» Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:08 pm 0 / XXII: The Outsider: A timeless being of magic and mystery, possibly some form of cosmic horror or prehuman entity. The Outsider represents the Fool Arcana, he is the one who grants Corvo his powers and gives him he added means to reach his targets. The Fool represents possibilities, divine wisdom, and the start of a journey.
"How you use what I have given you falls to you, as it has all the others before you." -The Outsider.
"The one who walks here is all things; cradle songs of comfort and bones gnawed by teeth." -The Heart.
(Based on some dialouge, this guy reminds me so much of Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep)
I: Judgement: This card is portrayed by Emily Kaldwin, daughter of the late Empress. The Judgement Arcana represents hope, absolution, and forgiveness.
"The tower's haunted! I've even seen the ghost once! He had weird black eyes!" -Emily
II: Lust: This card is represented by Madame Prudence, the new owner of the Golden Cat. The Lust or Strength Arcana represents composure, stability, perseverance, and self control.
"The Golden Cat was here long before she came to run it. But the curtains were her idea. The girls do not like this new Madame, they prefer the old one. She throws the dead girls into the river..." - The Heart.
III: The Man on Stilts: This card is repersented by a Tallboy, one of the elite guards. I choose to interpret this card as the Chariot Arcana. The Chariot represents conquest, self confidence, willpower and bravery.
IV: The Boatman: This card is represented by Samuel Beechworth, veteran sailor, ferryman, and moral guide to Death. He represents the Sun Arcana, meaning optimisim, joy, vitality, and innocence.
"Samuel Beechworth went to sea to forget a hopeless love. He suceeded." -The Heart
V: The Witch: This card is represented by Vera Moray, more commonly known as "Granny Rags", a blind, mad old lady, and not as harmless as she first appears. This is the High Priestess representing wisdom, intuition and otherworldliness.
"Be careful, she treads with purpose, and is not as frail as she seems..." -The Heart.
"Have you seen him? The handsome one with the beautiful dark eyes? I just want you to pass on a message, tell him that I'm doing my part, yes, Granny Rags is doing her part. Tell him..." -Granny Rags.
VI: The Weeper: A victim of the plauge in it's last stage, the Weeper is a senseless horror that is abandoned by society. This card represents the Fortune Arcana. More precisely, it represents both the upright and reversed Fortune. The reversed Fortune represents things going from bad to worse, hence the more chaos caused by Corvo, the more Weepers are created. But things can always improve...
VII: The Lady: This is Lady Boyle, the ruthless mistress and supporter of the Lord Reagent, and somehow rich enough to fund the entire military on her own... She represents the Justice Arcana. Justice represents coldness, criticism, anolysis, logic and reason. Much shown by how she hides amongst her sisters, and it is up to you to root out the truth.
"Welcome to my party, I don't belive you had the pleasure..." -Lady Boyle.
"Ooh! What happens next?! Are you going to tie me up...?" - Esma Boyle
VIII: Regret: This is Daud, the leader of the assassins and responsible for the murder of the Empress. He represents the Tower Arcana, the Tower represents disruption, revelations, downfall, and ruin.
"I'd give back all the coin if I could... No-one should have to kill an Empress..." -Daud.
"Why have you brought me here...? Do you expect me to forgive him?" -The Heart.
IX: The Urchin Prince: Slackjaw, the ruthless, yet principled leader of the Bottle Street Gang. Admittedly, I feel that the Moon Arcana best fits Slackjaw (Maybe because I ran through the rest of the deck). But because he will never know his true heritage. The Moon represents doubt, illusions, fear, confusion, and deception.
"Slackjaw. (Women of a brothel) raised him. He will never know his father was a prince..." -The Heart.
X: The Twins: Morgan and Custis Pendleton the sadistic, corrupt members of parliment who own a plethoria of slaves. This is the Lovers Arcana, mostly because they're in a brothel - and the Heart suggests that Custis' feelings towards Morgan are not entirely ethical. The Lovers represents temptation, humanism, desire, and passion.
XI: The Hermit: This is Piero Joplin, the socially inept genius, alchemist and natural philospher. The Hermit Arcana represents reclusion, introspection, a philosophical attitude, essentially taking a time away from the world to look inside oneself.
"Every night, the black eyed Outsider visits upon Piero's dreams..." -The Heart.
"It's refreshing to converse with someone on my own level." - Piero, to Sokolov.
XII: The Artist: This is Anton Sokolov, the Royal Physician, a ruthless scientist and inventor. Truly he represents the Magician Arcana, meaning creativity, power, energy, and determination. The reversed Magician represents an abuse of said power.
"Oh, I agree. Your expulsion from the Academy was a crime against Natural Philosophy." - Sokolov to Piero.
XIII: Cruelty: This is Morris Sullivan, the Royal Interrogator, or "The Torturer", born from a rich family who married cousins for generations. This is the Devil Arcana; Ignorance, stagnation, anger, futility.
XIV: The Governess: This card is represented by Callista Curnow, one of the last members of the Curnow family, and Emily's tutor. This is the Temperance Arcana, representing virtue, harmoy, and the blending of opposites.
"She is Callista Curnow, she and her uncle, the last of the Curnow family. She dreams of whaling ships, fast after beasts at sea, the freedom. Alas, she is a woman..." -The Heart.
XV: Nobility: This is Lord Treavor Pendleton, the younger, more morally stout of the Pendleton family. He represents the Star Arcana. The Star represents hope, serenity, faith, and good will. It is the calm after the storm. But the Star is only a brief thing, and is destined to fade.
"Where's Wallace? Wallace! You're promoted, wherever you are! Head lackey!" -Pendleton.
XVI: The High Overseer: This card is represented by Thaddeus Campbell in red, and Teague Martin in blue. They are the Heirophant, the Heirophant represents knowledge, discipline, formality and belief. The builder of communication between human and the divine (given the Outsider, how ironic). But, to me, these two make the card also represent corruption.
"Time for drinks!" -Campbell
"Campbell's journal will let me keep the Overseers in line." - Martin.
"Such corruption! Make me look on him no more!" -The Heart.
XVII: The Drowned Man: Admiral Farley Havelock, leader of the Loyalists. He is the Hanged Man, the card represents paradoxes, inner harmony, surrendering, and sacrifice. Through hanging upside- down, the Hanged Man gains inner wisdom, much like how Odin hung himself from Yggdrasil, the World Tree, for nine days to gain knowledge of the runes. This Arcana is also known as "The Traitor"...
"Well done, Corvo. I doubt a dozen men could've done it better."
"Sometimes, I feel that I should take the title of Lord Reagent for myself, and run things properly."
- Havelock.
XVIII: The Lord Reagent: Hiram Burrows, the ex-spymaster, who rules Gristol with an iron first. This is the Emperor Arcana, representing order, leadership, command, and fathering. Symbolizing the top of the heirachy, the ultimate male ego. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the World.
"Everything would have gone smoothly, if everyone had just! Followed! Orders!" -Burrows' confession.
XIX: The Empress: Jessamine Kaldwin, beloved Empress of Gristol and mother to Emily. The Empress Arcana represents mothering, comfort, beauty, and power.
"What have they done to me...?" -The Heart.
"Corvo, when you are close, my heart is at ease." -Jessamine. (O.O)
"I've always wondered, if you and the Empress... No, I shouldn't ask." -Lydia.
XX: The World: A map of the Empire. The World Arcana is completion, fufillment, success, accomplishment, and satisfaction.
XXI: Death: Corvo Attano, he treads the path between vengance and justice. The Death Arcana does not represent physical death, in such a sense. The Arcana represents deep change, regeneration, ending of a cycle, and the start of a new state.
"You fascinate me..." - The Outsider.
