Book of Fortunes

“The Fortunes” is a tall, wide book of relatively few pages. Its cover is usually silver colored, and expensive copies are plated in silver. The tall pages are bereft of art after the frontispiece. Tradition forbids such vanities as credit for the scribe who copies it, or anything other than strict content.

The canon contains sixteen Dreams and four Omens. The Dreams describe the dreams of an unidentified person and her attempts to interpret the dreams as prophecies. Her initial attempts are vague and inaccurate, but by the fourth dream (called The Revelation), her clarity of vision and interpretation improves to miraculous levels. Each Omen is a sighting of everyday objects in slightly unnatural circumstances, followed by the author’s interpretation and subsequent verification.

The Fortunes teaches that each mortal should willingly accept the fate he is given by the gods. Mortals should work toward their destinies and not stray. The trick for each mortal is to figure out his own destiny, and the best way to do this is through counsel from one with the vision.

Another major thematic element of the Fortunes is time. Time, says Fortunes, is a scarce and exceedingly valuable commodity. Unique among valuables, it continually increases in value. Thus, only a fool wastes time, while a wise man uses every moment to fulfill his destiny.

The priesthood claims that the ability to interpret dreams is a gift given to all creatures in different measure, while the ability to see the future in everyday objects is a true sign of prophecy. Followers are urged to follow their intuition, even if it goes against logic and reason. Disagreements within the faith are welcome as long as they are civil, and personal interpretation of all things, including the canon, is permitted.

Few copies of the canon are available, although those troubled by their dreams seek them out for reassurance. It is less uncommon in Ozhvinmish and western Ahznomahn than in other parts of the world. The canon costs 30 gp for the plain version or up to 100 gp if the cover includes real silver.