The Dealer

The dealer was an unknown supernatural entity or anomalous phenomenon from within The Farwei WIlds. The dealer was first mentioned in 61/2/1330 5D when a lone survivor from a research expedition was rescued and hospitalized at the Animas Community Hospital in Zelzah. The survivor was neobotanist Ifeoma khe-Adeyemi and part of  FW-086, an expedition into the Farwei Wilds to document and chart unmapped parts of the territory commissioned by the Confederation Institute of People and Ecologies. 82 days after the expedition of three dozen individuals, Ifeoma was found emaciated and ill on the border to the Farwei Wilds with Zelzah. Once taken to the nearest hospital and identified, representatives of the Institute of People and Ecologies visited Ifeoma to interview and debrief her about her time in the Farwei Wilds. 

Ifeoma was unable to provide much coherent information to the representatives, as it became clear that she was suffering from intense mental deterioration due to acute naegleriasis. However, between her ramblings, Ifeoma would distinctly mention “the dealer” with lucid emphasis. This included phrases such as “the dealer made me choose” and “the dealer was there” among similar claims. Believed to be hallucinations caused by her condition, Ifeoma was transferred to an unnamed sanatorium where she would later succumb to her illness. 

Believing this to be an isolated incident, future expeditions were sent into the Wilds, but more reports of “the dealer” began to surface from a variety of People of different race, culture, age, and physical health. Descriptions of what the dealer looked were hard to come by, but two accounts describe “a shadow of the sun” and “the shape of midnight” in connection to the dealer. Very few of these witnesses of the dealer were able to reintegrate into society, often winding up in asylums or committing themselves to death. The strongest piece of evidence that the dealer was a physical entity came from the autopsy of the witnesses, where it was discovered that tattoos were inked directly onto their skulls beneath their skin while they were still alive, with no corresponding wounds, scars, surgical openings, or external punctures. The tattoos would consistently be placed above the left ear and take the shape of one of the five crowns from the Hungry Crowns playing cards. Each crown in Hungry Crowns has a different value and meaning depending on the rules being played, each witness appearing to have been marked with a certain value by the dealer. Experts studied the tattoos for possible Alchema power at work but found them to be entirely mundane. Of the witnesses studied, only four different crowns were tattooed upon the skulls, with none found to have the Diamond Crown symbol, which is often the highest valued card in a hand. This discovery was classified and never made available to the public. 

As expeditioners continued to go missing, concerned citizens demanded that the Royal Court intervene and stop the Institute of People and Ecologies from sending unauthorized missions into the untamed Wilds. The Royal Court investigated the  Institute of People and Ecologies and their collected data on the Farwei Wilds to see if anything of value was discovered to cement the merit of the expeditions. Information of the dealer was also discovered by the Royal Court, who quickly took a great interest in the scattered reports that were often not much more than footnotes. When the investigation was over, no private entity including the Institute of People and Ecologies could enter the Farwei Wilds without explicit government approval. The Royal Court would make a few expeditions of their own, primarily to find and recover artifacts “in the interest of federal research and security” that were related to the dealer. 

To enforce the new border restrictions, walls and guard stations were constructed along the Farwei Wilds’ southern border. While this prevented any further civilians from entering the Wilds, criminal groups would still attempt to bypass the border patrol in order to search for treasure. Border security and staff would never enter the Wilds themselves, but despite this, they would experience strange physiological effects. The severity of these effects would vary, but often they took the form of recurring dreams and hallucinations. A consistent symptom was a sudden aversion to gambling and card games, especially Hungry Crowns, even if the affected individual was an avid card player before being stationed at the border. Many would also begin to develop visceral reactions when hearing or seeing the words “deal” or dealer,” including panic attacks. To prevent prolonged exposure to the phenomenon, staff were rotated out seasonally. 

When the Solstice War began, the border guard was quickly dissolved and the barricades fell into ruin. Many attempted to flee deep into the Wilds for sanctuary and even the Silver Lining looked to the Wilds for new outposts. The dangers of the Farwei Wilds still proved to be far too resilient to allow for large-scale occupation, but since official reports of the dealer were no longer being made, it was unclear if the phenomenon continued.