The Luminaries

"There are lots of things the Luminaries could be. I find it most useful to think of them as stories that sort of, insist on themselves until they become true."

―Tales from Spéir: The Luminaries

Luminaries are two things at once. They are best known as powerful cards in the Illimat deck, but they are also legends (legends that might just be true, if you believe the old salts). Everyone has heard the stories of these entities, but no one is sure what they actually are: gods, fates, spirits, or something far more complicated. They are known throughout Spéir, though not always by the same names from language to language.

Out of universe, they are used as a mechanic in play. They do not replace story points, but are also used to influence the story when the odds do not look good for a player. They are assigned tarot-like meanings; when a player chooses to draw a Luminary, these meanings are applied to the situation at hand and the GM and players work together to decide the outcome of the Luminary's influence.

List of Luminaries

The Butcher

• Themes: Violence, Dread, Misfortune
• Narrative Interpretation: If a situation could come to violence, it will. Other situations are cast into an all-encompassing peril. In the auspices of The Butcher, one must be mindful to avoid its wrath. Though this Luminary is generally an ill-portent, a clever PC can avoid the worst consequence — if they are clever. All The Butcher wants is a victim, take pains to avoid being one.

The Changeling

• Themes: Transformation, yearning, impulse, and will
• Descriptive Text: The Changeling comes of age. They find new power and new desire and allow that to alter them. By nature the Changeling is a creature of transition. It is at times unsatisfied with even stable arrangements. The Changeling looks upon freedom and joy and burs to answer their call.
• A narrative interpretation: A PC has the power and will to adapt to a new paradigm. Brittle things will break away to reveal new strength beneath. Someone caught between the past and the present will the resolve to embrace their destiny.
• In tales, died for his love.

The Children

• Themes: Consequence, Inevitability, and Eternity.
• Descriptive Text: The children watch and see things you might not even notice. All they although they are not strong now, they will one day be they will one day judge you for what they have seen, they represent a coming world that you do not control and one that cannot be stopped, the power of the children might not suggest immediate action, but they are a promise that deeds both good and bad will be answered.
• "This can favor the PCs by suggesting they will bring judgement. It can also threaten the PCs by suggesting that their crimes have been noticed.”

The Forest Queen

• Themes: Power, Dominance, Expectation, and Order
• Descriptive Text: This can be a tremendous boon to you, but it comes with an unforeseen price. Once she has given, the queen will want to be repaid. Her debts are rarely settled, and her favors are more about her ends than yours.
• "Has all the power and wrath of an ancient god."

The Island

• Views humanity only as prey.
• Descriptive Text: A place where sailors whisper about only when they're on dry land away from the touch of the brine. A place that lures and traps sailors to whither and die. Of the many terrible fates that can befall folk that sail, The Island is the most feared.
• Potentially the same island which draws in sailors and birthed the strange being known as The Mariner...in which case it is a hungry, pitiless thing indeed.

The Maiden

• Themes: Kindness, Beauty, Infatuation
• Descriptive Text: Find comfort in love for it lives all around you. Even in times of strife there is a reason to celebrate and hope. Uncertainty is best approached with compassion and love. Negotiating parties will find mutual respect and benefit.
• In tales, died for her love.
• "The Maiden is almost always on the party’s side.”

The Soldiers

• Themes: Death, Deception, Memory
• Descriptive Text: You were the instrument of a higher power that is seen or one that is beyond your comprehension. A force larger than yourself seeks to deceive you in order to control you. Death is a fate that awaits those that continue along this path.
• Fit the description of "spirits or shades of folk that once lived."

The River

• Themes: Temptation, Destruction, Challenge
• Descriptive Text: The River is unmistakably dangerous. However, the River is ultimately a barrier, something that separates one bank from another. At great risk, it can be crossed, and an equally great reward can be claimed. Some say that makes the River wicked, as it calls out, promising fortune and grace, only to drag souls down. However, heroes are baptized in the strife of the current.
• "Dramatically raises the stakes on any action associated with it, both by increasing the challenge presented and the potential reward promised. The challenge set by the River should always be obviously daunting, but the spoils should be enough to call the heroes to danger."

The Union

• Descriptive Text: The Union favors harmony. Where there is a bond, the Union grants strength. This power can stretch beyond any distance or barrier. Souls in the thrall of the Union can find strength even when they are separated by death. However, the bond must be true, without selfishness or cynicism, in order to work.

The Loom

• Themes: Toil, Obligation, Sacrifice
• Descriptive Text: The Loom is a symbol for all those who take pains to serve the ones they love, but it is also their jailor. It is an act of sacrifice that precedes rewards and gratitude, or, in some bitter cases, met with no acknowledgement at all. In the stories, a sacrifice on the Loom is how the crane repaid the man who had shown her kindness. It saved them during a hard winter, and it also broke her and caused pain to them both.
• "The PCs will need to give something meaningful to hold onto what is important to them. It can also suggest there is a sacrifice being made for their own benefit that must be understood and appreciated to avoid tragic consequences."

The Perfect Crime

• Descriptive Text: Plans in motion are destined to bear fruit. Even if there are elements that were unaccounted for, the winds of fate have conspired to make them advantageous. This does not mean that events will unfold exactly as people desire, just that it will place you at advantage.

The Starwatcher

• Themes: Guidance, Wisdom, Clarity

"The poor fellow who married a bird and chased her away"

• Since this is presented in the list of stories related to the Luminaries, it is likely this is a Luminary; however, the present writer cannot match this description up to an existing Luminary.
  • It's possible that this refers to The Loom.

The Whale

• Themes: Revenge, Irony, Fate
• Descriptive Text: If you are seeking revenge, your quarry will draw near to you. Distractions will be endangered or destroyed. It is up to you to claim it. If you do, you will do so in darkness.
• "The lad who chased revenge into the belly of a whale"

The Audience

• Themes: Spectators, Action, Drama and Suspense
• Descriptive Text: The Audience observes and judges all things. This is not a passive observation simply by observing The Audience changes events, those under the auspices of The Audience blend myth and reality. Real events turn into stories and songs. When people do or say things that seem larger than life, there is a chance that they are trying to satisfy the audience. Everything is about to become a bit unbelievable. The people and world around you will seem like players on a stage and may even fold you into the show.
• "The most dramatically appropriate thing to happen, happens"

The Newborn

• Themes: Beginnings, Responsibility, Potential
• "A PC faced with a task might find themselves in desperate need of assistance as it calls for knowledge and skill that is well out of their control. The task they face might also bring tremendous, world-altering responsibility. No matter what, there is some real worth beyond the difficulties that lie in front of them."

The Rusalka

• Descriptive Text: The prize you seek may be more dangerous than you have considered. Listen to the warnings given to you by friends and loved ones, there is more wisdom in their words than you wish to hear.

The Rake

• Themes: Greed, Appetite for Cruelty, Resentment
• Descriptive Text: The Rake is ruled by appetite and the desire to pursue it, he is willing to do unspeakable things to see his desires fulfilled. While he can temporarily be played, be placated, he will eventually always want more. He is treated by others as a normal person, but it is a facade that conceals his bestial nature. He can be depended upon to pursue desire but never trusted. The Rake almost always suggests danger. While desire is natural, the rake makes it dark, something basis being pursued relentlessly at the expense of other things. This is the sort of desire that hurts people and destroys beauty.

The Maelstrom

• Themes: Chaos, Change, Storm

The Boat

• Themes: Opportunity, Freedom, Labor
• Descriptive Text: Fortune awaits those who seek it but only with blood and sweat. The Boat is a friend to mariners and airiners alike, it protects them from the hateful sea and helps pull them into the air. It yearns and roams to seek what may be found. This Luminary can bring you wealth, set you free, and always favors those with an eye for endeavor. However, it does not offer these gifts without costs, The Boat demands care, devotion, and sweat.

The Drought

• Themes: Misfortune, Scarcity, Desperation
• Descriptive Text: Vital things leave you; this absence may be temporary, but there is no telling how long it will last. A soul caught in The Drought will be in great need, they may be forced to do unthinkable things in the name of survival.

The Skyjack

• Themes: Adventure, Courage, Travel

The Echo

• Themes: Déja vu, Illusions, Repetition
• Descriptive Text: The echo is a phenomenon that happens all over Spéir, though it occurs more frequently in some places than others. People experience memories of moments they are currently living or see shades of past and future events. Some see the echo as a blessing to make peace with one's past, an opportunity to gain advantage by glimpsing what's to come, or a burden of haunting phantoms.