Divination deck

The Tokka deck was first introduced as a tool for divination by the Followers of the Fortune's Path sect. The Gypsies' aptitude for this tool might be attributed to their fondness for games of chance. Moon Mages can use these painted cards to predict the future by divining meaning from the placement of each picture. Avatars, Portents, and Taisialaen, or "sky jewels", are dealt into predefined positions known as The Thread, The Path, and The Terminus. Tokka decks are often personalized, and it is uncommon that two would be the same.

Properties

• More control over the style of prediction done compared to other tools.
• Time consuming to predict with compared to other tools (About 30-60 seconds per prediction depending on the DEAL).
• Most complicated tool to interpret.
• Predicting on others is consentual only, since they need to cut the deck to attune the prediction to them.
• Unlike most prediction tools, the exact prediction can be seen by everyone in the room.
• Very long lived tool.
• Deals include a confidence factor.
• Since the make up of each deck is different each deck is a little more personal.
• Sect Affinity: Fortune's Path

Use

Like all prediction tools, before use the mage must know the ALIGN ability (learnable at 4th circle) and have made a successful observation. Furthermore, before the first use, the cards must be RUBbed to bond them to the user. Syntax is to ALIGN <skill/skill set>, SHUFFLE the cards, CUT the deck and then DEAL DECK 3, 4, 5 or 6. To predict on someone else CUT the deck at them to allow them to CUT the deck before DEALing. Each card beyond the first three will add a Kismet.

Example

You prepare to deal from your Tokka deck. Envisioning the layout of the Vibrant Cross in your mind, you briefly rest your hand over the place where each position in the spread will lie.
You pull the first card from your deck with complete confidence, revealing the Spider as a Kismet, but it is inverted!
You strongly turn over the next card, revealing the Crypt as the Thread, but it is inverted!
You draw the next card, playing the Ways as the Path.
You almost drop the last card, dealing the Joyous Mage of Hearts as the Terminus.
The Joyous Mage of Hearts brightens for a moment, as if somehow lit from behind.
You collect the cards and slide them cautiously back into your Tokka deck.

Interpretation

1. The way in which each card is dealt indicates the general accuracy of that card.
2. Kismets (If applicable) act as a modifier to the entire prediction, increasing it's potential but also increasing the risk.
3. Generally the cards can be divided into positive, neutral, and negative - and their influence in a prediction, particullarly as Kismets, relates to this.
4. The Thread relates to the magnitude of the prediction. Portents are the most potent here, and Avatars the weakest.
5. The Path relates to the duration of the prediction. Avatars are the most potent here, and Portents are the weakest.
6. The Terminus relates to the area of influence. Each card has a one to one relationship to a skill.
7. The glow or shadow indicates the polarity, and is also where attunement messages would occur.

This particular prediction was a DEAL 4 ALIGNed to Evasion. The Spider is the strongest negative Taisialaen, however it is inverted making it positive and weak, and as a kismet it will influence the Terminus. The Crypt is a negative weak Portent, but also inverted, making it overall positive and fairly weak in the Thread. The Ways is a strong neutral Portent but is weak in the position of the Path. The Joyous Mage of Hearts indicates an unclear Terminus, however the glow indicates an overall positive prediction. Overall the prediction was accurate with the exception of a very unclear Terminus.

Much more on the reading of Tokka Cards can be found in A Technical Study of Tokka (book).

Qualities

When LOOKed at cards have eight qualities. Known qualities are listed from best to worst. Italics indicate a potential starting value when purchased.

Portents Brushwork

striking vibrancy
surprisingly vivid
bold and clear
somewhat bright
average clarity
somewhat dim

Portents Lines

somewhat animated
easily recognizable
plainly drawn

Avatars Brushwork

striking vibrancy
surprisingly vivid
bold and clear
somewhat bright
average clarity
somewhat dim

Avatars Lines

somewhat animated
easily recognizable
plainly drawn

Taisialaen Brushwork

striking vibrancy
surprisingly vivid
bold and clear
somewhat bright
average clarity
somewhat dim

Taisialaen Lines

somewhat animated
easily recognizable
plainly drawn

Age

are pristine and have not yet been used
are still very crisp (1 prediction)
are fairly crisp (20 predictions)
have the occasional nick (50 predictions)
have a few gouges around the edges (100 predictions)
are starting to become frayed (200 predictions)
have grown quite frayed with use (349 predictions)
show much fraying and a number of bends. (549 predictions)
are significantly bent and worn with use. (747 predictions)
are worn nearly to tatters from use. (994-1600+ predictions)

Edges

highly square and even
square and even
fairly square and even
roughly square.
slightly out of alignment

Explanation

Brush quality indicates potential potency, lines indicate accuracy, age indicates the number of predictions performed and edges indicate the polarity. Portents influences the power of the prediction, Avatars the duration and Taisialaens the skill.

Messages

Since a card can appear in any position messages for Tokka Cards are more about context within the deal and trends within sets of cards than specific messages. Each deck contains 54 cards (Not counting custom cards) and the exact mix varies from deck to deck. For consistancy the Terminus will frequently contain cards that otherwise will not otherwise appear within a deck.

Spread (Skill set)

Golden Triad: Defense w/3 cards
Dome of Fate: Defense w/>3 cards
Celestial Pillars: Lore w/3 cards
Scryer's Arch: Lore w/>3 cards
Lunar Circle: Magic w/3
Fateweaver's Glass: Magic w/>3 cards
Staff of the Prophetess: Offense w/3
Scythe: Offense w/>3 cards
Pyramid of Awareness: Survival w/3
Vibrant Cross: Survival w/>3 cards

Draw (Accuracy)

You pull the (first/next) card from your deck with complete confidence
You turn over the (first/next) card without hesitation
You strongly turn over the (first/next) card
You smoothly draw the (first/next) card from your deck
You draw the (first/next) card
You pause briefly before turning over the next card
You uncertainly pull the next card from your deck
You hesitantly turn over the next card
You almost drop the last card
Not sorted yet. Unclear if the last few accuracies can appear in earlier draws, but they have not been seen by the author.

Light (Polarity)

The (card) brightens for a moment, as if somehow lit from behind.
The (card) darkens for a moment, as though a shadow had passed over it.

Special

The Thread and the Path glimmer briefly in response. - Turned prediction
The (card) flares unexpectedly! The image on the card brightens intensely, suffusing the air with a brilliant white light. As quickly as it came, the light fades, returning the card to its usual hue. - Crit success, edges and brushwork.
The (card) abruptly dims! The color seems to drain out of it as it fades to a shade as black as the night. A long moment passes before the card finally flickers and resumes its normal hue. - Fumble, damages edges and brushwork qualities.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their colors seem somehow more vivid than before. - Improves brushwork.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their colors seem to have faded. - Damages brushwork.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their lines seem somehow sharper than before. - Improves lines.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their lines seem to have slightly blurred. - Damages lines.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their edges appear slightly smoother than before. - Improves edges.
The cards in play and the Tokka deck itself all flicker like flame in the wind. When they stop, their edges seem somewhat less even than before. - Damages edges.

Cards

Portents

Power Rank	Positive	Neutral	Negative
1	Gilded Egg	Hourglass	Crypt
2	Golden Moon	Summoning	Barrow
3	Ivory Shrine	Ways	Falling Star
4	Lucky Copper	Window	Fissure of Earth
5	Stellar Stairway	World Dragon	Illusion
6	Web of Fate	Endless Seas	Locked Door
7	Crossroads	Tome of Secrets	Void
8	River of Aether	Keep	Beast
9	Evergarden	Branch	Valley of Mist
10	--	--	Living Statue

These are not currently sorted and does not include all possible Portents.

Avatars

Power Rank	Positive
1	Races
2	Professionals
3	Suited Professionals

Suits include Hearts, Clubs, Pins and Court. Inflection is indicated by the mood (if any) of the Avatar.

Taisialaen

Power Rank	Positive	Neutral	Negative
1	Nightingale	Wolf	Centaur
2	Wolverine	Lion	Weasel
3	Magpie	Raven	Viper
4	Snake	Unicorn	Shark
5	Albatross	Boar	Coyote
6	Donkey	Panther	Heron
7	Dove	Cobra	Goshawk
8	Phoenix	Ox	Raccoon
9	Mongoose	Scorpion	Adder
10	Owl	Wren	Vulture
11	Welkin	Cat	Shrew
12	Cow	Ram	Shrike
13	Jackal	Dolphin	Spider

Magic Skills

Skill	Card
Primary Magic	Joyous Mage
Harness	Wellspring
Power Perception	River of Aether
Magical Devices	Artificer
Targeted Magic	Falling Star

Lore Skills

Skill	Card
Appraisal	Jewel of Night
Mechanical Lore	Broken Circle
Scholarship	Silver Scroll
Teaching	Crossroads
Percussion	Locked Door
Strings	Empty Loom
Vocals	Thief of Hearts
Winds	Twilight
Animal Lore	Beast
Astrology	Web of Fate
Empathy	Healer
Musical Theory	Minstrel
Trading	Moneylender

Defensive Skills

Skill	Card
Bone	Living Statue
Cloth	Empty Loom
Heavy Chain	Warrior
Heavy Plate	Keep
Leather	Hunter
Light Chain	Broken Circle
Light Plate	Wounded Veteran
Multi Opponent	Nimble Dancer
Parry	Crossroads
Shield Usage	Knight

Survival Skills

Skill	Card
Climbing	Stellar Stairway
Disarm Trap	Jewel of Night
Escaping	Broken Circle
Evasion	Nimble Dancer
First Aid	Wounded Veteran
Foraging	Valley of Mist
Hiding	Twilight
Lockpicking	Locked Door
Perception	Stargazer
Skinning	Beast
Stalking	Illusion
Stealing	Thief of Hearts
Swimming	Endless Seas
Backstab	Hourglass
Scouting	Hunter

Offense Skills

Skill	Card
Light Edge	Thief of Hearts
Medium Edge	Burning Forge
Heavy Edge	Dwarf
Twohanded Edge	World Dragon
Light Blunt	Gnome
Medium Blunt	Falling Star
Heavy Blunt	Knight
Twohanded Blunt	Wounded Veteran
Slings	Halfling
Staff Sling	Empty Loom
Short Bow	Broken Circle
Long Bow	Hunter
Composite Bow	Woodsman
Light Crossbow	Twilight
Heavy Crossbow	Illusion
Short Staff	Hourglass
Quarter Staff	Runebinder
Pikes	Wall of Thorns
Halberds	Keep
Light Thrown	Minstrel
Heavy Thrown	Warrior
Brawling	Living Statue
Offhand Weapon	Beast

Note that these skills do NOT match the Fortune's Path cantrip.

Custom Cards

Unlike other tools Tokka Cards can be customized slightly - Having unique cards introduced to the deck that mimic other cards. Lohkrian's demonstrates this:

Before Painting:
G>tap card
You tap a Tokka card that you are holding.
G>l card
You see an unpainted Tokka card.

After Painting:
G>tap card
You tap a Tokka card that you are holding.
G>l card
You see the Defenestrated Student.
G>pull card
You hold up your Tokka card, revealing the Defenestrated Student for everyone to see.

G>combine card with deck
You slide the Tokka card into the middle of your deck and then toss a couple of quick strip shuffles by taking small portions off the bottom of the deck and placing them on the top.
Roundtime: 6 sec.
G>study deck
You can SHUFFLE, CUT, and DEAL this Tokka deck. You can even CUT it at other players. DEAL expects a number between 3 and 6. For example: DEAL DECK 4. You can also use many other verbs on this deck, like PUSH, TOUCH, TURN, and more!

Skimming through the cards, you look to see if any have been added.
You see:
the Defenestrated Student
Roundtime: 5 sec.

These cards may then be selected any time the deck looks for a card with the same properties as the card that was added. For that deck, it is now a valid choice to help describe prediction outcome.

G>turn deck
You flip the deck over and glance down to see the face of the Defenestrated Student. It makes you shiver. You pull the card off the bottom and slip it into the middle of the deck.

Notes

STUDY You can SHUFFLE, CUT, and DEAL this Tokka deck. You can even CUT it at other players. DEAL expects a number between 3 and 6. For example: DEAL DECK 4. You can also use many other verbs on this deck, like PUSH, TOUCH, TURN, and more!

DEAL (without ALIGN first) As you begin turning over the first card, you realize that you are not correctly aligned with fate. Pausing briefly in confusion, you glance down and catch a glimpse of the Unicorn before you can stop yourself. You probably should shuffle the deck again.

SHUFFLE You cautiously spread the deck out before you, sliding the cards around and thoroughly mixing them before carefully collecting them into a pile again.
Roundtime: 5 sec.

CUT You cut the deck for yourself, removing roughly half the cards and placing the remainder on top of them.

PUSH Squeezing the edges of the Tokka deck between your fingers, you send a cascade of cards casually into your other hand.

TURN You flip the deck over and glance down to see the face of the Frowning Woodsman. It makes you shiver. You pull the card off the bottom and slip it into the middle of the deck.

TOUCH You silently rest your hand on top of the Tokka deck, clearing your mind of all other thoughts.

RUB You slide a card off the top of the deck and place it at the bottom.

SHAKE You holds the Tokka deck loosely and shake it up and down, allowing cards to drop out of deck and into your other hand.

KISS You bring the Tokka deck to your lips and kiss the top card for luck. You hope you weren't kissing the Vulture!

TAP You rap the top of the Tokka deck with your knuckles, trying to maintain a mystical air.

THROW In a somewhat questionable move, you throw your your Tokka deck into the air! Cards fly everywhere and slowly flutter to the ground! Realizing the error of your ways, you quickly bend down to pick them all up again.
Roundtime: 15 sec.

RUB You slide a card off the top of the deck and place it at the bottom.
The deck becomes warm under your touch, then grows cool again.
You are struck with the strange, but definite, feeling that the cards in the deck have shifted slightly.

Unlike most prediction tools, Tokka cards can be used by non Moon Mages, however they will have no actual predictive qualities when used like this.

Also See

"Moon mage" is not in the list (None, Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Empath, Moon Mage, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Thief, ...) of allowed values for the "Guild association is" property.