Entity #: 1492
Codename: A Transaction of Veils
Known Abilities: This entity manifests as a small blue tent containing a table or desk, such that two people can face across from each other. On the entrance of a person, a female figure with a concealing white veil (typically hung from a tiara of some sort) over long blonde hair will manifest behind the table (typically seated at a chair) and may then move around. This figure, referred to as 'Arcana', is known to self-modify to reflect particular sexual interests or the visitor's conceptualization of a stereotypical fortune-teller (e.g. if such a fortune-teller would be masculine they will instead present as physically male, typically with shorter brown hair). She typically retains the white face veil if at all possible. Arcana will offer the visitor take a seat or otherwise approach the table (e.g. roll up in a wheelchair), or pass by and exit. Exiting has no anomalous effect, but repeated reentry and exit will cause Arcana to assume some form of testing or analysis is in progress. Arcana may perform multiple transformative activities at once, but has expressed a preference for individuals or small groups at most.
Attempting hostilities against Arcana is generally ineffectual: verbal abuse is typically deflected with wry humor, physical attacks are deflected by means of mystic throwing swords, and mystical or transformative sprays generally face wide-spectrum counterspelling effects deployed via spell array cards. Destruction of the location will cause Arcana to make an exaggerated unhappy movement and walk away angrily before disappearing, but remanifestation of the E-1492 tent in a distinct location occurs quickly. Lifting the veil, parting hair, or otherwise exposing where Arcana's face should be in default form reveals a swirling rainbow pool of evocative colors and mystical cloud patterns. Arcana finds this mildly scandalous and quickly covers back up unless the person doing so has established social rapport.
Should the visitor be seated, Arcana will perform some form of fortune-telling or spirit-evoking activity. Tarot cards, I Ching readings, crystal ball divinations, table-turning, oujia boards, tea leaf reading, palm readings, role-playing games, and certain forms of observing liquid spread have all been observed. Arcana takes note that this is explicitly active cosmic forces and personal choice, rather than a particularly binding fate, and offers the user the chance to change it. Arcana recognizes past and presently active transformative phenomena and displays a formidable resistance to distortion of this knowledge. Typical behavior explicitly points it out as an example of change even if the affected person is not aware.
Should the visitor accept, Arcana allows them to manually rearrange symbolic associations from the means of divination that revealed their existing fate. The user will default toward making manifest a private wish through a soft mental influence. Those aware of the symbolism used or method of divination are capable of intentionally picking and placing components to express some other desire: asking loaded questions to the divination and manually placing a favorable answer is explicitly permitted. Arcana is known to offer running commentary about the choices made during this process, and clarifies the impacts of intentionally made changes to allow the visitor's intent be best expressed.
Once completed, an active fate-alteration blessing (curse) is inflicted accordingly to manifest this phenomenon. This is initially an extremely high-priority transformation (known to self-escalate with delays where needed) to declare an inflicted form or nudge reality into compliance, then fades to a low-priority effect. It can be overridden by opposed transformations, then later recreated, changed, and/or amplified via inducible spiking similar to the initial event through use of arranging divination methods to read a desired function. This transformation is effectively a simple magical foundation provided to the person so transformed. It is is known to be leveraged by certain lines of magic user and is transmissible with training, a statement Arcana corroborates as 'past clients in other places'. Transformed persons have discovered the ability to produce or quickly locate divinatory equipment associated with their experience. Changes made by Arcana and Arcana-granted foundations are often about the person's relation to the world, but drastic physical self-reformation has occurred. Subtle psychological transformations have also been reported or detected. Haze-type detail muffling of changes that affect personal history or externally related people is common and causes certain G.E.T. detector activity patterns.
Arcana is known to activate mundane celebratory special effects devices upon the successful changing of a fate and attendant transformation. Reported examples include blowing kazoos, pulling a string to drop confetti, lighting a sparkler, wafting incense, and visibly pressing a remote to trigger a smoke machine. These are typically non-anomalous, but attention and effects outside the tent from such celebrations are typically muffled by either the tent or an explicit reality alteration.
Arcana at this point obtains a colored veil object similar to her own face covering, representative of the specific fated situation or circumstances altered by magical activity. Discussion has confirmed this extends to descended foundations, as a form of transactional offering based on change. These are stored in another space and questions about its use brushed off as something both private and embarrassing (even moreso than veil-lifting). At this point, the visitor is politely escorted out by Arcana and feels no particular need to return, reporting a strong externally induced sense 'their fate is in their own hands now'. Should they reenter anyway, Arcana interacts with them in a fashion more evocative of a teacher or co-worker offering pointers rather than a fortune-teller. A much stronger localized mental influence enforces this social convention and limits attempts to act otherwise. Discussion with sufficient mental protection and/or via long-range communications has revealed this is a byproduct of Arcana's nature as a 'mysterious informer' existence, and they are either unable or very unwilling to do otherwise than the 'stylistic skit'. Arcana will occasionally communicate through supernaturally-generated mailed messages, supernatural interface with technological communications, or visibly detectable 'shufflings' of divination tools, but rarely does this except for sass when discussed rudely or in the event of indicating a substantial transformation has occurred.
Containment: E-1492 manifestation ex nihilo is apparently made easier for certain populations of humanity being sufficiently isolated from magic-users and certain attention-obstructing phenomena, along with certain ritual environments (some celebratory, others punitive). Monitoring of magic user populations in large cities and certain farm towns for magician-specific die-offs has been established for this purpose in the event of the existing E-1492 instance being unrelatedly destroyed.
The current E-1492 instance is to be contained at the Site #T58 Divinatory & Precognitive Transformations Convention. G.E.T. staff intending to take up effective magical practices but with bad natural compatibility may be escorted to E-1492 for initiation. E-1492 activity may be used at staff discretion to modify complex external influences or initiate counter-agency operations (typically via interacting with Arcana to be made aware of any significant world modifications affecting those involved in social activity).
Other: Arcana transformations are a contributing source to magic practitioners around various traditions. E-1492 activity is venerated as a form of divine revelation or blessed agency in certain sects that Arcana is aware of. Communication is typically divination-based in private processes if at all.