Telling Deck: The Pass

Outer Deck : Stone : Six

The Pass is the sixth card within the Outer Deck of Stone. The Stone, or Peak, deck revolves around concepts of experience and challenge as they relate to the character growth of the Tole. Within the Outer Decks, the sixth card deals with concepts of gaining or losing skills.

Within the Narrative

Freed from captivity, the Climber discovers The Pass, and must choose whether to make an expedient escape with little payoff, or to take the more difficult or rewarding path.

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 Pass card represents the part of the journey associated with the skill-building that follows revelation of character. Having understood something vital about themselves, the Tole now moves forward to develop and strengthen this new perspective. Confronted with this Mountain, the Tole discovers The Pass, an option to quickly advance but with little personal development, or to cover new territory in difficult but rewarding journeys. Self-discipline and an honesty to the journey is necessary, but the easy path isn’t necessarily the wrong path, however: when Outward, The Pass card can represent something supportive within the greater community that is available to the Tole in their time of need. Depending on the flat and the flip of the Teld, such a card can signify encouragement to the Tole to accept that support, as long as credit is given where credit is due, the dynamics of power are acknowledged, and that the debt garnered from such passage is one that must be paid forward when the time comes.
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 Pass card can represent that the Tole faces a choice in their journey to develop themselves. A pass is a conventionally accepted shortcut, a widely traveled path through something known. The choice of taking the known, however, is the easy choice: nothing is risked, but without challenge, nothing new is gained. The Tole should consider their choices and context, discerning what is gained or lost in each circumstance, and who the Tole will become once that choice is made. Additionally, the Pass card, when Inward, reminds the Tole not to risk pride (by consciously or subconsciously laying claim to work they haven’t done) and lose perspective (taking credit for the labor of others before them, rather that acknowledging the existing structures that make their relative ease possible). In many ways, The Pass is a cautionary card, warning the Tole not to trade easy success at the price of authenticity, integrity, and honesty to the self and others.

Telling Deck: The Pass by M Kelley

Item type

Religious / Ritualistic

Subtype / Model

Telling Deck: Stone Deck

Related Technologies

• Empowerments

Related ethnicities

• Northern Walkingfolk

Owning Organization

Teln

Related Condition

Seekin

Rarity

This deck is common among Teln.

Dimensions

2.75" x 5"

Raw materials & Components

Telling Deck cards are usually made of a stiff, heavy paper, sometimes with a waxen coat to protect the images.