Telling Deck: The Watering Hole
Outer Deck : Peak : Eight
The Watering Hole is the eighth card within the Outer Deck of Peak. The Peak deck revolves around concepts of experience and challenge as they relate to the character growth of the Tole, and within the structure of the Outer Decks, the eighth card deals with issues of power.
Within the Narrative
In exchange for hospitality, The Climber is asked to visit the watering hole, to gather supply and look for opportunity.
Significance
The Outward face of a card references when a flipped card is shown to be pictorially upright to the Tole. Outward-facing cards engage the Tole’s relationship and interactions to the external world.
When Outward, The Watering Hole represents a task whose outcome may or may not benefit the Tole, and depicts the balance of decision as the Tole engages with others. Like the Climber within the narrative, asked to detour from their journey in order to retrieve water for the gathered, the Tole must determine how to respond, and decide (regardless of the choice) whether the weight of their interaction is a reward or a burden to others. When Outward, The Watering Hole can represent the ability of the Tole to give a gift back to the community they have been engaging with. It can signify a desire or a need for selflessness (or the appearance of being such), and for recognition of the Tole's efforts as communal-minded and supportive. It can also signify moments when the Tole may want to act for the behalf of others, but warns that the right action would be noninterference instead: acknowledging that experience is the best teacher, but it only serves students willing to take on the lesson for themselves, and that doing work intended for others is sometimes a disservice rather than a boon.
The Inward face of a card references when a flipped card is shown to be pictorially upside-down to the Tole. Inward cards engage the Tole’s internal growth, struggles, or subconscious.
When Inward, The Watering Hole represents the balance of decision that the Tole must undertake when moving ahead. In the narrative, the Climber is asked to detour from their journey in order to retrieve water for others already occupied. The pool shines clear and refreshing, but lies at the bottom of a rocky spring. Like the Climber, this card suggests that the Tole is confronted with the request of a task, and when shown as inward, this card can warn that the Tole may not be considering all of the potential outcomes from such an act. Though the results of their choice may seem positive at first glance, the card reminds the Tole to consider the buried consequences, both on the journey of the Tole, and on their relationship with those around them. In what ways might the results of this choice harm the Tole's own journey, and create unnecessary weight? When inward, the card can encourage the Tole to investigate what aspects of life they may have been ignoring, to set boundaries even if they might be viewed as selfish, and to tend to their own needs; the inward Watering Hole card recognizes that one must care for themselves in order to be strong enough to care for others.
Item type
Religious / Ritualistic
Subtype / Model
Related Technologies
Related ethnicities
Owning Organization
Related Condition
Rarity
This deck is common among Teln.
Dimensions
2.75" wide x 5" tall
Raw materials & Components
Telling Deck cards are usually made of a stiff, heavy paper, sometimes with a waxen coat to protect the images.
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