of green and purple lightening,
sending out tendrils of darkness that slip under Geluvicken’s skin. Kresselack
feels a sense a hope: Geluvicken’s ambition may prove her undoing, her pursuit
of dark powers and darker allies a fatal error in judgement. Perhaps through
newly gained knowledge and its cunning application, there is hope of defeating
the malignant powers that gather beyond the horizon.
The Journey
This card indicates the process, the journey, and the aspects to your reality as
you move through life...to your fate? Or your goal? It may tell of a person, a
place or an artifact that you may encounter along your path, or it may foretell
your actions and attitude along the way.
Response: Abjurer (Four of Stars)
Investigation, logic, and the gathering information lie along the path to
victory...few ever thought Kresselack would prove to be an incisive thinker. It’s
a prejudice that giants and their goliath kin know well. But when the fighting
and the warring and the contests of physical might were finished, few remembered
that Kresselack would return to his quarters with a book in hand, perhaps a
history of the frozen far or a book of engineering marvels. Those who
underestimated Kresselack’s knowledge of lore, history, and law regularly stood
chastened. Only Lysan appreciated the brain before the brawn; damn, that was a
good woman. Kresselack smiles a toothy grin...knowledge will be key to defeating
Geluvicken and her monstrous allies. This Ratimir...he looks like someone who
has read a book or two. There are keys to defeating Geluvicken that lie in the
musty pages of books...one library in particular comes to mind...that one in the
holdfast at Caer Dineval. “I wonder if it’s still there?” Kresselack thinks,
“Perhaps I ought to scry on it sometime.”
Focus: The Marionette
Past: The Hooded One (Seven of Swords)
Present: The Priest (Ten of Glyphs)
Future: The Trader (Three of Coins)
Journey: The Soldier (Three of Swords)
Focus (the Crown Deck a.k.a. The Fortuna Magna)
What has brought you to the reading? Is it a question that you have for the deck or is it a question that the deck has for you? This is the “frame” card for your reading – it offers you a key to interpret the four cards that follow. It also brings to the fore questions and ideas that are swirling around in your head, even if you don’t know them yet.
Response: The Marionette
Sven can scarcely hold a giggle back. Control, manipulation, and powers behind the veil...this is Sven’s bread and butter and there is no one – no one – who plays the game better than him. He has all of these fools dancing to his tune, those who serve him willingly and those that don’t yet realize they are doing the same. Even Professor Tutelage who thought he could steer Sven’s ambition into a life of obscurity and intellectual servitude...look at him now: an empty husk of man, his mind a desolation, mumbling the same sorry excuses over and over. The notion of pulling threads and watching the puppets dance a jig brings a shudder of delight to Sven; he owns the chumps he manipulates - Ratimir more than any other - and there is nothing more thrilling than domination masked by a smile.
Sven’s confidence is so powerful that the alternative read never occurs to him: could Sven be the dupe all along, steered by powers he’s only dimly aware of? Sven knows he has a master he must answer to, but certainly the marionette cannot twist the threads that bind him nor steer the puppeteer’s hand like he does. Sven the Puppet? Impossible - what an absurdity! And yet...
The Past
This represents past influences on you, already known to you or they may still be a mystery. A person? A legacy? An event?
Response: The Hooded One (Seven of Swords)
Sven knows stupidity and brutality first-hand. How else to describe that shit hole of a village he grew up in? The dull, empty face of the uncle who raised him and who – when deep in his cups of that piss-swill they drank back home – made sure that Sven got to know every hairy knuckle of his calloused farmer’s fist. Every wife looked like her husband and the children of the village were uniformly drooling cretins, cowering in their hovels at night for fear of strangers, new ideas, and change. It’s a wonder that Sven ever escaped alive; always derided for his namby-pamby airs and graces, he wouldn’t have lasted much longer before they found his body tossed onto the village’s dung heap. A lucky chance sent his deliverance: a guslar with an eye for pretty young things who spotted Sven and offered to train him in the skaldic craft and bring him to the capital. It was probably a lie but it didn’t really matter: a few months later, Sven found himself in possession of the man’s gusle, dancing belt, and repertoire of epic poems, and the man himself in a shallow grave strangled with a gusle-string. But what joy when he reached Heliogabalus and its lore-stead of the bardic arts presided over by the indomitable Professor Tutelage! With his charming smile, witty banter, and eye for opportunity, the world would surely be his for the taking!
Happily musing on his inestimable talent – nay, genius – and ability to sniff out every opportunity, an unwelcome thought intrudes. The Hooded One...a hooded viper...Cuso. Sven had misgivings about bringing Cuso along; something about the cold, dead eyes sends a shudder down his spine, even now. But it wasn’t his choice. He...it...they made it clear: Cuso would be there every step of the way, looking over his shoulder and following his every move. Cuso, or no deal. He’s seen Cuso in action - merciless, fast, and brutal – and fears that the tool might easily become a weapon pointed in his own direction
The Present
This card offers insight into a current situation, but one that is immanent in nature – a situation that is “becoming.”
Response: The Priest (Ten of Glyphs)
Devotion to a cause higher than himself, transcendence beyond his own desires, dreams, and ambitions, joining himself to the collective consciousness of all thinking beings, an essence at one with creation....what hogwash. Sven has one higher master and that master is Sven. Sven is at the heart of creation and as such, deserves all of its finest things: silken clothes, delicately spiced sweetmeats, lyric poetry set to dulcet tunes, the caress of a properly devotional lover. And woe to whomever stands in the way. Sven is his own god and his own high priest, and beneath his beautiful gaze, everyone else is a bug. Sven flatters himself into thinking that he is his own man: he may profess loyalty to those mightier than him, but such an oath can’t ever really bind him. Sven, blinded by his confidence and the ease with which he has risen in life, does not see the depth of his involvement with powers vastly more powerful than anything he has previously had dealings with or even imagined possible. Tentacles, an eye, and vistas of a world of endless dark and cold coalesce around Sven and then fade – he does not see them. But the Master sees Sven.
The Future
The card suggests future events, allies, and enemies. The card could very well represent your fate, but always with the possibility of changing your course...provided you properly interpret the reading.
Response: The Trader (Three of Coins)
The tinkling exchange of coins – what sweet music! Almost as sweet as his own voice. Sven doesn’t hold much to be true except for one thing: anything is negotiable. Words can be bought – just ask a bard! – and so too can people. Just ask that scarred lump Lugdush, the soul-broken paladin, the ranger-in-a-clown-suit, and that bird pretending to be something – anything – it is not. They’ll leap after the shiny baubles he tosses into the Abyss and thank him for it. And that pompous fart Professor Tutelage – to trade Ratimir’s pride, future, and adoration for the meagerest of rewards: a moment’s passing fame amongst the dusty mummies at the Royal Damaran Academy. How pathetic.
And now the ultimate negotiation: a temporary alliance that he senses may be deepening as relationships grow between his minions and those ridiculous “Dawnbringers”. Reversed, the trader is the sign of treachery, bad faith, and deals reneged on. Sven grins: he’s seen how the trader sizes up a chump...
The Journey
This card indicates the process, the journey, and the aspects to your reality as you move through life...to your fate? Or your goal? It may tell of a person, a place or an artifact that you may encounter along your path, or it may foretell your actions and attitude along the way.
Response: The Soldier (Three of Swords)
Sven grows uneasy at the sight of the final card. Victory is for the generals and the kings but the solider is lucky to make it through the war alive. So, the soldier fights on with no end in sight: drills, marching, digging...all towards the likelihood being crushed under his enemies’ boots in a blood-soaked field. This is not the journey Sven imagined for himself. Hard work is for the oafs he left behind in the village or for the muscle-bound thugs he’s hired.
Pshaw...this tarokka deck is cooked. No one controls Sven’s destiny but Sven...there are no gods, there is no history, there is only ambition and the will to power. Sven bats away the final tarokka card but his sense of disquiet does not fade...
