HYBRIS was the deity or personified spirit of insolence, hubris, violence, reckless pride, arrogance and outrageous behaviour in general.Conflict, disagreements, competition, tension, diversityIn the Five of Wands, five men appear to be fighting each other, using their wands as weapons. However, on closer observation, their wands are raised but not striking or injuring anyone. It is as if there is no real purpose or outcome in this chaotic scene other than to create conflict and sow discord amongst the group. Each man wears a different outfit, symbolising their diverse backgrounds and belief systems, and suggesting that, because of their differences, they cannot find harmony and common ground with one another.

Prone to keeping his history deliberately obscure to most mortals, Hybris spent millennia taking advantage of Fandaniel not keeping his lackeys on short leashes by hunting a very specific prey - rapists. For a very long time more focused simply on his own nourishment, he has learned to see it as the service to mankind that it can be.Known amongst his peers and kindred as either The Dealer or the Insolent, Hybris had accepted himself the enemy of many when he turned his back on Fandaniel and the Plan; killing both his own sister and the Inquisitor out of necessity, even if the latter rendered him deeply wounded, healing poorly, and in refuge inside his Duskwight lover and companion.He favours appearing as a dainty, feminine man; deliberately delicate, even frail - but beneath the veneer he presents the mortal world is a monster of many shapes. One with sharp, sharp teeth.

THE ANDROKTASIAI (Androctasiae) were the female spirits (daimones) of battlefield slaughter. They were similar to the Keres and were the companions of other battlefield daimones such as Eris and the Makhai (Machae).Opportunities, choices, wishful thinking, illusionIn the Seven of Cups, a man stands before seven cups filled with various gifts. Some cups bear desirable gifts such as jewels and a wreath of victory. But others hold gifts that are not gifts at all; instead, they are curses, such as the snake or dragon. The clouds and the cups symbolise the man’s wishes and dreams, and the different gifts inside suggest that you need to be careful what you wish for as not everything is as it seems. Choices need to be made, but in doing so, you must go beyond illusion and allure, and instead focus on what’s right for you.

A servant of the Arbiter going all the way back to Amaurot, Androctasia has always served a role as a mediator for his community, if once in a far different form. Having presented as a man for some nine thousand years now, Androc prefers to be called the shortened version of his name. He rarely speaks of himself as he was before.The Intercessor traverses the Shards with ease, but has spent much of the past many attempting to put the Thirteenth to rights as to carry out its necessary place in the Plan, an endeavour that is now defunct anyhow, to his present delight.While typically a very calm and level-headed man, Androc is swift to anger when he perceives someone as having turned their back on the rightful way of things - but in the wake of the death of his god, he knows the future to require some of its' own cross-examination.Androc is entirely delighted to call Shrike his girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or whatever she likes at the moment.

PRAXIDIKE was the goddess or personified spirit (daimona) of exacting justice.Challenge, competition, protection, perseverance.The Seven of Wands depicts a man on top of a hill, armed with a wand in each hand and fighting off six more wands drawing up from below. He seems to be defending his territory and his successes. Interestingly, the man is wearing two different shoes, suggesting that he may have been caught unaware or unprepared for battle, or he may be unclear of his own stance and opinion.

As the Counsel, in the grand plan it is typically the role of Praxidike to play the defender of the accused, although she may step aside if she sees naught defensible.

EUNOMIA was the goddess of good order and lawful conduct. She was associated with the internal stability of a state, including the enactment of good laws and the maintenance of civil order. She was also the spring-time goddess of green pastures.Long-term view, sustainable results, perseverance, investment.In the Seven of Pentacles, a man leans on his hoe, gazing down at his abundant crop. He has worked long and hard to nurture tiny seeds into this thriving garden and can now take a break to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Note the expression in his face, however: he also looks fatigued – even a little ‘over it’ – from having worked so hard for this successful harvest. Success comes from hard work and patience, but this card reminds you to take care not to overdo it and exhaust yourself.

Eunomia has, for time immemorial, stood opposite and yet in tandem with Praxidike - their perspectives both necessary and, by necessity, at odds.

RHADAMANTHUS (Rhadamanthos), a son of Zeus and Europa, and brother of king Minos of Crete (Hom. Il. xiv. 322), or, according to others, a son of Hephaestus (Paus. viii. 53. § 2). From fear of his brother he fled to Ocaleia in Boeotia, and there married Alcmene. In consequence of his justice throughout life, he became, after his death, one of the judges in the lower world, and took up his abode in Elysium.Betrayal, deception, getting away with something, acting strategically.The Seven of Swords shows a man sneaking away from a military camp with five swords in his arms. He looks over his shoulder at the two upright swords he has left behind. The smile on his face suggests that he is proud of himself for having slipped away without being noticed.

Once the beloved husband of Anaideia, and the original bearer of the title The Advocate, Rhadamanthys was lost in the Final Days and has never been found once more, cast into the Lifestream permanently.Out of respect for their fallen brother, the servants of Halmarut agreed to never rise another to his station - and have ever been not precisely thrilled by his widow's use of his title, even if they could not stand against it.Unbeknownst to them or to Anaideia, Rhadamanthys was pushed to his doom during the Final Days by Lues, the Unrelenting, who would later work alongside Anaideia without ever betraying his own role in her husband's death.

ANAIDEIA was the personified spirit of ruthlessness and unforgivingness.Conflict, disagreements, competition, defeat, winning at all costsIn the Five of Swords, a sly-looking man picks up three swords from the ground. He glances over his shoulder at two men who are walking away with their shoulders slouched, conveying a sense of sadness and loss. Two more swords are strewn across the grass, suggesting a battle has been fought and lost. The sky is cloudy and tumultuous, a sign that not all is well even though the fighting has stopped.

The best friend of Hades going back to their childhoods, Anaideia once filled a very small role in the grand scheme of the ancients. And she would have been happy with that.Then, of course, that just had to get ruined, her husband dying as Amaurot burned, as did she. It nonetheless took a couple of rejoinings before she was found again, brought back into the fold by her dearest friend.They waltzed through time, her supporting his efforts with Allag, he supporting hers with Mhach; an endeavour that would not succeed. She dandled the heirs of Garlemald on her knee, and walked the streets of the Empire beside her old friend, all the while also fomenting war amongst mankind. A master of encouraging ill-thought-through rebellions, the blood of Doma is on her hands. She began nudging the gears of a gang war in Kugane a few years ago, a war that painted its' streets red with blood.In the wake of her dearest friend's defeat at the hands of the Warriors of Light, she went, to put it mildly, off the deep end; in the wake of the subsequent loss of Elidibus, she returned to Fandaniel's side for the sake of unabashed chaos with a focus on bringing about the End Times again - only to end up permanently defeated at the hands of her own younger brother and his mortal companions.

PHRIKE was the personified spirit (daimona) of horror and trembling fear.Regret, failure, disappointment, pessimism.The Five of Cups shows a man in a long black cloak looking down on three cups that have been knocked over – symbolic of his disappointments and failures. Behind him stand two cups representing new opportunities and potential, but because he is so fixed on his losses (the over-turned cups), he misses the opportunities available to him. In the background, a bridge crosses a large, flowing river and leads to the security of the castle or home on the opposite side of the riverbank – if only he can move on from the over-turned cups. The bridge is a message to 'build a bridge and get over it!'

The Inquisitor did not exist as her role until it was crafted so by Master Fandaniel, but Phrike rose to it, forging the meaning of her name anew and with a vicious glee.Unfortunately, it did not serve her well in the end, as she was slaughtered mercilessly by Hybris as she celebrated defeating him without having ensured she'd actually killed him.

THE NOSOI were the personified spirits (daimones) of plague, sickness and disease. They were numbered amongst the evil spirits which escaped from Pandora's jar.The Keres were also sometimes portrayed as personifications of deadly disease. In most Homeric literature, however, the arrows of Apollon and Artemis were the bringers of plague and sickness rather than bands of daimones.The Roman counterparts of the Nosoi were Morbus, Lues, Pestis, Tabes and Macies.Financial loss, poverty, lack mindset, isolation, worry.In the Five of Pentacles, two people walk through the icy wind and snow; both are destitute and living in poverty. One man is injured and on crutches, while the other is barefoot and has only a thin blanket to protect him from the bleak winter weather. Behind them sits a church with its lit up and exuding warmth, a symbol of hope, faith and spiritual support. However, because the two people are so focused on their plight, they fail to see that help is available to them and continue on in their desperate journey.

Lues once focused on health. The irony is not lost on anyone, let alone him himself, particularly now that his master and his god are both dead and he finds himself without allies, not that he deserves any.