The tiles are used in all manner of games, for fun and for stakes. They are popular with children and adults of all levels of society, and the only differences found are in the quality of the tiles and the types of games played.
The tiles have a long history, going back to old Istan. They have always been a popular game, but have also been used by diviners and witches to read the fates, help decisions or prepare for adversity.
There are a few main houses, used in most games:
1-7 of Stars, Lord of Stars (The Arcanist), Lady of Stars (The Witchblood), The Dancing Spirits, The White Tower
1-7 of Cups, Lord of Cups, Lady of Cups, The Drunken Fool, The Sleeping Dog
1-7 of Coins, Lord of Coins (The Unhappy Merchant), Lady of Coins (The Happy Merchant), The Fates/Luck, The Lost Souls
1-7 of Swords, Lord of Swords (the Fiend), Lady of Swords (the Black Lady) , the Shields, the Blue Gate
1-7 of Moons, Priest of Moons, Priestess of Moons, The Lovers, The Dark Tower
1-7 of Staves, Lord of Staves (the Warden), Lady of Staves (the Guilder), the Forgotten Warrior, the Black Gate
Games revolve around playing sets of tiles in combination for points, through the luck of the draw. Tiles may be played stood tall, bowed or broken, and some games can involve these States being changed by the play of other tiles.
Some games make use of a designed board, though many are played on any flat surface.
A variant popular in Raethmoor involves playing on multiple layers, and players must remember which tiles have been placed below others.
The variant most popular with high ranking members of the Broken Circle has tiles played face down, with wagers made on the word of the player that the tile is what they say it is. In these games, it is not rare for five of the same time to be in play at any one time.
In addition to the house tiles, there are several more that are unassigned to the houses, and not regularly a part of games. Whilst some games, especially for stakes, can make use of them, they are primarily the domain of diviners.
The Prostrate
The Maidens
The Sword Dancer/Swallower
The Followers
The Little Lord
The Council of Ravens
The Mark/Brand
The Black Horse
The Mourners
The Shining Serpent
The Arrowhead/Blade
The Scales
The Hermit/Solitary
The Ropes/Knot
The Many Faces
The Winding River
The Dervish/Dancer
The Hand/Palm
The Tails/Whiplash
The Twin Wolves
The Drake
The Half-hand
The Drawn Bow
The Lion’s Head
The Calf
The Ship
All the special tiles are be played as stood tall, bowed or broken as normal, except the Prostrate who is never stood tall, the Black Horse who is never bowed, and the Maidens who are never broken. The rules the diviner uses to make interpretations of the fates are as unique as the diviner themselves, with as much variance between them as between different groups of players.
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