We know very little about the mechanism of memory.
Some hold that all the workings of the mind transcend substance (though they derive from a physical object, making them as material as anything else). But there is Memǒar, that great complication; if it’s true that there is a flower for each of us, a vessel of our memories, what does that mean for the relationship between body and mind?
Is there a vast spell that works upon us at all times, heretofore undetected? Possible, though many have tested this hypothesis and found it lacking. Are we all outgrowths of the garden itself? Improbable, for the Telling speaks of its construction.
Is it something more fundamental, then? That the garden, like us, is of the world, and so is connected to each of us, the world’s children? As good an explanation as any.
There is much we do not understand.
— Commentary from the painting ‘Garden of Memory’, by the Remembrancer Hyewon
Making Memories
First, separate your deck into major and minor acana.
To assemble a memory, draw two major arcana and three minor arcana.
Lay out your cards in a cross formation, with your major arcana serving as the top and bottom parts of the cross. You need not necessarily order them in the way they were drawn—reverse cards and modify their placement as desired to produce a memory that feels right for your character.
Use the key below to determine the questions you will answer to construct your memory.
Upright
- What type of memory is this?
- What was the most important part of this memory when it happened? What’s the most important part now?
- How has this event changed you for the better?
- What image, sound, or feeling from this memory will always stick with you?
- How might you honor this memory, or act upon it?
Reversed
- What type of memory is this?
- What did you wish you had done differently when this happened? What do you wish you could have done differently now?
- How has this event changed you for the worse?
- What image, sound, or feeling from this memory do you wish had remained forgotten?
- How might you deny this memory, or turn away from it?
Additional Actors
If the memory contains multiple people, you might have the Warden or your fellow players take on additional roles to fill the memory out.
Adding Detail
You may invite others at the table to provide additional details to the memory.
Examples: it was raining that day, but the leaves of the trees overhead kept you dry | the sky was the color of sapphires | the smell of cinnamon was on the wind | there was music playing somewhere nearby | the drinks you were sharing tasted of honey and pepper
On Translation
Only you can decide what a memory does or doesn’t mean to your character. Others at the table might make suggestions, or offer differing viewpoints, but the final say always rests with you.
An Example
Puck and the Magus
Puck and the Magus
Puck knows that he was once under the employ of one called the Magus, but remembers nothing of that time, nor any time before. He and his group have traveled to Memǒar to try and find out where the Magus has disappeared to.
The following cards are drawn, and Puck assigns a loose meaning to each.
- Temperance, reversed — A lack of faith
- The Knight of Rods — Restlessness / pursuit of goals
- The Four of Rods — Material, emotional, spiritual blessings / diligent effort
- The Nine of Pentacles, reversed — Awkward entanglement / poor judgement
- The Hermit — reevaluation of goals, reflection on the self
Puck asks the Warden to take the role of the Magus, and both Caspian and Justice offer to add details.
Puck sets the scene: he and the Magus walk together alongside the river after setting up camp for the night, deep in conversation. Caspian adds that there are trees lining the river, with only thin gaps for moonlight to come through, leaving the pair mostly in shadow. Justice suggests that river spirits might have followed the them, drawn to magic as they are, creating dancing lights on the surface of the water.
In the memory it is revealed that Puck joined with the Magus under false pretense: that he was an assassin sent in the guise of a friend. As they spoke they walked from light to shadow, shadow to light. In one of these moments of shadow Puck reached for his dagger, but just then one of the river spirits crested up and out of the water, creating a bright spray of green light that illuminated the pair. For a moment they both stood completely still; Puck found himself without the will to deliver the killing blow. But it was too late, their contract had been broken. An arc of bright light sprung from the Magus, knocking Puck into the river. The last thing contained in the memory is the sight of water and darkness closing over him.
TEMPERANCE (R) — A LACK OF FAITH Q: What type of memory is this? A: “This memory is about a lack of resolve, and a breaking of faith.”
THE KNIGHT OF RODS (U) — PURSUIT OF GOALS / RESTLESSNESS Q: What was the most important part of this memory when it happened? What’s the most important part now? A: “When it happened, all I could think about was my shame over failing my mission. How all my training had been for nothing. Now, I can’t help but wonder why they spared me. I know now that penalty for breaking the contract was death. Maybe they did kill me, or at least that version of me—maybe that’s why I can’t remember.”
THE FOUR OF RODS (U) — BLESSINGS FOR DILLIGENT EFFORT Q: How has this event changed you for the better? A: “In losing my memory I have gained freedom. I know that I was beholden to some Order that enlisted me in the killing of one who would have been my friend. I don’t know them, or their goals, but I am happy to be free them.”
THE NINE OF PENTACLES (R) — POOR JUDGEMENT Q: What image, sound, or feeling from this memory do you wish had remained forgotten? A: “The look of their face in the spirit-light. There were no words between us, but none were needed. I saw in that instant that I had completely lost their trust. It will continue to haunt me until I can make this right.”
THE HERMIT — A REEVALUATION OF GOALS Q: How might you honor this memory, or act upon it? A: “I’ve decided that I must seek out a teacher to instruct me in the ways of spellcraft, so that I might find the Magus and try to make amends.”