We examine the occult practices of the people of Krynn, from Numerology, Divination, Herbalism and Runes. These new age practices help flesh out an already vibrant world, adding color and magic for us to enjoy.
Time Stamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 2:46 TALIS Card Deck
- 4:10 Numerology
- 5:34 Runology
- 7:12 Eichelomancy
- 8:33 Herbalism
- 10:00 Vallenwood Scrolls
Transcript
Cold Open
Part of what makes a fictional world believable in addition to ancient history and vibrant cultures, are those occult or new age arts that they practice.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about some of the New Age Arts that can be found on Krynn. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link. All links are in the description below. This is not intended to be a complete guide to all occult knowledge or New Age Arts practiced, but rather an exploration of some highlighted in the game sourcebooks.
Discussion
I grew up fascinated by the idea of the occult, or hidden knowledge. You could blame it on programming from a religious background, or my desire for there to be something more to our reality than what was in front of our noses. Whatever it was, I loved the idea of it. As I believe most kids do, I went through a new age phase, where I thought astrology and numerology, hell even palm reading was real. Though those days are behind me and my mind is firmly planted in science, I still like the fantasy of it all. One aspect that I love about fantasy in general and Dragonlance specifically was that there is magic, Arcane and primal sorcery to divine and mysticism, depending on the age of Krynn.
One of the strengths that propelled Dragonlance was the deep history and sense of fleshed out racial culture the world was populated by and rooted in. Another part of this is the focus on different cultures practicing new age arts. When my friend in middle school gave me his Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide, I found an Appendix in the back titled Appendix J: Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Vegetables. The balance of historical uses of the items listed was seen as magic or witchcraft by our real world ancestors. One idea I have always liked was that magic is yet to be proven natural science, and this list was the bridge between the two practices. When I later found references in Dragonlance to the use of Tarot Cards in the form of the TALIS card deck, including the use of runes, numerology and herbalism references in the various Dragonlance sourcebooks, I was hooked! Let’s explore some of these ideas and have some fun in the process. Again, in a fantasy world, this is as real as you want it to be, regardless of how you feel about the practices in our world.
Laura and Tracy Hickman created a Gypsy Card reading function in their I6: Ravenloft module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in October 1983, and it seemed like only a matter time until they would then craft a version of it for Dragonlance. In DL12: Dragons of Faith, they did just that. The TALIS card deck could be used to play some traditional in-world games, but they also had a more mystical side to them, in the same way as Tarot Cards evolved into Playing cards in our own history. The deck is used as a way to add mystery and the seeing of the unknown to the game. The TALIS cards are composed of six suits of 9 cards each. These suits represent the elemental forces of the universe. In addition each suit is represented by a different character race, with a seeker card representing all six suits. Each suit is numbered 1o to 9 and is represented by a specific figure. In addition to each element having its own possible meaning, the cards are read with half of the deck Enlightened, or face up, and Shadowed or Face down. The direction of the card’s face also has meaning. For a full description on how to use the cards in your game, refer to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module DL12 Dragons of Faith or the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Tales From the Lance box set.
The Aesthetic Bertrem has written essays on Numerology and Runes which are of note here. According to Bertrem, numerology is the metaphysical science that analyses the symbolic nature of numbers and ascribes prescribed numerical values to each letter of the alphabet. The science, while ancient and exact, reflects the spiritual vibrations and potentials of each number and letter. This provides an understanding of one’s personal energies and how they are, or should be utilized in their career, travel, friendships and home life. This is personified in the following small sample of vibrations: The Soul Urge, or the heart’s greatest desire. The Quiescent Self, or the passive, quiet energy of the individual. The Expression, or personal capabilities, talents and skills. And The Life Path, or one’s destiny. Depending on the makeup of the individual’s name, a numerologist may determine a ruling passion, or karmic lesson for the individual to read. The basic technique is to reduce an individual’s name and birthdate to a single number, or to a master number. Each letter is assigned a numeric value and that value is interpreted by the numerologist to extract the necessary vibrational information. If you would like to see examples and learn more, refer to Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home sourcebook.
In Bertrem’s Essay on Runes, he posits that Runology is the metaphysical study of the spiritual energies inherent in certain occult symbols or alphabets, commonly known as runes. The etymology of the word Rune is derived from the ancient northern word runa, meaning secret or mystery. All runes are imbued with a very specific vibration or a set of congruous vibrations of a spiritual, psychological or mundane nature. Runic symbols vary from culture to culture on Krynn, they are derived from incredibly ancient origins. Runes represent fundamental archetypal human potentials and experience. Though cultural use of the runes may change or evolve, the archetype of the rune remains true. The archetypes of the psyche grants runes the power for divination. The archetype of the spiritual grants runes the power of meditation. Runes may be presented individually or in a Runic Spread or predetermined pattern. The Cross of Life, The Staff of Fulfillment and the Incarnation Spread are three such examples. The Cross of Life explores the dynamic energies involved in a situation that requires personal growth and unfoldment. The Staff of Fulfillment explores the bringing of business or creative endeavors to fruition. And the Incarnation Spread provides an understanding as to how this incarnation was affected by the previous one and how it will affect the following incarnation. For more information on Runology and to see examples, refer to Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home and The History of Dragonlance Sourcebooks.
The Que-Shu tribe has their own means of divination with the art of Eichelomancy. This art was gifted to Oakheart of the Que-Shu by the god Zivilyn in the form of three green acorns. The practice was handed down from master to apprentice within the tribe and it consists of mixing the three green acorns within a hollowed out gourd, then casting them upon the ground. The Sage then divines the future from how the acorns lie within the face, or pattern upon the ground. There are a total of five faces that could answer any question asked. Questions must be asked in order and answered in order through the five faces. The first face is the Universe. The second face is the World. The third is the Face. The fourth face is the Eye, and the fifth face is the Heart, the seat of the soul. If you leave your questions off before completing the five faces, your next question when you return in the future will be cast to the next face in order. Green acorns must be used and never handled with the hand, but rather only the gourd. Once an acorn turns brown, as discovered through sound in the gourd as it is shaken, you must replace them. If you would like notes on how to interpret the casting of the acorns, refer to the More Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home sourcebook.
Dalamar the Dark has released pages from his shalafi, Raistlin Majere’s Numinous Properties of Herbs in Krynn. He warns against using any referenced herbs or recipes in his masters notes by anyone. According to Raistlin’s notes, herbs including trees, spices, flowers, etc are tied to numinous experiences and their magical power cannot be denied. He goes on to list various herbs and their properties, not unlike the aforementioned list found in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide. In addition to this, Raistlin lists associations with color in magical artifacts and numinous energies of herbs, fruit, spices, etc. White for purification, yellow for awareness of solar energies, orange to develop positive personal or artistic energies. Pink is used for tranquility, red for amplification of psychic & magical energies, green for balance of those same energies. Blue enhances intellectual skills and purple strengthens numinous energies and experiences. He goes on to explain that herbs must be burned in either a small copper brazier or a pit fire to have any significant effect. This excerpt of his writings goes on to relay recipes for salves, elixirs and poultices to name a few, even going so far as to list meteorological Omens. To learn more, consult the Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home sourcebook.
Finally I would like to briefly discuss the Vallenwood Scrolls. Written on the uncommon vallenwood pulp. The language is an ancient form of a Plains language with occasional etymological connections to a rarely spoken kender dialect. They contain four areas of metaphysical thought: the universal essences of life, the teachings of the vallenwood tree, the elements of magic, and the lightbodies. The section on the universal essences addresses the spiritual development of an individual, responsibilities to self and community, and sacred alignment with the gods of one’s choice. It introduces the mystical voice and mood which are at the heart of the texts. The teachings of the vallenwood tree are presented as Tree of Life, a metaphor for how we should express the diverse gifts and manifest the personal potentials bestowed upon us by the Triple Gods of Krynn. The elements of magic consist of Eight Magical laws of solidity, fluidity, motion and transmutation. The lightbodies are the magical energy fields that apparently flow along the spinal column and limbs of any corporeal creature. Color, vocal toning, and breath work are united for personal meditation and maintenance of a dynamic mind-spirit-body connection. They are presented in a circular diagram called the Eightfold Way of the Circle of Life. If you would like to learn more, and see examples of the teachings, consult the History of Dragonlance sourcebook.
Outro
And that is all I am prepared to talk about in this episode. I will explore these topics in more detail in future episodes. Do you enjoy these New Age Arts or the Occult Knowledge in Krynn? Have you used the TALIS cards in a game session? And do you know of other New Age Arts I should discuss from Krynn? Leave a comment below.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link. All links are in the description below.
This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
It is best to look ahead, not behind. What’s done is done. You cannot change it.
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