Menzandi

The Menzandi (a drow term for an act of folly) is a card deck used for gaming and divination. Like other Daroka decks, it was derived from the Tarokka of the travelling Vistani, originally by the drow, although variations have spread to other elven kindreds, Gnomes, Halflings and - in the form of the Mahnzaran - Dwarfs.

Imagery

The Menzandi is noted for its striking imagery, with cards typically being decorated with dark and fatalistic images. Decks vary widely in quality and complexity, from oversized decks where each card is a work of art, too heavy to be used, to rough paper cards with sketched images, wooden cards with pyrographed images and the machine-printed Mahnzaran decks which have become one of the most common patterns across the world. The most common Menzandi patterns are a black and white deck common among drow, and a more colourful version with the stars suit favoured by high and wood elves and other surface races. There is also a version, often etched on ivory or wood, featuring maritime imagery and favoured by the sea elves. The Menzandi features many non-figural cards, representing abstract concepts and emotions rather than people, but the Mahnzaran and surface-produced decks interpret these as appropriate figures.
Divination using the Menzandi tends to focus on the macarbre and the fatalistic, and in this respect it is perhaps closer to its sources in the Tarokka of Barovia than any other Daroka deck. It has the standard structure of four suits of ten cards each - numbered one to nine, plus a 'master - and fourteen high cards. The suits of the Menzandi are the swords, rods, gems and coins, although surface-made decks often substitute stars for gems, while the Mahnzaran keeps the gems, but replaces swords with axes and rods with spears.

The Cards

High Cards	Menzandi	Mahnzaran
I	Chalice	Forgehammer	An item of importance, to be found, forged, protected or destroyed. The work of mortal hands and minds.
II	Fiend	Wurm	Something hidden beneath the surface. Bestial passion and rage, either revealed or unleashed.
III	Cultist	Derro	Defeat and despair; a loss that leave you incomplete.
IV	Tyrant	Tyrant	A single, powerful individual whose actions could shake the world.
V	Donjon	Cave-in	Imprisonment and isolation; being trapped in a mode of thought.
VI	Banshee	Grudge	The shadow of the past; an enemy returns or a secret is exposed. Unintended consequences.
VII	Assassin	Executioner	Death by legal process, whether righteous or wrongful. False accusations; persecution.
VIII	Rider	Golem	Death; terrible loss and destruction.
IX	Martyr	Lord	An individual whose life is both important to the querant and in danger. A hidden threat.
X	Thrall	Miser	A spy or a traitor within your ranks; an encounter with the hidden servant of a greater power.
XI	Darkness	Firedamp	Something powerful that is hidden, yet inevitable. Trials or a long journey.
XII	Shadow	Raven	A hidden or unexpected source of information; unexpected good fortune.
XIII	Seer	Runecaster	Inspiration and keen intellect; a problem to be solved by wits, not violence.
XIV	Illithid	Gold	One who has been compromised or led astray; a source of temptation and corruption.

Swords/Axes

The suit of Swords represents critical moments in time; moments when an individual, in particular the querant, can create consequences beyond their immediate sphere; decisions and actions; causes and consequences. When the cards represent people, they stand for those who will play a particular role of significance.

	Menzandi	Mahnzaran
M	Decision	Judgement	The fateful moment; a choice with great consequences; one who offers a choice.
1	Vengeance	Pursuer	Justice, or revenge; a struggle against evil that can yet be tainted by evil; one whose search for revenge endangers themself and others.
2	Duty	Hearthguard	A just and noble cause; decisions made from a sense of honour or obligation.
3	War	Guardian	Sacrifice and endurance; a cause of strife or potential cause of strife; one who brings strife, willingly or not.
4	Profit	Mercenary	Personal strength over social good; the profit motive; one motivated by money.
5	Fate	Dice	A twist of fate; the triumph of the underdog; one whose actions or choices upset the received order.
6	Rage	Battlerager	Barbarism and brutality; actions made without consideration; bloodlust and unchecked violence.
7	Hatred	Enforcer	Reason polluted by bigotry and intolerance; decisions motivated by xenophobia; a preacher of hatred.
8	Fear	Tyrant	Authority corrupted; rule by force; one who is trusted yet unworthy of that trust.
9	Cruelty	Torturer	Suffering, evil and cruelty; decisions informed by past suffering or by cruelty; one who is evil.

Rods/Spears

The suit of rods stands for internal qualities; strength, weakness, passion; emotions and beliefs. It also represents physical health, both healing and sickness. It can denote those who possess particular qualities, or promote them in the querant.

	Menzandi	Mahnzaran
M	Enlightenment	Ancestor	The strength of conviction; a system of values or higher purpose; a preacher or prophet.
1	Serenity	Loremaster	Inner peace and self-reliance; confidence without arrogance; one who knows their own worth.
2	Mission	Priest	Spreading wisdom and faith; the threat of fear and ignorance; one whose words can harm or heal.
3	Healing	Surgeon	Sickness and infirmity caused or cured; curses; a healer or a carrier of contagion.
4	Nurture	Goatherd	Protection that offers safety against great odds; a burden that one cannot carry alone; one who brings aid or support.
5	Turmoil	Fieldwarden	Closeness to nature, both gentle and savage; inner turmoil; one who is conflicted.
6	Change	Iconoclast	An internal transformation resulting from a challenge to accepted principles; one whose words or actions provoke change.
7	Lies	Duergar	Deceitfulness and hypocrisy; one who lies or misrepresents themself; lies.
8	Obedience	Hierophant	Dogmatic belief that overrides moral judgement; schemes and plots; one whose words carry more weight than truth.
9	Betrayal	Oathbreaker	Lost or challenged faith; a friend who cannot be trusted; treachery.

Gems/Stars

The gems are the suit of mysteries and secrets, standing for hidden truths or long-standing falsehoods. Prophecy is also in the purview of the suit, and it can indicate the coming of a prophet or a seeker after truth. In adapting the deck, the high elves interpreted the gems of the earth as the stars in the sky, and most surface-produced Menzandi decks feature the stars suit, with cards named for the figures in their images instead of the abstracts of the gems.

	Menzandi	Mahnzaran	Stars
M	Question	Sorcerer	Stargazer	Mysteries and secrets; the craving for knowledge and the lure of magic; a vacuous seeker, driven by curiosity or boredom.
1	Revelation	Alchemist	Comet	New discoveries or a change of context; chaos and the unforeseen; one who asks disruptive questions.
2	Wisdom	Teacher	Oracle	The wise and temperate pursuit of knowledge; clarity and understanding; true prophecy.
3	Confusion	Enchanter	Dryad	Fear of failure; a confusion of priorities; distractions and misdirections; a person who causes you to question your decisions and directions.
4	Reason	Engineer	Hunter	Logic and deduction; an overlooked clue that can bring clarity; one who can offer new perspectives.
5	Instinct	Agronomist	Horned One	Gut feelings; the triumph of nature and the vanity of art and science; one who acts instead of thinking.
6	Arcana	Anathaema	Sovereign	Pursuit of power without restraint; uncontrolled power and destructive magic; one lost to the desire for power.
7	Deceit	Blank Mask	Trickster	Lies, deceit and sabotage; bad information or false premises; cults and conspiracies that undermine truth and order.
8	Obsession	Occultist	Necromancer	Unhealthy interests and obsessions; destructive patterns of thought and behaviour; a destructive path.
9	Cataclysm	Summoner	Colossus	A threat from beyond the material world; unforeseen disasters.

Coins

The suit of Coins represents the concrete and material, and in particular wealth. It also stands for trade, craft and art. People represented by the Coins often possess something of great value, whether that value be general or specific.

	Menzandi	Mahnzaran
M	Acquisition	Actuary	Wealth, in and of itself; material possession as a measure of success; one who values money or possessions above all else.
1	Expense	Carouser	Liberality and spending; the ebb and flow of wealth; one who spends money as they make it.
2	Charity	Warden	Generosity; the use of wealth for the common good; one who offers aid to those in need.
3	Trade	Marketeer	Commerce and exchange; illicit trades and black markets; one who has what you need, but for a price.
4	Venture	Merchant	Grand trade and the growth of wealth; rare goods and risky business; one who comes with a proposition.
5	Collaboration	Guild	Cooperation in a common cause; pride in one's work; a potential ally.
6	Destitution	Beggar	Sudden and unforeseen loss; a reduction in status; one who envies the status and wealth of others.
7	Theft	Burglar	Greed and robbery; the loss of possessions or status through the malice of others; one who intends you harm through greed or envy.
8	Graft	Politician	Corruption and unfair systems; traps and snares; the one honest soul in a corrupt system.
9	Hoard	Dragon	Wealth hoarded without need or use; a miser; a treasure denied to those who could make use of it.

Item type

Miscellaneous