Argosi

> "*The Argosi aren't a people... They're more like... a collection of outcasts. They wander the world, making their way by doing whatever little services will get them money.*"
> ― Mer'esan
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The Argosi are nomadic travelers that travel the world in order to observe major cultural changes, which they describe by creating Discordances, playing cards carrying artistic depictions of potentially influential events, creations, and people.

The most common way for a person to become an Argosi is to have a current Argosi take them on as a *teysan*, or apprentice, although some, such as Ferius Parfax, request to become an Argosi's *teysan*. During their education in the tenets of the Argosi, the *maetri*, or teacher, may repeatedly refuse to teach their student, so as to test their determination. To be initiated into the Argosi, one must show competence in their seven core tenets, or Talents, and an understanding and appreciation of the Ways.

## Etymology

The term *Argosi* supposedly comes from the Daroman word for *hero*.

## The Argosi Talents

> "*The seven talents of an Argosi wanderer are: Daring, to brave the world; Defence, to protect oneself and others, Eloquence, to communicate with strangers; Subtlety, to evade ensnarement; Resilience, to thrive anywhere; Persuasion, to compel right action; Perception, to see what others do not.*"
> ― The Path of Thorns and Roses
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### Arta Valar

*Arta valar* - the Argosi talent for daring - is referred to as 'swagger' by Ferius and Kellen. It is Ferius' favorite Talent. While thought to be the least important of the Argosi skills, it has shown itself to be just as necessary as the six others, often being vital in escaping perilous situations.

### Arta Eres

*Arta eres* - the Argosi talent for defense - commonly referred to as 'graceful defense', is described as if a user is 'dancing'. A part of this talent is sand fighting, or *eres trida*.

### Arta Loquit

*Arta loquit* - the Argosi talent for eloquence - is used by the Argosi in order to communicate with strangers. Navigation (p. 291) - “every utterance serves a purpose”

### Arta Tuco

*Arta tuco* - the Argosi talent for subtlety - is used by the Argosi in order to evade ensnarement, in fulfillment of the Way of Water.

### Arta Forteiza

> *“Resilience is just trustin’ your body. Gettin’ up even when your mind says you can’t get up again. Fightin’ back even when your fear tells you there’s no hope. […] Trust your memory to tell you where the target it. Trust your hand to remember how to throw. And most of all, trust your heart to lead you straight.” Ferius Parfax*
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*Arta forteiza* - the Argosi talent for resilience and trust - allows Argosi to thrive anywhere.

### Arta Siva

*Arta siva* - the Argosi talent for persuasion - is used by the Argosi in order to compel righteous action.

### Arta Precis

A*rta precis* - the Argosi talent for perception - is used by Argosi to see what others do not. Kellen is noted to normally not be very good at it, although he demonstrates the skill on a number of occasions.

## The Ways of the Argosi

> "In any given situation, the Argosi consider the four ways: be like water, flowing around conflict. Follow the wind, letting it guide you to where you need to be. Stand firm like stone, holding to what you know is true. Or strike like thunder, without hesitation, without remorse.” -citation needed
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There are four Ways which all Argosi are expected to follow, as and when they are required.

### The Way of Stone

> "*The way of the Argosi is the way of stone. Stone does not bend or sway, but rather stands resolute, preferring to shatter into a thousand thousand pieces rather than allow itself to be shaped by the will of another. Like stone, an Argosi stays firmly on their path. Though it may wind and twist in unusual ways, the path never allows itself to be moved. This is why an Argosi who knows the way forward never, ever backs down.*
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### The Way of Water

> "*The way of the Argosi is the way of water. Water never seeks to block another's path, nor does it permit impediments to its own. It moves freely, slipping past those who would capture it, taking nothing that belongs to others. To forget this is to stray from the path, for despite the rumours one sometimes hears, an Argosi never, ever steals.*"
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An Argosi should normally follow the Way of Water. They should move freely, not interfering in other people's lives, but also preventing others from interfering in their own life. The Way of Water places emphasis on balance and fair exchange, along with 'balancing the scales' when you've done wrong to another. Because of this, Argosi do not steal, although, due to their nature as outcasts, there are many rumors to that effect.

### The Way of Wind

> "*The way of the Argosi is the way of the wind. There are many winds that travel across the land: winds of change, winds of sorrow, winds of joy, winds of war. To know the truth of the world, an Argosi must listen to these winds, awaken to their touch upon the skin and follow every discordance, for any one of them could grow into a hurricane that could change the course of history. It is for this reason that the arrival of an Argosi is sometimes seen as ... troubling.*"
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In the event that they hear of something which could potentially become a Discordance, an Argosi should seek out knowledge on it to discover the truth of the matter. They must make sure not to rush to conclusions, gathering as much information as possible before acting, so as to avoid acting rashly.

### The Way of Thunder

> "*The way of the Argosi is the way of thunder. The thunder comes rarely, but when it does, it strikes without hesitation or remorse. An Argosi seeks not to impose themselves on others, but neither will they allow harm or enslavement of the innocent. When the balance of water has been broken by those who would force others to their will, then does an Argosi restore the equilibrium, Like the thunder, they do so swiftly, boldly and, sometimes, mercilessly.*"
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Once they have fulfilled the Way of Wind and discovered the truth around a discordance, however, they must do anything in their power to restore the balance and prevent damage. This may involve acting ruthlessly, such as by killing carriers of a disease to prevent a pandemic.

## Cards

> "*I suppose "cartographer" is as good a description as any, but the Argosi do not draw maps of places, but rather of people... cultures. [...] You understand the meaning of the suits? [...] Look more closely at the individual cards and you'll see that the particular design on each card reflects part of the fundamental power structure of that society.*"
> ― Mer'esan, on the Argosi and their cards[source]
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The most distinctive feature of the Argosi is their tendency to carry at least one deck of cards.

### Bladed Deck

Ferius Parfax's bladed deck is a deck of cards made out of a thin metal, with each card having sharpened edges, allowing them to be used as throwing weapons. Ferius is the most notable and talented user of these, although Kellen gains some proficiency with them over the course of the series.

### Blood Deck

The blood deck is a deck of cards illustrated in red ink, which Argosi keep as a tribute to their debts and a reminder to learn from the experience. While Argosi normally repay a debt as quickly as possible so that they can move onwards, if a debt is too deep to heal or there is no foreseeable way to, a debt card can be used. Ferius Parfax has several, having earned them during her upbringing by the Path of the Rambling Thistle. The deck contains different suits to Ferius' other decks, including hearts and thorns. Kellen begins to earn cards from Ferius' blood deck over the course of the series.

### Argosi Deck

The 'true' Argosi deck is the most important possession of an Argosi, and is central to the aims of the people. It consists of **concordances** and **discordances** - the concordances consists of suits depicting different cultures: shields, representing the culture of Darome, spells, representing the mages of Jan'Tep, the chalices for the Berabesq theocracy, and leaves for the Mahdek. The discordances, however, are unique to each Argosi, created to depict potentially major events, people, or creations that they come across. These discordances are then used to discuss developments with other Argosi they may come across. In the case of another Argosi having a greater chance of solving the discordance, the painter of the discordance card may choose to hand over the card and leave the issue to the other Argosi, as seen with the Path of the Rambling Thistle entrusting Ferius Parfax with the card of the mechanical bird.

## Death

The Argosi are noted to train themselves to let go of emotions such as grief, leading to very little in the way of funeral rites. It is traditional to find red lilies around the grave sites of Argosi wanderers, although its unknown whether this is due to coincidence, or whether it is a tradition for visitors and mourners to leave them as an offering.

## Known Argosi Paths

* The Path of Thorns and Roses
* The Path of Wild Daisy
* The Path of Endless Stars
* The Path of the Rambling Thistle
* The Path of Oak and Steel
* The Path of Skyward Oaks
* The Path of Joyful Tears
* The Path of Whispering Willows
* The Path of Mountain Storms
* The Path of Emerald Steps
* The Path of Floating Lilies

## Trivia

* The word Argosi was likely derived from the Argonauts, Greek heroes who sailed in search of the Golden Fleece, due to the clear parallels between the Daroman and Roman empires. It is possible that they were also named after Argus Panoptes, also known as Argos, the many-eyed giant of Greek myth who supposedly watched over the world on behalf of the Olympians.
* On being asked whether characters from the Greatcoats series would ever interact with characters from Spellslinger, Sebastien de Castell noted that the term *argosi* has phonetic similarities to the Tristian terms *trattari* and *bardati*, which may imply a historical link between the Greatcoats and the Argosi, or parallel development of terms for outcasts.
* The Argosi seem very similar to the real-world Roma in that both are generally nomadic peoples who are distrusted by most communities. There is also a stereotype of the Roma (or 'gypsies') being talented at fortunetelling, often done using the Major and Minor Arcana of tarot decks, which evidently inspired the Argosi decks.

1. ↑ Crownbreaker (2019), page 56