The Taroph

## Description:

The Taroph, pronounced similarly to "tariff," is the name given to the updated version of Tarot which was developed by Truseauch and Birmish troops during the latter half of the War of Vile Men. The Taroph was created as a means of conducting Cartomancy, a form of future-reading with cards as its medium; specifically, the Taroph was designed to predict soldiers' immediate futures and especially their imminent deaths, which were assumed to be upcoming and guaranteed due to the bleak prospects of soldiers in the frontline trenches.

### Features:

The Taroph is split into 2 major categories: the Major Grievances, comprised of 22 named, unique cards that represent significant life events, and Minor Grievances, comprised of 56 cards numbered 1 through 10 with 4 face cards used to denote more minor life events. Each of the Minor Grievances has 4 face cards: Administrator (Jack/Squire), Warrior (Knight), Leader (Queen), and Puppeteer (King); the higher the value of a Minor Grievance card, the more severe the meaning is to be applied to the reading.

Some claim that the Taroph works all the time; others claim it only works for those who truly believe; some organizations, including those within the RCPPS and Nolinian Inquisition, are of the opinion that only those in touch with Psionics or other Adjacent Sciences can tap into the Taroph's truths. However, there are several well-known cases in which the Taroph was said to have held genuine wisdom.

#### Major Grievances:

1. The Rookie (Fool): The new guy in the squad; represents the protagonist, innocence, beginnings, base urges, extravagance, frenzy.
	1. Reversed: Instinct, ignorance, immaturity, shame, carelessness, apathy, vanity.
2. The Scientist (Magician): "As above so below"; conversion of ideas or energy into action or matter; represents energy, potential, manifestation of one's desires, the meetings of the physical and the intellectual, progress, advancement, and understanding.
	1. Reversed: Self-doubt, stoppage/blockage, obstacles.
3. The Matriarch (High Priestess): The secretive mother figure; represents secrets, the supernatural and unexplainable, mystery, the unknowable, silence, guardianship.
	1. Reversed: Passion, conceit, deception.
4. The Savior (Empress): Associated with medics, doctors, and [MARY]; represents creation, new life, fruitfulness, safety, security, deliverance, femininity, motherhood.
	1. Reversed: Light, truth, change, simplification of the complex, over-abundance, and excess.
5. The General (Emperor): The "top brass"; represents authority, government, status and structure, dominion, masculinity, fatherhood.
	1. Reversed: Domination, excessive control, stubbornness, tyranny.
6. The Patriarch (Hierophant): Sometimes depicted as one of the 12 Hierophants or even Jehos Himself; represents alliance, mercy, inspiration, and spirituality.
	1. Reversed: Captivity, servitude, weakness, over-kindness, and appeasement.
7. The Brothers (Lovers): Brothers in arms; represents attraction, love, beauty, familial ties, brothers-in-arms, friendship, and fraternity.
	1. Reversed: Failure, rejection, separation, isolation, loss.
8. The Tank (Chariot): Lumbering weapon or vehicle of war; represents war, triumph, struggle, presumption, vengeance, and trouble.
	1. Reversed: Quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.
9. Might (Strength): Physical prowess, muscle; represents power, energy, action, action, courage, success, honors, awards, fame, or recognition.
	1. Reversed: Pride, over-confidence, abuse of power, insecurity, over-compensation.
10. The Deserter (Hermit): The cowardly treachery; represents cowardice, desertion, treachery, corruption, treason.
	1. Reversed: Concealment, disguises/skullduggery, paranoia, fear.
11. The Roulette (Wheel of Fortune): Spin of the wheel, roll of the dice; represents fate, destiny, fortune, luck, risks, and gambling.
	1. Reversed: Hesitation, self-fulfilling prophecies, individuality.
12. Justice (Justice): The scales or a courtroom; represents lawfulness, equity, triumph of the righteous, compensation.
	1. Reversed: Bigotry, bias, bureaucracy, draconian legalism, punishment.
13. The Forgotten Man (Hanged Man): Associated both with the Unknown Soldier(s) and The Olvid; represents trials, difficulty, prophecy, forgetfulness.
	1. Reversed: Sacrifice, selflessness, wisdom, memory.
14. Bullet (Death): Ammo and casings; represents an ending, mortality, destruction, loss, the taking of a life, and approaching conclusions.
	1. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, hopelessness and despair, paralysis, and lethargy.
15. Peace (Temperance): The home life, peacetime; represents moderation, frugality, caution, peace, and religion/spirituality.
	1. Reversed: Competing interests, conflict, compromise, disunion.
16. The Vile Man (Devil): Fat-cat bureaucrats and politicians; represents ravaging, violence, vehemence, greed, selfishness, nobility, fatality.
	1. Reversed: Pettines, pride, blindness.
17. The Trench (Tower): A muddy, bloody ditch; represents misery, distress, calamity, and unforeseen catastrophe.
	1. Reversed: Negligence, absence, distraction, ruin.
18. The Bomb (Star): Artillery and explosions; represents hope, enlightenment, bright prospects, end of suffering; yes.
	1. Reversed: Loss, theft, unexpected outcomes, interference.
19. The Crater (Moon): Ruins and No Man's Land; represents hidden enemies, danger, terror, darkness, the unknown, and the calm before the storm.
	1. Reversed: Instability, silence, refuge.
20. The Sky (Sun): Bright and blue, cloudless; represents happiness, vitality, success, escape, and accomplishment.
	1. Reversed: Regret, flight, survivor's remorse, memorial.
21. Judgement (Judgement): Angry mobs and court martials; represents absolution, forgiveness, rebirth, resurrection, and second chances.
	1. Reversed: Causality, karma, light punishments, penance.
22. The Frontier (World): Wilderness and nature; represents guaranteed success, travel, routes, and a change of pace.
	1. Reversed: False promises, stagnancy, labyrinths, confusion, loss of direction.

#### Minor Grievances:

1. Letters (Cups): Clergy; love, religion/spirituality, emotions.
2. Shields (Pentacles): Merchants; mercantilism, money, material, possession.
3. Maps (Wands): Artisans; creativity, strategy, willpower, determination.
4. Guns (Swords): Military; nobility, logic, reason.

### Production:

The original Taroph decks' Major Grievances were made from soldiers' draft cards, dogtags, ID's, or other documents, with each ID representing a person (living or dead) whose personality fit the archetype of the card they represented; the Minor Grievances were almost always made using normal card decks. Only after the War of Vile Men, when the Taroph spread across the world, were proper decks produced. The Taroph remains especially popular in Eastern Breit and Westerland.

### Applications:

Use of the Taroph, conventionally, consists of a drawing of a specific number of cards, from the Major or Minor Grievances, or even from both lists; different techniques or methods of drawing and shuffling exist, passed down the line of teacher and apprentice. Similarly, the number of cards drawn and the events or time periods they are meant to reveal can differ between traditions.

The most common, and original use of the Taroph was to draw 3 cards from the combined full deck of 78 cards: 1 for past, 1 for present, and 1 for future. Slight variations also used only the Major or Minor Grievances for either all 3 drawn cards or for only some of the 3, once again demonstrating the Taroph's variability in use. This 3-card draw was originally used as the fast-and-loose way to quickly determine the immediate future and gain insight into a situation, employed just before going to battle or even mid-combat.

## History:

The Taroph was developed as a successor to the Tarot, the original Cartomancy "deck" used by mystics up to that point. The Taroph was devised in 6 WT of the War of Vile Men, when the fighting began to hit its peak; the soldiers of the Republic of Truseau and Union of Birmingham became so cynical, fatalistic, and crazed with anxiety pertaining to their imminent deaths that they sought out refuge any way they could, including in the arms of superstitions and esotericism. Groups of pagans, mystics, and those of minority religious groups within Truseauch and Birmish militaries began turning to the Taroph as a way to foretell their immediate futures and ease some of the fear surrounding the unknowns of long-term combat exposure.

### Ban on the Taroph:

In 7 WT, Birmish and Truseauch military administration noticed the increase in superstitious beliefs among their men, and honed-in on the use of the Taroph as a primary method by which the men were relieving their stress and worries. Deeming this to be a dangerous superstition which went against Birmingham's religious tenets and grazed the line of Truseau's anti-religious motivations, the 2 governments placed a ban on the Taroph, its cards, and its use. Any soldier found to be using the Taroph or its cards, or conducting any similar activity, were to be punished with up to 25 lashings with a whip and punitive placement transfers.