The Hidden Tower
This slender, anonymous work is written and bound with modern materials. The text takes the form of a primer or study-book, offering lessons on the occult uses of Cosmos cards interspersed with activity plans to augment the reader's learning.
Possession of this tome is worth **** Research Points per session. If delivered to the Church, this tome is worth **** Prestige Points.
Cosmos cards are made from the stuff of Mourn's Bones, and are intricately tied to the nature of the world. The cards themselves are strong and inflexible, nearly indestructible. It is through the cards that humanity can exert power over the world. This is the secret of their use.
Each card has a name and a character inlaid just beneath the surface. In addition, each card has a secret name, though many of them have been lost or forgotten.
By learning to use the cards, one because an Initiate. All Initiates adhere to one of the Cardinal Paths of study. An Initiate begins by making pacts with the cards, which form Attunements.
An Initiate is only eligible to become attuned to certain cards. This is usually determined by which cards the Initiate is already pacted to, and so the Cardinal Path directs the course of his Attunements.
There are four Cardinal Paths. Each begins with a single Attunement to a single card. An Initiate may follow only one Cardinal Path; attempts to begin a second Cardinal Path will fail.
The first Cardinal Path is the path of the Galaxy. It begins with attunement to the card Pathway Through Shadow, who secret name is Seiriel. The supplicant may petition Seiriel for the gift of reading the stars, and so may learn to see through obscurements and puzzles. For this reason, Initiates of Seiriel are said to follow the Path of Knowledge.
The next path is that of the Sun. This path is tied to the card Light of Perfection, which is known as Solariel. An Initiate may petition Solariel to call forth the sun's health, and perform mystic healing. This path is sometimes called the Path of Healing.
The Mirror path starts with the card Mirror of Light. The secret name of this card is Mirariel, and an Initiate may always know what the mirror sees. Because of the reflective nature of human interactions, Mirariel's path is also known as the Path of Social Graces.
The Darkness That Devours is the path of the Void. Nyctariel is the secret name of this card, and the Initiate of Nyctariel may learn the secret of shadow binding. Nyctariel's is the Path of War.
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An Initiate of Seiriel is eligible for Attunement to Sadalmelik the Owl-Eyed Seeker, to Ankoku the Living Darkness, and to Kikyonosai the Judge of the End.
Initiates of Solariel may Attune to Amatera the Restoring Sun, to Lumenia the Living Light, and to Kikyonosai the Judge of the End.
Mirariel's Initiates may pact with Speculus the Mirror of Desire, to Lumenia the Living Light, and to Rakshasa the Eater of the Dead.
Initiates of Nyctariel are eligible to Attune to Yorutsuki the Shadow Guardian, to Ankoku the Living Darkness, and to Rakshasa the Eater of the Dead.
These are second stage Attunements, There is a prescribed method for pacting with each of these. Varying from the method or assaying an Attunement you are not specifically eligible for can be disastrous.
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To achieve Sadalmelik the Owl-Eyed Seeker, the petitioner must have an Owl-Eyed Seeker card in his hand. This is true for all Attunements; you cannot gain an Attunement without the proper Cosmos card. You must also gather four other Initiates of Seiriel. These four will support your Attunement, though they will not gain it themselves.
Amatera, Speculus, and Yorutsuki are Attuned in the same manner, except that the four supporting Initiates' must be of the same Cardinal Path as the supplicant.
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The pact with Ankoku the Living Darkness requires an Initiate of both Seiriel and Nyctariel to be present. Neither may already be Attuned to Ankoku. Together, they form the wedding that creates an Attunement to Ankoku in each of them. This is a first wedding, because it is formed by the interaction of the first stage Attunements.
Kikyonosai, Lumenia, and Rakshasa are Attuned in the same manner, except that different pairs are required. Each must be eligible for the Attunement, and neither can already be pacted with the Attunement being sought.
Lumenia and Ankoku are opposed. Kikyonosai and Rakshasa are opposed.