The Arcana Trials

Before Aetheria was a land of covens and ley lines, it was ruled by gods. Not the benevolent kind who bestowed blessings, but fickle, all-powerful entities who toyed with fate itself. They were known as The Arcana, celestial beings who governed the forces of magic and destiny.

They were worshipped. Feared. And, eventually, betrayed.

The legend says that centuries ago, a witch—the First Seer—dared to defy the gods. She sought to steal their power, to cage their divine will in a form mortals could wield. Through forbidden alchemy and sacrificial magic, she forged The Arcana Deck—twenty-two cards, each trapping a god within its painted surface.

But gods do not suffer imprisonment lightly.

The Curse of the Deck: The moment the First Seer bound the Arcana, she doomed all witches to the Trials. The Arcana could not escape their cage, but they could feed. And so, every century, the deck demands a sacrifice: a new champion to wield its power, and many more to perish in its name.

The First Seer’s spell work was imperfect. While she successfully imprisoned twenty-two gods, one escaped her grasp: The Lost Arcana.

Whispers claim that this missing card holds the key to breaking the Trials once and for all. Some say it was destroyed, while others claim it was hidden before the First Seer’s death. A few believe that the card never existed at all.

The Selection of the Witches: The Arcana’s Choosing

The Arcana Trials are not voluntary. The witches of Aetheria do not step forward, they are claimed.

Every century, the Deckmaster—keeper of the original Arcana Deck—performs the Rite of the Draw, a sacred and terrifying ceremony where the deck itself selects its players. No one knows how the Arcana choose, only that the marked witches are doomed the moment their names are spoken.

I. The Rite of the Draw

The ceremony takes place in the Hall of Fate, a vast chamber deep within the heart of The Sanctum. It is held on the first night of the Eclipse Cycle, when the veil between the Arcana’s prison and the mortal world is thinnest.

The Deckmaster, shrouded in ceremonial robes, shuffles the original Arcana Deck. As each card is drawn, a name is revealed, etched into the air in burning letters. The chosen feel it instantly—a searing pain over their hearts, where a mark of their Arcana appears.

The marks are permanent. Once chosen, there is no escape. By dawn, twenty-two names are spoken and the Trials begin.

II. Who the Arcana Choose

Though witches from all covens are eligible, the Arcana’s choices always follow a pattern:

●The Marked – Witches already branded by a Major Arcana at birth are almost always selected. Fate, it seems, enjoys a cruel symmetry.

●The Cursed – Those who have defied their destiny, cheated death, or tampered with the Arcana’s will are often forced into the Trials as punishment.

●The Bloodbound – Some families have generations of debt to the deck. If a past ancestor made a bargain with the Arcana, their descendants may be claimed to repay it.

●The Wildcards – Every century, the Arcana choose someone unexpected, a witch with no obvious ties to fate. No one knows why, but these competitors often change the course of the Trials entirely.

III. The Marking Ritual

Once chosen, each witch receives their Arcana Mark, a sigil carved into their flesh.

IV. The Impossible Choice

The chosen witches are given one final night before the Trials begin.

A chance to run or a chance to say goodbye.