Book of Change

The Book of Change was a book presenting a system of divination using trigrams. It was written by the sage Hsin Fu Chan. This method of divination was commonly nicknamed stick magic.

History
Legend told that Hsin Fu Chan discerned the trigrams from patterns in the back of a great lizard as it slept. After this inauspicious start, the trigrams were developed over time into a more sophisticated, less lizard-based method.

Usage
Use of the Book of Change was common to all levels of Shou Lung society. However, using it was seen as a weakness in the Mandarinate, and mandarins would be embarrassed to reveal they did anything more than play with it.

It was also an important aspect of the magic wielded by priests of the Way. It functioned rather like the spell fate known to shukenja, but could be used by anyone without magic, though perhaps less reliably.

By 1357 DR, it was common for one to toss a handful of broken and whole chopsticks into a circle, and choose six from the top, producing a pattern of broken and unbroken lines. The user then consulted the Book of Change, finding two out of six possible trigrams that best matched the pattern. Each of the eleven possible combinations corresponded to a symbol and an explanation or recommendation for the future; those in the middle were more common than those at the extremes.

Equipment
A set of trigram sticks would typically be kept in a jar, from which they could be spilled to produce the patterns. This was kept alongside a copy of the Book of Changes. An expensive set comprised rosewood sticks in a jade jar, together with a hand-scribed book.

Notable Uses
Ju-Hai Chou, Minister of State, was a firm believer in the trigrams. In 1359 DR, Minister of State Security Ting Mei Wan spilled his sticks and he read the Sea trigram, describing that she was always shifting and unpredictable, making her a dangerous friend and a powerful enemy.

Backgrounds
The Book of Change is based on the I Ching, called Changes, which presents a similar system of divination using a system of hexagrams.

Appearances

 * ''Dragonwall