Pick A Card, Any Card

The Lucky of Irez

Illustration by Luis Perez.

Irez, the Empyreal Lord of cards, scribes, and spells. Although Desna is known as the creator of the Harrow Deck, many Harrow readers worship Irez not just for her attachment to the cards, but because she is the lady of symbolism and magic. Little is known about The Lady of Inscribed Wonders or her followers. That leaves us with an open canvas to present some possible sects.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Irez. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Lady of Inscribed Wonder. What character do you make?

For more information on Irez

Irez’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Irez’s Archives of Nethys Page 

Keepers of the Sacred Scroll

In a monastery somewhere in the heart of Galt resides a small sect of followers of Irez. Within these walls the brothers keep a scroll – one long piece of parchment – which contains all of the knowledge that the brothers have. Recorded on it are histories, stories, legends, and even spells. To keep this knowledge fresh and up to date, every five years the brothers completely rewrite the scroll with all its previous knowledge as well as that which has been collected over the intervening years.

The collection of knowledge comes both from the brothers themselves and other worshipers of Irez. The brothers each take a yearlong journey from the monastery to gather as much new lore as they can. Other followers of The Lady of Inscribed Wonder may seek to learn from the scroll or the brothers themselves. To be allowed access to either, one most present a previously unknown tidbit to be added to the scroll. Particularly interesting bits of information will see the one who delivers it offered full admittance to the brotherhood.

The Bettor’s League

The League is actually a multi-denominational group of gamblers out of Varisia. The sect consists of ethnic Varisians, Gnomes from Whistledown, and assorted odds-takers from Magnimar where mystery cults to the Empyreal Lords are common. The Bettor’s League sees worshipers of Irez, Desna, and Nivi Rhombodazzle come together to have a go at games of chance against each other.

The group exists in most major cities in Varisia, except for Korvosa. Members tend to be travelers and the private gambling houses run by the group allow them to whet their appetite for games of chance in a safe environment. Cards games are by far the most common, and some of the best towers players in all of Avistan come from among the ranks of The Bettor’s League

The Runic Masters

Although dwarves have their own racial deities, and are also not known for dabbling in arcane magics. The Runic Masters are the exception to both of these rules. Runes have always been a major part of dwarven society, their language is written in a runic form. The dwarven followers of Irez – although considered oddballs by their peers – have learned to harness the inherent power in the runes that they were taught to use as children. Although Irez mainly deals in arcane magic some of the runic masters are also clerics of the Empyreal Lord and become Theurges, using both forms of magic.

Admittance into the dwarven sect of the Lady of Inscribed Wonder is a very structured affair. Like many dwarven occupations from smithing to fighting, a supplicant must undergo rigorous training and testing. The ability to write almost five hundred runes – some extremely obscure – from memory is one of the major hurdles one must overcome to call oneself a Runic Master. The fact that not many dwarves seek to worship outside their own pantheon and the grueling testing to join the sect means there are actually very few Runic Masters.

The followers of the Empyreal Lord of scribes and cards come from all walks of life. Who is your disciple of Irez? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Lady of Inscribed Wonder? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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The opening illustration was created by a fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.