Guild Instructions
- All interested parties must register with Clerk Thistle at the main desk to secure the contract and prevent claim jumping.
- Registration requires a soul-signature scan and a formal declaration of intent.
- Any secondary artifacts recovered during the excursion must be presented to the guild for evaluation and appropriate taxation before being sold.
Money Reward
- 950 Silver Pieces to be paid upon the safe delivery of the specific lineage item.
Uncommon Magical Rewards
- One Stone-Scribe’s Chisel (carves through obsidian as if it were soft clay).
- Two Alchemical Steam Vials (provides 30 minutes of high-pressure mechanical thrust).
The Objective
- Locate and retrieve the Crystal Eye Visor 862. The item was last recorded in a decommissioned Abbevillian quarry-city that was recently exposed by a ley line shift. The visor is a specific lineage relic and must be returned intact to satisfy the contract of the Anuran Overseers.
Difficulties
- The target location is situated within a Deathly Area; extreme caution is advised as standard Armor Class is ineffective and every strike against an avatar will land.
- High concentrations of volcanic glass and razor-sharp obsidian shards make navigation physically taxing.
- The presence of rogue stone constructs that lack sentient memories and operate on ancient, automated defense protocols.
Problems
- The quarry-city is prone to structural instability; tremors occur at irregular intervals.
- Toxic volcanic vapors may obscure vision and interfere with magic conduits.
- Reports indicate a “rule breaker” may be operating in the tunnels, utilizing non-standard conduits to manipulate the stone.
Who to Ask for More Information
- Foreman Gruff at the Stone-Cutters’ Plaza.
- Master Geomancer Kaelen, located in the Crystal-Tech Research Wing.
Potential Environments
- Deep Volcanic Trenches
- Abandoned Underground Quarries
- Shifting Obsidian Labyrinths
- Steam-Filled Subterranean Chambers
Tags
- Retrieval, Industrial, Anuran-Lore, Deathly-Area, Stone-Craft, Geomancy, Crystal-Tech, Subterranean, Lineage-Item, Construction-Safety, Hazardous-Vapors
Registration Process
When the party approaches the desk, Clerk Thistle produces a heavy, gear-driven ledger. Each member must place their palm on a copper-inlaid stone slab. As the magic circuits within the desk hum to life, the “Mind’s Eye” of the guild records the party’s current tier, slot count, and soul resonance. This prevents any other party from legally interfering with the contract and ensures the Anuran Overseers know exactly who is responsible for their relic.
Guild Warnings and Preparation
The clerk offers a stern set of warnings and specific advice for the trek:
- The Deathly Zone: Thistle emphasizes that within the quarry-city, Armor Class does not exist. The clerk warns that every swing from a construct or falling shard will find its mark. Avoiding confrontation and moving with precision is the only way to survive.
- Structural Instability: The party is warned that the visor itself may be the only thing capable of detecting fractures before a collapse occurs. Until it is found, they must rely on traditional architectural knowledge.
- Equipment Needs: Preparation requires heavy-duty leather boots to withstand the obsidian floor and pressurized respirators to filter the volcanic steam. The clerk also suggests bringing mechanical pitons and pulley systems for vertical navigation.
Distance and Duration
- Distance: The entrance to the buried city is roughly 85 miles to the North-East, located in the jagged foothills of the Varnath range.
- Duration: Travel via a heavy-duty armored steam-crawler will take approximately 14 hours over the rocky terrain. Once on-site, the guild expects a retrieval within four in-world days before the ley lines shift again and re-seal the entrance.
Additional Information
The clerk mentions that the Crystal Eye Visor 862 might still be active, meaning it will be humming. This hum can be detected by those with high sensitivity to ley lines or through a conduit focused on sound. However, the clerk also mentions that the “rule breaker” in the area has been seen using hand gestures as conduits to “mold” the volcanic glass, making the environment itself a potential weapon.
The Writ of Questing
To ensure the party doesn’t perish before reaching the objective, Clerk Thistle issues a Writ of Questing.
- Purpose: This is a promissory note that allows the party to visit the Guild Armory or authorized local shops to acquire mundane supplies they lack, such as filters for their masks, obsidian-resistant gloves, or climbing harnesses.
- Nature of the Note: This is a debt, not a gift. The total cost of the equipment used will be deducted from the 950 Silver Piece reward upon completion. The party is expected to “earn” this gear through the successful retrieval of the visor. If they return empty-handed, the debt remains on their soul-record, and they must work off the balance through manual labor in the guild’s local steam-shops.
Mood setting excerpt from:
Tome Title: The Litany of the Unseen Fracture
Chapter Number: IX
Chapter Title: The Shattered Pulse of Gravok
The earth shall yield no mercy to the tread, Where glass of fire has cooled to jagged hate, No shield shall stand to guard the weary head, When every strike is sealed by hand of fate.
The eye of quartz shall hum within the stone, A heartbeat trapped in walls of deep despair, To seek the relic is to walk alone, With sulfur-breath and steam to fill the air.
Beware the hollows where the silence sings, And ghosts of gears within the darkness grind, For truth is hidden in the shifting rings, That only light of crystal seeks to find.
The walls shall strike though no one pulls the bow, The very ground shall hunger for the soul, Until the visor’s pulse begins to glow, To make the fractured spirit once more whole.
Guide Manager’s Notes:
This quest is an absolute blast because it flips the script on traditional survival by throwing the party into a Deathly Area right out of the gate. Since every hit lands and Armor Class is effectively zero, your players are going to have to prioritize stealth, environmental manipulation, and clever use of their “Mind’s Eye” to avoid ever getting into a fair fight. It is high-tension, high-reward, and perfectly showcases the industrial-magic vibe of Saṃsāra.
- Step 1: The Gear-Up. Start strong at the Guild desk. This is where the tension begins as they realize they have to go into a zone where their armor is useless. Encourage them to use that “Writ of Questing” for utility over defense—think grappling hooks, thermal blankets, and lots of air filters. Every silver they spend now is a cut from their future payout, so let them feel the weight of that trade-off.
- Step 2: The Steam-Crawler Trek. The fourteen-hour ride to the Varnath range is the perfect opportunity for some roleplay. Use this time to describe the shifting landscape as the steam-crawler’s massive treads crunch over volcanic glass. Let the players test their “Mind’s Eye” on the passing geography to spot ley line flickers in the distance.
- Step 3: Crossing the Threshold. When they step out of the crawler and into the quarry-city entrance, hit them with the environmental shift. The air is thick with sulfur and the ground is literal razor-wire obsidian. This is where the Deathly Area rules go live. Describe how even the wind seems to slice at their cloaks, reminding them that any combat here will be lethal.
- Step 4: Navigating the Shifting Labyrinth. The entrance tunnels have been warped by ley line shifts. Use a series of skill checks for navigation. If they fail, they might trigger a minor rock-fall—which, in a Deathly Area, means guaranteed HP loss. This forces them to move slowly and deliberately.
- Step 5: The First Construct Encounter. Introduce a rogue stone construct. It doesn’t have a soul, so it just follows its ancient “clear the tunnel” protocol. Since every attack it makes will hit, the players should realize they need to use the environment—like dropping a loose ceiling slab on it—rather than standing and swinging.
- Step 6: The Steam-Chamber Puzzle. The party hits a massive vertical shaft filled with high-pressure volcanic steam. They’ll need to use those Alchemical Steam Vials or some clever mechanical engineering with pulleys to get across. The heat is a constant drain on their stamina, making this a race against time.
- Step 7: The Rule Breaker’s Calling Card. Have them find a section of the tunnel where the obsidian has been molded into smooth, flowing waves—impossible for standard magic but easy for a rule breaker using hand-gestures as a conduit. This builds mystery and lets the players know they aren’t the only ones hunting for the visor.
- Step 8: Hearing the Hum. As they get closer to the heart of the quarry, describe a low-frequency vibration that starts to rattle their teeth. This is the Crystal Eye Visor 862 calling out. Those with high resonance or sound-based conduits can lead the party toward a concealed overseer’s office buried under a recent collapse.
- Step 9: The Recovery and the Ambush. Just as they find the visor sitting on a basalt pedestal, the rule breaker makes their move. Instead of a direct fight, have the antagonist manipulate the stone walls to trap the party. This forces the players to actually put on the visor to see the “fractures” and “weak points” in the trap to escape.
- Step 10: The Pain of the Relic. Remember, once someone puts that visor on, the 2d4 pain interval begins if they are over their slot limit or if the hum starts to overwhelm them. The player wearing it can see the way out, but they are losing HP and suffering a Charisma penalty while trying to lead the team. It’s a frantic, thrilling dash back to the entrance.
- Step 11: The Extraction. The rogue constructs are now fully alerted. The party has to navigate back through the death-zone while the ground is literally shaking. They reach the steam-crawler just as the ley lines shift again, sealing the city behind them.
- Step 12: Payout and Debt. Back at the Guild, Clerk Thistle counts out the silver. Subtract the cost of their gear from the 950 Silver Pieces. If they survived and brought back the visor, they walk away with a massive reputation boost with the Anuran Overseers and some cool new magical chisels.