Noble Arcana

There are some who believe that having a small magical item or consorting with a minor fey is beneath the notice of an inquisitor. They are not beneath our notice, and they will not be beneath that of the headsman either.

Cyrus Feln, Head Inquisitor

Solomon surveyed the area, taking in the grandiose surroundings and admiring the murals on the ceiling again. This was the first time he’d arrived normally and on time. He stepped down from where he was standing and walked casually toward a small group of other early arrivals that were chatting in the center of the room.

Before he reached them he saw the Knight of Pentacles leaning on her pillar again. He approached her, nodding in greeting.

“Knight.”

“Ace.”

“How are you?”

“Curious.”

“Oh, about what?”

She pointed to one of the balconies that overlooked everything. There stood a man in a white robe wearing an elaborate golden headdress and holding a staff with a head in the shape of an orc’s skull. His face was completely covered in a perfectly smooth mask of gold.

“The Hierophant is an uncommon attendee. I’m wondering why he showed up today.”

Solomon gazed at the man for a few moments. He didn’t move his head or give any indication, but somehow Solomon felt as if he turned his gaze in his direction.

“How often do the Noble Arcana appear in general?”

“It depends. The Empress almost always attends, as do the Lovers, Death, Judgement, and the World of course has no choice. The Magician attends regularly, but only every other meeting. The Hierophant and the Devil attend infrequently, but never at the same time. The Emperor will attend for a dozen meetings in a row then sometimes disappear for more than a year. The Fool I’ve only ever seen once, and the Hermit about four times. I’ve never seen Wheel of Fortune, or The Chariot, but I know that they exist. As for the rest I have no clue if their spots are even taken or not. The Major Arcana aren’t too eager to speak to the rest of us unless they have something specific that they need.”

Solomon nodded along as he listened. He guessed that each of the major Arcana were tremendous mages in some way or another. The names they received likely represented a mixture of their personalities and their specialties. His uncle was solitary and rarely collaborative, but he also excelled at research and acquiring of knowledge. He imagined that since the card that represented him was so descriptive, the others likely were as well. He’d guess that Death was likely an accomplished necromancer for instance. The Magician was likely the strongest and probably very well rounded in his knowledge. The World had told him of his knowledge of souls, that one was a bit more of a reach.

He turned to her. “Thanks for not charging me for answering the questions this time.”

She nodded, her visor clanking a bit.

“You bought a spell from me already. Settled all of my financial matters for quite some time thanks to that.”

“The Perfect Recall spell I presume?”

“Yes. You bought it at quite a premium. It’s good to understand the importance of mind magic. Especially when one is new to practicing magic.”

“What makes you think that?”

The helmet stared at him wordlessly. Solomon realized that the woman behind the helmet was smarter than he’d given her credit for. It seemed his attempts to hide his true nature weren’t enough to disguise his ignorance. At least he no longer felt a need to pretend, at least with her.

“Fair point.” He stood next to the Knight for a few minutes as he watched more and more of the Arcana arrive and begin to mingle. It seemed as if attempts to barter were just about to begin.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Before I go and try my luck among them, you wouldn’t happen to have any offensive spells you’d like to sell?”

She shook her head. “Spells made for direct attacks are closely guarded by the Union. Besides, it’s better to use indirect means of solving problems. Both to avoid discovery and generally.”

“Normally I’d agree with you. There are simply some enemies that one cannot always deal with indirectly.” He paused. “Have you dealt with the Union before? Their blue boots?”

She nodded.

“Are there ways to hide your mana from them? To keep from being detected?”

“For that you will have to pay.”

He nodded. “What price?”

“Ten gold.”

“Deal.”

She nodded. “World act as witness.”

He felt the World turn its attention onto them.

“There are several ways to avoid magic detection One is to expend all of one’s mana until there is absolutely nothing left. Completely emptying your mana pool will cause it to restore very slowly and should defend from most lesser methods of detection.”

Solomon considered the massive lake of mana that constantly swirled around him. While he was more than capable of expending all his body could hold, expending the entirety of it may not be within his current abilities.

“Another way is to make a deal with a parasitic entity. Some demons, fey, and spirits will eat your excess mana temporarily whenever needed in order to help you stay hidden. It can be difficult to find one that wants to take the deal though, and many of them can be very difficult to deal with.”

“Would you know of one I could reach?”

“Only two, and both are in use.”

“The third method is to confuse the method of detection. If one can draw all of their mana within themselves through precise control then they can hide it within their bodies. Or if they have enough mana they can extend it out so far from themselves that it can’t be easily detected.”

That may be a method he could turn to in the future, but in the short term it wasn’t an option.

“The final method is to have a magical item that can provide concealment for you. They are not as common as those that can detect magic however, and they tend to be very expensive.”

“How expensive?”

“As much as four to five-hundred gold depending on how easy the object itself is to conceal.”

Solomon smiled, wishing she’d given that option first.

“Would you know of anyone who might have one to sell?”

“I may have someone. I’ll have to charge a finders fee though. Thirty gold.”

Solomon nodded and extended his hand.

“World act as witness.”

She took his hand and shook it.

“Another sign of wisdom,” she said as she leaned back against the pillar again.

“Oh?”

“Focusing on keeping yourself safe and hidden. Too many members of societies like this forget the basics and get themselves caught.”

“Perhaps they didn’t have the wisdom of someone like you to draw on?”

He heard a scoff behind the helmet and wished for just a moment that he could see if she was smiling to know if it was an amused scoff or a dismissive one.

He turned his attention to the center of the ballroom where men and women were beginning to trade and bargain. He approached calmly, listening as he heard a few men and women shout back and forth.

“A simple ritual for the creation of a skeletal minion is what I have to offer. I seek a method to subvert the will of a powerful man in return,” said the Seven of Pentacles, his senior.

“Permanent subversion of will, or temporary?” asked Five of Cups.

“Permanent is preferred. I will provide a complete skeleton if that is offered.”

“Not worth it, even with the bones,” commented Six of Wands.

In another corner a deuce of wands had a hand raised. “I seek a method to greatly enhance my luck for a period of at least two hours.”

“What type of luck?” asked Four of Pentacles. “Love? Money? Combat?”

“Money.”

“There are easier ways to cheat at cards.”

“But are there easier ways to rob a bank?”

Four of Pentacles smiled. “I may have something for you.”

The two of them nodded at one another and made their way to one of the private rooms to the side in order to complete their transaction.

Solomon stepped forward, raising his own hand.

“I seek offensive spells of any kind. I offer gold in return.”

That drew the attention of a number of them.

“How much gold?” asked Eight of Wands.

“Depends on the spell that’s offered.”

“Do you even know how much what you’re asking might cost?” asked Six of Cups sneeringly.

“If you’re concerned about my ability to afford it, I assure you, it’s not an issue.”

That drew some attention.

“I know of a spell that can make a bone explode into fragments,” offered Seven of Pentacles, his previous transaction seemingly completed.

“I know of a method of freezing a man’s blood within their body by touching them,” offered Eight of Pentacles.

“I’d prefer something that can be used at range and doesn’t require me to carry anything too cumbersome on my person,” he said in response to them both.

“I have a spell that can be thrown at range and requires only a small reagent to use.”

Solomon turned toward the voice, noticing that everyone else had ceased speaking. It was a tall man with a mask that had a crown of swords wrapped around his head.

“May I ask the name of the spell?”

“I will tell you privately,” responded the King of Swords.