Swamped

Some systems take into account which way the cards end up oriented when being revealed! (even our IRL cards aren't technically rotationally symmetric!)

You definitely remember that your father showed you four-card readings. Beyond that, you're too vague on the details for the moment.

"Hmm, well. Four is the most common number of cards, could be either of the main ones but it could also be a lot of variants. Did your father place any importance on the orientation of the cards - that is, which way up they were?"

"No, now that you mention it, I remember he specifically turned the cards so they were all facing the same way. He liked things to be tidy like that."

"Hmm. Venton-based variants tend to emphasize the orientation, though Venton itself doesn't. Can you remember the cards?"

"Only the Four of Leaves. And I barely even remember the interpretation we ended up with."

"A shame. I suppose I can't help you more with identifying your father's preferred system unless you can find out more. But I can still teach you about the systems I do know, if you'd like."

"Hmm. How about we run through a sample hand? Let's say... Scholar of Stones, Seven of Wings, Four of Blades, Four of Leaves in that order."

"Okay, we'll start with Royce-Garral, since that's simpler. When there's a face card, that's always the Primary Card, so here we have Scholar of Stones. The Scholar is about observation, learning, wisdom. With Stones, that usually means you're going to face something harsh and learn a lesson from it. Now, before we get to the actual numbers, it's worth noting that you've got all four suits there. That can mean either balance, or ambivalence. All comes down to the numbers."

He pauses.

"Now, it's interesting that your example has a seven in it, as well as two fours. You know that four is a significant number, but seven usually is as well. I don't suppose you recall if your father mentioned anything about sevens?"

since 7 is ONE less than TWICE four and THREE more than FOUR, it represents that something is going to become more intense or increase in magnitude over time.

Seven is considered a "best" or "perfect" number. Some of this meaning can be read into the most common depiction of the card, where there are two lines of three of the symbol, one on the left and one on the right, and above and between them both, a singular symbol. If either side could lay claim to the final symbol, they would become an ideal set of four, but it lies out of reach, leaving both contentious sets of three.

"There's, a few qualities to it," you say, thinking back as best you can. "One is that it's the mirror of four, having the opposing position in the ten lower cards. Four ends the Anteminor, Seven begins the Postminor. But also, seven represents... striving for perfection. Two threes each seeking to become a four, each side reaching for that last member. I think my father said, in the broadest of terms, four is stability, seven is instability. But seven also carries promise."

"Instability's one term for it. A simpler one is risk."

"Risk." You nod slowly. "I can see that."

"And you've got it in Wings. Inspiration. An idea that threatens stability, yet at the same time offers great rewards. Combine with the Scholar of Stones, though, and that suggests a difficult road ahead. It suggests the gamble won't go well, but you'll recoup and learn a lesson in the process. But that's before we consider these fours, yes? Of Blades and Leaves. Blades means conflict, but a four in particular usually means a recurring one."

"Like us fighting the Marshguards."

"Exactly. The sort of conflict you know to expect. Then on top of that, we've got the Four of Leaves. A very significant card in this particular hand. Before I get to that, though, going by what I've told you, how would you interpret these cards together?"

We might end up taking a huge risk in an upcoming fight with the marshguards?

It sounds kind of like we're going to learn something about the swamp/the conflict from the idea we had but it's not gonna be as easy as we might hope

"A big risk, in a fight with the Marshguards," you muse. "That's the first thing that comes to mind."

"Doesn't really account for the Scholar, though, does it?"

"Right, hang on... so we have a risky idea for fighting the Marshguards, it goes wrong, but we learn something from the process?"

"That's a reasonable interpretation. Except, we have the Four of Leaves. That suggests we come out of this with a stable foundation - in short, that we may take losses, but they won't be enough to break us. A significant difference, I think you'll agree."

"So how's that different in the other system you mentioned?"

"Well, first I should note that order still makes a bit of a difference here. Roughly speaking, the first card matters the least and the fourth card matters the most, but that's more about emphasis than anything. In this case, the first card is a face card. What that means is that the whole fortune is very important, as a face card is never a small event. And yet, here it matters less than what's to come."

"So, the lesson we're going to learn is maybe not worth the risk?"

"If we'd stopped at two, we could say that. Even at three, we learn that a recurring conflict is the catalyst and it doesn't tell us anything either way. But then we have the leaf card fourth, and it tells us that we'll still be on our feet at the end of the day. Say we switched the last two, though... then the leaf would be less significant. The overall message is the same, but what's most significant now is the conflict itself."

"Which would mean... that something's already happening with the conflict?"

"That's what the ordering implies, yes. The overall message is the same, but now we have a different cause for concern. Which brings us to the Venton system, where order is extremely important. There are also a few minor differences in interpretation of the individual cards, but of course minor differences can create entirely new meanings. Hmm, where do I start..."

"Hey, you two!" someone shouts. It's the fellow who doesn't like Mark Conchway for some reason. You think his name was Bernard, perhaps? "Curfew's in ten minutes unless you're on a night shift. You need to be getting to your rooms."

You suddenly realize you've been talking longer than you thought. You ask Dean for a time when you can find him in the lounge tomorrow to continue the conversation.

"I've got a break just at noon," he says. "I'll see you then... unless there's anything else you'd like me to clear up now?"

Well, you don't have a lot of time, but maybe there's something you can get a quick answer about.

Hm,, considering what you've heard about Dean getting sidetracked with new topics, definitely nothing right now!!!!

Do you take showers in this place?

SpoilerShow

Yes you do.

Ah! i forgot. i remembered laundry but not showers. Get dressed for bed then!

Finally got caught up on this! It's a really good read DF. The story flows well, the characters are likable, and I really enjoy the world you're building within this little base.

Do the systems always focus on future events, or is it possible that some events have already occurred?

...you haven't quite adjusted to your missing arm, losing it was certainly harsh but you're not sure if there was a lesson to be learned in that...maybe we're giving too much thought to this fortune thing.

You decide to excuse yourself, realizing that "The Dean" can get sidetracked easily.

But just as you're about to, you're struck by a strange thought.

"Are the readings always about future events? Or are they sometimes about, I don't know, giving you an interpretation on what's already happened?"

"An interesting question, philosophically. Is there a difference between wanting to know the future, and wanting to know what the past means? After all, the past leads inevitably to the future. But the card systems don't really cover that nuance - if you're the sort to take them seriously, you want to know what they say about what's to come, not what's happened already. Even if you don't know about it."

You breathe a sigh of relief that his answer didn't go on for longer. You don't think it's worth it to take a chance on asking anything else, and thank him for his time before heading to your room.

It's funny. You only spent one night away from here, but it feels like so much longer. And even though you've barely been here a week - has it even been that long? - this bed already feels like home.

You're pretty sure you're staying here. You'll have time to figure out exactly what sort of role you can fill later.

For now, though, it's time to rest. You've had a long day.

Of course, for some the day is just beginning.

You're now someone else, someone just waking up. But who are you, and what are you doing?

You're Stacy! You're trying not to fall back asleep!

You're Legs. And you are really wishing that muttering would stop.

Or, at the Bogknight base:

You're Captain Long and you've started to pack.

Penelope, going over the notes

You're Penelope. And you're still amazed by how awful Tom's handwriting is. You might not have been in such a sour mood when those judges stopped by if you hadn't just spent five minutes trying to decipher a word that you think is "magnification".

At least you didn't end up going hungry. Swamp mush never gets very appealing, but it does its job.

Anyhow, you're starting to figure out what Tom's project actually does, not that he could be bothered to tell you. Never mind that it would have saved you a good three hours that could have been used to make more productive critique on it.

Not that it's been a total waste. You've marked down a half-dozen potential issues, none of which involve the waterproofing yet. Of course, you might not have looked closely enough yet.

But you're in no condition to decipher more of Tom Eighth's dreadful handwriting right now. You need a break. Not a long one, otherwise you'd just sleep. Just a quick distraction to clear your mind before you go back into the notes.

So what will that be?

Go up to the mail room and play with some birds

Go visit a watchtower, get some gazing into the middle distance underway to give your eyes a break.

Really, your room as a whole feels too stifling right now. Curfew or no curfew, you can't stay here.

You slip out of your room quietly, and make your way through the halls. Luckily, no one's all that serious about enforcing curfew here; it's not that hard to avoid the gaze of the few knights patrolling the hallways.

Besides, it's not that far to the mail room. You climb up the ladder, as quietly as you can. You know the perfect place to sit down and relax in here, among the cawing of the crows.

Of course, it seems you're not the only one. As you reach the top of the ladder, you see Captain Long sitting down in your favorite spot, a smile on his face.

"I believe you're aware that it's a half-hour past curfew," he says to you. He doesn't seem upset at all, he just states it as a matter of fact.

You're really not sure how you should respond.

Do you.... wanna share that spot ;)

Shrug, You find it relaxing there. Maybe it has to do with growing up in a mailroom back home. You enjoyed naming the birds - and their squawks never really bothered you.

Politely ask if you can sit down and "What are you doing here, sir?"

You decide to just sit down next to the captain. You came here to relax, after all, and most likely he's here for the same reason.

"I'll head back to my room soon enough," you say. "Just need a little time among the birds."

He doesn't say anything in response. You just sit there for a while, listening to the crows. They remind you of home, the roost your parents run.

"How fortunate for you that we abolished the demerit system," the captain says suddenly. "When I was a private, if Captain Burgundy had found me like this, I'd get twenty demerits right there, and fifty would see me confined to quarters for a week."

You're not sure where this is going. He still doesn't seem upset, so you decide to talk and see what he does.

"You wouldn't have had a roost in those days, though," you say. "I remember they were new when I was five and Mother set one up in Dorvin."

"No, and indeed there were few places to relax. Recreation wasn't one of Captain Burgundy's priorities." He chuckles a bit. "Which may be why it's so hard for me to take my mind off the job. I never really learned how."

"Something troubling you, sir?"

"A knight-in-training lost an arm in yesterday's rain. I'm sure you've already heard."

You do recall one of the judges only had one arm.

"Due to base policy, they were wholly unprepared for what happened. We'll be holding a vote on whether to change the policy. I imagine you know which one it is."

You do. Never speak of the rainspawn outside of the rain. It's said to bring misfortune. Early rains, losing friends to the rainspawn... all sorts of things are said to come of speaking freely about them.

You've never really believed it, but you also never liked to think of the rainspawn, so you were all too happy to oblige.

"I do not know what the outcome will be, to be honest." He sighs. "It may even come down to my vote, and if it does, I am unsure what decision I will make. On the one hand, it leaves new recruits unprepared. On the other, we know so little, and this warning has been passed down for generations. What if it is for good reason?"

He shakes his head and stands up.

"My apologies. Nothing I have told you is a secret, I suppose, but perhaps I should not have burdened you with it. There are other matters of pressing concern I cannot share, but this is perhaps the one that haunts me most. After all, it is in significant part my own fault."

You aren't sure if there's anything you can say. You sit there for a moment as he seems to be waiting for a response, then his face suddenly takes its usual stern expression.

"At any rate. We must address your curfew violation. The proper punishment is an hour of free time removed and replaced by an extra hour on duty. However, we can be flexible about when, exactly, the lost hour happens, so long as it is within the week. Talk to the scheduling clerk about it in the morning, and for tonight, I suggest you have a good rest."

He starts climbing the ladder, then pauses.

"Oh, and... thank you for listening."

Now you're alone.

It's not really a problem if you get caught on your way back to your room now. You've already been punished, so it just means you'll get an escort back.

But perhaps there's something else you want to do before you return.

Confess to a crow, or if there's nothing weighing that hard on your mind, just ramble.

Let's send a letter back ho-ooh hey, is this that the captain's handwriting?