Well, most of my questions are about how this is going to play out across Calernia, and you've said you don't know anything about our world, so I'm not sure you're the best person to ask for that. I was thinking I'd consult Hakram and Masego again.

I guess the thing I can say without knowing anything about your world is: all your powers try their best to do what you want and not what you don't want, but they're constrained by the thing they're for, and The Great Equalizer has a very big and impactful and specific thing it is for. It probably won't be able to do much to soften or steer that impact for you.

Wasn't really expecting it to, if I'm honest. It really seems like if I want to be able to pick and choose which parts of Fate I get to keep I should pick one of these other two powers. Which I still might do, if I decide against this one. 

Reasonable.

Are you going to go talk to your friends now, or would you like to continue looking at the rest of the list?

She flips ahead to check how much of the list is left, and notices that this is the end of a section. 

Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna be able to focus on the next section until I've had a break and talked to some people about, uh, this. I'll get back to you at some point in the next few days, probably, unless something comes up. 

Okay! See you then!

So, the next time she and Hakram both have a few minutes to spare, she sits him and Masego down—no need to explain it twice—and shows them the text of The Great Equalizer.   

Where you go, Fate shatters. Forms of prophecy that were once perfectly reliable stop working, or show a broad array of possibilities instead of a single coherent future. Imbalances of magical luck wash out, leaving everyone lucky and no one able to leverage their luck against an opponent. If you stay in the same world for a year and a day, this effect will be permanent even after you leave and even if someone tries to constrain the future anew in your absence.

"Thoughts?" 

"Reliable information about prophecy is somewhat scarce," Masego says, in a tone that suggests that this is a personal failing on the part of every prophet on Calernia. "However, this description of an 'array of possibilities' aligns with my understanding of how prophecy already works in this world. That part, at least, is unlikely to have any major ramifications." 

"Yeah, it's the next bit that worries me. I mean, Fate-powered luck is the force driving Names themselves, isn't it? What happens if you take that away? Wipe out all the grooves in fate, like the Pattern of Three, shatter the rule that says the villains always lose in the end..." 

"That would certainly have a much wider-reaching impact, yes. It would be fascinating to observe." 

Hakram makes a considering noise. 

"I'm not sure the Dread Empress would be best pleased by the experiment." 

"Between you and me? I'm not sure I'll need to give a damn what Malicia thinks of my actions after this." Pause. "If I go ahead with it, obviously. We still think it might be a trap somehow, right?" 

"Well, it would have to be a trap set by an entity from outside of Creation, but that simply means we have no way of knowing anything about them or their capabilities—" 

Catherine waves a hand. "Yep, we went through all of that already. Not of this world, beyond Heiress's capabilities by a country mile, et cetera. Can we maybe focus on the question at hand?"

"I think it would be worth asking the Carrion Lord for advice on this. I know he's been giving you and the Fifteenth space to find our feet, but...this is too big for just us." 

"...you're not wrong. I can predict half of what he'd say, starting with 'burn that book immediately', but..." She sighs. "Yeah, you're right. We can arrange a scry when we both have time." Which will be in about a month, probably, at the rate this campaign's going. 

She hasn't gotten around to talking to Black by the time she next picks up the notebook. 

I'll have to come back to this set another time. Let's move on to the next section for now. 

Of course, take your time. What do you think of the Powers of Friendship, then?

Thinking about friendship is mostly just painful right now. The Fifteenth just fought and won its first proper battle, and it all went pretty much according to plan, and...one of her friends died. Nilin, who'd been part of Catherine's Rat Company in the war games, for her brief time at the War College. They lit his funeral pyre just a few hours ago. 

If there's something in here that could have saved Nilin, if she'd gone through this list weeks ago instead of shoving it in a saddlebag and forgetting about it, she's going to feel even shittier than she already does.

But, well, Nilin wasn't her only friend. If there's something in here that can keep Hakram safe from the assassins after him, or keep Kilian safe from the poisoned gift of fae blood in her own veins...

She turns the page. 

...

Next to Mysterious Allure, she writes:

If I can't leverage the weight of my Name and the rest of the powers on this list to hold the attention of a room, I don't deserve to have it. 

That makes sense! Mysterious Allure is meant for people who really want to be able to do that, but don't feel able to accomplish it themselves, or want to be able to trust that it'll happen even if they're having an off day.

I think I'd rather just accomplish it myself. 

Captive Audience: 

Seems like another one for people with insecurities. (Note: don't let Masego get his hands on this one.)

Blackout Binge: 

I guess I can see the appeal, but power that can shatter Fate has got to have a better way for me to get a break from my responsibilities. 

Yes, I don't think Blackout Binge is the sort of power you're looking for at all.