Episode 34: Enter the Sun
Does the magic of Arcana have rules?
Of course! Allow me to explain…
The magic of Arcana (also called Arcane Energy) is primarily divided into four parts:
Air- signified by the color green.
Fire- signified by the color green.
Water- signified by the color blue.
Earth- signified by the color of copper.
As such, each “House” within Arcana specializes in a certain type of Arcane Energy:
House of Swords: Air
House of Pentacles: Fire
House of Wands: Earth
House of Cups: Water
Members of these houses might be apt to using multiple types of Arcane Energy, But they will always be at their strongest when utilizing the elemental domain of their house.
Major Arcana, or, cards who are powerful enough to stand alone outside of a House, might specialize in several different types of Arcane Energy, being equally adept. This is because these individuals are quite strong.
There are other creatures in Arcana who do not represent cards, but still can tap into Arcane Energy in limited fashion. Spirits, fey, dreams and so forth are examples. But their power often lacks in the face of even a low ranking Minor Arcana member of a House.
Some Arcana are of course stronger against others. Water vs fire, for example. Others can work well together- Air and Earth comes to mind. And some wield Arcane Energy outside of the normal wheel- Alice’s purple Arcane aura, for example, is a type of Uber-Arcane Energy that represents multiple types of Arcane energy. However, such powers are exceedingly rare.
Hope this helps a bit since we already started slinging magic all over the place. The explanation is a bit late, but oh well.
int. the hermit’s hovel night
With the party having split, we are now left with Alice, the Pale Horse, the Queen of Swords, the Knight of Cups and the Hermit within the din of the Hermit’s hovel. All is quiet, and the Pale Horse taps an armored finger against his jaw of bone. This tapping catches the attention of the smoking Knight of Cups.
KNIGHT OF CUPS
Pray, speak, Pale Horse, you seem to have something on your mind?
At this, the Queen grunts as she shifts her weight on her seat. She withdraws another of her fajro juice skins from around her neck, uncaps it and takes a pull as the Pale Horse begins to speak.
PALE HORSE
To this point, I have an understanding of the basic workings of the plan proposed by the House of Wands. We go to the Tower, we force our way to the top floor and we use Alice’s Awakened Fool power to reawaken the Tower and hopefully rid us of the World Machine. However, there is a sticking point- the Tower rejected me upon my last visit. And more importantly, rejected the Alice. It will also not suffer reversed cards to enter. So how do we right this before our next attempt?
HERMIT
Must you really ask? Do you really think this plan would be proposed without securing an audience with the one card who could change such a fate?
PALE HORSE
The solution you propose may be a long journey, assuming she does not change her mind before we arrive.
QUEEN OF SWORDS
(sarcastically)
Oh, how lovely, we’ll be amongst high royalty once more.
KNIGHT OF CUPS
I have not lain eyes upon her in ages…
ALICE
Who? Who are we seeing?
PALE HORSE
We are seeing The Empress.
ext. house of the sun day
A beautiful, glass domed palace sits atop a red mountain, framed by a soft orange cloudless sky. An eternal twilight is cast upon this picturesque dome. The red mountain is flanked by greenery, flowing rivers and waterfalls. The domes foundations are made of resplendent marble and a twinkling light can be seen sparkling within its crystalline walls.
int. house of the sun throne room day
A throne room, classical with carpets of red, ancient carved stone and a beautiful, ornate raised throne. Light is cast in constant rays throughout the room, creating a constant solar flare illusion at every angle as the light refracts and scatters against the crystal of the dome. The room itself is filled with numerous mirrors, many of which are angled at the throne itself, reflecting brilliant beams of light directly at the throne, obscuring the figure who sits upon the throne.
The figure upon the throne can only be seen from the neck down, but their figure betrays that of a vaguely male form, thine and underdeveloped, covered with little else beyond a loincloth. All that is betrayed of the face is the faint dark lines of a smile which occasionally presses through the brilliant light that radiates around the throne. The smile takes on the simple form of an an emoji, which, counter to the warm countenance, creates a sense of unease at the unwavering face.
This is the SUN, the ruler of the new dawn and lord over all his rays touch. Here in the House of the Sun, his crystal dome of eternal twilight, he holds court over his ever increasing circle of subjects.
Today, he is awaiting on the report of three particular subjects- the Knight of Pentacles, the Knight of Swords and the Page of Swords. When the doors open to announce their return, he also expects a fourth subject, brand new and ready to bend knee to him.
He expects to see the Alice…
