Book of Stygis

The Book of Stygis is a Daroka deck which developed in two forms in the Ophionic Empire. The first, the one which bears the name of the primary god of the Empire, was used by Malison seers and prophets, while the other, sometimes called the Daroka of Snakes, was favoured by the Human and Lizardfolk slaves of the Yuan-ti. This latter version travelled along with refugees from the Empire and became known as the Daroka of Agradine.
The original Book of Stygis is still in use among the elite of the Second Ophionic Empire, often in large and unwieldy forms such as the infamous Scaled Floor.

Imagery

The imagery of the Book of Stygis is heavily slanted towards the serpent symbolism of the Empire, with blood and bones also featuring heavily. Snakes represent power, wisdom and secrets, blood stands for strength and devotion, and skulls for death and dominion. The four suits of the low deck are the fangs, forks, venoms and scales. In the low deck, each suit consists of cards numbered 1-9, each with a representation of a person, and a master which shows an object.
The Scaled Floor is a massive version of the Daroka, consiting of a chamber with fifty-four tiles, each bearing the image of one of the cards. To read this cruel version of the deck, a sacrificial victim is posed a question and then their belly is slit open, their dying staggers and the fall of their blood and viscera indicating the cards to be read.

The Cards

High Cards	Book of Stygis	Daroka of Snakes
I	Chalice	Chalice	An object that is needed or desired; the catalyst of a conflict.
II	Mongoose	Overseer	A deadly enemy; savage strength unchecked by civility; assassination or murder.
III	Pureblood	Broken Lock	A state of incompleteness; a journey undertaken, but yet to be finished; flawed authority, moral or temporal.
IV	Anathaema	Liberation	Rightful, absolute or divine authority; completion; a great leader.
V	Pit	Campfire	Conflict, destruction and transformation; a place of power or of conflict; destruction or conversion of enemies.
VI	Pyramid	Pit	Isolation and imprisonment; doomed beliefs; a great effort with no reward at the end of the struggle.
VII	Asphyix	Broodguard	The fate of the condemned; death unlooked for and undeserved; an executioner.
VIII	Abomination	Ladder	Ascension and growth; liberation from the power of others; righteous power.
IX	Sacrifice	Martyr	A worthy offering; death in the service of a cause; blood spilled for the gods.
X	Slave	Chains	Death, loss and destitution; a desperate and destructive reversal of fortune; a last, impossible chance.
XI	Mire	Night	Confusion and loss; a place or situation of great danger; a person whose advice is not sound.
XII	Stygis	Aurora	Divine authority, aid and guidance; destiny; one who might achieve greatness.
XIII	Malison	Geomancer	Sage guidance and counsel; foresight and prophecies; a wise adviser, although not necessarily to be trusted.
XIV	Sythis	Snakeheart(1)	Treachery and malice; plans undone by betrayal; a spy or saboteur.

Fangs

In the Book of Stygis, the suit of Fangs stands for power in its most naked and presumptuous forms; violence, dominance and intimidation. To Yuan-ti readers, indulging in this kind of behaviour is a form of self-actualisation, whereas the Daroka of Snakes is more focused on offering reistance to bullies and fearmongers.

	Book of Stygis	Daroka of Snakes
1	Master	Shadow(2)	The power to act; meaningful choices and the opportunity to make a difference; one who has power and agency in the moment.
2	Assassin	Punisher(3)	Direct aggression; the transitory power of violence; a killer.
3	General	Firebrand	Incitement; violence conducted through an intermeidary; one who has the power to move others to violence.
4	Herald	Trustee(4)	A figurehead with an inflated sense of their own value; status without true power; power assumed on behalf of another.
5	Soldier	Dupe	Action by proxy; a pawn or agent who serves unknowingly; power wielded unseen.
6	Fool	Fool	The loss of power; defeat, retreat, or a fall from grace; one whose power is broken.
7	Thrall	Shackled	Powerlessness; choices with no meaning or merit; a victim.
8	Captive	Hostage	Captivity and degradation; controlling one to gain power over another; a prisoner or hostage.
9	Savage	Overseer	Blind violence; force applied without will; one without self-control, and thus without power depite strength.
Master	Crown	Whip	Authority; power granted from a higher source; a regent or viceroy commanding on another's behalf.

Forks

The suit of forks stands for seeming opposites: the spiritual and the sensual; mysteries and answers; secrets and revelations. It can also be read as the stages of a journey.

	Book of Stygis	Daroka of Snakes
1	Hatchling	Child	A beginning; a lack of convictions and experience; a pupil or student in search of knowledge beyond themselves.
2	Spy	Cupbearer	Discovery; concealed information that can be unveiled; one who conceals their true identity, from others or from themselves.
3	Supplicant	Acolyte	Study and learning; accepted knowledge and truths; one who seeks old answers.
4	Prophet	Teacher	Exploration and truth; open-mindedness and questioning; one who brings new knowledge.
5	Mad One	Venom Eater(5)	Submission of mind and reason to sensuality; a hedonist; temptation.
6	Lover	Lover	Emotionality and open-heartedness; judgement compromised by feelings; a trusted friend.
7	Gourmand	Taster	Sensual experience; recklessness; acceptance of the world; a sensualist.
8	Drunk	Drunk	Excess; too much truth; madness or obsession.
9	Ritualist	Snake Dancer(6)	Dark and exhaltedknowledge; spiritual enlightenment or corruption; one touched by the power of the gods.
Master	Orb	Bottle	A message or a prophecy; questions; a truthspeaker.

Venoms

The suit of venoms speaks to a person's personal qualities, weaknesses as well as strengths. It can also stand for health or sickness, and of course for the presence of physical and spiritual poison. Of all the suits, this is closest in the Daroka to the design and imagery of the Book.

	Book of Stygis	Daroka of Snakes
1	Warrior	Warrior	Strength of body; skill at arms or athletics; one who fights.
2	Magus	Mystic	Strength of mind; intellect, learning or magic; one whose skills are rare or obscure.
3	Priest	Priest	Strength of will and soul; compassion and healing; a healer.
4	Alchemist	Witch	Subtlety and craft; transformation and adaptability; one who finds hidden value in common things.
5	Artisan	Artisan	Skill of the hands; creation and artistry; an inventor or innovator.
6	Labourer	Labourer	Endurance and stamina; persistence and diligence; a worker.
7	Farmer	Farmer	Nurture and encouragement; childcare and teaching; one who raises others up.
8	Noble	Elder	Charisma and leadership; authority and wisdom; one who is raised up by others.
9	Emperor	Master	Favour and status; the power of office; a skilled official.
Master	Vial	Knife	The capacity for harm or healing; medicine or poison; one who holds the power of life and death.

Scales

The suit of scales stands for material things; wealth and possessions, but also family and allegiances. It is the suit of relationships and fortune.

	Book of Stygis	Daroka of Snakes
1	Bonepicker	Charlatan	Transitory wealth or gain; fair weather friends; folly.
2	Carouser	Delinquent	Debts and profligacy; ill-advised purchases; a spendthrift.
3	Partners	Twins	A close alliance; two who work together as one; an unbreakable bond.
4	Parent	Parent	A fount of protection and resources; a trusted patron; dependence.
5	Clutch	Crew	Teamwork; a group that works together; strength in numbers.
6	Gleaner	Thief	Wealth taken from others; taxatin or theft; one who has designs on that which another possesses or enjoys.
7	Gambler	Gambler	Great risk and great reward or loss; hoist by your own petard; a chancer.
8	Merchant	Counter(7)	Commerce and exchange; measured gain and managed loss; a wise sacrifice; a trader.
9	Beggar	Beggar	Absolute loss; a herald fo defeat and destitution; abject failure.
Master	Ring	Knot	A binding alliance; an heirloom; a friend in need.

(1) Snakeheart was a term for those among the slave castes of the Old Empire who curried favour with their masters. It survives in many cultures touched by the Empire's refugees as a term for a traitor.
(2) The shadow was a folk figure among the slaves of the Empire, a common alias used by those who struck back against the oppressors while leaving no evidence of a connection to those still in bondage. Many were escaped slaves who operated far from their original home.
(3) Punishers were those empowered by the leaders of slave communities to enact their justice against members of the community who acted against its interests.
(4) Trustees were slaves who had earned the favour of their masters, for whatever motive.
(5) Venom Eaters were those whose wits were addled by narcotics supplied by the masters.
(6) Snake Dancers were members of the slave community who embraced worship of the Three-Headed Serpent and some of the Yuan-ti's magics.
(7) Counters were educated slaves who worked in the masters' counting houses, and also helped to manage the community's resources.

Item type

Miscellaneous