Fate Lines

Also known as destiny bonds, threads of fate, or ancestral streams, these magical lines have many names. They flow between all people and the aether. They connect all to their past, present, and possible future.

The past is set in stone, permanently woven. The present is chaotic, constantly forming. The future is unknown, as the threads have not been set in place. Very few are able to see them, and when they do, they typically only see the past clearly. Because of this, not much is understood about them. Those who can see it are known as having The Sight.

Reading Fate

Fate is difficult to glimpse, even for ones with The Sight. It is described as chaotic, like getting swept up into many currents, or caught in an ever expanding web. This is why divination methods are used to help interpret fate, to give it form that can be understood in the physical realm.

• Tarot Cards: Tarot cards are a human invention that have since been adopted around the Xanthiri. Each card has assigned meanings and symbols that can be interpenetrated, and varies from region to region.
  
  Rune Stones: These stones are Dwarven in origin. Stones, shells, or pieces of wood are carved in Dwarven runes, and one is drawn from a bag during a reading.
  
  Scrying: This Elven form of divination is much more abstract than the others. Scrying uses black mirrors, dark pools of water, or dark polished crystals while in a trance like state.
  
  Bone Throwing: Some draconic clans use specific types of bones, some use different casting surfaces. They throw the bones onto the surface and interpret how they group, where they land, and various positions.

Many people consult those with Sight, or those who claim to have it, to have their fate read. The value varies from culture to culture, but the knowledge that can be acquired is invaluable. The Elven and Draconic both seek to find out more about their past, the Dwarven seek to find spiritual connections, and humans desire to know the future.

In Culture

In the Martalian religion, it is known as the Tapestry of Fate, said to have been woven by their goddess to guide mortals. Only someone who can see these lines can become Seer, so the Order is constantly on the lookout for children who show promise. The Seer then undergoes a unique and secret rite to see the lines more fully, and glimpse into possible futures. This is why the Seer is their guide in all aspects.

Elven culture places more importance on the bonds that tie them to the past and to the aether. They call them aether streams. A select few priests, called Aether Weavers, are able to see them, using them to give council and guidance to mages. They specialize in finding the school of magic that would best suit a mage. They also provide council to reincarnated souls who failed to cross the spirit river.

The Draconic are the only ones who know how to mend fate lines. Theirs were severed during the Scourge, cut off from their past, the wisdom and knowledge of their ancestors, cut off from the gods in their eyes. This drove a group of Draconic to research them, and created a rite to repair them. Their elite Fate Doctors can reattach the threads, although imperfectly. They are still searching for a way to perfectly reconnect the threads.

Dwarves are especially adept at finding ancestral connections. They have large records their ancestors and how they intersect. They also try to find where a recently descended dwarven spirit will reincarnate, into the earth or as another being.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane