Book 1, Chapter 1: Haunted Fortunes

Its origin lost to the mists of time, the art of Harrowing (that is, reading one's fortune using a set of tarot cards called a Harrow deck) is an ancient, respected and feared tradition throughout Varisia. Well, maybe not feared by gamblers who use such decks to play a game called Towers, but even that activity is frowned upon by the average Varisian, if not outright considered disrespectful towards a sacred object. Given its importance to those in Korvosa and beyond, pretty much everyone knows that a Harrow deck is made up of 54 cards. Each card symbolizes the six basic abilities of a creature, its moral and ethical stance, and the outlook of events past, present, and future. Most people know the basic meaning or symbolism of each card, but it takes a truly gifted Harrower to interpret them, depending on their positioning during an actual Harrowing.

Sezuram wakes up in his bed abruptly just as dawn breaks. Another nightmare. The story always the same, memories from the time he was accused of murder and expelled from the church of Pharasma. Yet something is different this time. Next to his pillow is a Harrow card.

Upon closer inspection, it is the Twin, true neutral card of charisma. The doppelganger represents duality of purpose or identity, or indecision and fence-sitting. Perhaps his own, as he's sat on the fence for quite some time, instead of hunting down the man responsible.

Tider Valomoor finds a similar Harrow card in front of him as he opens his eyes, knelt in prayer at the Temple of Pharasma. Perhaps an answer to his prayers, or a sign from the goddess?

His is the Rabbit Prince, chaotic neutral card of dexterity. It represents the caprice of battle, and the prince's broken sword indicates that defeat may come to anyone. The card sometimes represents younger members of royal or noble houses.

Marcus Cole finds the harrow card in one of his pockets, though he's pretty sure he hasn't been close to neither a Harrower or a gambler for quite some time.

As he's well aware of, the Locksmith is the lawful neutral card of dexterity. It represents the keys the subject needs to unlock his fate. The card grants the tools needed to unlock some new place, puzzle, or hoard, but provides no information as for the lock itself.

Each card itself is unmarred, but written in bold ink on the back is a short message, identical for each:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate and justice must be done.

You all spend most of the day around Midland, the cosmopolitan and friendly district most people think when "Korvosa" comes up, since the address is in that area. More specifically, it's in the West Dock area, a rugged ward with barely any residences but an extensive number of warehouses, fish processing facilities, and the remains of a block dedicated solely to meatpacking. As locals, you're well aware that the prevailing winds push the meaty stink of the ward southeast, providing much of High Bridge and Citadel Volshyenek, headquarters of the Korvosan Guard, with unending waves of unpleasantness, so you give that part of Midland a wide berth anyway. It's pretty much the same with the docks, not just because of the buildings but the people too, unwelcome but stubborn followers of Menoth and visitors from the wilds preaching the evils of civilization and urging fishermen and crabbers to release their catches back into the river. A trot through the Slope with its absent-minded academics moving between libraries and museums is much more preferable, as is a walk around Pillar Hill, the most demographically diverse ward in Midland—and indeed, the entire city. Housing both fabulously wealthy merchants in its northern corner, beneath the shadow of Castle Korvosa, and hard-working laborers and longshoremen along the Pillar Wall south of Pillar Hill Boulevard, the ward also claims variety in the races and ethnicities of its residents. Whether it's walking around the shops of Eodred's Walk and the Goldmarket or grabbing a drink at the Bailer's Retreat or the Creaky Hammock, the day slips by and the sun begins to set. You have an appointment to make.

Marcus is the first to arrive on location at 3 Lancet Street, a small, humble home in the West Dock area of Midland. Pushing the unlocked door, he walks into a single cozy chamber that takes up the entire building. The room is filled with a fragrant haze of flowers and strong spice, an aroma that comes from several sticks of incense smoldering in wall-mounted burners that look like butterfly-winged elves. The smoke gives the room a dreamy feel. The walls are draped with brocaded tapestries, one showing a black-skulled beast juggling human hearts, and another showing a pair of angels dancing atop a snow-blasted mountain. A third tapestry on the far wall depicts a tall, hooded figure shrouded in mist, holding a flaming sword in a skeletal hand. Several brightly colored rugs cover the floor, but the room’s only furnishings are a wooden table covered by a bright red throw cloth and several elegant, tall-backed chairs. A basket covered by blue cloth sits under the table, while on the table is a piece of paper, weighed down with a stone paperweight. Cautiously walking in, Marcus puts the paperweight aside and picks up the note to read it. The handwriting seems to be the same as the one on the back of the Harrow card he found, so it's safe to assume the same person wrote both.

"Thank you for coming. I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly. Please, have a seat while you wait. The basket under the table contains bread and drink for you."

Taking his eyes off the note, Marcus notices two male figures standing outside the entrance of the house: a half orc and an elf.

Marcus takes a closer look at the room's furnishings. Considering his invitation came on the back of a Harrowing card, the setup itself feels a lot like a fortune reader's shack should. That might explain the tapestries too, the beast for evil, angels for good and the flaming sword on a skeletal hand for neutrality's balance and judgement.

Sezuram flicks the basket's cloth to find bread and a bottle of wine inside. It's a little stale, as he and Tider get to find out, but filling. The wine itself looks decent, a deep dark red one that's hard to get wrong unless you've left it long enough to turn into vinegar.

It is then that a fourth guest, a half elf, shows up at the door.

Vartan has only taken a few steps inside the house, when an attractive, middle-aged woman enters behind him and shuts the door. From her facial features and slight accent, it's easy to tell she's of Varisian origin. Dressed in simple, but colorful clothes complete with a headband, she does fit the look of a fortune teller you'd expect, given the hut's decoration and overall atmosphere.



"And Marcus" she says, as if making up for Vartan's hardship in remembering the man's name. "Marcus Cole. You must be Yoshikaga Vartan." She looks at the other two. "Tider Valomoor... and Sezuram. My name is Zellara Esmeranda. Thank you for coming, my friends, and for putting up with my unconventional method of contacting you. I have reason to remain hidden, you see—a vicious man would see great harm done to me if he knew I was reaching out for help. This man 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. You see, a year ago, his thieves stole this, my Harrow deck, from me" she begins, producing a Harrow deck from her clothes' foldings. As she continues to talk, you can't help but notice her idly shuffling the cards, her skill with the deck obvious as the cards seem to float and dance through her fingers.

"This one is important to me, a heirloom passed down through a dozen generations, and also my sole means of support. When Lamm’s pickpockets stole it, my son Eran tracked them down and returned my deck to me. But Gaedren had him followed, and soon after he left my home, Gaedren’s thugs murdered him. I sought help from the Korvosan 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 17, where he trains abducted children to be pickpockets and counts his stolen treasures. But I need your help. I cannot hope to face this man on my own, and the Guard moves so slowly that if they were willing to help, Gaedren would certainly know of their coming well in advance. And even if they arrested him, what guarantee would I have he would be punished? This criminal has evaded the law 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. So there we are. It is time for him to pay."

Not waiting for you to answer yes or no, she takes a seat on the table. "Allow me to provide something to guide you on your way. Free of charge, of course." Zellara deals each a closed card, with Marcus getting the Locksmith, Tider receiving the Rabbit Prince, the Avalanche for Sezuram and The Dance for Vartan. Instinctively, Marcus and Tider reach for the card they received, yet it is not there; somehow it's found its way back to the woman's deck.



"This first part is called the Choosing and the cards represent you, relative to the reading. I sense two of four hold special importance the way the cards were dealt. You, Marcus, hold the keys to unlock this group's destiny somehow. As for you, Tider, you somehow identify with the Rabbit Prince deep inside you, don't you? You're not surprised he came to you again, even though he is quirky and capricious. He stands for the chaos of melee combat, you know, so may his blessings guard you every time you find yourself in it. I'm not sure why the Avalanche has chosen Sezuram, might be the boiling rage of orcish blood in him or some other power waiting to be unleashed all of a sudden and as for Vartan, I can tell just by looking at him that his Dance is what his moves look like in combat."

The woman returns the cards to her deck and shuffles it again, laying nine new cards in a three by three square in front of her which Harrow readers refer to as 'The Spread'.





"The left column of three cards represents the secrets of the past, top to bottom from good to ill. It also represents law, for the past is unchangeable and set in stone. In your case it seems devoid of good, just like the column is devoid of any good-aligned cards. I see the Snakebite on top but given the placing, you were able to avoid the assassin's strike; whether it was a positive mental leap, discovery or formation of a new friendship, it helped you avoid Lamm's venomous influence. For those that have a past near him, I think this card represents how you made the leap away from the man; for those who don't, this card is your discovery that he was the one to blame for your misfortune, the hand that wields the poisoned blade. The Queen Mother is underneath it and at the spot it's meant to be in the Spread, very important that. She knows all but does not reveal anything to anyone who does not show her proper worship, just like you pledged yourself to whoever raised and trained you, be they a master that demands respect or a church that calls for your actual worship. You've noticed the card depicts her as an ant queen; that's because she is fond of the powerless and the underclasses, for they serve her when the more powerful refuse, just like you've come in from the streets to fill in for the Guard's shortcomings. Looking at the darker side of your past I see the Idiot, but given his place in the Spread, his meaning is mixed and with the four of you together it's made more unclear. Were you made to look foolish because of Lamm's actions, or have you been wasting away your time in trifling matters like this old fool on the card, while goblins of guilt and shame kept poking your guts? It matters not, for you are now here to do something about it, and that's how we move to the next column."

"The central column of three cards represents the events of the present. This column also represents neutrality; the present is the sum total of the events of the past yet opens up to the infinite possibilities of the future, and as such is a crossroads between order and entropy. I'm not surprised to see the Survivor up on top and perfectly aligned. Just like you, he has been through a rough ordeal but he has made it through, the ghosts of his fellows who didn't still around him. This card also symbolizes change and rebirth, the one that can only come after a trial by fire. You have the chance to not only deliver justice and get revenge, but also to change through this process, leave your past behind and become someone new or finally put the pain and shadows of the past at rest so you can face the future. That's what the Trumpet symbolizes underneath it I'd say, this new found power, the power of all for of you combined under this common cause now that you've answered the summoning horn. Yet there's a ghost that lingers beside the Empty Throne, a ghost that's gone but still here with you, teaching you important lessons should you choose to listen. You must however set that ghost to peace, for the card itself is misaligned and thus the spirit is restless."

"The right column of three cards represents future events that might, or might not, come to pass. This column also represents by chaos, for the future is not set and anything is possible. Fittingly enough, all of its three cards are partially misaligned, sending mixed signals. The Hidden Truth up here symbolizes the ability to see past the obvious and the banal to a greater truth within. Sometimes this discovery is an esoteric one, sometimes it is a literal find, such as an item revealed within a room, but regardless, it is a card with the power to reveal secrets. Beware of your finding though, for it may end up being to your detriment due to this card's position on the Spread. It sure will stir up trouble I can tell, because the Beating is right underneath it. Looks like you'll find yourself surrounded and in the middle of something greater than yourselves, but in that moment lies hidden strength within, a chance to come together perhaps and become something greater than just the sum of your individual parts. With the Rakshasa sitting down here, the card of dominance and mind control, I would expect someone to trick or command groups of people against you. You can see the creature is sitting serenely upon the back of a slave; this can indicate an exterior force imposing itself upon another being, whether as literal slavery or, more often, mental enslavement to a force or idea. You will find yourselves up against fanaticism and misguided people, but with the card partially misaligned here, you will have a chance to cast off the enslavement in the face of new information that reveals its falsehood or true motives.

Now go."

Zellara nods with a sad smile as Marcus offers his condolences for the loss of her son. "I lack the details of what Gaedren has done to each of you, but I know my loss cannot be replaced, only avenged. His death will surely prevent other innocent people from suffering like we all have because of him, though if you're not the chivalrous types, I can at least hope your desire for personal vengeance is as strong as mine. Worry not for the Guard, I don't think they'd get in your way and neither would they mind much if a known criminal turns up dead at some abandoned old fishery."