Today, I’m talking about The Citadel: A Fantasy Oracle by Fenn Inkwright — an oracle-meets-storytelling deck built around a walled city, its people, and the roles they play. It’s part divination tool, part worldbuilding engine, and part love letter to fantasy and tabletop role-playing games.

My Story with This Deck

I found this deck while I was traveling, and I wasn’t even looking for an oracle deck at the time. I had gone into a bookstore hoping to find something botanical or nature-based, and instead, this deck practically insisted on being seen. The imagery stopped me in my tracks.

At first glance, it felt theatrical. Dramatic. Heavy with story. And once I learned that the entire deck was structured around a walled city—the Citadel—made up of different social roles and districts, I was fully hooked.

What surprised me most was that this deck didn’t feel soothing. It felt activating. Challenging even! Like it wanted to show me who I was becoming, beyond what I was feeling at the moment. 

The Citadel is an oracle deck with a strong narrative flavor. The deck blends the energy of role-playing games, fantasy fiction, and divination.

Style:

Each card represents a role or archetype within the city. Instead of traditional tarot minors and majors, you’re stepping into a living setting: a fantasy citadel with its own politics, social structures, and tensions.

The cards themselves are visually striking: black backgrounds, rich red linework, and metallic foil details (more copper-gold than bright yellow). The corners of each card are cut off, which sounds small but makes the deck feel distinct in the hand and surprisingly satisfying to shuffle.

Structure:

This is an oracle deck, not a tarot deck—but it still has a clear internal structure. The city of The Citadel is built in four concentric districts, each represented by a suit:

• The Court is the heart of power, leadership, completion, and responsibility.

• The Academy holds learning, innovation, and inner development.

• The Crowd represents labor, community, family, and survival.

• The Troop moves around—artists, travelers, performers, and those who live between identities.

Imagery:

The imagery focuses more on symbolic scenes and hands than on detailed faces. This creates a feeling that you’re looking at illuminated panels from a fantasy codex or in-game artifact rather than a traditional oracle. The vibe is theatrical, slightly dramatic, and very immersive.

What I use it for:

• I want a story-driven reading

• I’m exploring identity, roles, power, or community

• Someone I’m reading for is into D&D, RPGs, gaming, or fantasy

• I want to pull a single archetype to flavor a tarot spread

• I’m doing creative or narrative work

Because it includes upright and reversed meanings, I also like using it as a standalone oracle for deeper reflection. 

What I don’t use it for:

This is not a soothing deck—it’s a catalytic one, working with roles, friction, becoming, and consequence. I don’t usually reach for this deck when:

• someone wants a classic tarot reading

• the question is very practical or yes/no

• a person feels overwhelmed by symbolic complexity

• they want soft, emotional, or gentle imagery

💭 Today's Tarot Pull:

From The Citadel: A Fantasy Oracle by Fen Inkwright, I pulled The Miser (Reversed)

The Ten of Wands reminds us that even magic can become heavy if we overcommit. Color Magic doesn’t need to be elaborate or exhausting. Let it be a gentle, sensory ritual that supports rather than overwhelms.

Reflective prompts on this card:

• Where am I holding too tightly out of fear?

• What would shift if I softened my grip?

• Where does control feel like protection where does it feel like a burden?

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