In the scene “Whisper of Night,” the Tark meets with his Shaman Jambala and enacts a typical curse ritual as part of his effort to oppose the authority of Rana Tenpai. Such rituals often involved a reading of fate or fortune, as played out in the cracks of a charred bone. The ritual, as presented in the novel, is true to form,
including all the objects described, including the curled sword, yak horn and woodslip curse.
