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For half a year, the Castle has been...dormant. It was necessary, for reasons unknown, so that things might be set back into their proper order. For six months, the cardholders simply...forgot. They were allowed, for a short while, to return to the normalcy of the outside world. There were some exceptions, moments in time when one or another was required and called back; or when one was driven by a simple, strong desire to return to the Castle. But then they would return to the outside, forgetting once more. It was like drifting in and out of consciousness, or a dream.

But now, the Castle is calling them back again. The cards will be found in whatever dusty corners they were flung to, and the residents will return. And what was forgotten will be remembered...



Current Weather: Look below! Saeru got this nifty link that gives the local weather of where he lives. Moon phases match the current ones, as do seasons (of course), and the time is one hour behind Gaian Time (GST). The location is Romania.
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Thread Updates:

October 3rd: Reshuffle... Redraw... October is here and things are changing... Something is in the wind. The nights are getting longer and something about them seems... Darker.



January 1st: The Masquerade is on! See pg. 1268 for the introductory post. All other posts reguarding settings will be announced and made note of as well. heart

The Contest for Emperor and Empress is ALSO on! Do you have what it takes to 'rule' a castle that has gone without rule for hundreds of years? Enter here if you think you do!

June 11: And now the contest is up for the Knight of Wands! Go and have a look here if you're interested.

May 27: Think you've got what it takes to become our Devil? Enter our http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13959443&page=1]Writing Contest! Make sure you read everything! Have fun, and good luck!

April 5: Congradulations to TheMadHatter! New cardholders popping up everywhere... Who's next?

April 1: Congradulations to Shockwave! The new bearer of the Moon card and all around snazzy dresser. Happy April First, everyone!

Or, rather, congradulations to Saint-Cinq for winning the Moon contest... And to Shariea who has been selected to take on the role of our High Priestess! Welcome to both of you!

Return of the Priestess: Pg 846

March 11: Moon Contest!! That's right. We're in search of our Moon. Think you have what it takes? Look around, make sure you read everything and enter away!

January 11: It's been a while since the last update but, all in all, we've gotten alot accomplished. The door's are finally over! Everyone remember what that means? No? Well, let's just say that the castle is going to begin preperations for a very important event. Stay tuned and thanks to everyone who participated in the doors!

October 25: H'okay, now that all the keys are accounted for, we're finally ready for the door. ^^ For those keyholders who decided to come along (Judgement, Magician, and Death), you can assume you got a brief little note from Justice saying that all the keys have been found, and to meet after sunset in the throne room. For the others of you (Lovers, World, Wheel), how you wind up at the right place at the right time is up to you; be it coincidence, following a rumor that something was going to happen, or some other such thing.

This technically is happening 'tomorrow' night, but we'll go ahead and start; post order's going to go in order of the 'players' listing Skye gives in the first post of the thread for the door, which is here: http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10614171
(Hmmn...I'm thinking to start at least, maybe not go with the list in the door thread for post order. We can at least get everybody gathered, that way.)

Post as you can, or just watch as the case may be, and hopefully soon we'll be having our ball. heart

October 14: Saeru's been working on redrawing all of the cards and doing a beautiful job with them at that. Of course, he's also taking our wishes into consideration. That being the case, he's set up a little thread for everyone to pop into and leave a few requests/ideas.

Card Request Thread: http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10479405

September 23: Woo, all set to do doors now ^^. So, if everyone going through the Belltower door could work out amongst themselves a time when you'll all be available, that would be great...the only day I'm consistently NOT free is Thursday, at least until late evening. Other than that, I'm usually around, although the best time to get me is after 8 PM EST usually (because some days, I just get dragged out without any real warning).

As for Death, we could work out a time if you'd like to, or just have a go sometime when we catch other and happen to be free.

Lastly, I'd still be happy for more people to go along with Justice for the throne room door (which our lovely Skye will be in charge of). Right now it's just Justice and the Magician. XD [Count is now Justice, Magician, Lovers, Wheel, World, Judgement.]

September 21: Lord, I'm bad at this update thing. xP Sorry. At any rate, I'll get to finishing up the the card history updates sometime this week, I hope. As for doors, I'm sorry they haven't happened yet. Once I get the summaries from Sae, we're good to go. biggrin

Speaking of doors, once the throne room door makes an appearance, Justice is going to go around collecting the other door keys to keep someone from being 'foolish' and trying to do the same. So if anyone wants to tag along for the door, just let me know ^^.

Oh, the memorable quotes have moved from the old, half-eaten thread they were in to one of the lower posts on the second page. So those are there for reminiscing and a few good laughs.

If you ever think there's something I should be doing (or doing faster, or better, whatever >.> wink , feel free to tell me. And if you have any suggestions for anything, go ahead and make them.


August 16: I'm going to start doing some updates to the card histories tonight, since it's been quite awhile since we had any of those. I'll just be going in order..and maybe a little slowly... [Finished so far: Fool, Magician, Lovers, Strength, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Devil, Tower, Star, Sun]
(There are probably several I'll be skipping for now...but they'll likely be updated the next time around, whenever that is. Certainly not as long in coming as this one was.)

Before I forget (again) to announce it, Skye Starrfyre's kindly agreed to assist me in GMing. heart

Also, there are doors wanting to be finished, if y'all would care to finish them. The Belltower remains and requires a group (Star, Devil, Strength, Adrian); the Graveyard is still to be done as well, and does not necessarily need one (Death'll be braving this one o.o.); last of all, there's the Throne Room, which will also need a group. So..if you'd like to sort yourselves out and decide who will be going where, I should hope we can get those done sometime after Labor Day (I'll be away in Michigan then and a few days prior for my brother's wedding). Once it's sorted out who's going where, we can figure out times.

And..there's been the strangest little bird glimpsed flitting around the courtyard-maze-garden area. Maybe it just escaped from the zoo? But...who's ever seen a copper bird?

August 10: A new thread, with a new GM (Meepfur). I'll be getting things all set up and in order ASAP; I should have the all the info up before too late tonight, I hope.

Later edit: If you've got holes in your card info (skills, class, height, journal), if you'd be so kind as to post what should be there, I'll get it filled in for you.

Also, as opposed to doing the 'hard reset' that was proposed and tossed around, it's been decided that the following occurred (as described in the italicized blurb at the beginning of this post):

Table of Contents
First page:
1. Intro/Weather/Updates
2. Legend/Saeru's Story
3. General Info + Art Info
4. FAQ
5. Guidelines
6. Old Tarot Story Links
7. Non-card RPers
8-15. Card Info Posts (Fool--Devil)
Second page:
16-26. Card Info Posts (Tower--Pentacles)
27. Links
28-30. Extra

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2. Legend

Legend
In a time long ago, and a place far away, things were different than here.

A castle in the middle of the world watched over four kingdoms...those of Wands, Cups, Pentacles, and Swords. It was an empire, and within the walls of the castle lay its court: twenty-two individuals bound to its glittering towers and massive structure. It was a place unrivaled by any in the known galaxy, and controlled by a force that none understood and few tried to comprehend.

The four kingdoms functioned as normal kingdoms would...they had kings, and queens, and trades...strongholds and borders. Yet once every ten years the royalty from each nation would visit the castle that bound them all together. It was a celebration of good times; always...a feast and a ball that always were unforgettable. Over time, however, the kingdoms began to realize that nothing within the castle ever changed. The same twenty-two were always there to form the court...only the servants in the glorious structure ever aged.

With that realization there came doubt...
until the day came that one new King of Wands entered the castle for the first time, and discovered its secrets. The force that bound the walls was broken, and the glittering walls became dull and silent. With nothing to hold the four kingdoms together, it wasn't long before they, too, faded into only memory... and that, too, with time, was nothing more.

All empires must fall.

Yet the force remained, if dormant, for all those years. It bided its time, waiting for a day when all the court was re-incarnated together...to call them home.

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3. General Info + Art Info

General Information
This was a project Saeru started for people that he knew in real life and also on Gaia...
or those on Gaia who had done something particularly nice for him in the past. These aren't easily purchasable pets (aside from auctions)...they're not really pets at all...but without one its a little hard to participate in the RP.

That doesn't mean we don't encourage others who don't have cards from coming to say hello. That's why the castle is set in a real location...anyone can reach it who knows about it.

As a matter of fact, the story is structured specifically without any of the minor arcana (the Wands, Cups, Pentacles, and Swords) because those players were only partially linked to the castle. Which means that, theoretically, since they are needed, those that come to the castle rather frequently and explore or converse with those who are there...could, in fact, become part of the deck themselves. The force that resides over the castle is a very powerful one...powerful enough to make changes. (In selecting some of the minor arcana...I will be enlisting the help of people who at that time already own cards. This isn't just me deciding. Its a group decision!)

(The above is the reason these are in the breedables section.)



Art Information

All original Tarot Story card art copyright Saeru.
All updated Tarot Story card art copyright ???

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4. FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does time work in relation to the tarot world and the real world?
A: The tarot world is in the real world. *pokes info about a castle appearing in Romania*

Q: Yes, yes, but... O.o;; is it two dimensions merging into one world? Considering it's been dormant for so long, and then has suddenly been reappearing again?
A: Yup. The castle appeared in our world, from an undisclosed point. Its rather hazy, because if I reveal too much then that gives away the plot.

Q: Aaaah.. Okay. So would that affect the time inside the tower?
A: Time inside the tower passes as normal time...going through the gate is just like going through a normal doorway, except it throws you several thousand miles away.

Q: Can more than one person go through the portal?
A: Ever so glad you asked! The answer is yes. Only the person holding the card will change, but anyone that gets through the door while it is still light will also be transported to the castle. So you can bring a friend...or...if you're in a not-so-private place...others could slip through. ^^ (This is a good way for some of you to discover your cards, also, since some of them are still in the castle.)

Q: Alright, so how do I aquire one of these cards?
A: There are currently three methods.
1. RP in here a lot, and impress us.
2. Win an auction or flatsale.
3. Win a writing contest.

Q: About that #1 there...do I just RP as myself?
A: Yep, that is fine. Of course, getting yourself to the castle when you don't have a card is the difficult part, but also part of the RP fun.

Q: Just how does a "non-card holder" get into the castle?
A: There are two ways for a non-card holder to get to the castle.
1. Being in Romania and running into it in its secluded little area.
2. Following a card-holder through their portal.

Q: Where does the portal lead when going to the castle?
A: Typically it would lead to your place of residence in the castle...where you would sleep if you lived there.

Q: Do we exit the same way we come in? Can we leave the castle?
A: Of course! The card will allow you to go back and forth between the two places...likely, when going to your normal life, you'll also appear in your place of residence....although nothing says that accidents can't happen if you have something else on your mind. ^.~

Important!
Q: So what is the point of the RPing?
A: To discover who we were in the past lives we're just starting to find out about...and, more importantly...what happened to the empire to make it fall. But also to interact and form relationships...and see what the Force has in store.

Q: Can I see larger pictures of the Images?
A: Sure! Just ask and we'll dig up the links for you.

Q: Is there more than one stage for these?
A: Three images of each card, if all goes well. The second stage will be a person's '"ballroom" gear, and the third will be what they are most often seen wearing.

Q: What if there is something I don't like about the RP?
A: Tell me! ^^ I can't change everything, but the point of this is for you to HAVE FUN. If you're not having fun, I'm not doing my job right. This shouldn't feel like a chore. I will do my best to find a compromise if there is something I'm doing you don't like.

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5. Guidelines

Guidelines

NEW: First and Foremost

A card must be roleplayed. If the player goes unseen for longer than two months without giving a notice of hiatus, a warning will be issued. If the warning is not acknowledged and the situation rectified, the cardholder will be considered as having willing given up their card at the discretion on the story teller and the situation and will be re-homed without further warnings.

Well, they're more like rules.

NUMBER ONE RULE:
Godmoding will NOT be tolerated. My definition of Godmoding? Doing something without giving another character time to react. But with the non-godmoding rule comes a strict old honor system. Know that your character can't avoid everything. Try and keep your hits and misses to about 50%.

Example of BAD scenario:
Player 1: "Player 1 shoots a bullet into Player 2's head that is fatal and causes Player 2 to die."

How this SHOULD be done:
Player 1: "Player 1 shoots a bullet, aiming at Player 2's head."
Player 2: "Player 2 had been reaching down to pick up a penny, and the bullet passes by harmlessly."

OR:
Player 1: "Player 1 shoots a bullet, aiming at Player 2's head."
Player 2: "Player 2 had been reaching down to pick up a penny, and so the bullet instead hits in his shoulder. He falls down, hurt."

(Try and keep even numbers of the two good examples.)

NUMBER TWO RULE THAT IS REALLY AN EXTENSION OF NUMBER ONE:
One-upping will not be tolerated.
Here is an example of one-upping.

Player 1: "I'm a werewolf and I bite you, so now you're a werewolf, too."
Player 2: "Oh no I'm not. My character is really part "blahbla" and so your werewolf curse won't work on him."

This is really important, because of the powers of the card holders. EVERYONE, including other card holders, are susceptible to these. The card holders have a slight advantage over humans in that they can usually counter with their own power (the Empress' protection being one of the best counters, but not absolute). This is because I trust the people that I'm chosing as card holders to not abuse their powers. Of course I want them to USE them...it makes for wonderfully interesting RP! But using them on everyone all the time will result in some serious consequences from me. It is physically and mentally draining for a card holder to use their power. The more energy they put into it, obviously, the stronger it is...but also the weaker they will be after using it.

NUMBER THREE

Now we're really getting into the guidelines. *grin* This is the part where I go over generally what I do, so you know what to expect and have an example to go off of (since I know for some of you that I chose that this is your first time in an online RP.)

EVERYONE should read this though, that intends to roleplay.

History: Starting off...you see that little description I wrote in each of the card sections? That is the stuff that you're allowed to discover on your own or learn about when talking with people. Try not to do this all at once...it will be more fun for you that way. As you discover more and more...I'll add more for you to discover. The history of Tarot world is deep and complex, and some of it hasn't even been decided yet. Not to mention that the Force has its own agenda for all of you...and that is still a secret.

Powers:....can be a lot of fun. After all, its nice to have an edge on people. Yet when you first arrive in the castle, you likely will have no idea what your power is. That is because it is Judgement's job to reveal it to you....thats HIS power. Once you figure it out, however, feel free to use it. It does require energy to do, however...which prevents one from abusing their powers. I trust each of you to generally know when enough is enough.

Journals: are for posting pretty much anything you'd like that you do on your own, or... if you get on AIM and do a one on one RP with another person, post that in there, as well. I'll be going through once every few days and writing summaries of whatever you post, that way those that don't feel like reading through all the journals can still keep up with what goes on.

I'm going to start a journal myself, and I will post in the updates when it has been added to. The reason for this is that, whenever anything major happens or there is a new development, I'll alert you in that manner. (For instance, the arrival of the servants, which can be used as your own personal NPCs. I'll say how many servants you get in your cardspace. There are exceptions to this, though...since The Empress and Emperor outrank people on controlling servants. More will be explained in time.) Prior to their arrival, the castle was completely empty and a little dusty, but not so much that everything doesn't still work.

Finally, if you havn't given me a link to either a journal with your arrival story, or a webpage with it, then you can't RP in the thread. Reason? Well, thats simple. How can you be at the castle if you havn't arrived? ^^

Castle:
http://members.cox.net/green-tea_shinobi/ts/castle1.jpg
That, there, is the CASTLE. Go look at it. Places that say "Living space," as well as the towers, are open for where rooms would be. The living space can also be said to be other rooms...such as a study, bathroom, etc. There are 5 floors of free space to play with. Not a to-scale drawing...as this place really should feel very huge, and I know I didn't accurately size the rooms comparitively.
Room descriptions can be found here!

North is the leftmost side of the paper...for example, the Arena is in the northeast corner of the property. Towers that are currently occupied:
1-Hermit
2-Devil
3-Magician
4-Death
5-Empress
6-Wheel
7-Judgement
8-Chariot
9-Hierophant
10-Priestess
Only card owners can live in towers...and now, all towers are/will be occuppied.

Room descriptions (currently pending):
Entrance Halls: Saeru
Throne Room: Saeru
Ballroom: needed
Library: Shock
Music Room:
Toy Room: Apathetic Noncholance
Dining Room: Saeru
Kitchen: Lady
Pool area: Sin
Stables/zoo: Iris_Viris
Garden/maze: Naraka
Arena: Arfaen

Skills:
Each card is allowed three skills. I may change this to five if three proves too restrictive, but for now its three. These are basically things that you can do REALLY well...if you needed to, you could compete with this skill in a contest. These, however, you won't know about when you first arrive. You must discover them on your own...either from seeing (like Death discovering her old sketchbook) or through action (The World picking up the Lute and playing it, or Strength having animals talk to her). One final thing on skills...these are things that can be learned by people, not supernatural things.

Location: Please mention where you are as often as possible, or put your location in your sig. This is to prevent confusion in the easiest manner possible.

Servants:
Each card is alotted between 1 and 5 personal servants. These are people who are just there to take care of you, and do what you ask them to. This could be anything from getting your food to dressing you, running errands, etc. You're completely in charge of RPing your personal servants. They can be from anywhere on the globe you want them from, but always they are from the bottom, most oppressed classes. e.e You can treat them however you'd like, but don't expect your servants to stick around if they're too abused. All demons and angels automatically just get 1 servant, unless a special request has been made(like with Death). The rest are based off of castle hierarchy.
NEW SERVANT INFO:
The servants, in all cases, are coming from environments worse than what they are now in. They do not receive paychecks, yet there IS a town within about a half a days walk. Its a fairly archaic town...in the boonies and not in contact with civilization. There might be a single radio there, somewhere, but that would be about as advanced as it gets besides a possible post office. It would have a bar, and stores, though, and there are things around the castle that likely servants find that just aren't needed anymore that they can take and sell, or could send back to relatives in their hometowns to sell. So it wouldn't be an ODD thing for them to leave for a day or so, but it wouldn't be a common thing either.


Fighting info:
Basically, if you and a character decide you would like to get into a fight, one of two things could happen.
A. You discuss beforehand and establish a victor or anything else that should occur. The entire fight is directed, in this fashion, by the two people involved, and the outcome is known possibly before the fight even begins.
B. If you'd like a fight that is a little more random, I've come up with a system based off of the old AMPS rules. However, only one of you out there is actually familiar with that system, so here are the basics.
1. You and said person have RPed the point up to your fighting. Stop there if you wish to continue with this method, and contact a third party to be a "mediator." This third party has to be agreed upon by both people that are doing the fighting.
2. Set up a time for the three(or more) of you to either get together in an RP thread or on AIM/ICQ/etc. Then you can either both appeal to the third party to decide a winner, have the third party roll a die/use an online randomizer taking into account the strengths/weaknesses of a person(for instance a person with a combat skill fighting against a person without one would have a good advantage...or a person with manipulation having an argument with someone without it would have the same kind of advantage), or proceed onto step three.
3. If you'd like to have a little more fun with this fight...
Actually RP it. Both characters start out with 100 HP, and post their attacks/defenses. The mediator then takes HP away as they see fit based on how creative or effective they feel the posts are. I will often be free to do mediating if you'd like. Also, the mediator can have the fight last long or short, or adjust the amount of HP a person has. (An example: Wearing armor could give a certain + to the HP amount, but then the mediator has to keep in mind when taking away HP during the fight that armor decreases the speed of a warrior.) Having a mediator is really like borrowing a temporary DM that decides what your dice rolls are. This is why its important to get a mediator that both parties agree to.
4. When the fight in the RP is done, either post a link to it in the thread, or have one of the three participants write out a summary.
5. Any more Qs? See the FAQ, as that is where I'll be putting up problems that occur.


Class System:

I've been approached by a lot of people about this one, and I think I'd like to implement it.

Basically, the reason is because of skills. A person is willing to take whatever kinds of skills they would like to have...but certainly a person would have more skills than just the three on that list, correct? Well, thus classes are introduced. I'd like each of you to tell me what class you'd like. This could be something like a "theif" class, or a "Housemaker" class. Whatever class you want to have should be something related to the theme of your card. (For example, I'd expect the Empress to take soemthing like either a "Leadership" class or a "Social skills" class.) Then, anything that you can JUSTIFY as being in the realm of your class...you'd be considered to be above average in. (Example: If the Chariot had a "fighter" class, then he'd be more naturally adept at killing things than someone with a "bard" class.) This also means that, likely, something not in your class you wouldn't be as good at. I don't want to see people that are fighters running around composing symphonies, and lately I think people have rather been exagerating on their sub-skills. This class system I hope will prevent that.

In light of this new development, if you would like to CHANGE the three "main" skills that you have in order to get something out of your class or something to enhance your class, just PM me and I'll do that for you. ^^

Please ask any questions about something that confuses you. I've left a lot of generalities in here so that I can come up with specifics as I'm approached about them and add them to the FAQ.

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6. Old Tarot Story Links

Original Thread

Second Thread

First Flatsale Thread

Summary Thread

Room Description Thread

Fool Auction

Lovers Auction

Memorable Quotes

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7. Non-card RPers

This section is for people interested in getting a card via RPing. You don't have to keep a journal to be in this spot, but you do have to tell me that you're interested in a card. ^^ Also, in order to RP, you have to submit to me the story of how you got to the castle. This can be a gaia post or on a webpage; please PM this mule account with it.

NOTE: If you're making a journal...please don't post a lot of entries. I'm really only looking for how you got to the castle, since it would be impossible for me to keep up with all of the cards and these. ^^ Thank you.

Current Non-card RPers:
Drew Alban
LP
Manda
Kiern
Tbiris

Former non-card RPers who have gained cards:
Meepfur (Justice)
slyabney (Sun)
Roundtable (Magician)
TheMadHatter (Hierophant

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8. 0 Fool / I Magician

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Fool

Trump #: 0
Power: Amusement
Name: Lady Vincira
Height: 5'3
Servants: 1
Journal: Journal

Skills:

Class:

Card Meaning: Embarking in a new way of life/new journey/starting over. One has made peace with oneself, and has no worries or fears. Often it deals with being in touch with ones deeper intuition and innocence...the inner truth of the fool will guide her.

History: Born at the castle, The Fool had a habit of simply not making sense to people. She was very unlucky in this regard, since she really had a lot to say, and could oftentimes see a situation for what it really was. Yet wording wasn't always her gift...or perhaps other's interpretations of what she said were just severely lacking...and it seemed that what she said hit closely on the truth and yet was completely absurd.

Finding no way around this dilemma...she went with it...and was adopted as the final card into the set.

Though she was as much and valid a part of the set as any other, she was also, in a way, held oddly apart from it. The Fool had a remarkable knack for unsettling people, whether she meant to or not...it was difficult to tell. Because it wasn't just that she didn't often make sense..or at least not the sense most people make...but there was also open speculation as to the state of her sanity. Many also wondered what the cause might be; for as far as anyone knew, there was no history of such things in her family.

They say..some gifts come at a price. Was this, then, the price of the Fool's? But what could be worth a cost so high?

Some people were not simply unsettled by her, but downright frightened of her. Perhaps even her parents were among these...or maybe they were merely embarrassed to have such a strange daughter. Was the deck itself embarrassed to count such a one among their number..or just resigned?

Ironic, then...that she was the one who could save them.



User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Magician
(first version of card)

Trump #: 1
Power: Control
Name: Roundtable
Height: 6'2"
Journal: Here
Servants: 4

Skills:
Illusion

Class: Magician

Card meaning: Suggests that everything in the universe is spread out before us, waiting to be manipulated to our desires. What is considered to be reality may only be an illusion. It has a deep understanding of how to use the resourses at ones disposal...one controls one's own destiny.

History: Arguably the most powerful figure in the Court, the Magician was nevertheless under strict guidelines that could not be broken. He alone could manipulate the force which guarded the castle, but at the same time it manipulated him...prevented him from using all that he had access to.

Still, his history is rather unique. Whenever a new member of the Minor Arcana court was inducted, the Magician would take them deep within the bowels of the castle...and allow a single wish to be granted to them.

That was, within reason, of course.

It was a very frustrating life for him, however...and it was always argued whether he had even wanted the mass power he had been given. But it was his, and he was its... not the same but impossibly intertwined.

It was somehow fitting..that someone involved in the creation of the castle...was to become its Magician. And in light of that tie, it was no real surprise that he would become one of the court..

..whether he wanted to be or not.

For as someone who had helped to engineer its making, he of course was privy to certain secrets...secrets the castle needed him to keep; hence his close tie to the mysterious power that affected the workings of the castle from within..from below.

So when the end came, that connection he had gave him a choice, an option..but it was an option that, even under threat...he would not take.

Was it nobility to refuse...or was it something else?

(Power Description: While his power is control, the truth is that he suffers from the "genie" syndrome...absolute power that he can't wield. (At least, not without permission from the force. He's allowed to do small things like parlor tricks, of course, but nearly everything else requires asking.)

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9. II High Priestess / III Empress

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The High Priestess

Trump #: 2
Power: Dreams
Name: Shariea
Height: 5'9
Servants: 3
Journal: Here.

Skills:
Combat: Bow and arrow
Empathy

Class: Druid

Animals:
Wolf
Osprey
Panther

Card Meaning: A reminder to pay more attention to the inner world of dreams and intuition, also represents one's potential that has yet to be brought forth. Often calls for a reconciliation of both the dark and light halves of a person...a realization that one's secret self longs to be recognised.

History: One could tell by their shape and movement that, somehow, somewhere, the High Priestess and Strength were related. They shared a love of many things, as well...

The Priestess was a daughter of the night, though. A child of Diana...a huntress. She loved nature, but the dark, waiting secrets of nature only seen after the sun would set. The secrets of the night and all that trespassed there were hers.

She was a shapeshifter, as well...but only towards the predator varieties. Lover of the moon and stars, her set of beliefs were unusual and poignant. She could see things in a person's heart they did not know existed, and was a manipulater of dreams. No man could catch her...she was too swift. Many had tried and failed, allured by the secrets that she held.

Was she lonely? Did she serve good or evil? Where did her abilities come from? Perhaps only her sister knew.

(Pwr Desc: Fairly straightforward...she can make dreams for people, enter their dreams, etc. Doesn't seem so useful? Imagine trying to sleep at night if you kept having nightmares.)




User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Empress

Trump #: 3
Power: Protection
Name: Lady of the Lake
Height: 5'7
Journal: Here.
Servants: 5

Skills:
Diplomacy
Empathy

Class: Royalty

Card Meaning: A card of emotional control and feminine authority. It symbolizes maturity and one's skills of nuturing, healing, and supporting others. Also can signify abundance.

History: Being the Empress of four kingdoms definitely put her in the spotlight, and, along with the Emperor, they were some of the few castle residents to actually be seen by the general public. Everyone knew and loved them...they were benevolent rulers with strong influence and wisdom.

The Empress has been said to have been the brains of the operation, although no one knows if that is really true or not. That was perhaps the opinion because of the completely different realms she and her husband lorded over. She had a keen eye for situations, and always knew what was going on around her. Socializing was a part of her duties, and her mind was well equipped...making it rare for her to have nothing to say on any matter. Her feminine wiles and intuition allowed her to control most situations she was involved in...
It was thankful, with that in mind, that she was always after the best for people.

Still, her husband was not often around...being busy with affairs of state, meetings, or studying. She had her servants to keep company, but it wasn't quite the same. They were always treated well, and she was friendly with them, but they -were- of a different class than she. They weren't the company she looked for.

She had been raised very properly, and knew all of the appropriate graces one should have. Always she enjoyed quietly patrolling the castle, speaking with the residents she inevitably would encounter, dabbling in riding or a stroll in the gardens. When someone accompanied her she was the most comfortable, though. People were the lifeblood of the kingdom...and she knew that. Her regal, almost motherly attitude made some people question if she was strong enough...but those qualms were -always- put to rest over time, for appearances are decieving. Her kingdom was her concern...and she would ALWAYS do what was best for it.

(Pwr desc: She can guard against just about any other power...provided she knows its being used.)

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10. IV Emperor / V Hierophant

The Emperor

Trump #: 4
Power: Unknown
Name: Unknown

Card Meaning: Will add soon.

History: Will add soon.


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Hierophant

Trump #: 5
Power: Cleansing (?-I'm not sure yet. This may change.)
Name: Adrian (TheMadHatter)
Height: 6'4
Journal: Here
Servants: 3

Skills:
Combat: Gun
Combat: Knives

Class: Slayer

Card meaning: The decision on a philosophy that will guide one's life. It is often a symbol of any organized institution with one belief. Encourages one to step out and interpret the "word of god" in their own way.

History: Seen Helsing lately? He's not the only example of this type of warrior, but he is a good one. The Hierophant wasn't exactly a priest, although he did have the training to be. He was more a seeker of the evil things in the world, always searching out creatures of the darkness to either convert them to good, subdue them, or destroy them.

He could be brash, and quick to act if he sensed danger, but though he harvested an intense hatred towards nonhumans, he was first and foremost a just man, and would not kill for no reason. A Hunter with compassion.

Being taught as he was, when the demons and angels came, he could sense their allignments... but something was confusing about this, as well. Not all angels were good...not all demons were bad. And the lores that he had once learned weren't all entirely true...

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11. VI Lovers / VII Chariot

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Lovers

Trump #: 6
Power: Connection
Name: DDB
Height: 5'5
Journal: Here
Servants: 1

Skills:
Apothecary

Class: Succubus

Card Meaning: The union of opposites, discriminating between two choices.

History: Perfectly content to play the matchmaker, she had no desire to be in a match at all. As a demon, she had perhaps been the one who most often visited the normal world, living for many centuries in medieval times with bands of travellers or gypsies. As a result, she was very easy to get along with, and knew much about relationships in general.

She found balance incredibly important, probably the reason she was on the side she was. Demon's weren't exactly EVIL, after all. Yet because she was so concerned with balance on the outside of things, she failed to realize that she, herself, was unbalanced...half of a whole...incomplete.

Balance, in fact, was part of the reason she'd come to the castle in the first place. Well, to be entirely truthful, she had been sent..but she had also volunteered, so it amounted to the same thing. With three angels at the castle, the demons found it necessary to send some of their own...and naturally, the Lovers was among them.

It was not just her interest in balance that recommended her, but also the time she had spent among humans, for just about as close to forever as one could get.

And it was only natural, too..that someone so apt at sparking conflict, given her skill with playing Cupid...would be so good at interfering.


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Chariot

Trump #: 7
Power: Conflict
Name: Edgar (Manda)
Height: 6'1
Journal: Here
Servants: 3

Skills:
Combat: Sword
Charioteering
Sensuality (aka...expert hitting on women.)

Class: Gladiator

Card Meaning: A need to be in control of competing forces, or else taking the middle road. Also can be the means to triumph over obstacles and acheive your desires.

History: Much of a philanderer, The Chariot was perhaps one of the most travelled of the Court. He visited raceways and tournaments in all the four kingdoms, and was notably one of the fastest to ever grace an Arena. Beyond that, he knew how to fight, and could give Death a run for her money when he so felt inclined.

But as the years passed and he failed to age, people began to suspect and he was driven back to the castle. It was said he never quite got over it, but the only noted change was an occasional wish to stir up trouble.

In the early days, he had been a military man...first for the Kingdom of Cups, and then for the Castle. He had been on many conquests...supressing rebellions and keeping the peace, bringing the reign of the new empire to all corners of the globe. Not that that was a bad thing. Yet he was disturbed, at the end. The world was his...in a way. He had suffered no defeats. And it was at that time he turned to Arena fighting, seeking out someone...anyone...that could beat him. Was he infallible? He had to know.

Strangely it was only in the other residents of the castle that he could find a challenge. But that still left him with the question....what now?

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12. VIII Strength / IX Hermit

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Strength

Trump #: 8
Power: Harmony
Name: Iris_virus
Height: 5'8
Journal: Here.
Servants: 2

Skills:
Animal Communication
Ingenuity
Charisma

Class:

Animals:
Horse
Bear
Stork

Card meaning:
Leaning to live as one with nature...getting in touch with instincts. Having faith in oneself, and being very intuitive. Situations can be conquered by gentleness instead of force.

History:
Strength could often be found at the stables...or in the birdcages, or the garden, or...anywhere but inside. And always rarely in shoes.
The animals and even the plants seemed to be able to understand everything she said...and she talked to them often.

She was wise in her innocence, however. Sometimes the simplest thing said could be the most profound. Though she was loved by many in the court, she would nearly allways slip through their fingers...remaining wild, untamed, and strong as the horses she ran with.

In the end, she was saddened by the turn of events...saddened by the loss of those that she had come to love. She only hoped that one day they could meet again...

It became apparent, with how the servants reacted to her, that in the old days she was in charge of the grounds. A gardener and a veterinarian, she knew of the uses of all the herbs there grown, and much old herblore. She could tend to almost any hurt the animals had, and to a small extent apply that to humans, but she wasn't really a people doctor.

Many were disturbed by her philosophies, as she had been raised very differently from them. A girl of the wild, she had lived as such in her past life, free from society. Her sister, as well, had not been much different, but their personalities were muchly so, although they shared the same unusual trait of shapeshifting from their family.
Others who felt greatest a connection with the earth could well understand her, as well, and those would be her closest friends. She was strong in body, and in mind...and though her jobs were many she would rarely feel she had "worked" a day in her life.

Strength's generally sunny outlook might be surprising, if one knew of her early misfortunes where family was concerned. While she was indeed sister to the High Priestess..they had not been raised together...as a matter of fact, they had not known each other prior to coming to the castle.

As a child, she had been adopted in an..unconventional way, into a rather unconventional family. One might even say it had not been so much adoption, as more of a..theft of sorts. Nonetheless, it was a happy existence...

Until she was taken from that family, from her father and brother, and placed in a children's home...and it was there that she discovered her passion for caring for others..be they people, animals, or plants...anything, anyone who needed her.

(Pwr desc: Others feel very relaxed around her...it's almost impossible for confrontation when she is anywhere nearby. She can intensify that feeling, as well.)


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Hermit

Trump #: 9
Power: Silence
Name: Apathetic Noncholance
Height: 5'10
Journal: Here.
Servants: 2

Skills:
Insomnia
Eidetic Memory
Decipher

Class: Scholar

Card Meaning: The Hermit represents a guide, perhaps physical, perhaps not. Also it could be a sign that one should break away from the hustle of life, find solitude, and look within themselves.

History: The Castle librarian, historian, and scribe, the Hermit had written, himself, many of the books that were in the library. He always seemed to know what was going on, even if he never entirely understood why.

Still, he had the respect of the entire court for his wisdom and his advice. There were a few he did not trust, however, as he was ever suspicious of the force that governed the castle, and he, perhaps, knew more than others about its source.


(Pwr desc: In a way, as it sounds. If someone is in his presence and being annoying, he can cause them to lose their voice until not with him any longer. For a more extreme use, he can actually "freeze" said annoying person, though obviously that requires much energy to do.)

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13. X Wheel of Fortune / XI Justice

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Wheel of Fortune
(first version of card)

Trump #: 10
Power: Fate
Name: Saeru
Height: 5'7
Journal: Here.
Servants: 1

Skills:
Perception
Combat: Double short sword
Handcrafts

Class: Oracle

Card meaning: Something has been set into motion that cannot be stopped, and which one has no control over. It leads towards change...often for the better, but not always. Tis best to go along...for resistance will prove futile.

History: The tenth being to be ensnared by the forces of the castle, The Wheel had no wish to be truly interactive. He took up residence in one of the towers, where he watched the court intently from a distance. One of three angels to become a member of the deck, he was the angel of shadow...neither light nor dark...which suited him perfectly into his role as fate. Alone, he had little power, but once he started something, it would finish as he predicted...
and that made him a very formidable card indeed.

Many of the coincidences that occured after the King of Wand's arrival were due to him, although he never showed his face to the King. Truly there were few who ever did see The Wheel. Yet he was privy to the secret of the castle, being who he was, and though he could do nothing himself to change his own fate, he did know the strings to pull to change the court's destiny.

The Wheel couldn't control the force...nor was he outside of it...yet the power of fate allowed him, sometimes, to work around it.

Yet it really was a lonely existance, as, in the life he had led before there had been many others around. His sight...his ability to view the threads of fate, made it very difficult to be around many people, however, for he was afraid of either effecting them or being effected by them. His own thread, after all, was invisible to him.

Still now and again he would slip from his tower, almost desperate to catch a glimpse of castle life from the inside and not the outside, though inevitably he always returned. The stories of people's lives fascinated him...and he wanted his own story. To be something noble, and helpful...

but first he had to understand.

(Pwr desc: Ever heard of the threads of fate? Well, its something like that. He sees a person's destiny in strings that make music. Only by taking hold of them can he actually see how their lives would progress...and even that isn't always a sure thing. On a rare occassion he can manipulate them, but it is has a high cost.)


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Justice
(first version of card)

Trump #: 11
Power: Retribution
Name: Meepfur
Height: 5'3"
Journal: Here.
Servants: 4 (1 servant and 3 fellow guards)

Skills:
Combat: Sword
Problem-solving
Adaptability

Class: Guard

Card Meaning: All factors must be weighed and considered for a factual assessment...reliance on self to make the correct decision, but where all points of views are realized to the fullest. Often signifies a legal matter.

History: While the Chariot was certainly in charge of foreign matters of combat as far as the castle was concerned, Justice was in charge of maintaining the peace on the homefront. The "captain of the guard," so to speak. Her specialty was of course in defense...and she would patrol the grounds to ensure everyone was well situated and happy. If there was a conflict, she was the one called to solve it.

Though not always confident in herself, she was confident in her ability to assess a situation, and the guilty party found it hard to stay silent under her watch.

While it was her duty to solve conflicts, Justice..was not entirely free of them, herself. There were those among the deck she clashed with repeatedly, often because they had done something she felt they should not have, because they had crossed some line...but Justice did not forget offenses or offenders, nor did the offenders care for her meddling.

And so resentment grew between them, and arguments were not uncommon...for her anger got the better of her now and then, and she wasn't always able to curb her tongue, though she would never turn to physical violence unless there was no other choice...and perhaps more slowly than she should have, in some cases.

Maybe her reticence to truly fight was because, originally, she had been summoned to the castle as a judge..but given her initial training, not as a judge, but as an enforcer of sorts (a family profession)...it was not without reason that she was adopted into the guard.

Special note: Opposite of its use...she can only see when the blindfold is ON. If it is removed, then she is blind.

(Pwr desc: Useful in her profession, Justice's power of retribution makes those that are guilty of something...anything...feel the guilt more intensely than ever before. It would seem to them almost as if she could see exactly what they had done, although she can't do that. Either way, nearly anyone CAUGHT by her would confess. This power also increases her ability to tell who is or isn't guilty, though she wouldn't know what they were guilty OF.)

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14. XII Hanged Man / XIII Death

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Hanged Man

Trump #: 12
Power: Escape
Name: Go Shujin-sama
Height: 5'9
Journal: Here.
Servants: 1

Skills:
Infiltration
Charm
Combat: Knife

Class: Thief

Card Meaning: Making a break with the past, sacrificing to acheive enlightenment. Sometimes a sacred pursuit.

History: The Hanged Man was probably the most skillful thief in the four kingdoms.
However, he was also the most unlucky. His life had never been easy--hence why he was a thief to begin with. He pursued many treasures in his lifetime...and yet they always managed to be taken from him. Not by the authorities, but by any other likelihood possible...
Some he had even given away, when the need was present.

He had been at the castle...attempting his most daring mission yet...when he had been trapped by the force. Unable to leave, he instead spent his time trying to fit in, finding a place for himself.

He was sneaky, smooth, and arguably the fastest person in the castle. In the old days he had a bit of a smooth way with the ladies, but it was usually just for fun, and not in quite the same manner as the Chariot. He had many admirers among the servants, since he was almost a legend among them for being able to slip through the shadows, and for being someone of lower birth that had made quite a name for himself. They'd always keep his secrets if they found out about them.

Still, he had a habit of getting in trouble with the non-servant people of the castle, because of that same sneakiness, even though he was really well-meaning. He wanted only one thing, really...
but the more he wanted it, the harder it seemed to find. Was it really an object, in the end?

The Hanged Man had been born into a family of career thieves...who apparently had a penchant for seeking out the more..difficult catches. Or, as it were, the ones which could be the most valuable.

But sometimes..they also turned out to be the strangest. And acquiring them..or trying to, anyway...could have some very unexpected results.

Perhaps the Hanged Man's unlucky streak was inherited; after all, his father had eventually been caught..and as a result, his family broken apart...forcing him to strike out on his own and use what he'd been taught.

(Pwr Desc: Though it can be other forms of escaping, such as jumping out of windows and being able to land, this is also useful as a form of teleportation, though only within the castle grounds, and only to places that he has already been to.)


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Death
(first version of card)

Trump #: 13
Power: Souls
Name:
Height:
Journal:
Servants:

Skills:


Class: Sorceress

Card meaning: Portends the end of a cycle or phase. Can be devastating, but isn't always a change for the bad. The key is accepting what will come, and being prepared for a new life after the old.

History:
Number thirteen...unlucky?
Perhaps.
When she came to collect a soul, she found herself as bound as the others. It wasn't that she couldn't leave...any of them could leave...
but in the end they had to return again. It was fate.
Yet even in the castle of the unaging Death was needed...
for her ability to deal in the realm of Souls.

She refused to get close to any...even the others of the deck, but she would fight when given the opportunity, and would always participate in the tournaments held at each celebration. It was often she would win...for who could contend with Death?

It was because of those tournaments however, that she found herself facing with the Knight of Wands...
and thus she entered into the story of the downfall, as well.

When she finally had the chance to settle into the castle...that was when she truly became interested in spells. There had always been the subtle mysterious "majics" that came from her being death and her dealings in souls, but only after being trapped in the castle did she have time to sit and collect them into a book. Her servants helped her...she had had many more back in those days.

Where she lived before the castle, though...who knew?
She had never told anyone, but it was a secret that all the angels and demons shared. She had been one of the most involved with humans...had a love of nature, man, and the passion of mortals. Her job had been well-loved by her...until she met a mortal that she wanted not to die. It was he, in a way, that made her regret what she did.

The castle had made her happy, because she could finally be with humans that didn't die...
though even that didn't last.
Beyond that, there was something very bittersweet about the castle and its origins...some great loss in the beginning not associated with that man.

Death's reluctance to get close to others, her preference for seclusion..was nothing new. Even in the place where the angels and demons had come from, she had kept herself distanced from most things and most others. The politics of the ethereal were of little interest to the darkest of the angels to come to the castle.

Nonetheless, she came along when the other angels did...perhaps at another's behest? Though even here, she continued her work..for now and then, someone's death was..necessary. And near the end, she felt such a one, and so she watched, and waited...and realized she did not want it to be -that- one.

But someone had to die...

(Pwr Desc: The ability to tell how much good or evil is in a person...plus some other things that she can interpret this power to mean.)

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15. XIV Temperance / XV Devil

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.Temperance

Trump #: 14
Power: Healing
Name:
Height: 5'9
Journal:
Servants: 1

Skills:

Class: Fairy

Card Meaning: Moderation in all things. Can also signify a need for patience, as matters at hand cannot be hurried along. Mostly is a card of balance.

History: Like an overgrown Fairy, Temperance whirled in from places unknown and just...stuck around. Overzealously, she felt it was her job to maintain strict balance at the castle...which really was quite a task! With the estate so filled with people of good and bad, left and right, up and down, busy and lazy, social and recluse, black and white, human and not.

This balance was so important, she would even aid evil to make sure it worked out right. Definitely the sort that, to make sure two glases had the same amount of liquid, would drink from the one with more. ^.~

But she enjoyed herself, and was partial to none...which was especially good for her healing abilities to be at the disposal of all. Temperance would never run out of things to do...as long as the universe was in chaos.

***Interesting note: Due to her temperate nature...things very close to her temporarily will lose their color, defaulting to a sort of greyscale.





User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.The Devil

Trump #: 15
Power: Temptation
Name:
Height:
Journal:
Servants: 3

Skills:

Class:

Card Meaning: A realization of the base desires within oneself, or a situation that one is binding oneself to. Often this is something satisfying yet hollow...material wealth, sexual pleasure, etc.

History: The leader of the three demons, the Devil was nonetheless trapped in the castle as all were. His great plans for glory had been dashed, yet still one hope remained...if only he could find it.

For years he searched unsuccessfully...
until, finally, he realized that perhaps what he was looking for, others could lead him to. And so he changed his strategy, talking to the other arcana. There was much he had to offer, after all, to those that sought the pleasures of the world. His ability to hold others enthralled was unparalleled...but it also took grasp of him, leading him to want the control over all.

The most frightening thing was, perhaps, that he could obtain it. When the Empire fell, it was he who suffered the most for the loss of what could have been.

The Devil had ever sought power, the same way he would seek out whatever he happened to want. And he was very, very accustomed to getting -exactly- what he wanted, even if he had to get it for himself. Although, sometimes..it was much easier...so much more fun, to make someone else get it for him. And he was very, very good at doing exactly that.

But at the castle, he would discover that, even with others practically waiting to be used..some things simply would not come easily. It became...frustrating. And as it became more so, he consoled himself, and perhaps his followers as well, more and more with the 'nobility' of his cause.

Because surely, to restore a kingdom was noble..even if this time, he would see that it was entirely -his-.

(Pwr desc: Increases the desire of an offer made by him...to make the 'reasons not to' seem inconsequential by comparison. Given two choices he can sway a person to pick the one that he wants them to pick...though the more set against it they are in the beginning, the harder it is for him to do that.)
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