Fate

Biodata

Nature and Cosmology

• Fate is not wholly predetermined. Part of it belongs to chaos and uncertainty; Cyril’s existence as an outsider embodies that uncertainty 138.
• The River of Fate cannot be completely controlled. Its underlying chaos prevents the birth of a “Dominator of Fate,” unlike the more controllable Astral World and Spirit World 165.
• Its scope extends beyond one Pathway. Cyril notes that Fate can support three Great Old Ones while also encompassing symbols and authorities such as the Beacon of Fate, prophecy, foreknowledge, and misfortune 165.
• Its dimensional nature remains a question. Watching Bernadette divine, Cyril senses her partially detach from reality and wonders whether Fate exists as a real dimension. The scene does not settle that question 37.
• Apparent coincidence can conceal inevitability. Klein interprets his selection of The Fool card and his connection to the gray fog as traces of Fate rather than unrelated accidents 104.

Authority and Limitations

Supernatural Mechanisms

Divination and Revelations

• Clairvoyant divination peers into the River of Fate. Bernadette’s attempt to investigate Roselle encounters a distorted shadow and is interrupted by an overwhelming gaze 37.
• Fate-related perception can reveal abnormalities hidden from other Beyonders. Cyril identifies Fate Pathway Beyonders and beings with fate authority as possible observers of Klein’s unusual nature 159.
• Revelations are not necessarily safe instructions. Owen’s Fate Crystal Ball can conceal danger within the advice it provides, rather than producing an obvious misfortune afterward 9.
• Astrology guides choices rather than guaranteeing outcomes. Cyril’s acting principles require reverence for Fate, rejection of blind reliance on revelations, and guidance through words and actions—even without fortune-telling 89.
• Anti-divination need not directly control Fate. An Astrologer can interfere with divination and spiritual intuition by hiding or disrupting information in the Spirit World 73.

Luck and Misfortune

• Luck can be accumulated and bestowed. Ricciardo’s Soothsayer advancement requires more than a century of accumulated luck; he also pays Klein’s commission by arranging gambling winnings 413.
• Granted luck can overcome poor skill. Darkwill wins £730 across several casinos despite weak card-playing and careless betting 414.
• Luck manipulation can fail against an anomaly. Ouroboros offers Cyril luck, consults his powers, and discovers that he cannot provide it 188.
• Poor luck can obstruct advancement. Roy King’s misfortune prevents him from digesting his Winner potion, prompting both Cyril and Will to consider him better suited to Misfortune Mage 413.

Fate Loops

A Fate Loop is a Serpent of Mercury ability that traps a person, object, or area in a repeating state 306.

• Time continues to flow within a fixed range, cycling back on itself and remaining relatively static overall 306.
• Details can differ between repetitions even when the final outcome remains unchanged 306.
• Those inside may lose awareness and memories of earlier cycles. Derrick recovers his memories after being brought above the gray fog 306.
• Cyril proposes breaking a loop through powerful outside intervention, extracting a non-critical part from it, or finding the node sustaining it 306.
• Documented example: the City of Silver expedition repeats its exploration five times, each ending with Colin killing Jack. The loop breaks when Colin destroys the face on Jack’s chest, identified with Ouroboros’s lingering power 306 309.
• Breaking the loop does not immediately restore the expedition’s memories 309.

Attraction and Indirect Influence

• High status attracts encounters. Adam explains that Cyril’s extraordinary nature draws certain Pathways and powerful beings toward him, making his meeting with an Abraham descendant nearly inevitable 10.
• Artifacts can affect outcomes at the level of Fate. Arrodes warns that prolonged use of one weapon can attract conflict and make a battle increasingly intense 58.
• Fate can influence the mind through the body. Cyril hears echoes from the River of Fate despite hiding in another dimension. Adam’s Cathedral of Bones cuts off those echoes alongside the Blood Moon’s influence 137.

Fate Pathway

Only the following Sequence names and advancement requirements are documented in the provided account.

Cyril’s Abnormal Fate

Attraction and Investigation

Adam initially explains Cyril’s dangerous encounters as consequences of his extraordinary status and gives him Tarot Cards to weaken the attraction surrounding him 10. Evernight later describes his Fate as neither harmonious nor normal, offering consultation with Herabergen or Ouroboros as compensation for a hardship she imposed 98.

Cyril recalls Yellow Light Venithan’s warning that Fate is both his greatest enemy and greatest aid. Adam subsequently notices changes in his Fate and returns to investigate his past 98 111.

An Outsider to Woven Fate

The Goddess of Fate’s attention makes Cyril’s future more dangerous. Adam explains that Cyril does not conform to the world’s established fate and is an especially suitable embodiment of its uncertainty 137 138.

That abnormality also affects his cultivation. According to Adam, encounters with powerful figures generate intense fate-related “feedback,” explaining why much of Cyril’s Astrologer potion digests despite incomplete conventional acting 188.

Attempts at Self-Determination

Cyril asks for assistance from the Lord of Mysteries and the Beacon of Fate to create a new tributary that could help him resist the High-Dimensional Overseer 188. A Sanguine oracle calls him “favored by Fate” and predicts that he will help the Moon return to its rightful place, but Cyril questions whether this favor comes from Fate itself or from powerful beings capable of influencing it 196.

Adam later admits to rearranging an earlier Tarot reading. He identifies Wheel of Fortune as Cyril’s naturally most suitable Pathway on the planet, while defending his decision to guide Cyril toward Door for practical and apocalyptic reasons 364.

Fate-Related Items

• Fate Crystal Ball — Owen’s inherited artifact interferes with divination and spiritual intuition and supplies revelations for avoiding danger or finding opportunities. Each divination brings danger proportional to the revelation, sometimes hidden inside the revelation itself 9.
• Adam’s Tarot Cards — Given to Cyril to somewhat weaken the dangerous attraction associated with his high status 10.
• Melina’s records — Contain echoes of Fate. Melina’s music affects Fate, and her acquired fate-related power lies outside the twenty-two Pathways 137 139.
• Fate-infused Paper Angel — Sent by Klein to protect Cyril after his confrontation with Amon 188.
• Die of Probability — Influences Cyril’s encounters and is central to Will’s preparations. Its change from five to one appears to discourage Botis from approaching aggressively 413.

Terminology

• “Mr. Fate” is Cyril’s Tarot Club title, not a separate personification of the cosmic concept. He receives the Wheel of Fortune card after Klein secretly leaves it as his only available choice 59 61.
• Fate Pathway and Wheel of Fortune Pathway refer to the same Pathway in the account 306 364 402.

Notable Quotes

“Beware of Fate. It is your greatest enemy, and also your greatest aid.”
— Yellow Light Venithan’s warning, recalled by Cyril 98

“Fate is impermanent, yet it is something everyone must accept.”
— Adam 138

“Even to my former self, Fate remained mysterious. Perhaps my guidance itself was part of your fate.”
— Adam 364