[ENWorld Gamer] Interpreting Prophecies brainstorm and help request

[RangerWickett]

In issue 2 of the ENWorld Gamer (issue 1 is slated to come out in the next month), I will be writing a segment of the Adventurer's Guide to Surviving Anything on interpreting prophecies. I'd like help.

Interpreting prophecies can be difficult. The more information you have regarding the source of the prophecy, the better, since if you know the creator, you have an idea of what phrases or metaphors he or she would in writing a prophecy.

How have you used prophecies in your games? When you've encountered one as a player, how did you react? In what ways was the prophecy pertinent? Was it just stage dressing, or did it actively affect your play style?

If you have used prophecies before, would you be willing to post a few here, and explain what they meant, where they came from, and how they affected the game? It would help a great deal if you did.

Thanks.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Here's one I used in a previous game:

In the year of the Phoenix,
When the two races of stone shall be unable to slow the descent into flames,
The hidden ones shall return.

The first part referred to the king being reborn, the second part referred to a war between stone giants and galeb duhr and the eruption of a volcano, the last part referred to a return of demonic forces upon the world.

The players figured out the king's rebirth easy enough, but they kept assuming that one of the races of stone meant dwarves. They spent all their time either diffusing hostilities or killing rivals of the dwarves, that they never thought to look elsewhere. So, while they were in the dwarven kingdom, all hell broke loose and the prophecy came to be.

 

[Macbeth]

Not a written prophecy, but a prophecy none the less: In some of the down times between sessions, I sent one of my players an email detailing dreams his character had been having. These concerned running to the party's flying ship (in my homebrew Spelljammer type game), only to have the ship attack him. You'd think that, when the ship became sentient, he might have figured out it was a fairly literal dream, but no. When the party was fleeing to the ship from an army moving through the area, the sentience inside the ship took over, leaving the party no choice but to either go where the ship wanted to go, or disenchant their flying ship. They decided to disenchant the ship, and the bairly managed to land it safely. Just at the moment I said the ship wasn't responding anymore, the player who's character had the dreams gave me this look of 'Oh, crap, I should have seen this coming.'

 

[fourthmensch]

Several prophecies (beware: Lord of the Iron Fortress spoilers)

I've actually been making extensive use of prophecies in my game. Its a bit of a hybrid between the WotC adventure path and the draconic Rage going on in the Forgotten Realms, and there are all sorts of potentials to weave in the theme of destiny. For example, one player decided to play a sorcerer/dragon disciple... and I've been teasing him for a while with various dreams, strange texts, and run-ins with strange enemies--because apparently he can trace his ancestry directly back to Ashardalon....

And various other such things.

I have a lot of fun with the prophecy angle, and my players seem to enjoy it as well. However, I have found them to enjoy it in a very passive fashion, which can sometimes be frustrating. I know that, if I were a player and ran into the kind of prophecies that I throw out there, I be hell-bent on figuring it out. I would be using divinations, tracking down sages, and constantly filtering current events through the lens of the prophecy for clues. My players, on the other hand, seem to have more of a reaction like, "Cool. Let's move on."

To get back to your question, RangerWicket, here's an example of some of the prophecies I've used:

When spiders cease to whisper, a great war shall erupt in the deep places of the earth, and the white banshee shall claim her inheritance.

This refers to the War of the Spider Queen: Lolth's silence, the ensuing war, and the events in the City of the Spider Queen, in which Kiriansalee (the white banshee) tries to usurp Lolth's (her mother's) power.

When the harp's strings fray and the stars of the moon rise, the city of song shall sing again.

Those well-versed in Realmslore should catch this one without much trouble. Translated, this passage prophecies that Myth Drannor (the City of Song) shall become inhabited once again around the time of the Harper/Moonstar schism.

During the days of rage, the rogue dragon shall have his vengeance upon the people. His progeny shall gather to him a great army among the greatest warriors, and that army shall cull the greatest smiths of Toril to reforge the blade that was broken. When it is finished, the Lord of Iron shall marshall his host and cut a swathe of flame and blood across the land.

This is a longer one that my players are currently teasing out. (Thankfully they do not hang around EN World, which is why I can share it.) Broken down bit by bit: days of rage = in the Year of Rogue Dragons; the rogue dragon = Ashardalon (a moniker they have heard applied to him in other texts, but also to a draconic ally who seems to be wanted by the Talons of Justice); the people = the elves (Tel'quessir, The People, allthough this is deliberately vague); His progeny = Imperagon, the Lord of the Iron Fortress, and therefore his gathering an army and murdering smiths; the blade that was broken = the Blade of Fiery Might (again, vague, as there can be many swords that may be referred to as the Blade that Was Broken); Lord of Iron = Lord of the Iron Fortress, or Imperagon; cut a swathe of flame and blood = invade the prime material plane.

So, after my rambling, I hope I helped somewhat. When I craft prophecies, I basically try to use symbolic language and epithets to refer to otherwise obvious nouns. As for how my players interpret them.... well, basically they don't; they more or less wait to see what happens next :\.

 

[Steverooo]

This is my favorite, from a book I once read:

The Child who has died is the King who will be.
The King who will be shall slay the King who would be.
The Son of six mothers shall father six sons,
And with their hands on his blood,
They will shake the world, when they are dead, and gone to dust.

The Child who has died was the prince, switched with the woodcutter's son shortly after birth. The woodcutter's son was murdered in his crib, and the Prince raised as the woodcutter's son. As such, the Prince (unaware of his heritage) is the King who will be.

The usurper of the throne, who hired the assassins, is the King who would be. (Since he "knew" the Prince was dead, he assumed that, since he was to be slain by the child who has died, that that meant no one could kill him... Wishful thinking!)

The old King had six wives, so the Prince was the son of six mothers. The Prince fathered six sons, sure enough, and killed the usurper, then became a great mage, and formed a talisman that aided his power, using his own blood.

Eventually, he died. In time, his sons did, too. Many years later, the talisman resurfaced... and with their hands on his blood, they shook the world, when they were dead and gone to dust!

 

[ledded]

Here is one from a campaign of OldDrewId's that I played in a while back that hounded our group for almost 3 years...

Seven go forth facing perils and harms,
One will betray a brother in arms.
One to wield a weapon unknown,
One will pay dearly defending a home.
One will find life from the clutches of ghosts,
One to gain honor from most regal hosts.
One will build towers, a new life to tell,
One will journey into dark hell.

Needless to say, we basically ticked off people one by one as we thought they fulfilled the qualifications of a line, but argued like mad about others.

 

[Piratecat]

I find that the important thing regarding prophecies is the manner that they are delivered. Instead of just seeing a verse on paper, prophecies have a much more interesting effect if the delivery is a little odd. There's are a bunch of examples from Sagiro's game, but one I really love.

--- o ---

On Venic Giants (from The Gleanings of Romus the Mad, written in an increasingly unsteady hand):

Th' Venic Giant wyl begyn t' wayke when th' sun oe'r hed dost wynk at th' city o' Ganit Tuvith, o' th' edge o' a grayte bowl o' dust. Seven moons wyl ryse, an' seven moons wyl set, an' th' morn ayftr, those that look wyl see th' grayte Venic tortoise plod th' streets o' Tuvith. As th' Stormknyghts wyl hayte th' creature, three o' their number wyl smyte th' beest, an' rytely so; for if the turtle is allow'd t' live, it wyl call t' its kyn,
an' wayke an army o' turtles to conquer the kingdom. Gods help us then! The Turtle Army! Verily It Wyl Sweep Cross Th' Land, ARMOR-PLAYTED AN' STONY-EYED, AN' WHO IN HYS RYTE MYND WOOLD NO' FLEE FROM SUCH MYTE! RYVYRS WOOOLD FLO' WITH TURTLES, YE GODS HELP US, AND VERILY WOOLD THEY DANCE
ON
MYE
HEAD!!!

Heavyns, I Need My
Elyxyr, my poor hed

--- o ---

Best. Prophecy. Ever.

 

[Stormborn]

At the end of the first season of our current campaign the PCs (and 2 NPCS, a dwarf and a human thief that worked for the city's spymaster) wound up in a tomb to recover the death mask of the city's first ruler. They discover his Seneschal trapped in the first room in a strange state between death and undeath. It has a table and a deck of tarot cards. In play i drew each card and told them what it meant. I had of course stacked the deck ahead of time. Below is a copy from my notes:

In a voice like stones scraping, he says, "You might do," and pulls a card.

"I see," he continues,
"three (three of swords) who will be four.
"Four homeless and wandering (four of cups).
"Four who will begin in fire (ace of wands),
"and go out into suffering (Arcana 15,the Devil)
and unto far dark places (Arcana 18, The Moon)
"Four who will return in victory (four of Pentacles).
"Four who will become three in abundance (Three of Cups).
"Blood gave you entrance and victory will give you egress."

"For the Whisperer a test in darkness.
For the Champion a test in steel.
For the Would-Be-Me a test to come in time.
For the Blood a test in Blood.
And what do we care for short hairy men from far away Isles? Not a word."

BOOM _ the door shuts loudly behind you and the flicker flame above the things head goes out. It is very dark.

“Breath Deep.” It says.

The PCs rather quickly experianced at least some of the first part as they were forced to fell from the city, they haven't yet fully realized what the full implications of that are. Of the 3 PCs and 2 NPCS all of them are forced to leave, the PCs have no real clue who the 4th person spoken of in the prophecy is, although the implications have been it is the thief. The begining in fire refers, at least in part, to their early adventuring career. The rest of the card base prophecy has yet to happen. Generally it vauge enough that anything can happen, although I know what I intended.

The second part happended immediately as they were magically seperated and each had to face a different test. The bard faced the seneshal in a test of will. The fighter/duelist faced a pair of honor guard. Finally the ranger faced the resurrected lord (for who i used a copy of the PCs character sheet). From that the PCs are guessing that the ranger has some connection to the noble house that rules the city, but their flight from that noble house later has prevented them from learning anything more about that.

 

[Steverooo]

I find that the important thing regarding prophecies is the manner that they are delivered. Instead of just seeing a verse on paper, prophecies have a much more interesting effect if the delivery is a little odd.

Agreed, PC!

The prophecy in my previous post was delivered by a giant of a man, who keeled over, dead, at the end, toppling into the fire... The man sitting next to him, who had known him all his life swore that he was mute!

Very memorable!

 

[Alzrius]

Just throwing my two cents out there. I haven't been in a game that used a prophecy, but I think the article should address the following:

PC's usually have two approaches to prophecies: they either treat them as window-dressing, assuming they're going to happen anyway, or try and actively participate (to bring them about or stop them). I find that, more than anything else, both of these approaches are strongly colored by the idea that participation brings about fulfillment of said prophecy.

It's been a staple for years in fiction that actively being involved in a prophecy (usually by being against it) results in it's coming about. As such, most PC's tend to be aware of that, and end up working to compensate for that, often to the frustration of the GM. If the article could mention something about that, that'd be great.