World

How the world of Terminus came to be, behind the twenty-two cards.

The Maker and the 22 Seats

The god who made this world—people call them the Maker—did not keep turning it by their own hand. They split the work of fate into twenty-two parts, entrusted each to a Seat, and vanished.

A Seat has no will of its own; it is the machinery that keeps the world turning. Each Seat holds a single card, and that card is the Seat’s power itself.

The Incarnations

Each Seat chooses one person from anywhere in the world who fits its role. This is called the Choosing. Birth, rank, age and even race do not matter.

A card appears in the chosen one’s hands, and its picture becomes their likeness. Whoever takes a Seat this way becomes its Incarnation and rules the world with the Seat’s power.

III

Generations and replica cards

Most Incarnations still age like anyone else. When age or their own will leads them to step down, the Seat chooses again. Only the Incarnations of the Wheel of Fortune, Death and the World do not age while they hold their Seat.

Because Incarnations change from generation to generation, a single card has known many faces. People still carry on the Maker’s rite—the duel of cards—with replica cards that copy those faces.

The 22 Seats

The Seats run from 0 to 21. Each holds a single card.

Incarnations known by name

Those chosen by a Seat, who rule the world today.

Incarnation of Seat 0, The Fool

Rize Ortia

Age 16
Daughter of the baronet house of Ortia
Magic Academy, 2nd year

“I haven’t decided where I’m going... but I want to go and see.”

Quiet and a little sleepy. Her grades at the magic academy are ordinary, but she notices the small paths and possibilities others overlook. When someone in front of her is in trouble, she shows unexpected resolve.

The day she was chosen

In a corner of the academy, her black cat Nero vanished beyond a door that shouldn’t exist. The moment she stepped onto that path, with no promise of a way back, to bring Nero home, Seat 0, The Fool, recognized her as its Incarnation.

Role of the Seat: The Untrodden Path　Keeps the world from closing on a foretold ending alone, leaving room for change and new choices.
Authority: Senses other ways forward that would normally be overlooked, and can find a doorway to possibility even when every way seems shut. Not an all-powerful gift, but the authority to leave the world room to choose.

Incarnation of Seat 2, The High Priestess

Erne Mistil

High elf, age 126
Royal of the elven house of Mistil
Librarian of the Great Library of the Elven Forest

“Knowledge is not something to possess. It is something to protect and pass on.”

A serene and graceful high elf. Though royal, she never wields her authority, and greets everyone who visits the library with calm courtesy. Rather than hand over the truth in a hurry, she values letting others reach understanding on their own.

The day she was chosen

In the deepest part of the Great Library, Erne found a record whose very existence had long been forgotten. Rather than reveal its contents rashly, she chose to make sure it would survive for the generations to come. Through that choice, she became the Incarnation of Seat 2, The High Priestess.

Role of the Seat: Guide to Reconsideration　Leaves a quiet margin between knowledge and judgment, guarding the world from hasty conclusions.
Authority: Senses the unease hidden in a judgment they are about to make, and gains the chance to look again at other choices. The authority to seek a better answer.

Incarnation of Seat 7, The Chariot

Serena Valclaire

Age 19
Adopted daughter of House Valclaire
Armored Attendant Corps, long spear

“Please stand back. From here on, I will cut the way open.”

Calm and graceful, she values courtesy. Having lost her home and family to war as a child, she was taken in by House Valclaire. Out of love for her family she learned the spear to protect them, and chose of her own will to serve as a battle maid.

The day she was chosen

During a monster disaster on the outskirts of the royal capital, the retreat of a unit escorting evacuees was cut off. “If there is no path, I will open one.” The moment she stepped into the enemy ranks, Seat 7, The Chariot, recognized her.

Role of the Seat: Guide to the Target　A Seat that fixes the goal to head for amid doubt, and focuses the will upon it.
Authority: Senses clues and the direction that lead to a clearly set goal. It cannot create a path that does not exist, and the vaguer the purpose, the weaker the guidance.

Incarnation of Seat 8, Strength

Ruu

Wolf beastkin, age 9
From a beastkin village on the vast grasslands

“I’m totally gonna make human friends!”

A cheerful, innocent girl who is friendly and endlessly curious. She deeply admires the human way of life, and dreams of one day living in a human town and making friends. She is practicing to look just like a human, but still can’t hide her wolf ears and tail.

Incarnation of Seat 20, Judgement

Efi

Angel, age 318
Sanctuary of the White Bell, the Heavens
Keeper of the Tolling Bell

“...There’s still time. So please, don’t leave anything to regret.”

A calm, slightly sleepy angel who loves spending time above the clouds. Sensitive to partings and sorrow, she never takes an ending lightly, and quietly stays close to those who grieve.

The day she was chosen

She became the Incarnation of Seat 20, Judgement, the very moment she was born from a fruit of light on the Sky Tree, the sacred tree of the heavens. The Incarnation of Judgement is always chosen from among the angels at birth, regardless of will or deeds.

Now, draw your card.

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