In the Cards

Stalkuren followed Anslym to the Hero’s Call board in the middle of the Trade district.  Anslym took out a bit of parchment from his bag and scribbled down a note on the scrap and placed it against the board.

“I don’t suppose you have a nail or something?” Anslym asked as he kept he hand firmly on the paper.

“No, but I think I have an idea.” Stalkuren called upon his druidic powers.  The air slowly began swirling around him as his fingers and toes began to grow longer and longer.  His skin began to dry and harden into a tough brown skin.  His hair began to bunch up and turned into leaves.  Where Stalkuren had just been standing a treant was now rooted.

“How’s that going to help anything?” Anslym muttered.  The treant formerly known as Stalkuren motioned to the parchment.  Anslym handed him the note which he promptly turned over.  With a sharp inhale of breath the treant horked right onto it and stuck it to the board.

“Done,” Stalkuren said once he transformed back, noticing Anslym’s face, “What?”

“There is a special level of disgust I have for you right now,” Anslym said, eyes shifting from the note back to Stalk.

“What? It’s just-“

“Don’t…. just don’t!” Anslym called over his shoulder as he stomped away.

“…..sap.”

                                *                             *                             *                             *                             *

Having finally read Stalkuren his cards it was evident that he was going to have a lot of work to do with Zen’kiki.  He took of fairly quickly after his fortune leaving Anslym alone to ponder the Heart of Hakkar and why it was flashing.  Was it possible that something was going on at the ruins of Zul’Gurub?  Before putting any deeper thought into it Anslym had his first customer.  A night elf mage had stopped by Anslyms little place by the lake to get his fortune read.

“Hello there,” Anslym said as the mage approached and knelt.

“Greetings, I’m here to get my fortune told,” the mage stated.

“Yup, now it’s a standard 25 gold piece price for a five card reading, and any additional cards are 10 more gold pieces,”

“That’s not a problem,” the mage said as he dropped a sack of gold beside Anslym.

Anslym laid out the 72 elemental cards.  They each had a meaning that Anslym could read for his clients.  They were divided into two castes the minor and major arcane.  The minor arcane had four classes: Tsunami, Earthquake, Hurricane, and Volcano.  The cards spanned the numbers one to ten.  The lower major arcane spanned from knights, to elemental furies, to finally elemental lords.  The higher major arcane spanned the unique cards that didn’t fit into any of the elements.  The cards included: The hermit, wheel of fortune, the hierophant and so on.

The mage was instructed to pick any cards that seemed to draw his hand.  He said that some of the cards felt as cold as ice, while others burned when touched.  He ended up pulling out: Justice, High priestess Tyrande, Knight of Earth, Karazhan Tower, and The Jester. 

When all the cards were read together the message became clear.  The high priestess represents mysteries and secrets, and a time to follow your instincts. The knight of Earth is a card that shows patience paying off.  Karazhan is a card that lets the individual know that a lie they have been telling themselves is  finally going to end and the Jester is a card of change.  Turns out the mage was tired of working with the magic of frost and these were the signs that pointed him to a change into the fire element.

Anslym’s next customer was a gnome tinker, her cards were: Eight of Water, Four of Air, The Emperor, Eight of Fire, and Five of Fire.

Eight of Water means the abandonment because of disappointment meanwhile the Four of Air brigns a feel good factor into play, a sense of contentment with oneself and life.  The Emperor signifies financial stability, stability, ambition, authority, and also achievement.  The Eight of Fire means you have feelings of restriction; fear is preventing you from moving forward.  The last card the gnome pulled was the Five of Fire, meaning the gnome was carrying a sense of deceit around with her.   The cards aligned and the gnome hurried off mutter something about throwing down her wrench and heading straight toward the Cathedral of Light.

Anslym was just about to close up shop, his gold bag had a nice heft to it, when another Draenei approached him.

“Do you have time for one more?” she asked politely as she strode toward him.

“Well of course, young one,” Anslym said as he seated himself down and spread the cards out again, “Pick the ones that speak to you.”

The Draenei, who happened to be a paladin, began reaching for the cards, she pulled out: Incineratus the Elemental Fury of Fire, The Gryphon, Eight of Earth, Five of Water, and Seven of Air.  As Anslym put the rest of the cards into his bag he only left out the five she chose.  Once those were the only ones an aura of light began to radiate up off of them.  Anslym gasped.

“Afraid of the Light, Shaman?” The paladin asked with distain, “You should be, the Light doesn’t take kindly to those who abandon it to go whispering to the unseen, to those who go and play with cards.”

“What business is it of you what I do? Who are you!?” Anslym asked outrage

“My name is Kylinda, I came here to see if the rumours are true, if a once great paladin of the light has fallen from grace.”

The light grew more intense bringing their attention back to the cards.

“What do they say, Shaman?”

“Your first card, Incineratus the elemental fury of fire means you are a woman who has known suffering in the past. Inner strength is something you have achieved because of it.  You’re independent you don’t rely on anyone for stability or to be taken care of.  You are a strong and independent woman.  You’re an excellent champion for the light.  You enjoy being challenged with even the most impossible tasks.  You’re a people’s champion.  You’re also someone not to pick an argument with.  Basically your another stuck-up, hard headed paladin.  Your second card, The Gryphon means you’re going to be taking a trip.  The Eight of Earth is an apprenticeship card. You’ll be learning new skills or trades.  The Five of Water signifies you will have feelings of disappointment, you feel somewhat betrayed and someone has turned their back on you.  And finally The Seven of Air means that your idea’s a beliefs of your precious Light will be challenged, which I would gladly do for yo-. Wait, a trip, you think I betrayed you by leaving the Light, Me challenging your beliefs.  No. Absolutely not!  Who sent you?”

“I-, no one, The Light.”  Anslym set his jaw when he saw how hesitant she was being.

“Velen.”  Anslym shoved the cards in his bag, grabbed Kylinda by the wrist and began dragging her towards the city.

“Where are you taking me? Let go!”

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