Storytelling with the Sorte Deck

How Game Masters and Writers can use Tarot-style

Cards to Inspire Their Stories

Use 7th Sea’s Sorte deck or another set of Tarot cards to boost your
creativity and help you improvise story elements! The approach is
intuitive, easy to learn, and fast!
Using this method, GMs and writers can quickly create scenes, missions,
and characters with depth and dynamism. GMs can even do it in the
middle of a game session!

This supplement describes methods for creating a Scene or Side-quest, a

major character such as a Hero or a Villain, and a minor character. This
approach works for any storytelling, whether you are in the middle of
GMing at a table, rolling up a player character for a game, improvising
stories with friends, writing an RPG adventure, or writing fiction.

There are several examples inside, and an Appendix with 10 “practice

draws” that you can work with, even if you don’t have a Sorte or Tarot
deck.

By Evan Perlman
With thanks to: Jabari Weathers, illustrator of the 7th Sea Sorte Deck; to Thad Green,
writer of the Strega’s Loom supplement; and to Marc Burkom for review.

Explorers Society, 7th Sea and all related marks are © and ™ 2016 John Wick Presents. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be duplicated without express permission
from the Author.
 The mysteries of the Sorte deck are not just for Stregas anymore!
In the world of 7th Sea, Sorte is a form of
sorcery, also called “fate magic.”
Practitioners, also known as sorte stregas,
or “fate witches,” are able to see,
understand and manipulate the strands
of fate between all things.
That sounds a bit like what a storyteller
does, doesn’t it?
The idea of using Tarot or similar cards
as writing prompts is not new, but this
supplement offers some unique
advantages. (See the “Further Reading”
section for a few links to other
approaches).
First, for those creating stories for 7th
Sea, using the Sorte deck keeps you
immersed in the imagery, themes, and
symbols of the game world.
Second, the three specific layouts and
numerous examples provide guidance
on three things that GMs and writers
will often need: Scenes, main characters,
and minor characters.
Using approaches described in the
following sections, you will be able to
lay out a set of cards from the Sorte deck
(or any Tarot deck, if you prefer), and
quickly develop useful and interesting
ideas to use in your game or writing.
What You Need
 A deck of Sorte cards or other Tarot;
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
 A resource for interpreting the cards
 Some idea of your setting
 A brain (more on why that’s
important below)
How It Works
The advantage of using the Sorte deck
for 7th Sea creations is that the images
and themes are naturally aligned with
the lands of Théah and its adventures. If
you are using this method with another
system or for a different genre, you may
wish to pick a different deck that has
images that put you in the right
mindset.
Regardless of the deck you choose, each
card in the deck likely has rich and
inspiring imagery, tones, symbols, and
moods. You will take advantage of
pareidolia, the human brain’s tendency to
perceive patterns between unconnected
stimuli. This tendency is going to drive
your creative work when you use the
cards.
Each card challenges us to perceive the
relationship between itself and the other
cards. Tarot-style spreads give us a
framework for doing that.
How to Interpret the Cards
Many decks have accompanying books
or websites that give guidance on how
to interpret the cards. For this exercise,
2
the best resources are those that focus
on themes, images, moods, etc. Try to
avoid ones that offer advice for
divination or fortune-cookie-style
wisdom.
For example, I use the interpretations
provided in Strega’s Loom, an excellent
supplement for 7th Sea. In it, Thad
Green discusses themes and
interpretations of each of the cards in
the Sorte deck. I went through those and
pulled out keywords from each
description, and those are what I refer to
when I’m using the deck.
Creating a Scene: 5-Card Spread
In 7th Sea, the GM and Players tell
stories in the framework of Scenes. (In
other contexts, these might be called
Encounters). The
Layout of the Scene Spread
GM describes the
Scene, Virtue
highlighting
details of the
situation that are
relevant to the
Heroes and their
goals. Then the
Players decide Challenge
what risky
actions their
Heroes take, and
deal with Consequences and
Opportunities that arise from those
actions and the environment.
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
So, when I create a new Scene, I already
have a general idea of what I want it to
be. At the very least, I know the setting.
The Scene spread can help me fill in the
rest: lead-in, characters, motivations,
complications, and outcomes. This is
how to do it:
Shuffle the deck thoroughly, making
sure to rotate some sections of the deck
upside down as you go. As you deal
cards face-up, some cards will be
“upside down.” This is called being
“Reversed,” and you should leave them
that way, because they have a different
meaning when Reversed.
Deal 2 cards face-up:
The “Virtue” - laid vertically
The “Hubris” - laid
horizontally across the
Virtue (a “cross”)
On the next row, deal 3
Hubris
face-up:
The “Challenge” -below
and to the left of the
cross.
Twist Bonus The “Twist” - directly
below the cross
The “Bonus” - below
and to the right of the cross
You wind up with two rows of cards,
laid out as in the illustration. Then it’s
time to let pareidolia work its magic!
3
The position of each card suggests the
role of its themes in your Scene.
The cross is the overall theme and
dynamic of the scene - what thematic,
emotional, or sensory elements are
present in the Virtue and Hubris cards?
Which are in tension? Which are in
harmony?
The Virtue is the main aspect of the
situation. It is the major source of Risk
or Reward for the Heroes.
The Hubris is a subdued or minor
aspect of the situation. This could be a
complementary or contrasting theme or
mood. This card adds a layer of nuance
to the straightforward themes of the
Virtue. It may also inspire the Scene’s
Consequences and Opportunities.
The Challenge card is also the “most
likely outcome.” It arises from the
tension in the cross, asking: what
happens if the Heroes don't
alter/address the major aspect or Risk?
The Twist card is something unique,
hidden, or unusual about the challenge.
What is it concealing? Why is the Risk
not as straightforward as it seems?
Conversely, what Opportunities are
available for a Hero who is paying
attention?
Finally, the Bonus is something present
in the Scene that can aid the Heroes on
their journey. If you want to use the
suits for inspiration, this can be:
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
knowledge (swords), material wealth
(coins), magical or mysterious items
(wands), or the opening of a new way
(cups). This can also inspire the “loot”
from an encounter.
If you like, you can take Court Cards
(Kings, Queens, etc.) to represent
significant NPCs - but you don’t have
to! As you consider the results of the
layout, these things should fall into
place. Here’s an example I used for a
project I’m working on.
Scene Spread: Actual Example
I used this method while writing an
Adventure about exploring the Forever
Reef, a half-flooded underground
environment beneath the island of
Aragosta. I needed to set a Scene in the
Aragosta chapter-house of the
Explorer’s Society. I knew that the
Chapter is located in the Reef. Beyond
that, I knew nothing about it!
I laid out the Scene Spread as described
above, using the analyses in Strega’s
Loom. You can also use your own
interpretations of the cards. Note that I
didn’t do a great job shuffling here -
most of the cards are Major Arcana, and
most are reversed. However, I kept the
spread as-is.
Virtue/Major Aspect: The Sun
(Reversed)
Per Strega’s Loom, some of the themes in
The Sun (Reversed) are Overexposure,
4
Desperation, Blindness, Fading, and
Stagnation.
This suggested to me a place that was a
little over-involved with itself, trying to
maintain a festive atmosphere for fear of
falling into the dark. I wrote it up like
this:
“The Aragosta Explorer's Society chapter
house is a triumphant and celebratory place
- a bit full of itself, to be honest. Mementos
to the deeds and triumphs of the Chapter's
members are everywhere, cluttering up
every available surface in the somewhat
cramped space. The Heroes arrive to find the
place in a celebratory mood: candles are lit
in every one of the 9 large chandeliers made
from ships’ wheels. Gold, brass, and bronze
artifacts, coins, and other items are
everywhere, ensuring that no matter where
you stand, some light is always shining
right into your eyes.”
Hubris/Minor Aspect: The Moonless
Night, Reversed
Themes: Wildness, Confusion,
Hallucinations, Oppressive Dark, Lost
Victim.
Hallucinations, Oppressive Dark, and
Lost Victim jumped out at me, so I
added those to the scene in counterpoint
to the Major Aspect.
“Nonetheless, there’s a sense of willful
blindness here, of trying to overcome grief
by refusing to look at it. The chandeliers
blaze, but a sense of subterranean gloom still
pervades. Also, there are the Tributes: names
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
are engraved in the rafters of the place.
Names of those former members who died on
expeditions or fell victim to the Chapter’s
enemies, or have just been missing so long
that it seems like a child’s folly to hope for
their return. Perhaps it’s just the thickening
smoke from candles and braziers, but the
ghosts of the dead seem to hang around those
names, gazing down with unreadable faces
at the happy times below.”
Challenge: The Betrayal (Reversed)
Themes: Guilt, Impulse, Consequences,
Desperation, Harsh Choices
We’ve already seen Desperation in the
Major Aspect card, so it definitely
echoes here. Adding the rest of the
themes suggests that the Challenge
refers to a person: a guilty person,
driven to address the consequences of
an earlier tragedy that was associated
with desperation and harsh choices.
Because this challenge arises out of the
tension between the Major Aspect
(desperation, blindness) and Minor
Aspect (desperation, oppressive dark,
lost victims), it seemed that this person
is trying to resolve a tragedy that
occurred deep in the Reef and led to the
death or disappearance of a prominent
Explorer in their chapter. Why is this a
Betrayal? Because this person’s intended
action goes against the wishes of the
Chapter leadership! From there, I came
up with this:
5
“Under the oppressive heat of the candles
and the desperate jollity of drink, the Heroes
are eventually approached by a young
Explorer. “We’re planning an expedition
further into the reef,” she tells them. She
feels responsible for having found the path
into the deep Reef, and thus for the disaster
that occurred down there when their group
ran into the Devil Jonah Cultists.
She is convinced that the Devil Jonah
Cultists are still alive - and that they are
also exploring deep into the Reef. The
Explorers don’t know what’s down there,
but if Jonah’s people want it then it has to be
worth finding, if only to keep out of their
hands. Only one problem: this is not going
to be a sanctioned expedition. She is going
rogue. The Chapter President is against it,
has already built opposition to it. It’s too
risky, even for the Explorers.”
Thus the Challenge for the Heroes is:
how will they react to this clandestine
proposal? Will they help? Will they
brush her off? Can the Heroes take
control of the situation?
Twist: Seven of Wands (Reversed)
Themes: Flames, Restore Balance, Lose
Touch with Ground, Plunging, Falling
Remember that the Twist arises from the
Challenge. The last 3 themes make it
pretty clear that the twist has to do with
the proposed expedition: a deep dive
into the Reef. But how do we work the
Flames in there? In this case, I took that
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
to be a metaphor, and came up with an
Opportunity for the Heroes to find a
way to help support this mission AND
avoid the Consequence of a schism (or
worse) within the Chapter.
“If the Heroes want to help, they can find an
alternative to sneaking around: simply find
a way to fan the flames of the Chapter’s
passions for exploration. A rousing speech
or a word in the right ear will convince them
- even the President - that delving down
(plunging) into the Reef is a way to honor
the dead and help tip the scales against the
Chapter’s enemies and rivals - including the
Cultists, if they exist, but also against the
villainous Atabean Trading Company and
the Explorer Society “colleagues” who work
for them.”
Bonus: Six of Wands (Upright)
Themes: Smell and sight, Accomplishment,
Leaving a Mark, Recognition, Foundations
Laid
This seemed pretty straightforward to
me. If the Heroes addressed the
challenge, they would have an
opportunity to “leave their mark” on the
Chapter, and in the process lay the
foundations for something that would
aid them later. I decided they could
spend a Raise or two during the Scene
towards cultivating allies.
“Regardless of how they accomplish it, they
now have at least one ally who remains
behind at the HQ and will help them later
6
(though if things went south they might find
it hard to access that help.) Depending on
their Approaches, they’ve left some kind of a
legacy and reputation behind them, whether
positive or negative - they have altered the
dynamic in the Chapter.”
Using the 5-Card Spread for Side-Quests
Similar to creating a Scene or encounter,
you can use this same spread to think
up a side-quest or short mission at a
moment’s notice. This is especially
useful if you find yourself running a
session unexpectedly, or for a smaller-
than-usual group, where the “main”
campaign is being set aside for a
session.
When drawing for a side-quest, the
interpretation is almost the same:
Virtue & Hubris: What is the overall
dynamic of the mission? What are the
elements at play that the Heroes will be
walking into? Are those elements in
harmony, or in conflict?
Challenge: Who, or what, is the main
risk confronting the Hero? Is it a person,
a monster, a trap, or the environment?
What is its relationship to the overall
dynamic?
Twist: What is unexpected or hidden
about the challenge? This might
represent a pitfall that will harm the
Heroes (a Consequence) or something
the Heroes can take advantage of (an
Opportunity).
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
Bonus: The loot, essentially. What will
the Heroes get for addressing the
challenge? This could be tangible
(treasure, equipment, a McGuffin) or
not (a promise of future aid; a lesson
learned; a Reputation).
For example, I was recently asked to
create 25 “mission seeds” for a friend’s
project. For each one, I wrote a few
sentences describing the mission, and a
few sentences describing what a
successful resolution would look like.
This is really all you need to quickly
improvise a side-quest!
Here is one I called “The Visionary.” I
drew:
Virtue: 3 of Wands (R): Fragility,
Instability, Unknown consequences, Wasted
effort, Free creativity
Hubris: 4 of Cups (U): Fiery zeal,
Excitement, Danger, Dissatisfaction, Excess
Challenge: King of Cups (U): Appears
ridiculous, Sage, Spiritual Guide, Keeper of
the center, Good listener
Twist: 7 of Swords (U): Blood, Murder
mystery, Active defense, Potential victory,
Proper tool
Bonus: The Tower (U): Truth, Sudden
Change, Abrupt revelation, Shock, Creative
destruction
For the mission, I came up with:
Under the guidance of a visionary new
leader, a local group of artists have turned to
7
cruel rituals and callous hedonism to free
their creativity. An ex-member seeks help in
bringing them back to the right path.
The Bonus was the Tower, which many
view as a negative card – at the very
least, it is a card of turbulence and
change. So I decided there would be sort
of a bittersweet resolution at best.
The Heroes discover the new leader
murdered the old, either through
supernatural or purely human means (as
determined by the GM). The group dissolves
in the wake of the revelation but a few
grateful members give you a Master-Crafted
artwork.
This brings up an important point:
Don’t be afraid of a “negative” card
occupying a “positive” position!
Situations can be complex. Heroes can
have dark sides and varying
motivations. Your brain may shy away
at first from figuring out how to work
“The Devil” card into your Hero’s
central stack – but be bold! Look at the
context of the other cards, think about
where your Hero came from and where
they’re going, and press on!
Set Dressing: The 2-Card NPC
Spread
With the Scene now set, I could turn to
fleshing out a couple of characters! The
Sorte Deck provides an easy way to do
this for minor (NPC) characters: just
draw 2 cards, a Virtue and a Hubris.
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
Cross them (as we did in the Scene
Spread), and let your brain resolve the
tension.
We can see two examples of how to do
this.
NPC Spread: Actual Example 1
In my write-up of the Scene above, I
created the character of the Explorer
Society Chapter President. From that
write-up, we already know the
President’s role in the story so far: he
forbade his Chapter from delving
deeper into the Reef after a tragedy.
So now, the draw:
Virtue: The Thrones (Upright)
Themes: Partnership, Business, Success,
Balancing, Opposites
Hubris: Three of Wands (Reversed)
Themes: Fragility, Instability, Unknown
Consequences, Wasted Effort, Free
Creativity
Hmmm. The Chapter President draws
the Thrones, huh? The cards must have
been paying attention during the Scene
draw. Those Themes are a pretty
standard set for the leader of an
organization.
However, despite his success, when we
look under his skin we find the dark
side: the fragility, the instability. His
position isn’t that secure, is it? Why?
Because he’s trying to balance opposites:
some of the Explorers are on board with
8
his cautious approach, but some are not,
and he’s having trouble holding it
together. He’s built his tower on a
fragile base.
Why else might his position be
insecure? Because he hasn’t been on the
job that long! I hadn’t even realized that
I needed to know the identity of the
Explorer lost in the tragedy, but now I
know: it was his predecessor, the last
President of this Chapter. That’s
contributing to his problems too - he’s
trying to fill her shoes.
Let’s do one Layout of the Character Spread
more draw and
see what we Virtue
learn about the
Hubris
This adds layers to what we know of the
Delver already. She isn’t just going to
charge into her plan. Instead, she wants
to come at it with subtlety - hence,
recruiting the Heroes as helpers. She
understands the risks, and wants the
truth to be known: the Devil Jonah cult
is out there, and she won’t allow the
Chapter to pretend otherwise.
Of course, this can go wrong for her. If
she becomes frustrated, and no one
listens to her, she might blow up
(Aggressive, Fearsome), or else sulk into
herself and
contribute to
the schism in
the Chapter
(Depressed,

NPC who
Blames Others).
approaches the
From this, we
Heroes for
also get more
help. I don’t
ideas for
have a name
Consequences
for her yet, so
and follow-up
I’m calling her Root Trunk Fruit Harvesters
Scenes if the
“The Delver,”
Heroes refuse
because that’s
to help her in
what she wants
the way she
to do.
wants them to
Virtue: The Witch (Upright) help her.

Themes: Listen with care, Accept a hard

truth, Speak truth, Reject lies, Subtlety
Hubris: Queen of Wands (Reversed)
Themes: Aggressive, Fearsome, Loses
adaptability, Depressed, Blames others
Building Character: The 6-Card
Spread
As interesting as it was to create those
NPCs, I don’t think I’ll need to use them
extensively. But what if we wanted to

STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK 9

do a deeper dive into a character? the Heroes, if the character is in a Scene.
Perhaps we need to construct a I didn’t use that card here.
compelling Villain, or a Hero for a
Finally, the Harvesters gives an
Player to use?
impression of what the results will be -
This 6-Card Spread is adapted from one for good or for ill - if the current scheme
that was first explained in Strega’s Loom, comes to fruition.
where it had at least 7 cards and was
Character Spread: Actual Example
called the Tree of Time. I’ve adapted it a
In my version of the Forever Reef, there
little bit to simplify, as this is the most
is an Alchemist. He lives in the
time-consuming of the layouts. Here’s
Underground, a lightless and lawless
the layout and the definition of each
kind of place that exists in the top levels
card.
of the Reef, under the island. He has a
The Virtue and Hubris cross - also little shop there. Let’s see what we can
called the Center Stack - is similar to the learn about him and what he’s doing.
one used in the NPC Spread above.
Virtue: Dame of Cups (Upright)
What drives this character - what kind
Themes: Blind seer, Sensitive and
of thing do they want out of life right
emotional, Naive outlook, Vulnerable,
now?
Paradox
The specifics of that drive come from
What the Alchemist does, he does for a
cards 3 and 4, The Root and The Trunk.
good cause. He approaches the world
The Root is their origin story - the
from a place of sensitivity, and he tries
beginning of the sequence of events that
to use wisdom and impartial judgment.
led them to their current motivation.
He believes that the best results will
The Trunk is the recent past, the direct
come from his work, although he should
catalyst of the current situation.
know better.
Card 5 is the Fruit, the most likely
After I saw his Hubris, Root, and Trunk,
outcome of their current motivation.
I came back to this and decided what his
This can suggest Consequences if the
actual scheme is: He is working on a
character is engaged in a Scene.
Magnum Opera (an alchemist’s Great
You could also cross the Fruit card with Work) that would stimulate the spirits
an optional Gardener, which represents and intellects of all who ingest it,
ways to help the scheme or stop the allowing them to best others with ease.
scheme. These can be Opportunities for He is confident that this community
would exist in equality and cooperation.

STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK 10

Hubris: King of Swords (Upright)
Themes: Striding chieftain, Proud, Alert,
Impartial, Justice
He admits, privately, that to achieve his
dream he will need to be the leader.
And frankly, he thinks, he deserves to
be - it’s only fair, because he has the
most talent.
Root: Seven of Coins (Upright)
Themes: Patience and care, Block access to
resources, Sealed bag, Ambiguous injury,
Uncertain timing
He began as part of an Order in Castille,
and for a time was content to work
under their instruction. However, he
quickly found that they maintained a
tight hold on the components he
required for his research. He tried to
circumvent them but the material he
acquired was counterfeit, and he was
harmed, both physically and
emotionally, by the spectacular failure
of his experiment. The Order banished
him and he struck out on his own to
Aragosta.
Trunk: Five of Wands (Upright)
Themes: Competition, Standing out,
Selection, Daring, Bold Decisions
Being established in the Underground,
he sees an opportunity to finally stand
out. There are plenty of denizens who
hang around his shop, bring things to
his laboratory, and enjoy his company.
Why shouldn’t he start to form a
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
society? Why should the underground
languish? A bold person could really
make a community here that would
stand head and shoulders above the
rest.
By the way: in my head, this is the point
at which he becomes a Mad Scientist-
type villain. I can hear him cackling
already.
Fruit: Knight of Cups (Reversed)
Themes: Manipulative, Shirker, Dangerous
Tricks, Disturbed, Self-Corruption
The first few trials will fail, and it will be
harder and harder for him to maintain
support. He will react to this by giving
in to his darker tendencies in order to
complete his efforts, and he will wind
up corrupted.
Harvesters: Dame of Coins (Upright)
Themes: Mistress of the home, Keeper of
secrets, Teacher and Analyst, Judge, Playful
but not frivolous
Oh - he’s not alone in his efforts! He has
a partner. Not a maid, but someone
more equivalent to a spouse… or a
Research Partner. She trusts him, and
keeps his secrets. She has an objective
eye, and so far has managed to keep
him from going too far. How will she
react? Will she go along, or try to stop
him? Will their relationship survive?
The Magic of Pattern-Seeking
You’ll notice, as you read these
examples and start to do your own, that
11
the brain trains itself to start telling
stories from the layouts. Sometimes you
will be spooked by how tightly
everything fits together. You’ll see
echoes and recurrences, or meaningful
contradictions. This is as it should be.
And if you get a draw that you just can’t
work with? If the card you put down is
just sitting there, inert, refusing to gel
with the rest of the layout? Go ahead
and replace it. The Stregas won’t come
after you.
Probably.
You CAN Do This Live, During a
Game
If you’re GMing, and your players do
something really weird and throw a big
wrench in your plan for the session?
Ask everybody else to take a 5 minute
bathroom break. Meanwhile, you
shuffle up and deal…
Last Bit of Advice
There is no wrong way to do this. There
is no wrong interpretation of the cards.
The entire point of the exercise is to
goose your brain into creativity by
presenting it with a bunch of intriguing
images and ideas, and saying “Sort this
out, please.”
In the process of doing that, you create
story elements that serve to make the
connections: plot, theme, backstory,
motivation, etc. Whatever rules or
STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK
frameworks or guidelines you set for
yourself are totally fine.
If you want to say that Court Cards are
characters, and that Major Arcana are
factions, great! If you want to say that
every time certain symbols come up –
water, for example, or flowers – they
introduce a motif into your Scene or
story, great!
This process is for you to use and enjoy.
Further Reading
If you would like to explore similar
methods, consider these resources:
Roleplaying Tips: Using Tarot Cards to
Help Plan & Inspire Your Games
WritetoDone: The Tarot as a Tool for
Writing Your Novel
If you’d like something book length,
there’s also Corrine Kenner’s Tarot for
Writers.
Please check out Jabari Weathers’ art at
jmwillustration.com!
Marc Burkom tweets @CoachMB49.
If You Enjoyed this Guide
Please see my other work on
DriveThruRPG. I have two more GM
guides, about creating better and more
exciting combat experiences in 7th Sea. I
also have a number of adventures for
the system, with more coming all the
time! Thank you for reading this guide!
12
 Appendix: Ten Practice Draws!
Don’t have a Sorte or other tarot deck yet? No problem! Here are 10 sample five-card
draws, along with the keyword themes of each card that’s drawn. Take a look, and see
what connections you can make! I used these to create “mission seeds,” ideas for short
adventures, but you can apply them to any setting or purpose that works for you. The
orientation of the card (U = Upright, R = Reversed) is provided in parentheses.

Draw Virtue (Or.) Hubris (Or.) Challenge (Or.) Twist (Or.) Bonus (Or.)
# Keywords Keywords Keywords Keywords Keywords
1 3 of Wands (R) 4 of Cups (U) King of Cups (U) 7 of Swords The Tower (U)
Fragility, Fiery zeal, Appears ridiculous, (U) Truth, Sudden
Instability, Excitement, Sage, Spiritual Blood, Murder Change, Abrupt
Unknown Danger, Guide, Keeper of the mystery, Active revelation,
consequences, Dissatisfaction, center, Good listener defense, Shock, Creative
Wasted effort, Free Excess Potential destruction
creativity victory, Proper
tool
2 10 of Wands (U) The Fool (R) Ace of Swords (R) 5 of Cups (U) 9 of Cups (R)
Speed and skill, Arrogant, Test of worthiness, Widen Scorn, Broken
Juggling, Zealous follower, Challenge, Release perspective, relationships,
Delegation, Team Tied down, from bondage, Misdirection, Preservation,
building, Refocus Denied freedom, Necessary evils, Spotlight on Overturn and
on Purpose Self-blinded Shift of power one, Eminence spill, Betrayals
gris, Flow of
gold
3 5 of Coins (U) 6 of Cups (R) The Beggar (U) 10 of Swords The Tower (R)
Scarcity, Painful Divine mystery, (U) Withdrawal,
cooperation, social memories, Hidden depths, Fight is over, Share
support, sharing, Surface-level Solitude, Aid, Gift Finality, understanding,
separation thought, Acceptance, Shadows,
Difficult Failed test, Flaw Survival,
experiences, Fear revealed Isolation
of the past
4 The Devil (U) Ace of Coins 6 of Wands (R) 4 of Coins (U) Dame of
Entrapment, (R) Ghostliness, Stasis, Motive, Wands (U)
Desires, Fears, Lies, Resisting Insubstantial, Lake, Saving, Eager explorer,
Wishes growth, Victory delayed, Hoarding, Learner,
Selfishness, Increase in Moral Mischievous,
Hoarding, Complexity ambiguity No ill intent,
Taking, Burial Passion and
energy
5 9 of Wands (R) 7 of Coins (U) The Fool (U) 8 of Wands (R) 10 of Wands
Blankets and Patience and Youth, Distracted, Quench flames, (U)
shrouds, care, Block access Companions, New Bars to motion,

STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK 13

 Exhaustion, to resources, Journey, Potential Sloth, Blind Speed and skill,
Outside influence, Sealed bag, Danger inertia, Against Juggling,
Waiting, Surrender Ambiguous slow safe path Delegation,
injury, Team building,
Uncertain Refocus on
timing purpose
6 2 of Wands (R) 8 of Swords (R) Knight of Wands 4 of Wands The Hero (U)
Long corridor, Tension, Risk, (R) (U) Confront threat,
Monotonous Path, Choose between Sneering Light and heat, Temptation,
Foregone threats, Self- demagogue, Incites Step completed, Choice, Helpful
conclusion, Loss of delusion, rage violence and Chapter ends, stranger, Enable
choice, Entrapment Determine truth fear, Slave-driver, Perspective others
Inquisitor, Insists on check,
his own vision Awareness of
context
7 3 of Cups (R) Dame of Cups 7 of Wands (R) The Moonless 10 of Cups (R)
Moon, Separation, (U) Flames, Restore Night (R) Instability,
Disorientation, Blind seer, balance, Lose touch Wildness, Impending
Lunacy, Altered Sensitive and with ground, Confusion, Collapse,
state emotional, Naïve Falling, Plunging Hallucinations, Catastrophic
outlook, Oppressive chain reaction,
Vulnerable, Dark, Lost Opportunity to
Paradox Victim fix, Known
sequence
8 Knight of Cups The Devil (R) 3 of Wands (U) Knight of The Hero (U)
(U) Conflict, Construction, Swords (U) Confront threat,
Poised, Sensitive Addiction, Structure, Steps Quick wit, Temptation,
and emotional, Desperation, toward goal, Quick deed, Choice, Helpful
Brave, Work is a Self-truth, Actualization, Fascinated by stranger, Enable
gift, Convivial Recognition Achievement possibility and others
theory, Mental
freedom, Devil’s
advocate
9 The Emperor (U) 4 of Coins (U) 7 of Coins (R) Coins for the 5 of Coins (U)
Authority, Stasis, Motive, Threat, Self-inflicted Ferryman (U) Scarcity,
Community, Saving, wound, Minimizing Loss, Grief, Cooperation,
Responsibility, Hoarding, Moral loss, Trade wealth Acceptance, Social support,
Vision, Leadership ambiguity for health, Sacrifice Beginnings and Sharing,
needed ends, Death Separation
10 4 of Wands (R) Dame of Coins 8 of Cups (R) The War (U) The Betrayal
Collapse, Ignition, (R) Sacrifice of dreams, Immediate (U)
False success, Miserliness, Return to ordinary, danger, Caution,
Passion, Harsh judgment, Piles of emptiness, Courage, Paranoia,
Destructive Hoarding, Last cherished Purpose, Vulnerability,
Vengeful, dream, Appreciate Patience, Planning,
Paranoid the one Endurance Betrayals

STORYTELLING WITH THE SORTE DECK 14