Arcana

The **Arcana** are twenty-two entities that rule over the Initium Mindscape. They act as its Conceptual Avatars.

## Description

Arcana are entities born from mankind's quest for evolution. They are a symbol of initiatic progression from the cosmic egg to the transcendance of one's existence. Each Arcana embodies a step of this journey and illustrates part of the human psyche.

They are supernatural creatures above mortals, made of metallic perfection, eerie and almost eldricht in appearance. They have no consciousness to speak of, aside from the Fool, and only serve as symbols of one's trials and successes.

Arcana possess two "faces" or aspect. Their "normal" or positive aspect represents success and progression, while their "inverted" or negative aspect represents failure and stagnation. A normal Arcana is crafted in gold and white metal and seems terrifyingly beautiful, while an inverted Arcana is composed of black and silver pieces and seems grotesque and nightmarish.

## List of Arcanas

### 0 - The Fool

A peculiar Arcana in the shape of a metallic humanoid figure. It can take human shape and speak, and adapts to the presence of those close to it. Its positive aspect represents unbridled potential, its negative aspect sterile madness. It grants power over power mimetism. See also Jacob Osea.

### I - The Magician

An Arcana in the shape of a giant entity with a massive hat and a gigantic cape, with planets spiraling around its main body. Its positive aspect represents creativity and craftiness, its negative aspect delusion and hypocrisy. It grants mastery of basic Magic.

### II - The High Priestess

An Arcana in the shape of a woman whose body is composed of thousands of books, akin to a massive living library. Its positive aspect represents spirituality and understanding, its negative aspect fake beliefs and delusions of self. It grants power over Water and Healing.

### III - The Empress

An Arcana in the shape of a beautiful half-dryad woman, on a small pedestal shaped like a planisphere. Its positive aspect represents sensuality, fertility and feminity, its negative aspect sterility and superficiality. It grants power over Earth and Nature.

### IV - The Emperor

An Arcana in the shape of a massive warlord, a crowned conqueror with six arms, each bearing a different weapon. Its positive aspect represents self-confidence and courage, its negative aspect tyranny and self-hatred. It grants power over Thunder.

### V - The Hierophant

An Arcana in the shape of a massive pope-like figure with an angelic being suspended above it like a puppet. Its positive aspect represents faith and spiritual guidance, its negative aspect represents lack of purpose, acedia and loss. It grants power over Rune Magic.

### VI - The Lovers

An Arcana in the shape of two figures entwined in an angelic dance upon a rotating music box-like structure. Its positive aspect represents love, constructive choices, and unity. Its negative aspect represents separation, isolation and lack of good choices. It grants power over Mind through emotion manipulation.

### VII - The Chariot

An arcana in the shape of a massive chariot led by pegasi, all of which is entirely mechanical, and whose driver resembles an emperor's statue. Its positive aspect represents courage and pride, its negative aspect represents arrogance and unability to overcome loss. It allows to manipulate the Wind.

### VIII - Strength

An Arcana in the shape of a lion-headed woman whose strength is apparent in her sculpted body. Its positive aspect represents mental strength and mastery over the self, its negative aspect uncontrollable strength and lack of self-mastery. It grants superhuman strength and endurance.

### IX - The Hermit

An Arcana in the shape of an old man lost in a gigantic maze, which constantly rotates around him. Its positive aspect represents understanding, introspection and wisdom, its negative aspect the fear of being alone as well as imprisonment. It grants power over Mind through analysis and illusions.

### X - The Wheel

An Arcana in the shape of a constantly spinning wheel in which various patterns and animals can be seen. Its positive aspect represents enjoyable twists of fate and good luck, its negative aspect superstition, bad luck and fated ends. It grants power over Fate and Luck.

### XI - Justice

An Arcana in the shape of a woman whose eyes were removed, and who wields a massive scythe-like blade. Her own body is akin to a weighing scale. Its positive aspect represents justice and equity, its negative aspect represents grudge and vengeance. It grants power over Space.

### XII - The Hanged Man

An Arcana in the shape of a gigantic puppet chained to a self-inflicted cross, hanged in reverse. Its positive aspect represents altruism, selflessness and desire to help. Its negative aspect represents self-hatred and suicidal desires. It grants power over Blood Magic.

### XIII - Death

An Arcana in the shape of a massive reaper-like structure wielding a scythe ten time its size. Its positive aspect represents change and the acceptation of change. Its negative aspect represents self-destructive deinal of change. It grants power over, as expected, Death.

### XIV - Temperance

An Arcana in the shape of a madonna trapped in a prison of everflowing water, representing eternal stability. Its positive aspect represents calm, normality and serenity. Its negative aspect represents banality, sloth and lack of actions. It grants no powers and instead functions as magic-negating Metamagic.

### XV - The Devil

An Arcana in the shape of a monstrous beast which despite its bestial face exudes a corrupting charm. Its positive aspect represents rebellion against the injust and material enjoyment. Its negative aspect represents excess and ruination. It grants power over Black Magic.

### XVI - The Tower

An Arcana in the shape of a massive tower adorned with several destructive weapons. Its positive aspect represents destroyed pride and rebirth from loss. Its negative aspect represents unfathomable loss and annihiliation. It grants power over Fire.

### XVII - The Star

An Arcana in the shape of a little girl floating in a massive planetarium-like sphere, surrounded by dozens of miniature stars. Its positive aspect represents hope and optimism. Its negative aspect represents despair and make-belief. It grants power over Light.

### XVIII - The Moon

An Arcana in the shape of a gigantic, ever-changing sphere adorned with fangs, claws and beastial eyes. Its positive aspect represents wilderness, imagination and creativity. Its negative aspect represents savagery and madness. It grants power over Shapeshifting.

### XIX - The Sun

An Arcana in the shape of a giant tesseract-like crystal compressed in an armillary sphere that constantly rotates around it. Its positive aspect represents health, warmth and dynamism. Its negative aspect represents illness and frailty. It grants power over self-revival.

### XX - Judgment

An Arcana in the shape of a giant choir endlessly chanted praises directed at the evolution of human existance. Its positive aspect represents discernment, understanding and enlightenment. Its negative aspect represents lingering attachment and refusal of enlightenment. It grants power over Time.

### XXI - The World

An Arcana in the shape of a diminutive figure, with a gigantic structure behind it, symbolizing the rotating world. Its positive aspect is that of ultimate fulfillment, the end of the journey ; its negative aspect embodies supreme failure and nihilism. It grants Akashic powers, albeit with great restrictions.

## Trivia

* The concept of Arcana comes from the **Tarot de Marseilles**. The name Arcana means "hidden" in latin.