[In a Wicked Age] Setting-Independent Tarot Oracle

[Eldir]

As the title says, I made an IAWA tarot oracle (tarocle?) that does not have a specific setting. You can make up or decide on a setting after the cards are drawn.

In testing this, I've drawn a four-card set with a friend, which came out as:

Five of Wands: The aged king's children compete and fight endlessly for their father's seat.

Eight of Wands: The old astrologer knows that a child will be born who will be the king's downfall.

Knight of Pentacles: The young man puts the last of his fortune into this merchant excursion.

Eight of Cups: The prophet who spiritually revived the city is reborn in a humble hut on its outskirts.

We decided to create an ancient China-like setting called Bi Tian (Azure Sky). The astrologer, Xia Sheng (Low Star), is a eunuch in the service of the Emperor's daughter Bi Dan Hua (Red Flower; Bi is the imperial family name). Xia Sheng divined that the dead prophet had been reborn to a peasant family. (It may turn out that the astrologer and the prophet knew each other; we'll see.) Since no one takes the throne of Bi Tian without prophesy on their side, the wily astrologer decides to take the baby Chang Ling (Shining Spirit) on as his own disciple to influence the prophesy in favor of his lady.

Xia Sheng learns that Chang Ling's father is away, having taken the last of the family's money on a desperate bid to turn their fortunes around for the baby's sake. The astrologer "takes care" of the dad to make sure the latter will never return. (We think he's dead, but who knows.) Xia Sheng then visits Su Xi (Pale Light), the infant Chang Ling's now desperate mother, to extend a hand of benevolence and offer to take the child in due to his great potential. The distraught and impoverished woman hands her son over so he won't starve, and Chang Ling grows up as Xia Sheng's apprentice.

Other characters include the Emperor himself, the Empress Shao Yao (peony), and Dan Hua's brothers and fellow contenders Dan Tun (Red Sun, though the joke is that this sounds the same as Red Pig in Korean) and Dan Quan (Red Power/Red Fist). We'll be statting the characters the next time we're both online and have some free time.

So far the tarot deck worked pretty well, I think, though four cards do not a complete playtest make. Any comments, suggestions, and (best of all) test results would be much appreciated.