Category:Fortune's Path

from A Brief History of the Guild of Moon Magic by Kssarh T'kinnirii, Apprentice to Guildmaster Tiv

The followers of Fortune's Path came from all across Elanthia and seemed as surprised to meet each other as they were to meet other sects. They were the soothsayers, the fortunetellers and sometimes the tricksters of roving gypsy tribes, as comfortable with a high- stakes dice game as with a cantrip or wand. Even their preferred form of divination, Tokka cards, originated as a gambling game.

Not surprisingly, the arrival of these mages coincided with a num- ber of extremely strange events; one happened right after their temporary spokeswoman stepped outside for some air, and was suddnly besieged by literally hundreds of freelance messengers, all of whom insisted that they had been looking for her for decades.

A colorful gypsy leans forward and speaks to you about this sect. "Gamblers, yes! We've been called that, and it's true. The most prominent of all Fortune's Path members are the wandering Gypsies, so it's only natural that we've gained this reputation."

"Life is too short not to enjoy it, and enjoy it we do. As Moon Mages, we tap into the Webs of Fate and dance with destiny. Some of us just know how to use this to our advantage in a card game or feast, and that can't be all wrong! Trust Fate to deliver to us not what we want, but what we need, and all is right with the world."

"Naturally, our magics reflect our strong interests in gaming, feasting and seizing life by the lapels!" The colorful gypsy adds, "You have but to JOIN us, and be part of this heritage."

More information on this sect can be found in:

• Fortune's Path: The Crossroads
• Profiles in Magic Volume 8: Borrugar Steadfoot
• Profiles in Magic Volume 11: Demosel Dez'Madielle

Symbol

• Tokka Card

Titles

• Fateweaver at Circle 39, as well as post-title Of the Gypsies.
• Unbound at Circle 70.
• Also: Gambler, Cartomancer, Astraglomancer, and two other unknown.

Title Requirements: The Gypsies have a tendency to be where Fate wants them and not where Fate does not. They earn their titles based on Astrology and Escaping. (Raesh apologizes about the escaping.)

Cantrips

• Fate's Kiss (kiss): Throws a set of six-sided dice randomly colored after a moon that is currently up.

A pair of translucent dice that glow with inner light appear in your hands.

You toss them down and the dice come up as a four and a two.

The dice remain briefly, then flicker out of existence.

• Fortune (fortune): Gives a small 5 minute bonus to 1 of 12 skills.

A glowing series of raesh-style Tokka cards appear and arrange themselves in an esoteric pattern.

You distinctly notice the Artificer card before the illusion fades, and feel luckier for it.

Joyous Mage: Primary Magic

Moneylender: Appraisal

Jester of the Court: Musical Theory (Presplit)

Wounded Veteran: First Aid

Artificer: Mechanical Lore

Endless Ocean: Swimming

Stellar Stairway: Climbing

River of Aether: Targeted Magic

The Nimble Dancer: Evasion

Sulking Hunter: Skinning

Thief of Hearts: Disarm Traps

Runebinder: Astrology

• Lyodin Albir (reimage): Changes what people see when they Locate you or backtrace your Locate.

You sense a gossamer mist thicken the air, then settle around you invisibly.

• Veiled Identity (face):
  • <Name> has a pair of eyes that flash with delicate twinklings of blue and silver, a shifting mass of sparkling golden hair, and deep ebony skin.

You see Fateweaver <name> who has outlandish hair and eyes.

Spell Preparation

• A lost Gypsy makes a careless gesture as he begins an almost musical chant.

Spell Affinities

Members of Fortune's Path are responsible for inventing following spells:

• Aura Sight
• Seer's Sense (Spell affinity)

Divination Tools

• Tokka cards

Armifer Lore

The Followers of Fortune's Path. The Gypsies. The Fateweavers. The Unbound. They have more names than any two other sects combined and a bizarre non-structure that thwarts attempts to take the group seriously. They are stereotyped as drunkards and hedonists who take more interest in gambling (and cheating) than studying probability strictly requires.

It's part of the point.

While the Web of Fate has entered common vernacular in the Moon Mage Guild, it is a distinctly Fortune's Path concept. Other Moon Mages describe the interplay of forces they deal with as a web or threads of fate without much thought to the symbolism.

The more complex and, strangely, most accessible understanding of the Web of Fate is as a method of describing how multiple objects (possibly all objects) are interconnected. An individual's actions influences those closest to him, and they in turn influence others, and so forth. The removal of a single object or the consequences of one act can ricochet through the universe in dramatic ways through chains of interdependency.

In these terms, prophecy is understood as the ability to see the sympathetic connections between all objects and read what kind of "vibes" are being transmitted through the web. In addition to real acts of prophecy, the Fateweavers value skilled cold readers, people who predict the future with nothing more supernatural than seeing an event take place and fully understanding its significance.

The other usage of the web of fate is more literal and exclusive to Fortune's Path: webs entangle, constrict and thwart the poor bastard that gets caught in them. The Unbound do not take fatalism lying down.

The Followers have a love/hate relationship with the universe, which could be described as fatalism with benefits. The web exists, linking people across the planet as a symbol of, and vehicle for, social cohesion. As they all live on one Elanthia, they will influence each others' lives and be influenced in turn. Fate does not need to be a murderous red-head or rip off Final Destination to have a direct hand in the seer's life. The Unbound are broken into two camps about how best to deal with this realization.

The first camp invests a lot of merit and teleological meaning into the web, seeing it as a largely positive force. The unthinking, impersonal force of fate can constrain the unwary, but it is also responsible for the cohesion of society and the right and proper order of things. To these Followers, the Web of Fate fulfills many of the attributes of a paternal god. They take pride in following Fortune's Path, going where the spirit moves them and exerting what force they feel is necessary to right the web when dangerous vibes start cascading through its links.

The other camp seeks to rise above it all, mastering the web and removing themselves from unsought influences. They regard the web as a danger to their individuality and self-worth. Only when the Fateweaver is untroubled by commitment, untouched by wars, and unhindered by social expectation can he be called his own man and said to make decisions that truly reflect him.

Of course, it doesn't exactly work like that for either camp. It's delusional to believe that the Followers do not have their own designs and an eye on their own comforts, and one of the Unbound is more likely to kill blue than he is to remove himself entirely from his cultural framework. The compromise position that they often reach is to live on the fringes of society, plying their wisdom where they feel it's most needed and staying as unencumbered by commitment as comfortable. Much like the Sophisters' pursuit of perfection, the Followers of Fortune's Path know they're chasing an impossible ideal, hoping they build better lives for themselves in the process.

See Also

• Player Fateweavers - Players that associate their characters with the Followers of Fortune's Path

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