The Wonder
The Wonder is the mysterious card game played by the Chief Hierophants of the Playful Orders every seven years using the Deck of Fate. It decides both who will have primary authority in governing Hierophany (as one might expect, this is the winner) and, through a complicated system related to the various plays made in the game, the direction each different Order will take over the following seven years.
"Bah, who makes their decisions based on a card game? Heathens, that's who."- a disgruntled Priest of the Father
History
The first recorded game of The Wonder occurred on the eve of Hierophany's founding, as the leading Hierophants sought divine guidance for their new holy city. Most historians use this date to mark the official end of the Revelation and beginning of the Playful Orders' ascension to cultural and political dominance across Flimflam.
Since that first game, The Wonder has been played every seven years, with two exceptions when a Chief Hierophant died suddenly in office and their successor had to be ordained at once. Hierogrammats for each Chief Hierophant record the game's results but tend to do so via cryptic means (in the case of Agon's order, it is literally encrypted) appropriate to their patron deity's nature.
Execution
Everyone asks the same question after hearing of The Wonder's history for the first time: How did the hierophants know how to play? Records are frustratingly opaque on this point--no doubt by design, as The Wonder's rules are currently only passed down from one Chief Hierophant to another upon their taking office. The Deck of Fate's known qualities (five suits with both numerical and face cards) suggests trick-taking or set-building style games would be appropriate, but this is--needless to say--a wide field.
Some scholars take a more anthropological approach, studying the games typically played in Hierophany's many casinos, salons, and coffee houses. This yields inconsistent results, as those favoring different deities of the Playful Pantheon typically play different games. As one might expect, Alea's devotees play highly chance-based games like War, while Agon's faithful play highly skill-oriented games like Swords and Rummy. Huri's followers play social games involving lots of bluffing or coordination with partners, like Poker and Bridge. Finally, Meisou, completely unhelpfully, is associated with Solitaire!
The best guess as to The Wonder's rules comes through the game Dedication, which was invented in Hierophany and subsequently spread throughout Flimflam. Dedication is a unique fusion of a trick-taking game and mahjong, in which players can sometimes steal past tricks from each other. If it is any guide to The Wonder, then it might explain why the game often takes multiple days to play, as Dedication is renowned (and named) for the many hours a single game can stretch to, provided the participants are stubborn enough. The problem with this theory is that the tea shop owner and definitive layperson Mina Kimura claims to have invented the game. (allegedly so customers would consume more than one pot of tea per visit)
Components and tools
Participants
Only the Chief Hierophants may play The Wonder. However, their Hierogrammats must also be present to record each play as well as the results of the games.
Primary Related Location
Related Organizations
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