Fortune: The Erratic Cosmos

Be hopeful and wary, for life can change at any moment

— Common Jirithkaen saying

Perhaps no god is more widely worshiped, invoked, and feared in Jirithkae than Fortune.

They are luck incarnate and the embodiment of chaos. They are the possibility that a beggar can rise to Sovereign and a Sovereign can fall from their throne.

Many people in Leitoria believe in luck to some extent, but reverence for Fortune places the weight of the entire universe on the whims of chaos.

Those who invoke Fortune always know that the world can shift to pull them up from despair, and they always fear that at any moment it could pull them back down.

The Patterns of Fortune

Fortune is believed to be a powerful force woven into the fabric of the cosmos. Every action pulls the threads and causes repercussions in the world, but what those repercussions are is rarely obvious. Sometimes, the rise and fall of empires can begin with the decision of a single person on the other end of the world.

Believers in Fortune search for the right combination of words and actions that could bend the chaos of the universe in their favor. Every choice shifts the balance in some way, but some actions are said to pull Fortune more directly.

Positive Actions

• Touching the front door frame before leaving your house
• Drinking a tablespoon of saltwater before a meal
• Touching ichthyos leviathan bones before sea travel

Negative Actions

• Not returning the greeting or well wishes of another person
• Shattering glass
• Dropping a coin into a river or puddle
• Any action done nine times in a row

Invoking Fortune

May Irikk be with you

— Common Jirithkan blessing

A prayer to Fortune is spoken whenever a situation seems dire and a miracle is needed. Blessing another person with the name of Fortune is sign of good will but also an admittance that the situation is uncertain.

May Irikk pass you by.

— Common Jirithkaen blessing

Just as often, people wish for the absence of Fortune. When life is good, food is plentiful, and wealth is abundant, the interjection of chaos can only bring ruin.

Wishing Fortune upon a person who is currently doing well in life is actually considered an insult.

Irikk: God of Fortune

Irikk of the Harvest was a god from early Othkaen religion who represented the dual concepts of growth and decay. He was represented with a humanoid male body, an elephant's head, and was entirely made of wood. He was heavily associated with insects and baskets of fruit. Irikk was later given attributes of a Jirian goddess of wealth when the two cultures became united under one nation.

The modern interpretation of the old god of the harvest is Silver Irikk of the Cosmos, the embodiment of wealth, danger, and arbitrary chance. Though rarely used outside of the empire, they are a common Jirithkaen symbol of the concept of Fortune.