The Card Lexicon
Every card at a glance. Select a name for its detailed page - upright and inverted readings, with examples.
On inversion. A card laid sideways (the consecutive-card rule) reads inverted, and inversion pulls every result toward the middle. An inverted Heart behaves like a Diamond - the yes still stands, but the bonus turns to a cost. An inverted Club behaves like a Spade - the no still stands, but the ruin leaves an opening. And for the but suits, read inversion as a change of emphasis rather than volume. Upright, the but is a seed - a hook planted while the result itself carries the scene. Inverted, the but is the point - the qualifier takes over and becomes the situation you play from next. Either inversion flips the outcome outright or it simply presses harder on the but; read whichever the moment wants.
| Card | Name | Texture | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aces - Warrior | |||
| AH | Champion's Glory | Yes, and | The fighter's triumph spills over into celebration. |
| AD | Mercenary's Wage | Yes, but | The sword arm won the day. |
| AS | Duellist's Evasion | No, but | The blade arm failed but the footwork saved you. |
| AC | Berserker's Rampage | No, and | Something let loose and made everything worse. |
| Twos - Sniper | |||
| 2H | Scout's Report | Yes, and | Intelligence delivered cleanly, and more than was asked for. |
| 2D | Marksman's Reload | Yes, but | The shot landed. |
| 2S | Catapult's Misfire | No, but | The mechanism failed but something useful landed in the chaos anyway. |
| 2C | Arbalest's Volley | No, and | Heavy, mechanical, and it's still coming. |
| Threes - Performer | |||
| 3H | Actor's Roses | Yes, and | The crowd threw flowers. |
| 3D | Mentor's Critique | Yes, but | The performance worked. |
| 3S | Reviewer's Nostalgia | No, but | The review wasn't favorable, but something in the performance triggered a memory in someone who matters. |
| 3C | Heckler's Victory | No, and | The performance failed and the room turned. |
| Fours - Sneak | |||
| 4H | Spy's Package | Yes, and | The intelligence arrived and something extra was tucked inside that nobody expected. |
| 4D | Assassin's Compulsion | Yes, but | The job is done. |
| 4S | Prisoner's Map | No, but | Failed, confined, seemingly stuck. |
| 4C | Burglar's Ligature | No, and | Caught and bound, and things are actively getting worse. |
| Fives - Naturalist | |||
| 5H | Forager's Bounty | Yes, and | Nature provided more than asked. |
| 5D | Wayfarer's Pack | Yes, but | You have what you need. |
| 5S | Herbalist's Antidote | No, but | The situation is bad but here is something specific that addresses the harm. |
| 5C | Mountaineer's Avalanche | No, and | Unstoppable, impersonal, and it absolutely made everything worse. |
| Sixs - Beast Handler | |||
| 6H | Ox Team's Calf | Yes, and | The labor partnership produced something new and valuable beyond the work itself. |
| 6D | Courser's Re-shoeing | Yes, but | You got where you needed to go. |
| 6S | Hounds' Fault | No, but | The hunting term for losing the scent. |
| 6C | Grizzly's Pursuit | No, and | You are the prey. |
| Sevens - Athlete | |||
| 7H | Victor's Laurels | Yes, and | Classical and generous. |
| 7D | Competitor's Fee | Yes, but | You placed, you earned. |
| 7S | Runner's Consolation | No, but | Didn't win, didn't place, but finished. |
| 7C | Dropout's Disgrace | No, and | Not just losing but the public consequence of failing to finish. |
| Eights - Healer | |||
| 8H | Nurse's Handfasting | Yes, and | The healer and patient bound together through the act of care. |
| 8D | Remedy's Addiction | Yes, but | The remedy worked. |
| 8S | Hollow Leg | No, but | The medicine went in and nothing changed. |
| 8C | Apothecary's Grief | No, and | The treatment failed and the condition worsened. |
| Nines - Loremaster | |||
| 9H | Librarian's Recommendation | Yes, and | The research succeeded and the librarian liked you enough to send you somewhere better. |
| 9D | Investigator's Attention | Yes, but | You found what you were looking for. |
| 9S | Sage's Rescheduling | No, but | The Sage couldn't see you today. |
| 9C | Censor's Torch | No, and | The knowledge existed, you found it, and now it's ash and you're known for having looked. |
| Tens - Tinker | |||
| 10H | Alchemist's Discovery | Yes, and | The experiment worked and produced something nobody expected. |
| 10D | Razor's Nick | Yes, but | The tool is sharp, the work is done, and there's a small precise cost attached. |
| 10S | Engineer's Salvage | No, but | The mechanism failed but the parts are recoverable. |
| 10C | Miller's Fire | No, and | The mill burned. |
| Jacks - Adept | |||
| JH | Bard's Ode | Yes, and | A gift freely given, a story that opens doors. |
| JD | Prophet's Levy | Yes, but | The vision was accurate, the path is clear - but the Prophet collects his due and you didn't get a say. |
| JS | Friar's Indulgence | No, but | You didn't earn this. |
| JC | Soothsayer's Hex | No, and | The truth was spoken and it cut deep. |
| Queens - Conjuror | |||
| QH | Enchantress' Boon | Yes, and | A gift from someone who didn't have to give it. |
| QD | Sibyl's Price | Yes, but | The Sibyl's prophecies were always accurate and always costly. |
| QS | Harpy's Bargain | No, but | Unpleasant terms, uncomfortable company, a deal struck in circumstances nobody would have chosen. |
| QC | Witch's Curse | No, and | Not merely opposition - deliberate, targeted, personal. |
| Kings - Spellweaver | |||
| KH | Guildmaster's Favor | Yes, and | Institutional approval, freely and publicly given. |
| KD | Magister's Fee | Yes, but | The knowledge was accurate. |
| KS | Artificer's Workaround | No, but | Something bound and purposeful is working against you, methodically and without malice. |
| KC | Inquisitor's Writ | No, and | The full weight of organized authority, properly documented, coming down. |
| Jokers | |||
| Xr | Joker (Red) | - | Chaos with potential. |
| Xb | Joker (Black & White) | - | Chaos with teeth. |