Terr-Oh!

Description

Terr-Oh! is a variation of a tarot deck that specifically divines the misfortune and calamity looming over the subject of a read. Sold in Knockturn, the decks are mostly meant for entertainment for anyone with a morbid sense of humor although some diviners swear by them to the chagrin of those that prefer the original tarot deck. Terr-Oh is also rebuked because of its secondary function as a card game.

The events predicted by Terr-Oh aren't always horrific, rather a macabre twist on any readings you would get from a standard tarot deck. The spreads are assumed to be similar.

The Basics

Each card has a graphical depiction of some calamity and a matching title. The cards are rather suggestive on their own but can take different meanings when paired with other cards. There are no concrete answers, interpretation is left up to the dealer and participants of a spread.

The Game

Terr-Oh can also be played as a card game amongst two people. Each player has 25 people, or "souls", for a total of 50. Players are dealt hands of seven, drawing from the deck after their turn is over to refill their hand to seven, and discarding spent cards in a pile. If the draw deck would run out of cards the discards are reshuffled into a new draw deck. Players always start their turn with seven cards.

Each card has a number rating, ranging from 1 to 8. The number refers to the "souls" of the opponent. The turn player plays one card, which can kill off the opponent's souls or collect them for the card player's group. Killed off souls are gone for the remainder of the game. If there are no objections the soul count is changed by the effects of the card, then it is the next players turn. Certain cards may negate or redirect specific cards, and can be played by any player should the circumstances come available and the associated cards are in their hands. The last card played determines the change in the number of souls.

There are two win conditions. Collect all the souls in the game, or kill off all of your opponent's souls. A blank card included in the deck keeps track of the soul count for both players.

Cards Mentioned

• Murderous Ex-Lover: You broke your sweetheart's heart, now they'll break yours with an axe. A young maiden is pursued by an axe wielding, AK-firing lover. Someone intimate to you is in your future.

Kills 1 soul. Can be negated by trading 2 souls to the card player.

• Stranded at Sea: You might have fared better going down with the ship, for there is nothing but deep water in every direction. A stormy tempest beats upon flotsam from a wreckage. Something will be lost, or something lost will be found.

Collects 4 souls OR can be played to kill off any souls under threat of collection.

• Lethifold for a Cloak: You should pay closer attention to your purchases at the thrift shop. A man is consumed by an inky black shadow. The future prospect is immediate, maybe already creeping up behind you.

Kills 1 soul and steals 1 soul.

• Double Whammy: You are about to get a double dose of it, hopefully this isn't your only card or you can generally expect worse of the same. What artist can truly capture the essence of chaos, except for the weighty scales of the law before the vortex. Intensifies the effects of the reading.

No number. Rather doubles the number of souls affected by the card it is played with.

At Absit Omen

A favorite of Ligeia Canterbury

First site appearance: What Misfortune Has Foretold