Welcome to Tarot Town
A Field Guide to the Most Interesting Small Town You’ll Ever Visit
If you’ve ever lived in a small town, then you know that they are full of characters. The people everyone knows. The ones who quietly keep the town running and the ones who make life interesting. Let’s do some people watching through the lens of Tarot. Who said small towns are boring?
Le Mat (The Fool) — The New Arrival
Nobody knows where this person came from. He showed up one morning with his little dog and announced he was “just passing through.” Six months later, he’s still here, living in a purple camper van, good-natured and sunny, a little eccentric and strange, working odd jobs and somehow becoming friends with everyone.
Le Bateleur (The Magician) — The Market Stall Vendor
This fellow runs a mysterious little table at the weekend market, selling handmade things, strange books, and objects no one quite understands. He has no visible means of income, doesn’t seem to sell a lot, and yet he’s doing well. Everyone agrees he’s extremely smart and talented, but no one is entirely sure what his job is. Rumours abound that he’s a tech dropout who did well during the dotcom bubble.
La Papesse (The High Priestess) — The Town Librarian
She lives right beside the library. Quite possibly, she’s smuggled a sleeping bag into the restricted section. She knows everything about everyone, including things that happened long before most residents were born. She’s a living repository of all the stories for at least three counties. If you need the truth about the town’s history, she’s the one you ask.
L’Impératrice (The Empress) — The Casserole Queen
She runs the community garden, helps to organize festivals, and somehow feeds half the town. She is at every church supper, apron on, peeling the foil back on the many casseroles she brought. Her backyard produces impossible amounts of vegetables and fruit, and she has a never-ending supply of chow and homemade jam. Her living room and stairwell are plastered with photos of every relative and every event in this town. Everything about her home is cozy, and you hate to leave.
L’Empereur (The Emperor) — The Mayor
He’s practical, organized, and deeply invested in how the town functions. He has strong opinions about zoning laws, sidewalks, and the proper placement of benches; don’t bother trying to argue loopholes with him. In the local diner every morning, he sits in “his booth” and starts his paperwork. People drift over to say hello and grab his ear before the day is in full swing.
Le Pape (The Hierophant) — The Town Doctor
This is the person people go to when they need advice and stitches. He has delivered just about every person in Tarot Town since he arrived to take over a practice in 1978. He’s involved with the Elks, Little League, Sunday School, and well — everything! Like La Papesse, he is a font of knowledge concerning this town. He manages to draw a crowd and hold court wherever he goes. If you’re new in town, you’ll be seeing him. He’ll fix you up while he kindly explains how things really work around here.
L’Amoureux (The Lovers) — That Couple
This is the town’s most talked-about relationship. Or entanglement. You be the judge. They’re either deeply devoted to one another and so over the top cute it’s nauseating, or she’s throwing plates out the door while he jumps over the porch rails and gun-boots it into town as fast as his pick-up can carry him. Everyone secretly speculates and loves the drama.
Le Chariot (The Chariot) — The Busy Local Entrepreneur
He owns a garage, general store, and a used car lot and somehow still trains for marathons. He’s good friends with Le Pape and Le Bateleur. They’re always planning something in the community. This is the person who helps keep the town moving forward. If you need something done, you’ll be talking to Le Chariot sooner or later because he either knows a guy or he is the guy!
La Justice (Justice) — The Old School Marm
Unflappable, plain-spoken, and impossible to manipulate, no one knows exactly how old she is. She retired decades ago, but every few years she resurfaces in the classroom to cover a maternity leave, and thus she is able to frighten a new batch of kids. A good three generations of residents are scared to death of her. The children dare each other to run past her house. Fuelled by a red pen and spite, she might just be immortal.
L’Hermite (The Hermit) — The Old Man on the Hill
He lives in the ramshackle old farmhouse outside of town. Like La Papesse and Le Pape, he has stories. He’s a curmudgeon, though, and if you show up unannounced, you’re just as likely to be staring down the business end of a .22 as you are to get a handshake. It all depends on how the wind is blowing. For someone who only ventures into town when he has to, he sure seems to know everything about everyone.
La Roue de Fortune (Wheel of Fortune) — The Town Event Organizer
Everything changes whenever she’s involved. She blew into town ten years ago with a flat tire and never left. She’s put her big city knowledge to use and has carved out a special place in Tarot Town. She’s spearheaded local music festivals, carnivals, and a historical reenactment. She’s brought change to Tarot Town in a good way, and everyone agrees that even though she’s not from there (in fact, no one really knows exactly where she’s from!), she is a true-blue Tarot Townie.
La Force (Strength) — The Animal Rescue Volunteer
She’s the local vet and helps to run the animal shelter. Somehow, she manages to calm the most difficult animals. When she’s not rescuing pitbulls, she’s up at one of the farms taking care of the livestock. Her veterinary clinic is “supervised” by a one-eyed, three-legged cat she saved shortly after arriving in Tarot Town. The animals and the people all love her.
Le Pendu (The Hanged Man) — The Artist
He’s often seen sitting by the river, sketching or painting. One time, the Old Man caught him hanging upside down from a tree branch on his property, trying to take a photograph of fish in the creek. You know what happened next! Folks think he’s a little strange, and they’re not wrong—but then he creates something beautiful that makes everyone see the town differently.
L’Arcane Sans Nom (Death) — The Developer
This guy buys up the old buildings in the area and transforms them into something new. This doesn’t always sit well with the folks in town. Not everyone likes change. People used to get upset when they saw him roll in with his trucks and equipment. For the most part, though, everyone understands: when he shows up, something old is about to make way for something better.
Tempérance (Temperance) — The Town Counsellor
When folks get to arguing, this is the person who calmly resolves the conflict. Like the Mayor, Temperance knows all the loopholes and workarounds. When she’s not keeping hours in the town office, she has a credit counselling business on Main St. Her ability to manage the worst snafus is untouched.
Le Diable (The Devil) — The Owner of the Late-Night Bar
He runs the town’s most questionable establishment. Everyone swears they’ve only ever been there “just that one time,” yet he is still open and as busy as ever. There’s a tiny old bathroom at the end of the back hallway that’s been “out of order” for 20 years. Everyone knows that the door to the illegal gambling room is through the “bathroom.” Many have tried to shut him down, but he’s got more dirt on the folks of Tarot Town than we have time to discuss. He and the Hermit give each other the side-eye whenever they cross paths in the general store.
La Maison Dieu (The Tower) — The Sheriff
Everyone gets quiet for a second when he walks into the diner. It’s as if he can sense disturbances in The Force and see right through everyone’s soul. This is his town, and if something upsets the balance, he’s putting things right, and he wants you to know it. No stranger to drama, he knows that his presence sets people on edge, and not only is he OK with that, but he’ll also toy with you. In fact, edgy is just how he likes it.
L’Étoile (The Star) — The Town Healer
She came from California twenty years ago. She bought an old house, fixed it up, and started up a reflexology and Reiki business in the old parlour on the main floor. She introduced everyone to aromatherapy and crystals. She sells herbal tea and incense in the market on Saturdays. The whole town still remembers that time she brought the Tofurkey and hummus to the church supper. Folks are still trying to figure her out, but she’s harmless, smells like patchouli, and gives a good foot rub.
La Lune (The Moon) — The Town Witch
She’s often seen gathering dirt and leaving coins in the cemetery late at night or out in her yard when there’s a full moon. Anyone who gives her trouble suddenly finds themselves with a car that won’t start or a mountain of unpaid bills showing up at once. She has a way of getting what she wants when she walks into a room. Those who know go quietly to her house for readings and spells. The Devil has been trying to get with her for years, but she just gives his jar a shake, and he simmers right down.
Le Soleil (The Sun) — The Hot Youth Pastor
Children adore him. All of the women, old and young, married and single, curl their hair around their fingers when he talks to them. He lights up the room with happiness and more than a little va-va-voom. He showed up for a summer internship at the local church and tripled the attendance at Youth Bible Camp. He sweet-talks the church ladies into filling the collection plate. The minister and his wife are trying to figure out how they can get him there for good once he graduates from school.
Le Jugement (Judgement) — The Town Awakener & Activist
This person has seen things online. Too many things. Unhinged and loud, they need to wake everyone up. The world is a horrible, terrible place. All the world leaders have formed a secret one-world government to carry out mass surveillance, and they’re going to chip everyone like dogs. Human traffickers exist behind every bush. Do you know what the factory up the river is dumping? They frequently start their Facebook posts with “I’m not suicidal, and I don’t do drugs”, and they run through town like Paul Revere. The folks at Tarot Town are used to it, though, after all these years.
Le Monde (The World) — The One Who Brings It All Together
She runs the annual tri-county harvest festival that brings everyone together for miles around and helps to keep the gene pool fresh. She is friends with just about everyone and has a soft spot for The Fool and The Hanged Man. Occasionally sparring with The Emperor over how things are run in Tarot Town, this is the person who breathes change into everything. She is often seen in the company of The Community Queen and The Local Entrepreneur, hatching new plans that keep everyone guessing. There was that time she dated The Sheriff, but people are polite, and they don’t bring it up.
The Four Great Families of Tarot Town
If you stay in Tarot Town long enough, you’ll notice something interesting: certain last names appear everywhere. That’s because one way or another most of the town belongs to four old families who have lived here for generations. Each family has its own personality, strengths, and reputation.
The Wands Family
(The Movers and Shakers)
If something exciting is happening in Tarot Town, chances are a member of the Wands family is behind it.
They are energetic, bold, and constantly starting new projects.
Some people say they have too many ideas and not enough patience—but no one denies that they bring life to the town.
You’ll find Wands family members running things like:
The local theater troupe
The summer festival committee
The new restaurant that opened last month
The town’s entrepreneurial ventures
Their family motto might as well be:
“Why not try it?”
They thrive on passion, inspiration, and the thrill of creation.
The Cups Family
(The Heart of the Town)
If you need kindness, comfort, or emotional wisdom, the Cups family is who you turn to.
They’re known for their warmth, creativity, and deep sensitivity.
Many of them are artists, counsellors, musicians, or healers.
In Tarot Town, the Cups family members often run:
The café where everyone gathers
The art studio by the river
The music school
The town’s counselling and support groups
They’re the people who remember birthdays, hold space during difficult times, and bring the emotional richness that makes a town feel like home.
The Swords Family
(The Thinkers and Truth-Tellers)
The Swords family has a reputation for being sharp—sometimes literally.
They value truth, logic, and clear thinking above all else.
You’ll find them working in fields where intellect and communication matter:
Law
Journalism
Teaching
Debate and public discussion
They’re the people who ask difficult questions at town meetings and write the editorials in the local paper. Sometimes they stir up conflict, but more often, they keep the town honest.
The Pentacles Family
(The Builders of Tarot Town)
The Pentacles family built the town.
Quite literally.
They are practical, reliable, and deeply connected to the material world. Many of them work with land, business, finance, and craftsmanship. If you look around Tarot Town, you’ll find Pentacles family members running:
The farms and orchards
The local quarry
The town bank
The hardware store
They believe in steady work, long-term planning, and building something that lasts. Without them, the town simply wouldn’t function.