The Commission

The night is stormy. Lightning tears the sky above the Tower of Arcane Knowledge, and rain drums against the windows of your workshop high in the spiral. You, Ark Anno, are absorbed in polishing a focus crystal when you hear heavy footsteps on the stone stairs. The door creaks and a hooded messenger, soaked through, delivers a scroll sealed with black wax. Inside, elegant and unknown handwriting asks: 'Forge an artifact capable of revealing the true form of any being, even those hiding behind powerful illusions. The payment will be a book bound in human leather, with runes that pulse like a heart.' The seal bears the symbol of an open hand with an eye in the palm.

Ark Anno works alone, but can consult other masters of the Tower when necessary. The client is anonymous and mysterious.

The Tower of Arcane Knowledge is a living library and a center of magical research, with hundreds of floors extending upward and downward, each dedicated to a different branch of magic. The air is thick with the scent of ancient parchment, ozone, and incense. Corridors curve in impossible spirals, and rooms shift according to the masters' will. Outside lies the kingdom of Aethelgard, a realm of human kingdoms, elven forests, and dwarven mountains, where magic is as common as air, but artifacts of the caliber you forge are rare and coveted. There are 4 Towers of Knowledge in various parts of the world. They are rivals and collaborators in certain cases.

Forge the artifact that reveals true forms and discover who the mysterious client is and what their true purpose is.