Aiden stands before the crowded posting board in his reinforced coat and weatherproof mantle, his newly sharpened sword secure at his back and the shrine ring tucked among his belongings.
Guild patrons shift around him, comparing blue marks and reward figures. Fresh notices cover the board, their wax seals glinting beneath the guildhall lamps.
The Guild Receptionist
Looking for your next contract, Aiden? Your favorable escort report has already opened better possibilities.
The guild receptionist steps beside him and points to a sealed posting set apart from the beginner notices. Its dark wax bears a black tower mark unfamiliar to Aiden.
The Guild Receptionist
This assignment calls for an adventurer with sound judgment and a clean first report. The reward is promising, though the employer has kept the details sealed.
Several nearby patrons glance toward the black tower seal, then return to their own reading. The posting remains fastened to the board, waiting for Aiden's choice.
✓ Quest Accepted
Earn further guild recognition through the black-tower assignment
“I inspect the black tower seal and read the posting's visible terms.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
Aiden leans close to the black tower seal without disturbing the posting. Great perception separates its layered wax, stamped tower, and fine cuts from ordinary sealing marks.
Guildwise Bearing makes the posting’s formal layout immediately legible: it is a private commission for an escorted inspection, with payment divided between departure and verified findings.
The visible terms name an old shrine road north of Bracken Ford, require arrival before the next new moon, and forbid opening any sealed object found on site.
Aiden Cross
The route points toward the buried shrine, but the employer’s identity and the exact purpose remain concealed.
A final inspection reveals a faint second impression beneath the tower: not a name, but a three-pointed mark pressed into the wax after the posting was written.
The Guild Receptionist
You have the useful parts. The sealed employer’s identity is deliberately withheld, and the black tower mark is not one our public registry explains.
The careful reading costs several minutes. By the time Aiden straightens, the nearby patrons have shifted, and the unverified three-pointed mark still demands checking before acceptance.
Determine what the three-pointed mark signifies