Card of 'Divine Judgment' from a Soothsayer's Deck
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Similar Spiritual Rituals
The wisdom of casting runes has influenced or inspired a number of similar spiritual rituals, including some that are practiced today more freely and enjoy popularity beyond that which the runes have known. Many of the runes have been simplified and transcribed onto stiff paper cards, adorned with beautifully drawn imagery relating more to our known gods of the octagram. These reading cards, which began as a literal translation of all 36 runes, have deviated from their initial purpose and are favored by traveling soothsayers, as they are much lighter to tote around than a box of stones and heavy metals.
The Grimlock of the Kasmanium Mountains, who share a parallel spiritual lineage to that of the aisling, have their own method of translating messages from the deities of the other-realms. Heating a cauldron of lead to it's molten state, the grey beasts drop ladles of the hot metal into a scrying pool of blessed water. When the metal has cooled, a spiritualist will examine the shape the metal has cast and, in it, see the future. There were sages in the past who would observe birds in the wild and try to transcribe their flight patterns as if they were scrawling out messages from beyond in the sky, and madmen who thought that blood was the holy ink of the silent gods, and bled themselves to death trying to discern messages in the scarlet drops. Many more rituals were lost completely to time, and perhaps this is better off. |
Conclusion
While we may have a more direct connection to the divine wisdom of the gods than our ancestors in the time of the silent gods, there is still value to be found in reaching across the void to touch base with those beings which we cannot fathom. The history of our presence in Temuair is vast and ambiguous; not even our gods have seen it all pass. Knowing that there is a source of this forgotten knowledge - even if it is a vengeful, guarded source - brings me great comfort that, some day, with much persistence, we might unravel the mysteries of the past and take full control of our future.
Whether or not the arcane ritual of casting runes rises to common use once more, or, again, falls to obscurity matters not, so long as the practice is documented for those who may come years from now seeking to employ the craft for whatever gain they may seek. There may come a day when the gods of Temuair come to pass, or lose interest in us, leaving us to fend for ourselves in this world of horrid danger. If and when that time comes, we might, once more, need the wisdom of the runes to guide us again.
Whether or not the arcane ritual of casting runes rises to common use once more, or, again, falls to obscurity matters not, so long as the practice is documented for those who may come years from now seeking to employ the craft for whatever gain they may seek. There may come a day when the gods of Temuair come to pass, or lose interest in us, leaving us to fend for ourselves in this world of horrid danger. If and when that time comes, we might, once more, need the wisdom of the runes to guide us again.
Modern Method
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