Tarot Deck

Asra's **tarot deck** is an unusual item. Unlike many fortune tellers who are con men, this deck provides you and Asra with genuine answers. Asra has spent the last three years teaching the Apprentice how to listen when the archetype spirits speak - though they do not quite use words. Asra's reputation as a fortune teller is due to his skill with these cards.

## History

Asra made the deck himself, designing each card based on what he believed best represent each archetype.
According to him, the cards can be difficult. There is something about them that makes the Apprentice uncomfortable, though they have learned to use the deck regardless. In now missing part of the Prologue, when Nadia steals one of the cards for the Apprentice to track, they can feel the upset energy of the deck. Likewise, when it is finally returned, the Apprentice feels very relieved and almost thinks they can feel the same of the deck.

## Major Arcana

Each of the major arcana has a unique animal figure as the subject. The main cast all have specific cards associated to them through zodiac signs and animal symbolism. Asra gifted Muriel and Julian with figurines of them.

## The Cast's Cards

**0. The Fool - The Apprentice**

The fool is the only card without a figure in it, as the Apprentice is the only main character never seen. The fool represents the beginning of a journey, and describes the apprentice's role in the story. In Asra's route during Chapter VIII - Strength, you fail to find an alebrije that you identify with.

**I. The Magician - Asra**

The fox on this card has Asra's lavender eyes. Fox figures appear twice in game - once as a little figurine in Asra's kitchen in Nopal, and once when you and him were choosing alebrije together. Asra claimed to identify with an indigo fox one. The Magician themself chooses to appear as the violet eyed fox when teaching Asra. Asra wears a fox themed outfit and mask during the masquerade.

**II. The High Priestess - Nadia**

The owl has Nadia's ruby red eyes. Nadia has a carved owl figure on her bed's canopy, and her dressing gown has the same feathered pattern as the owl's wings. Her companion Chandra is an owl, and she also wears an owl themed outfit and mask during the Masquerade.

**III. The Empress - Nasrin**

Nadia's mother wears a mask that resembles the Empress card during the red room ritual.

**IV. The Emperor - Namar**

Nadia's father wears a mask that resembles the Emperor card during the red room ritual.

**V. The Hierophant - Valerius**

Valerius' pin is in the shape of the ram's head. His position as Consul, and his attempt to remove Nadia from her position to return to what he was doing before she awoke, also lines up with the Hierophant's depiction and meaning, being a teacher or counselor that stands for tradition and convention. In Book XIX: The Sun in Nadia's route, it is revealed that he was in the process of becoming a demon through deals made with the Devil. Each deal stole power from the Hierophant, but his bindings were broken and he and the Hierophant returned to normal.

**VI. The Lovers - Aisha and Salim**

The characters depicted on the card look very similar to their familiars, and they are very much in love.

**VII. The Chariot - Morga**

Morga's facial markings, the long lines down either side of her face, match those of the Chariot. She also wears a cheetah pelt around her waist.

**VIII. Strength - Nasmira**

Nadia's sister, Nasmira, wears a mask that resembles the lioness of Strength during the Masquerade.

**IX. The Hermit - Muriel**

The bear has Muriel's green eyes and tattered cloak. In his house he has a little carved bear statue. He also lives a secluded lifestyle, away from other humans. Muriel wears a wooden bear mask during the masquerade.

**X. Wheel of Fortune - Natiqa**

At the Masquerade, Natiqa wears a mask that resembles the feathered puma on the Wheel of Fortune card.

**XI. Justice - Vlastomil**

Vlastomil wears a pig mask during the Masquerade, and works as a judge in Julian's trial. In Book XVIII: The Moon and Book XIX: The Sun in Nadia's route, it is revealed that his power is stolen from Justice through deals made with the Devil, which turned him into a demon.

**XII. The Hanged Man - Julian**

The raven has Julian's grey eyes. He frequents a bar known as the Rowdy Raven, and is often chaperoned by Malak - a paranoid raven who hates the city guard. He also owns a small carved statue of a raven that was gifted to him by Asra. Julian wears a raven mask and a raven themed suit during the masquerade.

**XIII. Death - Valdemar**

During the Masquerade, Quaestor Valdemar is wearing a mask of a horse skull with a black veil, matching the one on the card. Valdemar is also shown to have an obsession with death. Also, in Book XIX: The Sun in Portia's route, Valdemar offhandedly mentions that they "couldn't be the way [they are] today" without Death, implying they are something other than one of the Devil's demons. It is also implied with both Nadia and Portia's routes that as with the other courtiers, their power is stolen from the Death Arcana.

**XIV. Temperance - Volta**

During the Masquerade, Procurator Volta dons a mask similar to the dove featured on the Temperance tarot card. In Nadia's route, you can choose to read Volta's fortune, which will reveal a Temperance card, reversed. It is possible that Volta also represents temperance reversed, as temperance seems to be the one thing she lacks. In Book XVIII: The Moon and Book XIX: The Sun in Nadia's route, it is revealed that her power is stolen from the Temperance card through deals made with the Devil, which turned her into a demon.

**XV. The Devil - Lucio**

The goat has eyes the same red as Lucio's plagued sclera. Lucio himself appears in game as a ghostly goat, after apparently trying to become the archetype itself. Lucio also is a personification of what the Devil card represents- greed, selfishness, and material wants.

**XVI. the Tower - Vulgora**

This card has a stag and a swarm of red beetles depicted on it, relating to the Red Plague. Choosing to give a reading to Vulgora on Nadia's route will reveal The Tower, and Vulgora wears a red stag beetle mask at the masquerade. Along with the other courtiers, Vulgora became a demon through deals with the Devil. It is implied that these deals stole power from the Tower as with the other demons.

**XVII. The Star - Portia**

The cat has Portia's blue eyes and she owns a house cat, Pepi. The water-bearer of the card and her zodiac sign, Aquarius, align with her actual job as a hand maiden. Portia also wears a cat mask during the Masquerade.

**XVIII. The Moon - Navra**

Nadia's sister, Navra, wears a wolf mask during the Masquerade.

**XIX. The Sun - Nahara**

Nadia's sister, Nahara, wears a yellow outfit and dons an eagle themed mask during the masquerade, closely resembling the eagle depicted on the Sun card.

**XX. Judgement - Nazali**

Nadia's sibling, Nazali, wears an elephant mask during the Masquerade.

**XXI. The World - Nafizah**

Nadia's sister, Nafizah, wears a turtle mask during the Masquerade, as well as a circle above her head patterned with the tree design from the card. She also has a tiny turtle as a familiar. In Lucio's route, she seems to have a spiritual relationship with the World Turtle.

## Minor Arcana

The minor Arcana are separated into four suits: cups, pentacles, swords, and wands. Within those, each suit contains one card each of 1-10, page, knight, queen, and king.

In Asra's tarot deck, each suit has an animal assigned to it as follows:

* SUIT OF CUPS
* SUIT OF PENTACLES
* SUIT OF SWORDS
* SUIT OF WANDS