The Paths of Fate
The Order’s inner explorations aren’t only mystical or intellectual. They have a spiritual (or, some say, quasipsychological) dimension as well. For more than a century, a Tarot-based inquiry has been used to unveil the inner selves of potential Order members. Those who believe in the system claim that by understanding one’s Fate Card, a vampire can gain self-knowledge that ultimately yields an inner strength that surpasses that of most mortals and vampires alike.
The Dragons calls this process “walking the Paths of Fate,” and many Kindred who seek to join the covenant are faced with this test before any significant decisions are made about their future position within the Order. The Paths of Fate are, if nothing else, a personality test designed to reveal certain facets of a Kindred’s psyche to the Dragons considering her petition for membership. If the most faithful supporters of the Paths of Fate are to be believed, the test is more of a psycho-spiritual gauge of a vampire’s “true self.” Such spiritualists believe there are no coincidences during the test — every card that is turned over has a mystical significance for the test-taker. Throughout the covenant, however, no single means of interpreting that significance has ever been agreed upon.
There are 21 questions in what is called the first course, or the “Course of Light” to very formal path of fate devotees. A like number of questions also make up the second course, or “Course of Darkness.”
Each question asks the subject to choose between two moral qualities, in the Course of Light, or two moral temptations, in the Course of Darkness. When it’s hard to choose between two attractive options, the querist is encouraged to go with her gut instinct. Similarly, when both options are distasteful, it’s best to follow the path of least resistance. After all, our Flaws are often not what we seek, but what we fall into for lack of anything better.
There are seven qualities and seven temptations, and at the end of each course one virtue and one vice generally rises to the top. Ties in which two (or more) virtues or vices receive an equal number of cards aren’t uncommon, however. When this happens, the questioner either uses her personal judgment (“Is this person greedier, or lazier?”) or simply asks the subject point-blank if, for example, she feels she’s more just or more charitable.
Few chapters of The Ordo Dracul have one Kindred who is responsible for administering the Paths of Fate to would-be Dragons. Rather, the test is most often conducted by a neutral vampire who is, if possible, unknown to the supplicant. In a few domains, however, it is customary for the test to be administered by a Dragon familiar with the initiate, to minimize pressure and promote honesty. More often, however, Dragon administrators believe that pressure is the true promoter of honesty.
In some domains — particularly those in which Order leaders or a Dragon Prince really believe in the paths — tests are mandatory for all who join the Order. In Venice, they say the old Prince even briefly made the test mandatory for all new Kindred.
To begin the test, the Dragon administrator hands the Tarot deck to the student. When she is ready, the administrator poses one of the following situations to the student, then explains her choices. Once the student has made her choice and placed her card on the appropriate space on the table, the administrator moves on to the next situation. This process is repeated until the student has faced all of the situations in the Course of Light.
The Language used in the test is decidedly archaic. In part, this is a conceit of the Kindred who devised the test. In practice, however, the Language has been retained for the atmosphere it creates: students hearing these archetypal situations described with archaic Language imagine themselves in another place or time. As a result, they are more likely to make choices based on ideology rather than practicality. That’s what the Order wants — the Paths of Fate are meant to be a test of the student’s self, not her judgment.
When all of the following situations have been faced by the student, the administrator determines which of the Heavenly Virtues has received the most cards. That is considered the student’s defining quality. The deck is then reassembled, and the second course is begun.
When all of the following situations have been faced by the student, the administrator determines which of the Deadly Sins has been marked with the most cards. That is considered the student’s defining temptation.
The Fate Card is that which lies at the intersection of quality and temptation on the following chart. Through a combination of traditional wisdom, spiritualism and experimentation, The Ordo Dracul has come to define each combination of quality and temptation with a Tarot card that exemplifies that intersection. This card symbolizes the nature and personal strengths of the student, and may be used as a shorthand description of her personality by Dragons who trust in the Paths of Fate. In some domains, this card is associated with a vampire only for her first few years within the covenant, until her actions can be measured as well as her words. In other domains, this card follows the Dragon for decades, coloring her reputation and influencing her assignments.
Often, the possible cards are laid out, face down, in the proper arrangement beforehand. Thus a dramatic revelation occurs when the supplicant’s Fate Card is finally turned over.
A Dragon may be referred to by her Fate Card much as a mortal might be described by her zodiac sign. For example, one young Dragon might say to another, “You must be a Hermit. That is such a Hermit thing to say.”
The traditional meanings of the 49 Fate Cards are as follows. In modern nights, more and more Dragons have taken to reinterpreting these meanings based on the context of the Kindred being labeled. Still, the stereotypical image of a Dragon of a particular card is informed by these definitions.
While many tutors are reluctant to instruct Fools, the Sworn of the Axe and (more surprisingly) the Sworn of the Dying Light often find that Fools can contribute, if their appetites are appropriate.
As One might expect, the Sworn of the Dying Light love Magicians, while the other Sworn generally do not. Many instructors are reluctant to adopt a “mad experimenter” — unless the instructor is, herself, a Magician.
These obsessions can stand in the way of a Mysteries Oath, but the Sworn of the Axe are always interested in loyalty, as are most teachers.
The Sworn of the Mysteries tend to find Empresses easy to accept (except for individual Sworn who are, themselves, Empresses). The same can be said for the other Oaths, to a lesser degree. But many instructors shy away from someone so headstrong.
Tutors like the helpfulness of Emperors, especially since they can offer rewards that play into the Emperor’s selfinterest as well. The Oathbound, however, may look askance at one who has trouble making hard decisions between the self and the collective.
Hierophants make good students, as they are often greedy for knowledge. But the Sworn are leery of anyone who has the traits of an embezzler.
Instructors and Sworn all have the same reaction to a Lover: they stay far away if they lack the confidence to think they can earn her adoration. But if they think they’re worth her worship, they eagerly embrace a new worshiper.
Strong teachers like Chariots because they get where they’re going quickly, while weak teachers worry about falling under the wheels of their student. Sworn of the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to embrace Chariots when they’re underdogs, and throw roadblocks before them when they’re on top and don’t want to share power. The Sworn of the Axe like fierce competitors.
Teachers and all of the Oathbound tend to like the service of Fortitude, but they do not necessarily reward or encourage those beneath its aegis. It’s a good fate for acceptance, not for support.
Instructors who value patience, value Hermits, as do the Sworn of the Dying Light . (Often a Hermit makes a good counterbalance to a Magician.) The other Oaths have no time for a Hermit’s dithering.
Fortune’s Wheel is the most neutrally regarded card. Very few instructors or Oathbound find this fate decisive, either for or against its carrier.
An ostracized teacher who wants to tear down the cliques that spurn her will delight in a Justice student. The only other teachers who like Justice are those who have a strong bent in that direction themselves. As for the Sworn, the Mysteries are often receptive to Justice, though not to the point of accepting someone who can’t be popular. The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Axe are beyond concern for those fixed on righting wrongs.
Instructors dislike students who are likely to die in some dramatic Crusade before the teacher can even get any benefit from them. But the Sworn can all find uses for willing sufferers.
Nobody likes Death except the Sworn of the Axe, but some of that Oath will welcome a Death-aspected Kindred almost sight unseen.
An instructor can expect great things from Temperance: either they sell out for personal renown, or they diligently apply themselves. Either way, the teacher probably gains something. The Sworn of the Mysteries are often welcoming; the other Oathbound are less so.
Nobody likes the Devil. Or, at least, no one’s willing to admit it.
Teachers who are looking for a bully and don’t care if he’s well leashed or not adopt Towers: few others do. The Sworn of the Axe can always find a place for an uncompromising butcher, but the other Oaths are usually reluctant — unless they’re involved in their own power struggles, particularly against the Axe…
Taciturn teachers may appreciate a quiet student who still cares a lot, but others prefer more immediate displays of enthusiasm. The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Mysteries both find quiet intensity attractive. The Sworn of the Axe seem to lean more towards blatant intensity.
The Sworn of the Axe recruit Moons for their infiltration and scouting arm: the Sworn of the Dying Light tend to look askance at them, while the Mysteries are neutral. Few tutors value discipline at the price of obsession, but those who do, really do.
All the Oathbound like to recruit someone who can grow to be the fulfilling embodiment of their cause, but very few instructors crave a student who is quite likely to outshine them or die trying.
As they are charged with judicial chores, the Sworn of the Dying Light are often interested in someone whose fate is The Last Judgment. The Sworn of the Axe appreciate their steadfastness, but often find them insubordinate. The Sworn of the Mysteries are least interested in someone who can’t compromise — unless you consider instructors who have no taste for being evaluated by their apprentices.
Oathbound and instructors alike are more likely to react to a hyper-ambitious Kindred from personality rather than ideology. Having The World at your feet is appealing, but you don’t want the weight of The World on your shoulders.
Every instructor and faction likes the Kings of Cups because their desire to earn rewards in a system makes them perfect assistants.
The inverse of the King of Cups, Queens of Cups are universally disliked because they tend to be surly and resentful underlings.
The Sworn of the Axe disdains those slow to decide, while the other Oaths favor those who ultimately decide wisely. But both the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to hold back Knights of Cups from the positions they ultimately covet. Tutors, on the other hand, favor this fate as they study well and often remember with kindness the teachers they surpass.
Though the Sworn of the Mysteries and the Axe know that it’s probably wiser to pass on a Nine of Cups, they often offer admittance just for the sake of camaraderie. The Dying Light (and most teachers) disdains the Nine of Cups as “disruptive influences.”
The secrecy and selfishness associated with this fate give most tutors and Oathbound pause — with the notable exceptions of those who have, themselves, something to hide.
The only teachers or Oathbound who recruit a Five of Cups are those who want a focused agent who can be controlled through some weakness or Addiction. Many with this fate, however, are content to serve a master who understands and meets their needs. For a while, anyhow…
No one with any sense or position in The Ordo Dracul wants to adopt such a sponge.
Unless there’s some strong negative factor, most tutors and the Oathbound as well will compete to recruit someone with such a positive spirit.
The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Mysteries both find the energies and social movement generated by a Queen of Cups to be useful. The Sworn of the Axe, and many Coil instructors, find it chaotic.
All the Oathbound take on Knights of Coins when their ranks are thin, but the competition for one of this fate never rises above “tepid.” That’s also a good word for an instructor’s attitude towards a student who neither blossoms nor fails.
Few teachers want a proto-embezzler clasped to their bosom. Many of the Oathbound are more willing to take the risk for an able collector — as long as they’ve got someone to provide oversight.
This is another popular fate among teachers and the Sworn alike. Every organization needs people who serve as social lubricant, especially the Sworn of the Mysteries. The exception is an instructor who wants a one-onone relationship.
Few tutors want a Five of Coins, unless it’s one who wants someone to engineer an elaborate revenge on some rival. On the other hand, few tutors are willing to rudely dismiss someone of this fate. All the Oaths find it safer to have a Five of Coins as an ally than an enemy, though this can backfire in cases of internal division.
Tutors who can get a Three of Coins on their side have a powerful ally, but getting respect from this fate from above is a difficult task. The Oathbound are more likely to recruit a Three of Coins, particularly if they need someone to keep the local unsworn in line. In all cases, those above a Three of Coins keep their eyes peeled for anger.
The King of Rods is popular with tutors and the Oathbound — as long as they are certain that others, and not themselves, will bear the cost of construction.
This fate is good for admission to any Oath, but poor for advancement: such is the lot of those with a bureaucratic destiny. Most teachers are looking for someone more impressive, unless they have a large class to manage, or unless they are themselves Oathbound.
This Knight’s tendency towards hard work endears her to instructors, especially those who think competition is the tide which raises all students’ ships. The Oathbound are often less eager for a Knight of Rods, who can be as rough on a rival in her own army as on an enemy from without.
Nobody likes a rebel — except other rebels. Only outsiders crave the company of this congenital insurrectionist.
One-on-one instructors may lean towards a Six of Rods, hoping that their lessons will catch fire with either element of this card’s passion — or better yet, both at once. The Sworn of the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to shy away from such impetuousness, but the Axe can always find a place for a zealot.
The Sworn of the Mysteries are particularly drawn to those who prefer positional and titular rewards, while the Dying Light fear that partiality can poison true judgment. The Sworn of the Axe are indifferent, but those who teach in groups can find a competitor valuable.
Every Oath needs its spymasters, but few teachers want one.
The Sworn of the Dying Light seek a King of Swords if they need to have a “hanging judge” to use as a threat. The Sworn of the Axe actually steer away from them, because they are as hard on their own troops as they are on the enemy, and rarely inspire through appeals to honor or personal loyalty. The Sworn of the Mysteries are similarly cold to them, but tutors often find their silent and grim intensity a welcome rest from the chatter and scheming of students with other fates.
The Sworn of the Axe, like most tutors, have little patience for those of this fate, but the other two Oaths find them useful — especially if they’re looking for someone to insert as a spy or saboteur into another covenant (or clan or Oath).
The Sworn of the Axe see this fate as a shining endorsement. Everyone else seeks it only if they need a bodyguard — which, of course, everyone needs sometime.
This poison dagger finds a sheath in any Oath, though the Axe are uneasy with its deviousness, and the others are uneasy with its wrath. But it’s an unusual teacher indeed who wants to clasp such a viper.
Both the Mysteries and the Axe find the perspective of a Nine of Swords useful, either as a tough healer or as someone willing to confront tough issues. The Dying Light in modern nights tend to regard them as “drama queens,” as do many tutors.
The Sworn of the Dying Light find the patience and calm of this fate to be a splendid match, both for Research and for legal judgment. The other Oaths tend to find them a little too taciturn and gradual. But most tutors are happy with a student who is unlikely to fly off the handle and do anything strange, even if she’s equally unlikely to do anything brilliant.
The Dragons calls this process “walking the Paths of Fate,” and many Kindred who seek to join the covenant are faced with this test before any significant decisions are made about their future position within the Order. The Paths of Fate are, if nothing else, a personality test designed to reveal certain facets of a Kindred’s psyche to the Dragons considering her petition for membership. If the most faithful supporters of the Paths of Fate are to be believed, the test is more of a psycho-spiritual gauge of a vampire’s “true self.” Such spiritualists believe there are no coincidences during the test — every card that is turned over has a mystical significance for the test-taker. Throughout the covenant, however, no single means of interpreting that significance has ever been agreed upon.
How It Works
Most Dragon “sages” who’ve learned the paths use Tarot cards as a prop during questioning, but the questions are not really tied to any particular card. Some hard-core literalists do have a system whereby each question has a card dedicated to it — in fact, they have bitter debates over which question gets assigned to the Ace of Wands, or whatever — but the system works just as well if you pull a card at random, present the first situation, pull another and present the second, and so forth.There are 21 questions in what is called the first course, or the “Course of Light” to very formal path of fate devotees. A like number of questions also make up the second course, or “Course of Darkness.”
Each question asks the subject to choose between two moral qualities, in the Course of Light, or two moral temptations, in the Course of Darkness. When it’s hard to choose between two attractive options, the querist is encouraged to go with her gut instinct. Similarly, when both options are distasteful, it’s best to follow the path of least resistance. After all, our Flaws are often not what we seek, but what we fall into for lack of anything better.
There are seven qualities and seven temptations, and at the end of each course one virtue and one vice generally rises to the top. Ties in which two (or more) virtues or vices receive an equal number of cards aren’t uncommon, however. When this happens, the questioner either uses her personal judgment (“Is this person greedier, or lazier?”) or simply asks the subject point-blank if, for example, she feels she’s more just or more charitable.
Who Administers the Test?
Most commonly, the Paths of Fate are “walked” by a student in the presence of a prospective Mentor, so that the instructor can get some idea what she’s signing on for if she takes her under her wing. Some tutors keep the results to themselves, some blab. Sometimes, those who administer the test immediately share the yield of their queries, but it’s far from universal. In other domains, the results of the test are shared with the Mentor but not the pupil. Many instructors find it useful to know their students better than the students know themselves.Few chapters of The Ordo Dracul have one Kindred who is responsible for administering the Paths of Fate to would-be Dragons. Rather, the test is most often conducted by a neutral vampire who is, if possible, unknown to the supplicant. In a few domains, however, it is customary for the test to be administered by a Dragon familiar with the initiate, to minimize pressure and promote honesty. More often, however, Dragon administrators believe that pressure is the true promoter of honesty.
In some domains — particularly those in which Order leaders or a Dragon Prince really believe in the paths — tests are mandatory for all who join the Order. In Venice, they say the old Prince even briefly made the test mandatory for all new Kindred.
The Course of Light
The first course of the test is the Course of Light. To prepare for the test, the Dragon administrator marks seven spots on a table before the hopeful student. Each spot is marked with the name of a different Heavenly Virtue. As the test-taker answers the questions of the Course of Light, she lays cards from the Tarot deck on one of these seven spots.To begin the test, the Dragon administrator hands the Tarot deck to the student. When she is ready, the administrator poses one of the following situations to the student, then explains her choices. Once the student has made her choice and placed her card on the appropriate space on the table, the administrator moves on to the next situation. This process is repeated until the student has faced all of the situations in the Course of Light.
The Language used in the test is decidedly archaic. In part, this is a conceit of the Kindred who devised the test. In practice, however, the Language has been retained for the atmosphere it creates: students hearing these archetypal situations described with archaic Language imagine themselves in another place or time. As a result, they are more likely to make choices based on ideology rather than practicality. That’s what the Order wants — the Paths of Fate are meant to be a test of the student’s self, not her judgment.
When all of the following situations have been faced by the student, the administrator determines which of the Heavenly Virtues has received the most cards. That is considered the student’s defining quality. The deck is then reassembled, and the second course is begun.
Situations in the Course of Light
- Your leader commands you to torture a captured prisoner so as to intimidate his comrades.
If you obey, put this card on Faith. If you refuse, put this card on Charity. - You have pursued a traitor against your king for many years. At long last, you bring her to bay, only to have everyone around her swear solemn oaths and offer persuasive evidence that she has amended her ways and now leads a righteous and loyal existence.
If you punish her for the crimes she committed long ago, put this card on Fortitude. If you give her a second chance, put it on Hope. - You have evidence that a powerful lord has committed treason. He is ensconced in a fortress, and removing him will be difficult and dangerous. But it will cost him time, men and money if you make your attack, so he offers riches, titles and territory to your master if you will overlook his previous betrayal.
If you attack, place this card on Justice. If you accept his terms, place it on Prudence. - You know a woman has been falsely imprisoned.
If you implore the judges to reconsider her sentence — a process that may take months — place this card on Temperance. If you offer to take her place as a surety, place this card on Charity. - You have sworn total loyalty to your master. He orders you to rob a poor man for the benefit of a rich one.
If you remain true to your oath, put the card on Fortitude. If you refuse, place it on Justice. - You are sent to parley with a violent and intolerant tribe. Their customs call for the imbibing of strong drink. You have chosen to abstain from such liquors.
If you drink in order to make peace with the tribe, place this card on Prudence. If you decline, place this card on Temperance. - After a lengthy pursuit, you catch up with your enemy, only to find that a fall from a horse has left both his legs and one of his arms useless forever.
If you avenge yourself, place this card on Fortitude. If you decide your enemy is no longer a threat and let him live, place this card on Charity. - You have confessed a sin, and your Priest imposes a penance upon you that seems disproportionately harsh.
If you meekly perform the penance, place this card on Faith. If you avoid the penance and pray for forgiveness and understanding despite it, place the card on Hope. - It is war, and you are on the defensive. You see a much larger force fast approaching.
If you retreat by stealth, place this card on Prudence. If you entrench yourself and prepare to fight, place this card on Fortitude. - A debtor has defaulted on your loan. He promises that if you but wait six months until his caravan returns, he will pay you triple what he owes.
If you take possession of his home — the loan’s collateral — place this card on Justice. If you grant him the extension, place this card on Hope. - Your cousin is in danger of being sentenced to debtor’s prison.
If you lend her money, with little hope of repayment, place this card on Charity. If you let her suffer the sentence, place this card on Prudence. - You are dedicated to a noble cause, but your organization is perilously low on funds.
If you think stealing to uphold the larger cause is justified, put the card on Faith. If you would rather see the cause fail than dishonor it with theft, put the card on Justice. - A fellow lord despises you, but you are enamored with his daughter. He is a master swordsman.
If you risk his wrath to woo his beautiful daughter, place this card on Fortitude. If you don’t, place this card on Temperance. - Your feckless Retainer, though unquestionably loyal, has failed you again.
If you give him another chance, place this card on Hope. If you dismiss him for incompetence, place this card on Prudence. - You have a store of seeds, and your family is starving.
If you grind up the seeds to make meal for your hungry children, place this card on Charity. If you plant the seeds in hope of a greater yield in the spring, place the card on Hope. - Your innocent friend is falsely accused of a dastardly crime.
If you perjure yourself to free him, place this card on Faith. If you remain silent but honest, place this card on Fortitude. - A beautiful woman, whom you’ve loved from afar, offers to abandon her second husband and elope with you.
If you accept, place this card on Hope. If you refuse, place this card on Temperance. - You are judging a man accused of stealing a horse and running it until its leg had broken. It emerges that he stole the horse to get his ill child to a doctor, lest she perish. He cannot pay the horse’s value.
If you lighten his sentence, place this card on Charity. If you obey the letter of the law, place this card on Justice. - After a hard war, you are ordered to break bread and make amends with old foes.
If you remain wary of your enemies and scrutinize them for any sign of treachery, place this card on Prudence. If you make a concerted effort to obey your orders and forgive, place this card on Faith. - You have been rewarded for your courage with lavish and extravagant gifts bestowed by a figurehead of the court.
If you keep the gifts, place this card on Justice. If you give them away to people who will use them more wisely, place this card on Temperance. - You are given the honor of hosting a feast on a beloved holiday.
If you splurge and spend to your very limit, place this card on Faith. If you hold back and spend the barest minimum, place this card on Temperance.
The Course of Darkness
The second half of the test — the Course of Darkness — is carried out in the same manner as the first half. For this course, however, the seven spaces on the testing table are labeled with the Seven Deadly Sins. In this course, test-takers are often taken aback by the assumptions made in the proposed situations — the student will steal, the student does lie. Unsettling as it may be for some Kindred, these are not such bold assumptions. In the span of eternity, most vampires can be expected to steal or lie or kill eventually. The testtaker’s reaction to that assumption is just another cue for the administrator to measure and consider.When all of the following situations have been faced by the student, the administrator determines which of the Deadly Sins has been marked with the most cards. That is considered the student’s defining temptation.
Situations in teh Course of Darkness
- Your neighbor, preparing for a trip, leaves her car momentarily unattended. You can steal a Bottle of fine brandy, or a small box of jewelry.
If you take the jewelry, place this card on Greed. If you take the brandy, place this card on Gluttony. - You meet a beautiful and desirable woman who treats you with haughty disdain.
If you trick or intimidate her into bed, put this card on Lust. If you earn her admiration so that you can reject her, put this card on Envy. - Your honor is being besmirched with ridiculous calumnies.
If you spare no effort to find the source of the rumors, place this card on Pride. If you consider it unimportant, put the card on Sloth. - An irksome associate has invited you to a lavish feast.
If you gorge yourself at her expense while ignoring her company, place this card on Gluttony. If you ply your host with drink, hoping she will humiliate himself, place this card on Envy. - A colleague offers to recommend an expert assassin-for-hire to slay a slippery foe of yours.
If you pay the killer’s high fee, place this card on Wrath. If you search for a less expensive alternative, place this card on Greed. - Would you crawl and beg like a spaniel to please a new lover?
If you would, put this card on Lust. If you wouldn’t, put the card on Pride. - A man who has wronged you flees across the ocean. He is no longer a threat, but he is now beyond your reach.
If you pursue him, put this card on Wrath. If you forget about him, put this card on Sloth. - You are planning a burglary that will ruin a rival, when you learn that he’s earmarked the money for a new business venture. In a few weeks, his vaults will contain even more cash, and his other assets will appreciate as well.
If you wait to rob him until after his investment pays out, earning you more and hurting him less, place this card on Greed. If you ruin him immediately, earning yourself less but hurting him more, place this card on Envy. - Your sworn enemy has hidden herself in a town under quarantine.
If you adopt the humiliating Disguise of a leper for a chance to kill your foe, put this card on Wrath. If you insist that your enemy know he was slain by you, put this card on Pride. - You have come to possess a rare and renowned drug.
If you keep it for yourself, place this card on Gluttony. If you give it to a paramour to make her yield to your advances, place this card on Lust. - You have conquered an enemy town and pillaged the treasury.
If you quietly slip the treasure back to your own vaults, place this card on Greed. If you spend the treasure on a triumphal celebration of your own glory, place the card on Pride. - You stand to learn embarrassing gossip about your rival, if you can endure the endless prattle of a courtier.
If you endure the chatter, place this card on Envy. If you don’t bother, put the card on Sloth. - The opulent clothes you’ve ordered to impress the Emperor arrive, but they’re too small. You’re expected to meet the Emperor at a lavish soiree in three days.
If you starve yourself for three days to fit into the clothes, put this card on Pride. If you simply wear something you already owned, put this card on Gluttony. - A courtesan of notorious skill and beauty insists on an outrageous price for her services.
If you gladly pay, put this card on Lust. If you haggle shamelessly, put this card on Greed.
- You are at a wedding feast when you get word that a bankrupt debtor of yours is trying to flee town.
If you let him go savor the celebration, put this card on Gluttony. If you leave to thrash and imprison him, put the card on Wrath. - You behold a high Priest in a disgraceful state of drunkenness.
If you believe you’re better than him, put this card on Pride. If you believe you’re worse than him, put the card on Envy. - You have an opportunity to moonlight for extra money without your master’s knowledge, but to do so you must sneak out each night.
If you enrich yourself dishonestly, put this card on Greed. If you don’t bother, put the card on Sloth. - You have slain an enemy and plan to hang his severed head from your castle wall. His lovely widow comes to you and begs that her husband’s corpse be released unmolested for a dignified burial. Desperate, she offers to give herself to you for one night in exchange.
If you agree to her proposal, put this card on Lust. If you turn her down, put the card on Wrath. - You are invited to a bounteous feast, but it is to be held many miles away, and the road is arduous.
If you take the journey, put the card on Gluttony. If you decline, put the card on Sloth. - You are defending a captured palace, and the gates have fallen. You must flee.
If you burn the palace behind you as you flee, place this card on Envy. If you leave it intact so that you may retake it in the future, place the card on Wrath. - A tedious, gossipy old nurse is the only servant allowed access to a beautiful young maiden whom you’ve been eyeing.
If you feign friendship with the nurse to get access to the girl, put this card on Lust. If you can’t be bothered to tolerate the tiresome hag, put the card on Sloth.
Finding the Fate Card
Once one exemplary quality and one enduring temptation have been determined to stand out for the student, the questioner determines and presents the student’s Fate Card.The Fate Card is that which lies at the intersection of quality and temptation on the following chart. Through a combination of traditional wisdom, spiritualism and experimentation, The Ordo Dracul has come to define each combination of quality and temptation with a Tarot card that exemplifies that intersection. This card symbolizes the nature and personal strengths of the student, and may be used as a shorthand description of her personality by Dragons who trust in the Paths of Fate. In some domains, this card is associated with a vampire only for her first few years within the covenant, until her actions can be measured as well as her words. In other domains, this card follows the Dragon for decades, coloring her reputation and influencing her assignments.
Often, the possible cards are laid out, face down, in the proper arrangement beforehand. Thus a dramatic revelation occurs when the supplicant’s Fate Card is finally turned over.
- Charity
- Charity + Envy: Queen of Cups
- Charity + Gluttony: 9 of Cups
- Charity + Greed: IV Emperor
- Charity + Lust: Queen of Coins
- Charity + Pride: XII The Hanged Man
- Charity + Sloth: 6 of Coins
- Charity + Wrath 9 of Swords
- Faith
- Faith + Envy: 3 of Coins
- Faith + Gluttony: II High Priestess
- Faith + Greed: V Hierophant
- Faith + Lust: 6 of Rods
- Faith + Pride: XIX The Sun
- Faith + Sloth: Queen of Rods
- Faith + Wrath: XVI The Tower
- Fortitude
- Fortitude + Envy: Knight of Rods
- Fortitude + Gluttony: 0 Fool
- Fortitude + Greed: VII Chariot
- Fortitude + Lust: Knight of Swords
- Fortitude + Pride: III The Empress
- Fortitude + Sloth: VIII Fortitude
- Fortitude + Wrath: XIII Death
- Hope
- Hope + Envy: 5 of Rods
- Hope + Gluttony: X Fortune's Wheel
- Hope + Greed: King of Coins
- Hope + Lust: I the Magician
- Hope + Pride: XXI The World
- Hope + Sloth: 4 of Cups
- Hope + Wrath: XV The Devil
- Justice
- Justice + Envy: XI Justice
- Justice + Gluttony: King of Cups
- Justice + Greed: King of Rods
- Justice + Lust: 7 of Rods
- Justice + Pride:XXX Final Judgement
- Justice + Sloth: 2 of Swords
- Justice + Wrath: King of Swords
- Prudence
- Prudence + Envy: Knight of Cups
- Prudence + Gluttony: XVIII The Moon
- Prudence + Greed: 7 of Coins
- Prudence + Lust: VI The Lovers
- Prudence + Pride: Queen of Swords
- Prudence + Sloth: Knight of Coins
- Prudence + Wrath: 5 of Coins
- Temperance
- Temperance + Envy: 2 of Rods
- Temperance + Gluttony: 5 of Cups
- Temperance + Greed: 7 of Cups
- Temperance + Lust: XVII The Star
- Temperance + Pride: XIV Temperance
- Temperance + Sloth: IX The Hermit
- Temperance + Wrath: 10 of Swords
Interpreting the Fate Cards
For a Kindred who believes in the test, the card she is given becomes a welcome badge of recognition by the covenant — a symbol she can identify with. It’s comforting and affirming. For a vampire who regards the Paths of Fate as a pseudo-psychological ritual blown way out of proportion, the card she is associated with is a meaningless summation of abstract nonsense — an unwelcome label she may never escape. It’s limiting and annoying. The majority of Dragons fall somewhere between these extremes.A Dragon may be referred to by her Fate Card much as a mortal might be described by her zodiac sign. For example, one young Dragon might say to another, “You must be a Hermit. That is such a Hermit thing to say.”
The traditional meanings of the 49 Fate Cards are as follows. In modern nights, more and more Dragons have taken to reinterpreting these meanings based on the context of the Kindred being labeled. Still, the stereotypical image of a Dragon of a particular card is informed by these definitions.
0: The Fool
The Fool persists in his folly until he becomes wise — or until it leads him to his ultimate doom. Whichever fate lies in store, your great strength lies in persistence and relentlessness, whether it leads you to defend your beliefs or sacrifice them to follow your pleasures. The Fool cannot compromise, which is why so much progress is made by the foolish.While many tutors are reluctant to instruct Fools, the Sworn of the Axe and (more surprisingly) the Sworn of the Dying Light often find that Fools can contribute, if their appetites are appropriate.
I: The Magician
You are never happier than when seeking a shortcut or better method. Your search for efficiency is not a matter of laziness, but of impatience, and you are happy to burn both ends of your candle to yield twice as much light. Unfortunate results do not deter you as much as delayed conclusions: it is better for you to make a mistake and immediately set about repairing it, than for you to somberly contemplate the best course.As One might expect, the Sworn of the Dying Light love Magicians, while the other Sworn generally do not. Many instructors are reluctant to adopt a “mad experimenter” — unless the instructor is, herself, a Magician.
II: The High Priestess
You need not fear having your faith tested: rather, beware of its excesses. With your devotion to a cause or belief greater than yourself, you find it easy to indulge to a degree greater than any individual can. Boundless loyalty is often wedded to boundless appetite, in the form of a sense of entitlement. Great tragedy can result if your personal obsessions conflict with the institution you serve.These obsessions can stand in the way of a Mysteries Oath, but the Sworn of the Axe are always interested in loyalty, as are most teachers.
III: The Empress
The arrogance of your demands for approval and your self-aggrandizement is mitigated by your genuine ability to lead and contribute. You have the capacity for intense loyalty to a cause or an individual, but your powerful sense of self can interfere with this. It is best for you to directly associate yourself with your cause or intention, so that your pride and courage are like horses pulling in harness, and not against each other.The Sworn of the Mysteries tend to find Empresses easy to accept (except for individual Sworn who are, themselves, Empresses). The same can be said for the other Oaths, to a lesser degree. But many instructors shy away from someone so headstrong.
IV: The Emperor
For every hundred people who claim that they are gathering funds for their righteous cause, there is one person who is genuinely doing so. You can be that person. When you labor to improve the lot of yourself and others, you are at your strongest. When you are conflicted between helping others and your own comfort or security, you are at your weakest.Tutors like the helpfulness of Emperors, especially since they can offer rewards that play into the Emperor’s selfinterest as well. The Oathbound, however, may look askance at one who has trouble making hard decisions between the self and the collective.
V: The Hierophant
Your craving for control is the natural fruit of your belief in the rightness of your cause. You have difficulty trusting anything of value to others, because their weakness may lead them to selfish indulgence. Beware that you do not fall prey to the very hypocrisy you despise in others, for when you gain the power you seek, it is easy to conflate the glory of your cause with your personal enrichment. Clutching for more is in your nature, and if you do not do it from belief, you will do it nonetheless.Hierophants make good students, as they are often greedy for knowledge. But the Sworn are leery of anyone who has the traits of an embezzler.
VI: The Lovers
You are empty and bereft without strong feelings for someone. You can be the most resolute and ardent of suitors, wooing your paramour with constant thoughtfulness, flattery and kindness. But if your feelings darken, your passion can be a punishment, degrading and debasing your victim until your gradual blackmail, or unceasing deceit or remorseless cruelty allows you recast her as you wish.Instructors and Sworn all have the same reaction to a Lover: they stay far away if they lack the confidence to think they can earn her adoration. But if they think they’re worth her worship, they eagerly embrace a new worshiper.
VII: The Chariot
You are insatiable, a conqueror by nature. When you are making progress you go from strength to strength, pressing on in pursuit of goals personal, political or philosophical. Your personal bane is stagnation: if you are not struggling, you are getting weaker. Triumph is good for you. Comfort is not.Strong teachers like Chariots because they get where they’re going quickly, while weak teachers worry about falling under the wheels of their student. Sworn of the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to embrace Chariots when they’re underdogs, and throw roadblocks before them when they’re on top and don’t want to share power. The Sworn of the Axe like fierce competitors.
VII: Fortitude
You do not see the mountain, but each stage of the climb. You do not see the mile, but the steps you must take to walk it. Anything that can be reduced to small, predictable tasks is surmountable. You play to your strengths when you avoid drastic choices or single, epic tasks. Take your measured steps, leave the glory to others and be satisfied with inevitable success.Teachers and all of the Oathbound tend to like the service of Fortitude, but they do not necessarily reward or encourage those beneath its aegis. It’s a good fate for acceptance, not for support.
IX: The Hermit
Your nature disposes you to solitary efforts and contemplative pursuits. Considering every side of a problem is your great strength. Being unable to choose between options is your great weakness. You work best with time to consider, study and find a compromise between all factors. Anything that forces you to rush, guess or make do will drain you.Instructors who value patience, value Hermits, as do the Sworn of the Dying Light . (Often a Hermit makes a good counterbalance to a Magician.) The other Oaths have no time for a Hermit’s dithering.
X: Fortune's Wheel
A sensualist, you see the pleasures of the world as a reward for the hopeful. Luck can lay you low, but it can also turn bounteous at a moment’s notice — for those with the wisdom to recognize opportunity and clutch it with both hands. Needless to say, there’s no point in pursuing success if you don’t also enjoy success’ most direct rewards. There’s no point in despair, cowardice or timidity. You are a creature of experience.Fortune’s Wheel is the most neutrally regarded card. Very few instructors or Oathbound find this fate decisive, either for or against its carrier.
XI: Justice
To be a just man in an unjust world is to suffer deeply, and the balm for your suffering is to lay low those whose might and grandeur is built on lies, theft and corruption. As an avenger you are tough and resolute, at your best when aiding the downtrodden and wronged. But there are two situations that can send your strengths at cross purposes. First, you must avoid the temptation to pull yourself unjustly up to the level of those you punish, for you can fall and you can become everything you despise. Perhaps worse, you must avoid those whose comfort and power and wealth are theirs by right, for you will covet their joy no matter how well deserved.An ostracized teacher who wants to tear down the cliques that spurn her will delight in a Justice student. The only other teachers who like Justice are those who have a strong bent in that direction themselves. As for the Sworn, the Mysteries are often receptive to Justice, though not to the point of accepting someone who can’t be popular. The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Axe are beyond concern for those fixed on righting wrongs.
XII: The Hanged Man
Wealth, indulgence, the pleasures of the flesh — these are nothing to you compared to the rare nectar of adoration. You can suffer any indignity for a chance to show your quality. Be bold, make no small plans and prepare yourself to endure for others what they cannot. You can survive anything except insignificance.Instructors dislike students who are likely to die in some dramatic Crusade before the teacher can even get any benefit from them. But the Sworn can all find uses for willing sufferers.
XIII: Death
Locust warrior, Crusader, insatiable devourer — you can sustain, indefinitely, a fury that would exhaust weaker creatures in an instant. But your path is a lonesome one, for any who would walk beside Death risk falling into her shadow.Nobody likes Death except the Sworn of the Axe, but some of that Oath will welcome a Death-aspected Kindred almost sight unseen.
XIV: Temperance
You have labored much for your purity, and for that you are rightly admired. But do not take too much comfort in the adoration of others, for often a zeal for purity masks an urge to possess and defile. At your finest, purity itself is its own reward and that cloaks you in glory. At your worst, a longing for glory leads you to sully and cheapen yourself to your lessers.An instructor can expect great things from Temperance: either they sell out for personal renown, or they diligently apply themselves. Either way, the teacher probably gains something. The Sworn of the Mysteries are often welcoming; the other Oathbound are less so.
XV: The Devil
Cruelty untempered by fear produces the most vicious of monsters. In the pursuit of your dreams, you can spark a thousand nightmares. Heedless of any pluck of conscience or any sting of regret, you move from one triumph to the next, or are they atrocities?Nobody likes the Devil. Or, at least, no one’s willing to admit it.
XVI: The Tower
You possess the faith of an angel — an avenging angel armed with fire and the sword. There is no point in speaking treaties with infidels or rivals, because you lack the patience or humility to believe their promises or stomach offering them honor. Your destiny is conflict and destruction, and you defy it at the price of all that makes you strong.Teachers who are looking for a bully and don’t care if he’s well leashed or not adopt Towers: few others do. The Sworn of the Axe can always find a place for an uncompromising butcher, but the other Oaths are usually reluctant — unless they’re involved in their own power struggles, particularly against the Axe…
XVII: The Star
Your distance makes others doubt your commitment, but they do not comprehend how the banked fire can blaze hot in an instant. You have a rare understanding of the depth of your own passion, and that gives you respect for it. Others glut themselves insensate and, in doing so, cheapen their pleasures. Through reticence and judgment, you savor your delights more profoundly than they ever can.Taciturn teachers may appreciate a quiet student who still cares a lot, but others prefer more immediate displays of enthusiasm. The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Mysteries both find quiet intensity attractive. The Sworn of the Axe seem to lean more towards blatant intensity.
XVIII: The Moon
As the moon’s visage changes, so does yours. You are comfortable living two lives, showing two faces, indulging in private what you publicly disdain. While you do not necessarily have to be a hypocrite, you do need to strike a balance between your consuming urges and your need to maintain discipline.The Sworn of the Axe recruit Moons for their infiltration and scouting arm: the Sworn of the Dying Light tend to look askance at them, while the Mysteries are neutral. Few tutors value discipline at the price of obsession, but those who do, really do.
XIX: The Sun
The glory of the cause is your glory — whatever cause you choose. You have the heart of a true believer, but you will never be content to labor in humble obscurity. Be the paragon of your creed, or your soul will starve. Be a saint or a great sinner, but never permit yourself to be eclipsed.All the Oathbound like to recruit someone who can grow to be the fulfilling embodiment of their cause, but very few instructors crave a student who is quite likely to outshine them or die trying.
XX: The Last Judgment
Even before the trumpet of heaven and the gates of hell, you show no doubt. Questioning your judgment is the most perilous thing you can do, far worse than actually being wrong. You must never doubt yourself, any more than you would tolerate the doubt of others.As they are charged with judicial chores, the Sworn of the Dying Light are often interested in someone whose fate is The Last Judgment. The Sworn of the Axe appreciate their steadfastness, but often find them insubordinate. The Sworn of the Mysteries are least interested in someone who can’t compromise — unless you consider instructors who have no taste for being evaluated by their apprentices.
XXI: The World
You can win the world and deserve it. Even in the face of setbacks, you keep your eyes on your ambition. Your destiny is to be the heir apparent — for even if you rise to the greatest height in your chosen endeavor, you will always seek a way to transcend it and become something greater still.Oathbound and instructors alike are more likely to react to a hyper-ambitious Kindred from personality rather than ideology. Having The World at your feet is appealing, but you don’t want the weight of The World on your shoulders.
King of Cups
While others find pleasure in work, you are generally more inclined to work for your pleasures. You have great appetites, thankfully mated to great discernment. If you deny yourself to pursue your virtues, you lose the will such quests require. If you seek delight heedlessly, it is hollow. Only by deserving rewards can you enjoy them fully.Every instructor and faction likes the Kings of Cups because their desire to earn rewards in a system makes them perfect assistants.
Queen of Cups
You are generous to a fault, except your own faults. Kindness is easy to those who have less and are of lower station, but you are ill at ease with those who neither want nor require your largesse. You are at your strongest dealing with inferiors, whose gratitude you can sculpt and mold. Guard yourself around those who have authority over you: hate for them comes easily.The inverse of the King of Cups, Queens of Cups are universally disliked because they tend to be surly and resentful underlings.
Knight of Cups
Your abilities make you an able courtier, Herald or advisor, but a poor Commander. When given time to consult and consider, you bring wise counsel, but not when burdened by urgency. This rational calm serves your ambition well — and your ambition is boundless. Mark well that your hunger for greatness does not eclipse the prudence that can help you gain it.The Sworn of the Axe disdains those slow to decide, while the other Oaths favor those who ultimately decide wisely. But both the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to hold back Knights of Cups from the positions they ultimately covet. Tutors, on the other hand, favor this fate as they study well and often remember with kindness the teachers they surpass.
Nine of Cups
The pleasure you give others is exceeded only by the pleasure you seek for yourself. Debauchery incarnate, you wound your spirit when you cry “Hold, enough!” either to the indulgence of others or to restrain them from provisioning you to excess.Though the Sworn of the Mysteries and the Axe know that it’s probably wiser to pass on a Nine of Cups, they often offer admittance just for the sake of camaraderie. The Dying Light (and most teachers) disdains the Nine of Cups as “disruptive influences.”
Seven of Cups
Gathering is your joy. Draw together that which delights you and lock it away, storing it for a time of need or simply because its safety gives you pleasure. It may be best for you to keep your collection secret, whatever it is: let others befriend you for the other fruits of your moderation, but your most precious treasures should be hid from envying eyes.The secrecy and selfishness associated with this fate give most tutors and Oathbound pause — with the notable exceptions of those who have, themselves, something to hide.
Five of Cups
You are capable of making your life a monument of effort, and then sacrificing it all on an altar of obsession. Know this: your tendency to vice can become all-consuming, and your considerable foresight can equip you with a great deal to lose. You must either battle against your needs, or on their behalf, and the latter option will make you stronger — until it destroys you.The only teachers or Oathbound who recruit a Five of Cups are those who want a focused agent who can be controlled through some weakness or Addiction. Many with this fate, however, are content to serve a master who understands and meets their needs. For a while, anyhow…
Four of Cups
Your most powerful weapon is your helplessness. If you have not already mastered the art of permitting your situation to become so dire that others feel compelled to rescue you, it will certainly come to you with little effort. Your premier role is that of ingénue, hapless slave or impotent adornment.No one with any sense or position in The Ordo Dracul wants to adopt such a sponge.
King of Coins
Your faith in a better future ably equips you to build for it, and even when you fail you can start over with good cheer. With some luck and discernment, you can accumulate great wealth and power, and that is when you must choose. Will you spend what you have in pursuit of that brighter future? Or will you decide the bright future has arrived?Unless there’s some strong negative factor, most tutors and the Oathbound as well will compete to recruit someone with such a positive spirit.
Quen of Coins
You are by nature inclined to give much and take much. You instinct is towards generosity, but you expect and sometimes demand love, adoration or simply a gesture of respect in return. At your best, you are a mover, a driving force who accomplishes much and helps others accomplish. At worst, you’re a slattern, drawing everyone you meet into tangles of morbid desire.The Sworn of the Dying Light and the Mysteries both find the energies and social movement generated by a Queen of Cups to be useful. The Sworn of the Axe, and many Coil instructors, find it chaotic.
Knight of Coins
Every great endeavor has a middle layer of those like you. Between the great deciders on the top and the faceless plebes who labor or battle at the bottom, there lies the realm of the functionary — staid, steady, never exceptional either for good or ill. You can swim indefinitely in the tepid waters of bureaucracy, but you imperil yourself when you try to rule or to directly act.All the Oathbound take on Knights of Coins when their ranks are thin, but the competition for one of this fate never rises above “tepid.” That’s also a good word for an instructor’s attitude towards a student who neither blossoms nor fails.
Seven of Coins
You love money and ought to seek a place where you can watch over it. If you find yourself as a treasurer, watchman or tax collector, you should excel — as long as you content yourself with only that which is yours to watch over. You may be tempted to steal through deceit, and admittedly you are ably constructed to do so.Few teachers want a proto-embezzler clasped to their bosom. Many of the Oathbound are more willing to take the risk for an able collector — as long as they’ve got someone to provide oversight.
Six of Coins
You are not one to set forth and strive to change the world, but rather one who is well able to change herself to fit the world as he finds it and — perhaps more importantly — to help others change themselves to be more fit as well. Indeed, your greatest triumphs are likely to be those you achieve through others.This is another popular fate among teachers and the Sworn alike. Every organization needs people who serve as social lubricant, especially the Sworn of the Mysteries. The exception is an instructor who wants a one-onone relationship.
Five of Coins
The thoroughness with which you can grind down an enemy, whether the cause be personal, political or philosophical, is breathtaking in its awfulness. Never act rashly — such passion is not you. Instead, make your plan with care, plot each deed with foresight and step by step you can produce total ruin.Few tutors want a Five of Coins, unless it’s one who wants someone to engineer an elaborate revenge on some rival. On the other hand, few tutors are willing to rudely dismiss someone of this fate. All the Oaths find it safer to have a Five of Coins as an ally than an enemy, though this can backfire in cases of internal division.
Three of Coins
Through obedience to a higher authority you can justify any vengeance, petty or grand, against any who harm you or merely have the misfortune to be temporarily better situated. Know this, because your loyalty is genuine, and it is tragic when jealousy poisons true fidelity. Make sure that you are working for your cause, not using it as an excuse for personal vendetta.Tutors who can get a Three of Coins on their side have a powerful ally, but getting respect from this fate from above is a difficult task. The Oathbound are more likely to recruit a Three of Coins, particularly if they need someone to keep the local unsworn in line. In all cases, those above a Three of Coins keep their eyes peeled for anger.
King of Rods
The power of the sword is the power to destroy, but the power of the rod is to build. It is your power. You long to have more than all you survey, but it will be empty to you unless you deserve it. Labor without ceasing to develop your kingdom, but do so by paying honest due to friends and honest ire to foes. In that way you will rule with a steady hand.The King of Rods is popular with tutors and the Oathbound — as long as they are certain that others, and not themselves, will bear the cost of construction.
Queen of Rods
The hard way is not always the best, nor the easy way the worst. Do what you can, support and cultivate and advise — these are your routes to strength. You need to be part of a cause to be fulfilled, but you are no fit leader, no firebrand, no martyr. Instead, you are the gentle builder without whom no ideologue or rabble rouser can succeed.This fate is good for admission to any Oath, but poor for advancement: such is the lot of those with a bureaucratic destiny. Most teachers are looking for someone more impressive, unless they have a large class to manage, or unless they are themselves Oathbound.
Knight of Rods
Bullish and stout, your spirit faces true foes with the same brashness it levels against shadows and phantoms. Keep your promises, obey her to whom you are pledged, and do your best to tell true challenges from false ones. You will find great joy in despoilment, but be sure to reserve that wrath for your foes, and not your rivals in service.This Knight’s tendency towards hard work endears her to instructors, especially those who think competition is the tide which raises all students’ ships. The Oathbound are often less eager for a Knight of Rods, who can be as rough on a rival in her own army as on an enemy from without.
Seven of Rods
Raise your weapon against anyone, great or small, who represses you. A life of insurrection is fraught with difficulties, so you must choose carefully. Any time you refrain from striking the oppressor, no matter how overmatched you are, it is a taste of your own death. But while flying heedlessly into an ideological battle has rich inner rewards for you, be aware of its more material dangers.Nobody likes a rebel — except other rebels. Only outsiders crave the company of this congenital insurrectionist.
Six of Rods
Yours is a soul in torment, stretched tight between the immediacy of your impetuous desires and the intensity of your longing for a higher and purer path. Strike the difficult balance and use your lusts to fuel your faith, or else resign yourself to being incomplete — either as saint or sybarite.One-on-one instructors may lean towards a Six of Rods, hoping that their lessons will catch fire with either element of this card’s passion — or better yet, both at once. The Sworn of the Mysteries and the Dying Light tend to shy away from such impetuousness, but the Axe can always find a place for a zealot.
Five of Rods
Your hopes for betterment most often rest upon the possessions or accomplishments of others. Thus you are driven to strive and compete, less for material gain or for personal glory than for the knowledge that you have done your best and bested your rivals. Find a situation in which your urge to win can be expressed without fatal consequence and you will prosper.The Sworn of the Mysteries are particularly drawn to those who prefer positional and titular rewards, while the Dying Light fear that partiality can poison true judgment. The Sworn of the Axe are indifferent, but those who teach in groups can find a competitor valuable.
Two of Rods
If you could but view the whole world, and know thereby the deeds, good or foul, of all who walk the globe! Seek this unflinching knowledge, for you are often just as content to know a thing is done as do it yourself. Two eyes are not enough for you, so recruit many who will see hear and do on your behalf. Just take care to keep your underlings in line, lest you be tempted to risk yourself duplicating their daring.Every Oath needs its spymasters, but few teachers want one.
King of Swords
You mete out judgment, stripped bare of any soft garb of mercy. Your nature is to be harsh and stern, doling out second chances only if they are earned, not as a matter of course. While you pride yourself on clear sight because you are unswayed by begging, make sure that you are equally clear when it is necessary to hold punishment back. Your natural tendency towards heavyhanded vengeance can overwhelm your urge for justice.The Sworn of the Dying Light seek a King of Swords if they need to have a “hanging judge” to use as a threat. The Sworn of the Axe actually steer away from them, because they are as hard on their own troops as they are on the enemy, and rarely inspire through appeals to honor or personal loyalty. The Sworn of the Mysteries are similarly cold to them, but tutors often find their silent and grim intensity a welcome rest from the chatter and scheming of students with other fates.
Queen of Swords
Your place is not wielding the rod of authority, but sitting beside the one who does. Balanced between prudence and pride, you can be a schemer, a usurper or a slave to ruthless ambition. But your better place is as counselor, cautioner and mediator. Accept that your rewards must come from a higher authority, and you will support that authority well. Envy your master, and you can become the most poisonous of traitors.The Sworn of the Axe, like most tutors, have little patience for those of this fate, but the other two Oaths find them useful — especially if they’re looking for someone to insert as a spy or saboteur into another covenant (or clan or Oath).
Knight of Swords
Brave but impetuous, you are the first to fly into a fight — be it for good or ill, be it wise or foolhardy. Your spirit is one of vast fierceness, and if you follow your heart it will lend you great strength — which you will assuredly need. Your greatest challenge will be choosing between your soul and the counsel of calmer, wiser friends. Assuming, of course, that you make such friends.The Sworn of the Axe see this fate as a shining endorsement. Everyone else seeks it only if they need a bodyguard — which, of course, everyone needs sometime.
Ten of Swords
You possess a wrathful soul that can be at war with your innate temperance. The balance for you is to smile, and put money in your purse, and be a villain in secret to those who wrong you. Like the mill of the gods, grind slow and thereby grind exceedingly fine.This poison dagger finds a sheath in any Oath, though the Axe are uneasy with its deviousness, and the others are uneasy with its wrath. But it’s an unusual teacher indeed who wants to clasp such a viper.
Nine of Swords
The most damning thing you can do to yourself is to deny pain. Pain is your core, whether you choose to alleviate it or inflict it. Either course nourishes your inner self, though neither so much as finding a way to wed both impulses. Just be sure to never avoid it: it is your fate, and it will find you.Both the Mysteries and the Axe find the perspective of a Nine of Swords useful, either as a tough healer or as someone willing to confront tough issues. The Dying Light in modern nights tend to regard them as “drama queens,” as do many tutors.
Two of Swords
We are all of us blind, but you at least have the guidance of knowing your blindness. Make no sudden moves in the darkness, give no shout that could betray your position, but instead move quietly, gradually, like water seeping through a wall. Wait for your chance. In time, in darkness, it will stumble upon you. If you have kept ready, it cannot escape you.The Sworn of the Dying Light find the patience and calm of this fate to be a splendid match, both for Research and for legal judgment. The other Oaths tend to find them a little too taciturn and gradual. But most tutors are happy with a student who is unlikely to fly off the handle and do anything strange, even if she’s equally unlikely to do anything brilliant.
The Player and the Character
Players and Storytellers alike may scratch their heads at this introduction of mechanical game elements (capital-V Vices and Virtues) into the story space of the fictional game world. Typically, a player is expected to run her character as a character first, and for mechanical advantage second. More practically, the player is often expected to ignore “meta-game” information that her character has no way of knowing.Virtues and Vices already straddle the line between game mechanics and story elements, however. They’re aspects of characterization that have concrete effects on the rules by interacting with Willpower and, sometimes, other effects. As written, they’re essentially a descriptor of how you see your character, not necessarily how the character sees himself, but they are also descriptors of the character’s nature — central, critical elements of his motivations within the narrative of the game. Gaining self-awareness, be it through psychoanalysis or some quasi-spiritual hokum like the Paths of Fate can genuinely affect a character’s effectiveness, as reflected by Willpower gains.
Remember, though, that your character doesn’t quantify the rewards his actions get him in Willpower points; he doesn’t think in game terms, and neither do the vampires of The Ordo Dracul. Your character might simply learn from the test that his even-temperament would make him a good mediator within the covenant. You and the Storyteller may choose to substitute other names for the Virtues and Vices when administering the Paths of Fate to a character. Thus, the Dragon administrator reports that a character is “above all else, compassionate and arrogant,” rather than describing the character in game terms. (You can find other names for each Virtue and Vice in Chapter Four of the World of Darkness Rulebook.)
It’s entirely possible that your character’s results during the two courses of the Paths of Fate won’t match the Virtue or Vice you chose to describe him. You might choose to see your character’s results as a reason to rethink his Virtues and Vices, but you don’t have to. You are the authority on your character, not some imaginary vampire headmaster.
The Paths of Fate are an exercise designed to create an atmosphere of introspection, to encourage you and your character to reflect in a manner that jives with the philosophies of The Ordo Dracul. The Paths of Fate are only a roleplaying tool. You are still the craftsperson.
Liar!
There’s nothing stopping a supplicant from lying in response to these questions. A liar might be motivated by a desire to please the questioner, a need to conceal her true weaknesses or simply a bloody-minded contrariness. As long as the questioner doesn’t have the means to penetrate the subterfuge, alying pupil can easily get away with it. There may, after all, be advantages to being in a position intended for “another type of Dragon,” whether the Kindred simply seeks a role more exciting than what she can expect to get through honest answers or whether she’s a spy from The Circle of the Crone attempting to infiltrate the ranks of the local Guardians.On the other hand, there are disadvantages to being shoved into a role meant for someone else — and to being caught in a lie by an elder Dragon.
Storytelling and Fate
As a Storyteller, you might see the Paths of Fate as an elaborate waste of time. After all, you and your players already know each character’s Virtue and Vice. Why bother with the ceremony? The first answer is: “You shouldn’t.” If the Paths of Fate sound like a bother, ignore them. The second answer is: “For inspiration.”Every situation in the Paths of Fate is a potential story idea for you to use in your chronicle or in your character’s history. With the character’s choice during the test as the foundation, you have the perfect dramatic context for a story. Will the character who chose Wrath over Lust in the Paths of Fate make the same choice on the street? Is acharacter willing to grant mercy to a hypothetical enemy willing to grant it to a real enemy? Choices are dramatic. Stories built around difficult choices are often the most satisfying.
The Paths of Fate give you a glimpse at the sort of decisions a character (or her player) find difficult to make. They show you where the dramatic choices are for the character. By playing out the Paths of Fate — or just presenting a “best of” selection of the test’s hypothetical situations — you reveal information that can prove to be invaluable when you’re designing the chronicle’s future stories. Use that information to create stories that get at the heart of your players’ characters.
Fate Cards and Storytelling
For Storytellers and players participating in a chronicle focused on The Ordo Dracul, Fate Cards can be a valuable bit of color. They can also be valuable storytelling tools with uses both subtle and gross.Storytellers can use the Fate Cards as hooks for narrative techniques like foreshadowing: How accurate is a character’s Fate Card? Does it foretell future events or reveal some inner secret of the Man or the Beast? The Fate Card is also a tool for thematic emphasis or suspenseful misdirection. When a story reveals an important Storyteller character to be a King of Coins, what significance might that suggest? Does it reveal the character’s true nature and motives or is it a red herring on the part of the Storyteller — or the character herself! — to set up a later surprise?
Players can use the Fate Cards to talk “incharacter” with other Dragons (“That bastard is such a Nine of Swords.”). The Ordo Dracul has plenty of jargon based on sub-sects within the covenant, but Fate Cards can be commonly understood by all Dragons in the domain. Beyond that, the statements by Fate Cards can be a great source of internal conflict for a character. A devoted Dragon who truly believes in the test might struggle with her failing as a Tower or her personal Expectations as a Queen of Cups. Alternately, a character might use a Fate Card to justify her actions to other Dragons and thereby get away with acts that would normally be suspect or troublesome.
A Faster Alternative
Instead of going through the courses question by question, it may suit you better to just gloss over the process with some die rolls. This dicebased system generates three possible results: if the questioner succeeds, she determines the student’s true Fate Card (defined in this case by the character’s Virtue and Vice). If she fails, the Storyteller selects a Fate Card “adjacent” to the student’s true Fate Card on the chart. If the student succeeds in lying to the questioner, she is labeled with the Fate Card she desires. Here’s how it works.The Dragon asking the questions rolls Manipulation + Academics. A particularly evocative, handsome or intimidating Tarot deck or a ceremonial room decorated and dedicated just for the purpose of hosting this test can each grant a +1 or +2 bonus to the questioner’s dice pool.
The student answering the questions chooses either to answer honestly or deceptively. If she answers honestly, her Intelligence is added to the questioner’s dice pool. If she answers dishonestly, she rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge to contest the questioner’s action.
Each course of questions is a separate action. First, the questioner rolls to determine the student’s quality. If the questioner succeeds, the correct quality is determined. If the questioner fails (or the questioner and the student both fail) a quality to either side of the student’s true Virtue is incorrectly determined. If the student succeeds (because she was contesting the questioner’s action), she chooses whatever quality she wishes to represent. Once the student’s quality has been determined, the process is repeated to determine her temptation and, therefore, her Fate Card.
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