4. He, The Emperor
The party's first meeting with the Emperor is usually quite short. They approach from a diagonal and can reach the throne without using a road. If they step on one of the roads at any time the Emperor will appear before them, explain that they have not earned the right to use the roads, and kill anyone who has dared to do so. There will be no discussion and the death will be a single sword blow. There is nothing the party can do to the Emperor to hinder him in any way.
A return trip to the Empress will allow a fresh start should the unthinkable happen.
The
emperor is a large and imposing man attended by a pair of rams. He is
the Master of all he surveys. His full name is Son of the Morning,
Chief among the Mighty but he does not disclose this or indeed his
shorter name, He (pronounced Hay). He only refers to himself as The Emperor.If the party manage to approach without antagonizing him he will look down at them and smile warmly as he greets Aleph.
'Aleph, my old friend, you've brought more people, how nice. Greetings to you travelers.'
Aleph will of course look bemused.
'I imagine you're on your way to the Four Kingdoms, well, what luck! Each of these roads leads to one of the Kingdoms. Unfortunately for you they are my roads and you don't yet have my permission to use them.
You are free to return here any time you think that you can overcome my challenge and thus earn the right to travel the roads.'
He is quite happy to explain the challenge in advance, or even to let them try now. He will offer them three options, physical, spiritual or intellectual.
Physical Challenge'You must beat me in a physical contest, either your chosen champion or all of you, it matters not to me, we will fight to the death. if you win, you may walk the roads.'
The Emperor will win, and very quickly too. He cannot be beaten by physical force and he laughs at the characters' magic. He will happily slay them all (except Aleph) and then transport them to the Empress to be healed. He doesn't bear grudges and knows he's going to win before he starts, he'll probably find it quite amusing.
Spiritual Challenge'You must display a degree of spiritual awareness that satisfies me as to your suitability to use the roads.'
He will give no further information, letting the characters waffle on as they wish. Once he feels it's gone on long enough he will ask:
'How many times have you been born in this life?'
Again he will listen with interest to anything they have to say. When this has gone on long enough he will interrupt,
'I see you are once-born, return when you have changed.'
He will not elaborate further. There is a point, later on, when the characters will become 'Twice Born' but this is long after they have traveled the roads. In fact, if they don't use the roads they can't become 'Twice Born'. Catch 22 really.
Intellectual Challenge'Answer my questions, answer ALL my questions without fail and you will have earned the right to walk on my roads.'
He will then ask the party his questions. They're given here in order but should be asked in a random order. If the characters want to have a go before they've met everybody concerned ask them a question about someone they haven't seen. There is a chance that one of the players will have out of character knowledge that they decide to use to answer the questions in which case, feel free to ask for the names of the Major Arcana or even their full names as supplimentary questions. The party has to get all the questions right to access the roads.
Questions
- Who is the innocent man who holds all knowledge yet cannot use it? ~The Fool (Aleph)
- Who is the link between the above and the below, the one who commands the power of the four keys? ~The Magician
- Who is the woman who destroys ignorance and frees inspiration, she sits between the black and the silver? ~The Priestess
- Who is the mother of all life? ~The Empress
- Who is the master of all he surveys? ~The Emperor
- Who is the man who commands 'expect only that which cannot be'? ~The Hierophant
- Who are the duality, the two that offer choices rather than answers and themselves become victims of their own unwise decisions? ~The Lovers
- Who charges forth with no concern for the dangers of his course or the correctness of his decisions, bringing misery to many? ~The Chariot
- Who tames the beast through unity and love? ~Strength
- Who holds the guiding light that illuminates for others the path that he himself wishes to follow? ~The Hermit
- What is the fickle ride that all must take? ~The Wheel of Fortune
- Who sees your innermost being, that which you try to hide even from yourself, and judges accordingly? ~Justice
- Who forsakes riches for enlightenment and becomes his own reflection? ~The Hanged Man
- Who is the friend, often feared until met, who heralds change? ~Death
- Who is the walker on the rainbow bridge, part of the triangle that restricts us? ~Temperance
- Who cloaks all with illusion, deception personified? ~The Devil
- What is the outer aspect of that which is within us all, the folly of man? ~The Tower
- Who is the girl who is inspiration to all, a ray of light and hope in a dark world? ~The Star
- What is it that brings madness, the dream mistress, the dark mother? ~The Moon
- What is it that renews and reconciles, bringing forth the child in all of us? ~The Sun
- What is the herald of the Empress, announcing birth and rebirth? ~Judgment
- What is the culmination, the goal that all aspire to? ~The World
Moving on
The Emperor will suggest that the characters seek out the Temple of Knowledge as their next step. He will tell them that they're expected there and point the way down the south road. He will remind them to walk beside the road and not on it.
Rewards
Visiting the Emperor the first time gains each character 1XP
Answering his questions gives each character 1XP per question for a total of 22XP
The Emperor
After I learned the first three numbers I was given to understand the Great Law of Four--the alpha and omega of all.
I saw the Emperor on a lofty stone throne, ornamented by four rams' heads. On his forehead shone a golden helmet. His white beard fell over a purple mantle. In one hand he held a sphere, the symbol of his possession, and in the other, a sceptre in the form of an Egyptian cross--the sign of his power over birth.
"I am The Great Law," the Emperor said. "I am the name of God. The four letters of his name are in me and I am in all.
"I am in the four principles. I am in the four elements. I am in the four seasons. I am in the four cardinal points. I am in the four signs of the Tarot.
"I am the beginning; I am action; I am completion; I am the result.
"For him who knows how to see me there are no mysteries on earth.
"I am the great Pentacle.
"As the earth encloses in itself fire, water and air; as the fourth letter of the Name encloses in itself the first three and becomes itself the first, so my sceptre encloses the complete triangle and bears in itself the seed of a new triangle.
"I am the Logos in the full aspect and the beginning of a new Logos."
And while the Emperor spoke, his helmet shone brighter and brighter, and his golden armour gleamed beneath his mantle. I could not bear his glory and I lowered my eyes.
When I tried to lift them again a vivid light of radiant fire was before me, and I prostrated myself and made obeisance to the Fiery Word.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT by P D. OUSPENSKY
I saw the Emperor on a lofty stone throne, ornamented by four rams' heads. On his forehead shone a golden helmet. His white beard fell over a purple mantle. In one hand he held a sphere, the symbol of his possession, and in the other, a sceptre in the form of an Egyptian cross--the sign of his power over birth.
"I am The Great Law," the Emperor said. "I am the name of God. The four letters of his name are in me and I am in all.
"I am in the four principles. I am in the four elements. I am in the four seasons. I am in the four cardinal points. I am in the four signs of the Tarot.
"I am the beginning; I am action; I am completion; I am the result.
"For him who knows how to see me there are no mysteries on earth.
"I am the great Pentacle.
"As the earth encloses in itself fire, water and air; as the fourth letter of the Name encloses in itself the first three and becomes itself the first, so my sceptre encloses the complete triangle and bears in itself the seed of a new triangle.
"I am the Logos in the full aspect and the beginning of a new Logos."
And while the Emperor spoke, his helmet shone brighter and brighter, and his golden armour gleamed beneath his mantle. I could not bear his glory and I lowered my eyes.
When I tried to lift them again a vivid light of radiant fire was before me, and I prostrated myself and made obeisance to the Fiery Word.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT by P D. OUSPENSKY
