Divination bones

Recall

First created by the shamans of the Arid Steppe as a means to scry the future, carved and enchanted bones have been used for countless years and are among the oldest known type of divination tool. Part astrology, and part mysticism, there are some Nomads who believe that the power of the bones lies in their connection with the dead while others insist that it is the enchantment process, through which the bones are imbued with magic properties, that gives them their unique properties.

When a prophet casts the bones forth with intent, probability will tug and twist the bones about in a reflection of the future. How strongly the Krr-tich bone is drawn towards the prophet reflects the potency, just as the lay of the Sek-rith reflects the extent. The domain is addressed by the Moon Sphere while the Sun Disk sets the tone for the reading.

Divination bones are known for their uncanny ability to stir the life-force within, a trait generally attributed to the once living nature of the bones. Skeptics note that even non-traditional bones carved from stone or wood display this trait and attribute it to ontological symbolism. Whatever the reason, the domain of survival is unquestionably ruled by bones.

Properties

• Sect Affinity: Nomads of the Arid Steppe.
• Domain: Survival.

Availability

The following table includes all known reliable (or semi-reliable, in the case of auctions) sources of bones, with some example wares. Any other wares from the same source will be of the same quality as the example(s). The quality listed in the table is overall craftsmanship, so take care to shop around. In particular, The Future is Now is known for offering bones that are strong on one bone and weaker on others, and the Grey Raven Commissary has one set that is strong overall except for a very weak Sun Disk.

Source	Location	Restriction	Example	Price	Currency	Quality
Krrish's Bones	Therenborough		enruned divination bones	6000	Lirums	1) Below Average
Stone Bones	Muspar'i		alabaster divination bones	11087	Lirums	1) Below Average
Azdara's Workshop	Trabe Plateau	Nomads	flame-darkened auroch bones	180400	Dokoras	2) Average
Grey Raven Commissary	Crossing	prison scrip	discolored rat bones	2000	scrip	2) Average
The Future is Now	Hollow Eve Festival	festival	gold-inlaid divination bones	5000000	Dokoras	3) Above Average
Grey Raven Commissary	Crossing	prison scrip	pale bones carved with runes	3000	scrip	4) Very Good
The Future is Now	Hollow Eve Festival	festival	delicate clockwork divination bones	50000000	Dokoras	5) Spectacular?
Auction	Hollow Eve/Guildfest	auction	convoluted clockwork divination bones	60000000+	Dokoras	6) Masterful

Use

Prerequisites

• Knowledge of ALIGN, learnable at 4th circle.
• A set of bones that have been INVOKEed to bond them to you.

Syntax

1. OBSERVE a heavenly body until you have successfully learned something. If the constellation/planet you want to observe requires a telescope, use CENTER TELESCOPE ON <HEAVENLY BODY> followed by PEER TELESCOPE. You may also need to use Piercing Gaze if cloud cover is a problem.
2. Optional: Filling Pools. You have the option of observing many times to fill your "prediction pool" for that skillset. You can check your pool with PREDICT STATE <SKILLSET> or PREDICT STATE ALL for all pools. You gain equal experience over time for predicting right away versus saving up your pool, but there is a benefit to predicting on full pools: You have an increased chance of bonding with the tool (increasing its conduits; see Qualities). As soon as you make your prediction, however, your entire pool for that skillset is used up (unless you use the advanced option ALIGN SPLIT, in which case you will use up only half of a large pool).
3. ALIGN to a skill or skillset, or optionally ALIGN <SKILL|SKILLSET> CURSE. The skill/skillset must be associated with one of the heavenly bodies you observed. You can use RECALL HEAVENS <HEAVENLY BODY> to check this, or check the Star Chart.
4. ROLL BONES, or ROLL BONES AT <TARGET>.
5. Optional: Deciphering the Prediction. EXPERIENCE MODS or PREDICT ANALYZE [TARGET] to learn more about the qualities of the prediction. EXP MODS will tell you which skills you have under a bonus (+) or curse (-), though this will include skills under the effects of spells or other predictions. PREDICT ANALYZE will, with some interpretation, tell you about the skill, polarity, power, and duration of all predictions on the target.

Astrology plays a strong role in prediction results, and Wisdom also helps.

Example

The Krr-tich bounces twice and lands pointing directly away from you.

The Sek-rith stands on end for a moment before falling over, pointing directly away from you.

The Moon Sphere coming to stop with the top face depicting a rune.

The Sun Disk lands black side up.

You notice a small chip in the Krr-tich that wasn't there before.

You feel the planar boundary weaken as the flow of probability increases through the Sek-rith.

You gather your bones back up.

Interpretation

• Krr-tich = Power. Pointing towards the seer indicates a larger bonus or curse.
• Sek-rith = Duration. Pointing towards the seer indicates a longer duration.
• Moon Sphere = Skill.
• Sun Disk = Polarity. White is positive, black negative.
• Special Messages. Quality damage, conduit increases, or turned predictions. See Special Messages.
• Perfect Accuracy. Tools are always accurate; it is not possible to "misread" them.

So the example given is a very weak, very short, negative prediction (curse) on the Arcana skill. The Krr-tich bone was damaged, reducing its quality, but the conduit of the Sek-rith increased.

Qualities

ANALYZE bones to see their qualities. There are two types of qualities for individual bones: conduit and craftsmanship. Larger conduits increase the power of the bones, presumably by increasing the chances of a good result with that particular bone. Meanwhile, the craftsmanship of a bone indicates how likely its conduit is to grow with use. Thus having well-crafted bones increases the chances that they will become very powerful. All bones will take damage over time, meaning the conduits will grow more and more slowly as the craftsmanship degrades. Eventually, the bones will be too damaged for the conduits to grow any further. Bones that are poorly made will reach this "equilibrium" stage with smaller conduits overall, while well-made bones will end with large or even capped conduits.

Overall, to end with powerful bones, you want the following:

1. Good craftsmanship on individual bones.
2. High damage resistance (also called overall craftsmanship).
3. High Charisma.
4. You want to predict on full prediction pools, as this lowers the chance of damaging the bones on a roll.

ANALYZE will also show the age of the bones and the amount they have been used. These qualities are cosmetic only.

Example

The Krr-tich is slightly lopsided.

The Sek-rith is slightly lopsided.

The Moon Sphere is slightly mis-weighted.

The lacquer unevenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.

The bones are over a decade old.

They appear to have seen great use.

The overall craftsmanship is below average and the bones should prove slightly susceptible to damage.

Recognizing the investiture as your own, you cautiously probe the bones with your prophetic talent.

A small conduit of probability flows through the Krr-tich.

A small conduit of probability flows through the Sek-rith.

A small conduit of probability flows through the Moon Sphere.

A delicate conduit of probability flows through the Sun Disk.

Interpretation

These bones are well used and not in great repair, nor were they likely well-made to begin with. Each of the bones is rather below average in quality, which means they are not as likely to grow their conduits any further. The conduits are small, meaning the bones will not perform as well at predicting. These bones are best at power (Krr-tich), duration (Sek-rith), and hitting the correct skill (Moon Sphere), and not as good at getting the desired positive or negative prediction (Sun Disk).

Possible Qualities

Disclaimer: The orderings below have been arranged based on common sense alone, not testing.

Never Break: Bones may decrease in quality with use, and occasionally conduit size will decrease (critical fumble only), but divination tools will never break.

Krr-tich/Sek-rith

exceptionally well-balanced
very well-balanced
well-balanced
fairly well-balanced
balanced
slightly off-balance
notably off-balance
slightly lopsided
horrifically, unapologetically lopsided

Moon Sphere

The symbols on the Moon Sphere are meticulously detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are elegantly detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are well detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are easy to distinguish and the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are poorly rendered though the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are difficult to differentiate though the weighting of the bone is fair.
The symbols on the Moon Sphere are nearly impossible to differentiate though the weighting of the bone is fair.
The Moon Sphere is slightly mis-weighted.
The Moon Sphere is really more of a Moon Ovoid.

Sun Disk

The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is exceptionally well-balanced.
The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is very well-balanced.
The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is well-balanced.
The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is adequately balanced.
The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
The lacquer smoothly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
The lacquer unevenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
Only a few specs of black and white lacquer differentiate between the sides of the Sun Disk.

Damage Resistance

The overall craftsmanship is masterful and the bones should prove nearly impervious to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is spectacular and the bones should prove extremely resistant to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is very good and the bones should prove resistant to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is above average and the bones should prove slightly resistant to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is average.
The overall craftsmanship is below average and the bones should prove slightly susceptible to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is poor and the bones should prove rather susceptible to damage.
The overall craftsmanship is criminally poor, and the bones should likely be destroyed on principle. Possibly the creator as well or defenestrated at the very least.

Conduit Size

raging torrent
massive conduit
wide conduit
modest conduit
small conduit
narrow conduit
delicate conduit
lone strand

Messages

Disclaimer: The power cap is known to be 20% of the ranks of the predicted skill. However, beyond that all ranges listed are estimates only.

Furthermore, the significance of any bouncing, rolling, or tumbling of the bones is unknown, but it could possibly be an indicator of degree of success. For example, if the Sek-rith bounces several times before pointing away from the seer, it might indicate a result closer to 30 minutes, the high end of that range, rather than 15 minutes, the low end. Then again, it might be nothing.

Krr-tich (Power)

Direction	%
It points directly away from you.	1-4
It points away from you.	5-8
It points off to one side.	9-13
It points towards you.	14-17
It points directly towards you.	17-20

Sek-rith (Duration)

Direction	Minutes
It points directly away from you.	1-15
It points away from you.	15-30
It points off to one side.	30-45
It points towards you.	45-60
It points directly towards you.	60-75

Defensive Skills

Skill	Symbol
Brigandine	several tiny scales
Defending	pauldron in front of a shield
Chain Armor	several linked rings
Light Armor	piece of leather
Parry	two crossed swords
Plate Armor	suit of armor
Shield Usage	shield
Endurance	Gor'Tog

Lore Skills

Skill	Symbol
Alchemy	flask
Appraisal	gemstone
Enchanting	wand
Engineering	catapult
Forging	anvil
Mechanical Lore	gear
Outfitting	paintbrush
Performance	musical note
Scholarship	open book
Tactics	three figures surrounding a fourth
Bardic Lore	shattering glass
Empathy	two clasped hands
Trading	donkey

Magic Skills

Skill	Symbol
Arcana	rune
Attunement	prism
Augmentation	imposing figure
Debilitation	cowering figure
Primary Magic	spellbook
Targeted Magic	lightning bolt
Sorcery	bat-winged skull
Utility	moongate
Warding	cage of slender lines
Astrology	several stars
Summoning	guinea pig
Theurgy	woman in prayer

Offense Skills

Skill	Symbol
Bow	bow and arrow
Brawling	fist
Crossbow	crossbow
Heavy Thrown	spear
Large Blunt	morning star
Large Edged	longsword
Light Thrown	throwing dagger
Melee Mastery	crossed sword and mace
Missile Mastery	arrows and a spear
Offhand Weapon	pair of parallel daggers
Polearms	pike
Slings	sling
Small Blunt	club
Small Edged	small sword
Staves	quarterstaff
Twohanded Blunt	maul
Twohanded Edged	greataxe
Expertise	face distorted by rage

Survival Skills

Skill	Symbol
Athletics	mountain
Evasion	acrobat
First Aid	drop of blood
Locksmithing	lock
Outdoorsmanship	mushroom
Perception	eyeball
Skinning	bear hide
Stealth	dark cloud
Thievery	coin
Backstab	skull
Scouting	paw print
Thanatology	??

Special Messages

Special messages usually indicate either damage to a bone or an increase in conduit. Damage messages may be general, or it's possible that they refer to specific aspects of the bone (e.g., the Moon Sphere's detailing or its weighting). More testing is needed. One message may also indicate "turning" a prediction due to Astrology skill, a full prediction pool, or a powerful Sun Disk conduit. It is currently unknown which, if any of these, is the true cause of the turn.

Examples

• You feel the planar boundary weaken as the flow of probability increases through the [bone].

The conduit of the given bone increased.

• You notice a small chip in the [bone] that wasn't there before.

Damage to the given bone.

• A small chip flew from the [bone] as it impacted.

Damage to the given bone.

• The Moon Sphere didn't sound right when it landed and inspection reveals that one of the edges was damaged during the roll.

Damage to the Moon Sphere.

• Another bone collided with the Moon Sphere during the roll, damaging one of the faces.

Damage to the Moon Sphere.

• Another bone rolled across the Sun Disk's surface, scratching the lacquer.

Damage to the Sun Disk.

• The Sun Disk bounced hard on its edge, leaving a flat spot.

Damage to the Sun Disk.

• A small chip flew from the Krr-tich as it impacted. You also saw a small chip fly from the Sek-rith as it impacted. You think it collided with the Moon Sphere, damaging one of the faces. As a final insult it must have hit the surface of the Sun Disk, scratching the lacquer.

Critical fumble. Damage to all bones, conduits decreased slightly (unless at maximum), and guaranteed to be a nasty curse.

• The Sun Disk teeters on edge briefly. Probability surges through it, tipping the white side up.

Possibly turned due to skill, full prediction pool, or Sun Disk quality.

Verbs

• Everyone: BABBLE, BREAK (destroys bones), CLEAN, COUGH, GASP, HUG, PAT, PRAISE, PULL, PUSH, SHAKE, TAP, TOUCH, TURN, and WAVE.
• Nomads: CLEAN, KISS, PRAISE, and RAISE.

Creation

Creation of divination bones is currently disabled, pending the release of the Enchanting skill.

Variations

Note: Due to a technical error with the site, the following list also contains some instrument bones and is missing some divination bones.

	Rare
Whale divination bones bleached by the sun	true
Long ivory divination bones inlaid with copper	true
Nacre-bone divination bones featuring goldenglow glaes clockwork	true
Divination bones bleached Grazhir-white	true
Divination bones carved from fossilized ivory	true
Divination bones carved from dark seordstone	true
Dessicated ur hhrki'izh bones wrapped with a scaly cover of enruned snakeskin	true
Pale white divination bones	true
Divination bones carved from dark granite	true
Divination bones inlaid with moon coral	true
Divination bones carved from black walnut	true
Divination bones carefully carved from ayabere	true
Divination bones painted a pale blue	true

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