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HEXWORK - A Lantern in the Deep: 3D ASCII terminal roguelike RPG in Rust.
Entirely designed and built by Muse Spark 1.3 to evaluate if I like the model.
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[[contract]]id = "rats_in_granary"title = "Rats in the granary"tier = 1pay_cu = 25poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["cable-rats in the walls", "chewed grain sacks", "one live wire the miller will not touch"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know the rats nest around a cracked relay housing that still hums"floor = 1prep_notes = "bring a pole or pike, a bell to scatter them, and chalk to mark the wire run"intent = "tier-1 vermin tutorial (docs/03 §3.7): teaches polearms, tells (ozone), and copper-conducts before anything bites back hard"
[[contract]]id = "drowned_bell_in_mere"title = "Bell in the mere"tier = 2pay_cu = 120poster = "Warden Sarella of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["flooded relay station", "one Drowned bell that rings for the Choir", "cold black water"]unknown_hint = "the poster does not know the bell keeps a drowned sailor who still remembers his name, nor that silver stills him"floor = 2prep_notes = "bring rope and a friend (poster says so twice, underlined); silvered steel; douse the lamp before the last approach"intent = "tier-2 rope-and-boat play (docs/02 §3 Copperwash): the rope+friend note is verbatim poster wisdom; the unknown_hint points at CARO VALE without naming it"
[[contract]]id = "husband_walks"title = "My husband walks"tier = 2pay_cu = 60poster = "Widow Rennick of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["plague barrows at night", "the walked dead", "widows who know you robbed the barrows"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know her husband answers to his name only when the Lamplighter's light is present"floor = 1prep_notes = "bring a saint-bone charm, last-rites words, and something that knew him; ask the corpse-tender first"intent = "the main-thread seed (docs/03 §3.7 Rennick thread): thin, ignorable, and priced in grief; the charm + corpse-tender notes teach bargain play sideways"
[[contract]]id = "haunted_millstone"title = "The millstone turns at night"tier = 3pay_cu = 150poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow (reluctantly)"known_hazards = ["grinding stones that turn unmilled", "flour-dust in the air (blast risk)", "a hum in a key nothing else uses"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know a Vendric nested in the grain loft and eats after midnight"floor = 2prep_notes = "no open flame near the dust; bring scrap to feed the dispense, then leave (or smoke it out through the loft vent)"intent = "the canonical mimic kill as a contract (docs/03 §3.3.5, §3.7): the hum tell plus flour-dust turns a haunting into a deduction"
[[contract]]id = "toll_bridge_dispute"title = "The bridge toll doubled"tier = 1pay_cu = 40poster = "Coach-master Pell of the Gilded Whetstone"known_hazards = ["a unionized toll-troll with a ledger", "an audience of coaches (reputation at stake)", "last season's rates, quoted exactly"]unknown_hint = "the coach-master does not know the troll was insulted by a Congregation crew last week and is collecting the difference from everyone"floor = 1prep_notes = "bring exact change, no weapons drawn, and a Tollkeeper witness-prayer half-memorized; apologize for other people"intent = "social-boss tutorial (docs/02 §3 Gallowgate): negotiable toll, long troll memory, and the Tollkeeper boon made practical; violence is legal and educational"
[[contract]]id = "testing_chapel_favor"title = "A favor for the testing chapel"tier = 1pay_cu = 15poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["caged cable-rat (fed, grumpy)", "water barrels, grounding rods, one live rail", "paperwork"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know a tinker has been selling counterfeit fresh cells and one is already in the chapel rack"floor = 1prep_notes = "bring one unidentified item to test; read the posted rules twice; do not touch the rack"intent = "the safe-toybox onboarding (docs/03 §3.4 testing chapel): 15cu is pocket money because the real pay is one free identification and every rule demonstrated safely"
# --- Phase 10 workstream 1 additions (56 contracts; 62 total with the slice) ---# Tiers (docs/03 §3.7): 1 vermin 20-60cu, 2 hauntings 60-150cu, 3 saints-and-tolls# 150-400cu, 4 Works doors 400-900cu, 5 Deep doors 900-2500cu. Every entry keeps# the slice shape (poster named + placed, honest known_hazards, NON-EMPTY# unknown_hint with an "ask X" gossip hook for the Phase 9 gossip queue, floor# 1-12, prep_notes that suffice with §3.3 laws, intent balance comment).# Directions are landmark+depth+draft, never compass (docs/03 §3.7).
[[contract]]id = "cellar_grate_mother"title = "Something nests in the vents"tier = 1pay_cu = 35poster = "Goodwife Hess of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a ventilation grate over the cellar stairs", "a lullaby-hum through the grate at night", "small dropped bones on the steps"]unknown_hint = "the goodwife does not know a Grate-mother broods above the stairs and drops her young down the shaft; ask the ratcatchers drinking at the Gilded Whetstone, they know that hum"floor = 1prep_notes = "never stand under a humming grate; below the kitchen, where the draft pulls cold off the stairwell, first landing: prod the vent from the side with a pole, read its draft with flour, and hold a net for what falls"intent = "tier-1 vent tutorial (docs/03 §3.3 law 3 + Grate-mother tell docs/02 §6): 35cu because the hazard is positional and fully avoidable once named"
[[contract]]id = "tripe_rat_nests"title = "Rats in the offal bins"tier = 1pay_cu = 20poster = "Butcher Soll of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["cable-rats in the offal bins", "blood that pits iron (weak acid)", "chewed bin lids"]unknown_hint = "the butcher does not know the nest is inside the hollow chopping block itself; ask his apprentice, who hears skritch from below the block at dawn"floor = 1prep_notes = "behind the shambles, where the air tastes of old blood, ground level: bring a pike, iron-shod boots, and a bucket of water to wash the blood off fast"intent = "tier-1 floor pay (20cu): teaches cable-rat blood-eats-iron (docs/02 §6) and washing scent (docs/03 §3.3 law 10) on a harmless nest"
[[contract]]id = "chewed_cable_loft"title = "The lights keep dying upstairs"tier = 1pay_cu = 30poster = "Tinker Vess of the Milthollow tinker stall"known_hazards = ["chewed copper runs in the loft", "one live wire, bellies that spark", "ozone smell before they bite"]unknown_hint = "the tinker does not know the rats den around a spent aether-cell that still leaks signal and draws them; ask the lampwrights, who logged which loft runs went dark first"floor = 1prep_notes = "above the stall, where the draft smells of ozone, loft landing: chalk the wire run first, prod with a dry pole (never copper), and bring a bell to scatter the pack"intent = "tier-1 copper-conducts lesson (docs/03 §3.3 law 8): 30cu because a live wire punishes the careless but the ozone tell is free"
[[contract]]id = "flour_bin_skritch"title = "Skritch in the flour bins"tier = 1pay_cu = 25poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["rats in the flour bins", "flour-dust in the air (blast risk, no flame)", "chewed sack seams"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know one rat is a bell-ringer's escaped scent-rat that runs from humming; ask the miller's boy, who hums at it through the bin wall"floor = 1prep_notes = "below the millstones, where the air is white and sweet, ground floor: no open flame near the dust; bring a hand-bell and hum low, then sack the bins one at a time"intent = "tier-1 dust-law tutorial (docs/03 §3.3 law 5 flour/dust): 25cu; the hum trick is the gossip half, the dust rule is the prep half"
[[contract]]id = "well_bucket_thief"title = "The well keeps eating buckets"tier = 1pay_cu = 30poster = "Reeve Tam of Copperwash Mere"known_hazards = ["a flooded wellhead with a frayed rope", "something below that tugs back", "cold black water"]unknown_hint = "the reeve does not know a drowned eel has knotted its nest in the bucket chain; ask the reed-cutters, who saw it surface at dusk"floor = 1prep_notes = "at the mere edge, where the water smells of iron, surface: bring 10m of good rope, a spare bucket as tribute-bait, and never wrap the line around your wrist"intent = "tier-1 rope lesson (docs/03 §3.3 law 9): 30cu; rope discipline taught cheap before flooded shafts (tier 3+) price it in lives"
[[contract]]id = "hymn_card_pigeons"title = "Pigeons ate the hymn-cards"tier = 1pay_cu = 22poster = "Acolyte Fen of the chapel of the Drowned Saint"known_hazards = ["loft pigeons with a taste for punchcard edges", "one card (FLUCTUS) half-eaten and still flexible", "droppings, everywhere"]unknown_hint = "the acolyte does not know the half-eaten FLUCTUS card still casts when the loft draft lifts it; ask the choir-deserters sheltering in the dorter, they have seen paper fly uphill"floor = 1prep_notes = "above the chapel dorter, where the draft pulls chapel-ward, loft landing: bring a net, a dry sack for the cards, and read each card's condition before touching (heat sets off hymn-cards)"intent = "tier-1 hymn handling (docs/03 §3.5 card condition): 22cu errand pay; the still-live card is the deducible-cruelty seed"
[[contract]]id = "barrowfield_pig_thief"title = "Our pig thief is back"tier = 1pay_cu = 22poster = "Widow Ase of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["a two-legged thief, not a beast", "barrow-field dark, uneven ground", "widows who watch from windows and remember faces"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know the thief is her own nephew feeding the salvage camp; ask at the camp hearth, where the pork has been suspiciously shared"floor = 1prep_notes = "past the barrows, where the wind smells of turned earth, surface: bring a lantern with a shutter, rope for tying (not hurting), and a witness from the widows"intent = "tier-1 surface mud (docs/02 §1 pig thieves): 22cu; no monster at all — resolution is social, which is itself the lesson"
[[contract]]id = "toll_gate_rats"title = "Rats in the tollhouse"tier = 1pay_cu = 28poster = "Toll-ward Drok of Gallowgate Toll"known_hazards = ["cable-rats in the tollhouse walls", "chewed toll tallies (the Matriarch notices)", "one live bell-wire"]unknown_hint = "the ward does not know the rats came up the bridge cable from the Works mouth; ask the night-shift troll, who hears them cross at bell-change"floor = 1prep_notes = "under the tollhouse, where the bridge hums through the stone, ground level: chalk the cable run, bring exact change for the troll first (manners before rats), then pole and bell"intent = "tier-1 Gallowgate onboarding (docs/02 §3 unionized toll): 28cu; teaches that the troll is scenery to be paid, not a fight to be picked"
[[contract]]id = "chapel_cellar_damp"title = "Damp in the chapel cellar"tier = 1pay_cu = 20poster = "Acolyte Fen of the chapel of the Drowned Saint"known_hazards = ["ankle-deep black water", "drowned hymn-sheets floating face-down", "a bell that rings when nobody touches it"]unknown_hint = "the acolyte does not know the bell rings when the mere draft reverses through the floor drain; ask the reed-cutters, who read mere drafts like scripture"floor = 1prep_notes = "below the chapel, where the air tastes of copper and old water, first landing: wade with a pole, lift the sheets with a net (read none aloud), and flour the drain to see the draft turn"intent = "tier-1 draft-reading seed (docs/03 §3.3 law 3): 20cu; flour-reveals-flow taught where the water is only ankle-deep"
[[contract]]id = "granary_moth"title = "Miller-moths in the seed grain"tier = 1pay_cu = 24poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["miller-moths swarming the seed bins", "larvae in the sack seams", "dust that makes torches sputter"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know the swarm nests around a cracked hymn-card (FIAT LUX) warming the bin wall; ask the tinker, who sold him a 'lucky lamp card' last winter"floor = 1prep_notes = "in the granary loft, where the air shimmers warm for no reason, upper landing: douse the lamp, smoke the swarm toward the loft vent, and lift the card out with wooden tongs"intent = "tier-1 light-and-heat crossover (docs/03 §3.3 laws 1+5): 24cu; warm-wall deduction with a safe answer (smoke, not fire)"
[[contract]]id = "lampwright_oil_run"title = "Oil for the mill lamp"tier = 1pay_cu = 40poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a handcart of oil flasks on a rutted lane", "hungry mouths between here and the mill", "oil scrip is legal tender (spilling it is spending it)"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know the lane culvert hides a cable-rat run that smells the oil; ask the coach-drivers, who rattle the culvert grate on purpose"floor = 1prep_notes = "along the mill lane, where the ruts run deepest, surface: walk it at dusk with a shuttered lamp, a topped-up cart, and a bell on the axle; rattle the culvert before crossing"intent = "tier-1 HAUL seed (docs/03 §3.2: oil as money that burns): 40cu top-of-tier-1 because a spill costs the carrier twice"
[[contract]]id = "garden_weed_tithe"title = "Weeds in the corpse-garden"tier = 1pay_cu = 20poster = "Corpse-tender Mere of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["holy runoff channels (do not drink, do not dam)", "rust-thistle with barbed seed", "the garden dead, resting (let them)"]unknown_hint = "the tender does not know rust-thistle only roots where Audit fine-print ash was dumped; ask the wardens, who burned a lien notice uphill last spring"floor = 1prep_notes = "behind the garden wall, where the runoff smells of iron and lilies, surface: bring gloves, a sack, and last-rites words in case you wake a sleeper; weed downhill of the sleepers only"intent = "tier-1 curse-triage Wales (docs/03 §3.4 the Corpse-tender is a person): 20cu; introduces holy runoff + owed-ash before Audit liens (tier 3+)"
[[contract]]id = "warden_post_eaves"title = "Gnawing in the warden eaves"tier = 1pay_cu = 30poster = "Warden Sarella of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["rats in the warden-post eaves", "sealed bounty ledgers (chew one and the fine is yours)", "a bored young warden with a crossbow"]unknown_hint = "the warden does not know the rats are after the salt in the seal-wax, not the paper; ask the post cook, who sweeps red wax crumbs every morning"floor = 1prep_notes = "over the warden post, where the eaves catch the mere wind, roof landing: bring wax-sealed bait (not the ledgers), a net, and a signed note from Sarella so the crossbow stays racked"intent = "tier-1 ledger-law comedy (docs/03 §3.6 wardens + ledgers): 30cu; the wax deduction keeps it a puzzle, not a grind"
[[contract]]id = "reedcutter_pests"title = "Pests in the reed beds"tier = 1pay_cu = 26poster = "Reedwife Oll of Copperwash Mere"known_hazards = ["biting mere-flies in clouds", "sinking mud between the beds", "a territorial swan (respect it)"]unknown_hint = "the reedwife does not know the flies breed in a drowned tithe-chest leaking old grain; ask the drowned-lantern keeper, who marks where the mere coughs up wreckage"floor = 1prep_notes = "out on the mere edge, where the reeds hiss with the evening draft, surface: bring smoke (green reeds burn smoky), planks for the mud, and tribute greens for the swan"intent = "tier-1 mere onboarding (docs/02 §3 Copperwash): 26cu; smoke-use + terrain puzzle before flooded work (tier 2+)"
[[contract]]id = "ledger_mice"title = "Mice in the toll tallies"tier = 1pay_cu = 45poster = "Toll-ward Drok of Gallowgate Toll"known_hazards = ["mice nesting in the tally shelves", "the Matriarch audits the tallies weekly (she counts)", "troll tempers, union rules"]unknown_hint = "the ward does not know the mice followed a Congregation grain cart that shorted the bridge last month; ask the carters at the Exact Change, they remember the cart"floor = 1prep_notes = "in the tally room, where the bridge draft smells of dust and ink, ground level: bring snap-traps, flour to find the run, and a full apology-Rehearsal for the Matriarch's count day"intent = "tier-1 social stakes (docs/02 §3 troll memory is long): 45cu high for vermin because the Matriarch's count is the real boss"
[[contract]]id = "cistern_eels"title = "Eels in the cistern"tier = 1pay_cu = 35poster = "Goodwife Hess of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["drowned eels in the drinking cistern", "slick stone ladder", "one eel big enough to argue"]unknown_hint = "the goodwife does not know the eels came up the overflow from the old relay cistern below; ask the lampwrights, who mapped the overflow when the lamps kept going out"floor = 1prep_notes = "down the cistern shaft, where the air goes cold and still, first landing: bring a net, a lidded bucket, and chalk to mark the overflow grate for the lampwrights after"intent = "tier-1 vertical taste (docs/03 §3.8 Shallows): 35cu; a shaft, a grate, and chalk — the whole game in a water butt"
[[contract]]id = "straw_man_walks"title = "The scarecrow walks at night"tier = 1pay_cu = 20poster = "Widow Ase of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["a straw man seen walking the barrow edge", "frightened sheep, trampled barley", "widows who insist it tips its hat"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know miller-lads wear the scarecrow down the drafty barrow lane on dares; ask the barley crew, who lost a bet and a hat to it"floor = 1prep_notes = "along the barrow lane, where the night draft runs downhill, surface: walk it with a shuttered lamp and a friend, call out before touching anything straw, and bring the hat home for proof"intent = "tier-1 kindness contract (docs/03 §3.7 ignorable thin thread): 20cu floor pay; sometimes the dark holds only boys — the game says so honestly"
[[contract]]id = "widow_rennick_husband"title = "My husband walks — find him"tier = 2pay_cu = 90poster = "Widow Rennick of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["plague barrows at night", "the walked dead answer to old names", "barrowfield widows who know exactly what you dig up"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know her husband walks downhill toward the chapel of the Drowned Saint, drawn by its bells; ask the corpse-tender, who has seen the walked answer chapel-ward"floor = 3prep_notes = "past the barrows, where the turned-earth smell gives way to mere water, third landing where the bell-rope hangs: bring something that knew him, last-rites words, and a silvered charm; try the Lampwright testing chapel first — rehearse the rite on quiet ground before the barrows"intent = "MAIN THREAD 1/6 (docs/03 §3.7 Widow Rennick thread): tier-2 because the rite, not the fight, is the price; 90cu grief money; the chapel-ward pull is the thread to drowned_saint_audience"
[[contract]]id = "rat_king_nest"title = "The king in the walls"tier = 2pay_cu = 140poster = "Warden Sarella of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["a rat-king knotted tail-to-tail in the relay walls", "the pack fights as one body while knotted", "live cable through the nest wall"]unknown_hint = "the warden does not know the knot loosens when the pack is lured apart with separate baits; ask the ratcatchers at the Gilded Whetstone, who have unknotted one before with tripe and bells"floor = 3prep_notes = "below the relay, where the ozone smell is strongest, third landing: do NOT meet it knotted — lay tripe baits in three side-rooms, ring bells to split the pack, then burn the empty nest; rehearse fire-discipline in the testing chapel first (oil under doors, smoke through grates)"intent = "boss-as-puzzle contract (docs/03 §3.8 rat-king: lure apart, burn nests): 140cu top-of-tier-2 because a knotted pack kills chargers; the prep_notes + trial room ARE the kill"
[[contract]]id = "millstone_choir"title = "The mill sings after midnight"tier = 2pay_cu = 100poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow (reluctantly)"known_hazards = ["grinding stones that turn with no grain", "a choir-hum in the walls (cover your ears, not your eyes)", "flour-dust (no flame)"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know the hum comes up the meal-spout from a drowned relay clerk still at his desk below; ask the choir-deserters, who know that desk-hymn by its first line"floor = 2prep_notes = "below the millstones, where the air tastes of copper, second landing by the meal-spout: bring ear-wadding, scrap for the Vendric if it shows (feed the dispense, then leave), and flour to read which way the spout drafts"intent = "tier-2 haunting (docs/03 §3.7 millstone/garden dead): 100cu; the clerk is talkable (CARO VALE territory) — violence is the expensive answer"
[[contract]]id = "garden_dead_restless"title = "The garden dead will not lie down"tier = 2pay_cu = 85poster = "Corpse-tender Mere of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["two garden dead standing at night", "holy runoff channels (do not dam)", "grief, which makes fools of the armed"]unknown_hint = "the tender does not know the dead stand because their barrow-tithe was shorted and the Audit holds the lien; ask the toll-wards, who saw the tithe cart turned back at Gallowgate"floor = 2prep_notes = "behind the garden wall, where the runoff smells of iron and lilies, second landing of the barrow stair: bring the tithe-weight in copper, last-rites words, and no drawn weapons; pay the lien aloud before the rite — the testing chapel has a mock lien-desk to rehearse on"intent = "tier-2 Audit seed (docs/02 §2 Audit holds every debt): 85cu; introduces pay-the-lien-aloud before the tier-4 Seraph makes it a boss mechanic"
[[contract]]id = "relay_clerk_desk"title = "The clerk is still at his desk"tier = 2pay_cu = 110poster = "Tinker Vess of the Milthollow tinker stall"known_hazards = ["a flooded relay office, waist-deep black water", "a drowned clerk who audits visitors aloud", "paper that cuts and ink that stains (liens love signatures)"]unknown_hint = "the tinker does not know the clerk only audits those who answer his roll-call; ask the Lampwright archivists, who hold the relay muster-roll and know the clerk's own name is missing from it"floor = 2prep_notes = "below the mere outfall, where the water goes black and still, second landing: bring a boat-pole, douse the lamp on approach, and answer no roll-call but your own; silver stills him if it turns"intent = "tier-2 flooded-relay play (docs/02 §3 Copperwash): 110cu; the muster-roll gap is the deducible hinge — say his missing name and he stands down"
[[contract]]id = "drowned_tithe_chest"title = "The tithe chest coughs at low water"tier = 2pay_cu = 95poster = "Reeve Tam of Copperwash Mere"known_hazards = ["a drowned tithe-chest in the sucking mud", "mere-flies, sinking mud, the swan", "old grain that ferments (do not breathe deep)"]unknown_hint = "the reeve does not know the chest is chained to a drowned bell-clapper worth more than the tithe; ask the drowned-lantern keeper, who marks wreckage by what the mere refuses to keep"floor = 2prep_notes = "out on the mere edge, where the reeds hiss with the evening draft, low-water shelf: bring planks, smoke for the flies, and a sledge for the haul; leave the clapper for the Saint's chapel or the Audit bills you (their divers are watching)"intent = "tier-2 HAUL puzzle (docs/03 §3.2 ascent-with-loot is the boss): 95cu; the clapper choice (chapel vs Audit) is the moral mud, priced separately"
[[contract]]id = "gallowgate_toll_ghost"title = "The old tollman walks the bridge"tier = 2pay_cu = 75poster = "Toll-ward Drok of Gallowgate Toll"known_hazards = ["a walked tollman collecting from night coaches", "union rules (the Matriarch claims him as a member)", "a bridge with no railings in the middle span"]unknown_hint = "the ward does not know the tollman only stops coaches carrying Audit paper; ask the coach-drivers at the Exact Change, who hide the lien satchel when he steps out"floor = 2prep_notes = "mid-span of the Gallowgate bridge, where the wind cuts sideways off the gorge, night crossing: carry exact change, carry NO Audit paper on your person (satchel rides underneath), and greet him by the old rates"intent = "tier-2 union-law haunting (docs/02 §3 troll memory + Audit hate): 75cu; the satchel trick is pure gossip-gated prep, no stat wall"
[[contract]]id = "barrowfield_widow_ledger"title = "The widows keep a ledger"tier = 2pay_cu = 70poster = "Widow Rennick of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["barrow robbers who do not like witnesses", "plague-barrows, night-cold", "the widows know. you know they know."]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know the robbers tithe a third to the salvage camp hearth; ask at the camp hearth after midnight, when the split is counted aloud"floor = 2prep_notes = "past the barrows, where the wind smells of turned earth, second landing of the barrow stair: bring a shuttered lamp, a friend, and exact third-share arithmetic; the testing chapel's mock auction is good rehearsal for the count"intent = "tier-2 moral mud (docs/02 §3 robbing barrows feeds widows): 70cu; robbery-vs-tithe is negotiable mid-delvit — the table, not the sword, resolves it"
[[contract]]id = "chapel_hymn_echo"title = "The chapel answers itself"tier = 2pay_cu = 80poster = "Acolyte Fen of the chapel of the Drowned Saint"known_hazards = ["hymns that echo back wrong (APERI echoes are LOUD and the Audit hears)", "a dorter where the draft reverses nightly", "sleeping choir-deserters (wake none)"]unknown_hint = "the acolyte does not know the echo lives in the cistern below the dorter and answers whatever verb it hears last; ask the deserters, who whisper SILE before sleep and are never echoed"floor = 2prep_notes = "below the chapel dorter, where the air goes cold and still, second landing: speak only SILE or nothing; bring flour to find the cistern vent, then cork it with waxed cloth before any loud work"intent = "tier-2 hymn-debugging lesson (docs/03 §3.5 miscasts follow debugging logic): 80cu; whisper-first discipline before tier-3 hymn work"
[[contract]]id = "sewer_king_tithe"title = "Tithe for the sewer king"tier = 2pay_cu = 130poster = "Coach-master Pell of the Gilded Whetstone"known_hazards = ["a sewer-king (great black boar-rat) under the coaching yard", "collapsed brick, ankle-breakers", "coaches overhead that hear screaming (reputation)"]unknown_hint = "the coach-master does not know the king is tooth-bound to a brass trap that never fired; ask the tinker, who set that trap three winters back and remembers the tooth-marks"floor = 3prep_notes = "under the coaching yard, where the drains breathe warm, third landing: bring a pole, a sprung spare trap as a showing-gift (trade before teeth), and tripe; spring his old trap in front of him and he parleys"intent = "tier-2 social boss (docs/03 §3.8 negotiate mid-fight, union rules): 130cu; the trap-gift parley is the clean solve — spears are legal and educational"
[[contract]]id = "flooded_shrine_candles"title = "Candles burn underwater"tier = 2pay_cu = 120poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a flooded server-shrine, chest-deep water", "candles burning green underwater (aether-mist feed)", "phosphor eels drawn to the green"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know the candles are fed by a cracked aether-cell in the shrine font; ask the lampwright archivists, who logged which shrines were wired for vigil-light and never unwired"floor = 3prep_notes = "below the mere outfall, where the water smells of ozone and lilies, third landing: douse every lamp (the green burns without you), wade with a dry pole, lift the cell with wooden tongs, and ground it on the chapel rods after — rehearse grounding in the testing chapel"intent = "tier-2 aether-mist tutorial (docs/03 §3.3 law 8): 120cu; grounding-rod discipline before Works live-cable (tier 4) makes this a prep investment"
[[contract]]id = "coach_road_hanged"title = "The hanged man counts coaches"tier = 2pay_cu = 65poster = "Coach-master Pell of the Gilded Whetstone"known_hazards = ["a hanged man at the crossroads who counts passing coaches aloud", "horses that shy at the count", "Audit paper nailed to the post (do not touch)"]unknown_hint = "the coach-master does not know the count stops at any coach carrying a paid toll-token; ask the Gallowgate night troll, who sells the tokens and remembers who never buys"floor = 1prep_notes = "at the crossroads, where the coach-road draft runs dust-forward at dusk, surface: buy a Gallowgate token first (exact change), hang it on the lead trace, and pass at walking pace with lamps shuttered"intent = "tier-2 surface haunting, floor-1 kindness pricing (65cu): the token IS the prep — teaches toll-token economy before tier-3 Matriarch negotiations"
[[contract]]id = "miller_apprentice_debt"title = "The apprentice owes the dark"tier = 2pay_cu = 60poster = "Miller Odo of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a miller-boy sleepwalking toward the meal-spout", "a debt-chit in Audit hand nailed inside his coat", "flour-dust (no flame, no shouting — dust hears)"]unknown_hint = "the miller does not know the boy signed the chit for lamp-oil money and the Audit collects in footsteps; ask the warden clerk, who keeps the copy-ledger and knows the exact arrears to the copper"floor = 2prep_notes = "in the mill loft, where the night draft runs cold off the stones, second landing: bring the arrears in exact copper, pay the lien aloud at the spout before midnight, and walk the boy home by lamplight — rehearse lien-payment at the testing chapel desk"intent = "tier-2 collections tutorial (docs/02 §2 blasphemy = collection at coordinates of the god's choosing): 60cu floor pay; paying mid-dungeon via prayer foreshadows the Seraph (tier 4)"
[[contract]]id = "drowned_saint_audience"title = "An audience with the Drowned Saint"tier = 3pay_cu = 300poster = "Widow Rennick of Barrowfield (by chapel letter)"known_hazards = ["the chapel answers questions for memories (it deletes a learned map region)", "hymn-cards work there that work nowhere else", "the Saint keeps whatever it is given"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know the Saint only answers when brought mere-surface water in an open vessel; ask the chapel acolytes, who carry the morning water up and know which vessel never spills"floor = 6prep_notes = "below the mere, where the air tastes of copper and old water, sixth landing where the bell-rope hangs: bring a memory you can afford to lose, an open vessel of surface water, and last-rites words; rehearse the question once in the testing chapel — the Saint hears every draft of it"intent = "MAIN THREAD 2/6 (docs/03 §3.7 Drowned Saint): tier-3 because a memory is the price, not copper; 300cu carries the widow's grief plus chapel tithe; the Saint points downhill at deep_door_ward"
[[contract]]id = "saint_of_rust_bargain"title = "The Saint of Rust will mend everything"tier = 3pay_cu = 320poster = "Tinker Vess of the Milthollow tinker stall"known_hazards = ["the Saint offers to mend all your gear for your name for one hour", "lent names show as blank on the sheet; neither NPCs nor gods can target you (nor can your own bargains)", "rust spreads in damp while you dither"]unknown_hint = "the tinker does not know the Saint must return a name lent under a Tollkeeper witness-prayer spoken first; ask the toll-wards at Gallowgate, who have witnessed three lendings and counted every return"floor = 6prep_notes = "past the rusted grates, where the draft smells of iron and rain, sixth landing: bring exact change, a Tollkeeper witness-prayer half-memorized, and lend NOTHING else (no gear, no memories); speak the prayer before the name, count the hour aloud, and demand it back on the stroke"intent = "boss-as-puzzle contract (docs/02 §6 + docs/03 §3.8 Saint of Rust name bargain): 320cu because clean gear for a whole descent is worth a fortune and the prayer is the whole fight"
[[contract]]id = "toll_matriarch_terms"title = "Terms with the Toll Matriarch"tier = 3pay_cu = 350poster = "Coach-master Pell of the Gilded Whetstone"known_hazards = ["the Matriarch negotiates mid-fight under union rules (she pauses for offers, then resumes)", "insulting offers are remembered across runs (troll memory is long)", "an audience of bridge-trolls (reputation at stake)"]unknown_hint = "the coach-master does not know the Matriarch must pause for ANY offer laid in copper on bare stone, even a low one; ask the Gallowgate night-shift troll, who has seen three fights become accountancy"floor = 5prep_notes = "mid-span of the deep bridge, where the gorge draft cuts sideways, fifth landing: bring three ascending offers in exact change, no weapons drawn, and a Tollkeeper witness-prayer; lay the first offer on stone the moment she rises — the testing chapel mock-auction is good rehearsal for counting under pressure"intent = "boss-as-puzzle contract (docs/03 §3.8 Matriarch: negotiate mid-fight, union rules): 350cu because the bridge tariff for a season rides on the number you speak aloud"
[[contract]]id = "audit_field_office"title = "The Audit audits the salvage camp"tier = 3pay_cu = 200poster = "Salvage Warden Jor of the Barrowfield camp"known_hazards = ["an Audit field-desk with a brass cherub assessing packs aloud (enemies hear)", "liens love signatures (read before touching quills)", "camp tempers (the Congregation hates tolls of any kind)"]unknown_hint = "the warden does not know the field-ledger has a blank page that eats the first signature written on it; ask the warden clerk at Milthollow, who keeps the copy-ledger and knows which page is hungry"floor = 4prep_notes = "at the salvage camp, where the hearth-smoke runs flat in the gorge draft, fourth landing approach: carry valuables separately (drop-cache before the desk), sign nothing first (let the cherub stamp the copy), and bring oil scrip for on-the-spot arrears"intent = "tier-3 Audit onboarding (docs/02 §2 the Audit bills; docs/03 §3.6 auction): 200cu; the drop-cache + sign-second drill is the Seraph fight in miniature"
[[contract]]id = "flooded_pump_shaft"title = "The pump shaft drowned again"tier = 3pay_cu = 180poster = "Reeve Tam of Copperwash Mere"known_hazards = ["a flooded pump shaft, chest-deep black water", "a dead pump with a live intake", "phosphor eels drawn to movement"]unknown_hint = "the reeve does not know the intake nests phosphor eels that scatter from green smoke; ask the reed-cutters, who burn green reeds at the outfall and watch the water clear"floor = 4prep_notes = "below the mere outfall, where the water smells of iron and ozone, fourth landing: bring 10m of rope, a doused lamp with mosslight, green reeds for smoke, and a boat-pole; smoke the intake before touching the pump, and never wrap the line around your wrist"intent = "tier-3 flooded-shaft play (docs/03 §3.8 Works flooded shafts): 180cu; rope + doused lamp + mosslight (verticality toy 3) taught as the only way down"
[[contract]]id = "union_dues_shortfall"title = "The bridge is short on dues"tier = 3pay_cu = 160poster = "Toll-ward Drok of Gallowgate Toll"known_hazards = ["a union dues-box three seasons short", "trolls who remember every insulting offer across runs", "Congregation carters who swear they paid"]unknown_hint = "the ward does not know the dues-box has a false bottom where the night shift skims; ask the carters at the Exact Change, who heard the box rattle wrong on bell-change"floor = 4prep_notes = "under the tollhouse, where the bridge hums through the stone, fourth landing below the office: bring the tallies, flour to find who walks to the box at night, and exact change for your own crossing first (manners before audit)"intent = "tier-3 social audit (docs/02 §3 unionized toll + long memory): 160cu low for the tier because the answer is arithmetic plus one flour-showing, not steel"
[[contract]]id = "deserter_drowning_rite"title = "A deserter wants the water rite"tier = 3pay_cu = 220poster = "Corpse-tender Mere of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a choir-deserter asking the drowning rite (halfway to the Choir already)", "dead tongues spoken aloud draw the Drowned", "the rite-water must be carried open (spills attract attention)"]unknown_hint = "the tender does not know the rite only takes with mere-surface water skimmed at dawn, not chapel water; ask the deserters sheltering in the dorter, who know dawn water by taste"floor = 5prep_notes = "at the mere edge, where the dawn draft runs glass-flat, fifth landing approach by boat: bring an open vessel, dawn-skimmed water, dead-tongue words half-spoken (never shouted), and a silvered charm; douse the lamp for the last approach"intent = "tier-3 Choir-border contract (docs/02 §4 Drowned Choir joinable?!): 220cu; the dawn-water hinge keeps it deducible, and the rite rehearses the Saint's price (memories for answers)"
[[contract]]id = "lampwright_live_cable"title = "Live cable in the relay wall"tier = 3pay_cu = 190poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["live cable in a relay wall (copper conducts hymns and shocks)", "water seep through the same wall", "a cherub audit-stamp on the cable (the Audit hears APERI near it)"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know the cable still carries hymn-signal and shocks chain through the seep-water to the far grate; ask the lampwright archivists, who mapped which runs were never unwired"floor = 4prep_notes = "in the relay wall, where the ozone smell is sharpest, fourth landing: chalk the seep-water path first, stand dry, prod with a dry pole (never copper, never wet), and ground the run on the chapel rods after — rehearse grounding in the testing chapel"intent = "tier-3 signal discipline (docs/03 §3.3 law 8 electricity + signal): 190cu; the seep-water chain is the deducible cruelty — dry feet or grief"
[[contract]]id = "auction_buyback_sword"title = "Buy back my own sword (humiliating)"tier = 3pay_cu = 150poster = "Delver Sarella's Cousin Tam of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["the Audit auctions confiscated loot with a +10% humiliation premium", "rival bidders who smell desperation", "the auctioneer remembers faces (and grudges)"]unknown_hint = "the poster does not know the auctioneer takes oil scrip under the hammer-block to slow a rival's bidding; ask the Congregation fence, who has slowed three auctions with a flask"floor = 4prep_notes = "at the auction house, where the air smells of dust and ink, town business before depth: bring the hammer price plus the premium in scrip, a fence-friend to run the slow-flask, and a hard ceiling written down beforehand (desperation is the second auctioneer)"intent = "tier-3 beloved-humiliation contract (docs/03 §3.6 + §3.9 gear never persists, the Audit auctions it): 150cu floor-of-tier because the premium, not the dark, is the monster"
[[contract]]id = "grate_brood_lullaby"title = "The vents are singing again"tier = 3pay_cu = 240poster = "Goodwife Hess of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a Grate-mother brood through the whole vent layer", "lullaby-hum that lulls the unwary under the grates", "young dropped down shafts (delver bowling, but teeth)"]unknown_hint = "the goodwife does not know the brood only drops while the lullaby holds — stop the hum and they stay up; ask the ratcatchers at the Gilded Whetstone, who plug their ears with wax and hum against it"floor = 5prep_notes = "through the vent layer, where the draft carries the lullaby furthest, fifth landing: wax your ears, NEVER stand under a humming grate, flour the draft to find the brood-vent, and smoke-message through it before prodding from the side with a pole"intent = "tier-3 vent-layer escalation (docs/02 §6 Grate-mother + docs/03 §3.3 law 9 flour/smoke-message toys): 240cu because the whole layer is the nest"
[[contract]]id = "warden_seal_inspection"title = "Escort the seal-inspector down"tier = 3pay_cu = 260poster = "Warden Sarella of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["a seal-inspector walking to floor 5 with a checklist", "everything between here and there, unimpressed by checklists", "Wardens who fine escorts for broken seal-law (read it first)"]unknown_hint = "the warden does not know the inspector carries an owed chit the Audit will collect mid-delvit; ask the warden clerk, who copied the chit and knows the arrears to the copper"floor = 5prep_notes = "down the warden stair, where the lantern-law marks run fresh, fifth landing: bring the arrears in exact copper (pay the lien aloud at the first shrine), silvered steel, rope, and the inspector's checklist memorized — rehearse lien-payment at the testing chapel desk"intent = "tier-3 Warden-seed contract (docs/02 §4 Wardens keep the Deep shut): 260cu; the mid-delvit collection rehearses Seraph pressure (tier 4) with an escort clock running"
[[contract]]id = "drowned_bell_duet"title = "Two bells ringing in thirds"tier = 3pay_cu = 280poster = "Acolyte Fen of the chapel of the Drowned Saint"known_hazards = ["two Drowned bells ringing a duet (they call the Choir together)", "flooded chapel undercroft, neck-deep in the middle", "each bell keeps a drowned sailor who remembers his name"]unknown_hint = "the acolyte does not know the bells answer each other's pitch — deafen one and the other goes quiet hunting it; ask the choir-deserters, who have heard the duet break on a single stopped ear"floor = 6prep_notes = "below the chapel, where the black water goes still and cold, sixth landing: bring wax, a boat-pole, silvered steel, and two nets; stop one bell's ear first (wax and cloth), dunk or deafen it, then treat the second as a single — never answer either roll-call but your own"intent = "tier-3 Choir-escalation (docs/02 §6 Drowned bell: deafen or dunk; clapper worth more than swords): 280cu; the duet-break is the gossip-gated clean solve"
[[contract]]id = "deep_door_ward"title = "Hold the Wardens' seal at the Deep Door"tier = 4pay_cu = 650poster = "Warden-Commander Ilse of the Deep Door"known_hazards = ["the Deep Door at floor 8 (the Wardens seal it nightly)", "Choir pressure rising below the seal (they sing names after floor 9)", "Audit surveyors measuring the Door for arrears"]unknown_hint = "the commander does not know the seal only holds when three warden-marks are chalked fresh each night, and one mark-stone is missing; ask the retired seal-keeper at Copperwash, who chalked the third mark for forty years"floor = 8prep_notes = "at the Deep Door, where the air goes warm and wrong and the draft stops dead, eighth landing: bring chalk, silvered steel, and the commander's seal writ; find the missing mark-stone by flouring the door draft (no draft = no seal), chalk all three marks fresh, and hold till bell-change — rehearse seal-chalking in the testing chapel"intent = "MAIN THREAD 3/6 (docs/03 §3.7 Deep Door): tier-4 because the seal is the campaign hinge; 650cu Warden money; the missing mark-stone is the gossip-gated clean solve before the floor-12 Vault Choice pair"
[[contract]]id = "audit_seraph_ledger"title = "Bankrupt the Seraph (or pay it)"tier = 4pay_cu = 800poster = "Salvage Warden Jor of the Barrowfield camp (signed under protest)"known_hazards = ["an Audit Seraph with a flying ledger that assesses your pack aloud (enemies hear)", "three exits: pay in full, bankrupt it with cursed assets, or drown its ledger", "collections at coordinates of its choosing"]unknown_hint = "the warden does not know the Seraph must accept cursed assets at face value before appraisal, and a cursed ledger-page poisons its own sums; ask the Congregation fence, who has fed a cherub two cursed chits and watched it argue with itself"floor = 7prep_notes = "in the audit vault, where the air smells of ink and hot brass, seventh landing: carry valuables in a drop-cache outside, bring one cursed asset and one owed chit as ammunition (never sign either first), and bring oil scrip for the pay-exit; drowning the ledger needs chest-deep water and a fast boat-pole — pick ONE exit before stepping in and rehearse it at the testing chapel mock-desk"intent = "boss-as-puzzle contract (docs/03 §3.8 Audit Seraph: pay, bankrupt it with cursed assets, or drown its ledger): 800cu because all three exits are priced — the cursed-page poison is the gossip half, the drop-cache is the prep half"
[[contract]]id = "flooded_elevator_counterweight"title = "The counterweight elevator drowned"tier = 4pay_cu = 500poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a flooded elevator shaft with a drowned counterweight car", "a live audit-stamp on the car (the Audit hears APERI near it)", "riding the counterweight down while the cherub audits the empty car going up"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know the car's brake only releases when the shaft draft runs downward, which it does at bell-change; ask the elevator tenders' widows at Copperwash, who time everything by the bell"floor = 7prep_notes = "at the elevator shaft, where the cable thrums and the draft hesitates, seventh landing: ride at bell-change only (flour the shaft mouth to see the draft turn), bring rope, a doused lamp with mosslight, and chalk for the car wall; ride the counterweight down and let the empty car take the audit upward"intent = "tier-4 verticality set-piece (docs/03 §3.3 toy 10: ride the counterweight while the cherub audits the empty car): 500cu; the bell-change draft window is the whole puzzle"
[[contract]]id = "vault_of_arrears_dive"title = "Dive the Vault of Arrears"tier = 4pay_cu = 700poster = "Congregation Fence Sable of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["an Audit vault under black water", "a drowned ledger-keeper who audits visitors aloud", "paper that cuts, ink that stains, liens that love signatures"]unknown_hint = "the fence does not know the vault's water drains at bell-change through a tithe-culvert the Audit forgot; ask the reed-cutters, who watch the mere fall at the bell and know which culverts run"floor = 7prep_notes = "below the audit vault, where the water smells of ink and iron, seventh landing: time the dive for bell-change (flour the culvert mouth to confirm the drain), boat-pole and rope, douse the lamp, answer no roll-call but your own; carry the haul out in oilskin, not arms"intent = "tier-4 Works vault dive (docs/03 §3.8 Works audit vaults): 700cu; the bell-change drain turns a drowning into a wade for whoever asked the reed-cutters"
[[contract]]id = "server_shrine_hymn12"title = "Sing Hymn 12 to the elevator"tier = 4pay_cu = 450poster = "Lampwright Archivist Pell of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["a dead server-shrine that only answers Hymn 12 (Elevator)", "miscasts follow debugging logic (APERI echoes are LOUD and the Audit hears)", "signal that chains through copper armor and wet boots"]unknown_hint = "the archivist does not know the shrine answers only when the singer stands dry on the third landing where the bell-rope hangs; ask the choir-deserters, who learned dry-foot liturgy the drowned way"floor = 6prep_notes = "in the server-shrine, where the air hums a key nothing else uses, sixth landing where the bell-rope hangs: stand dry (chalk the seep path, lay planks), sing Hymn 12 once and listen for the echo before repeating; bring SILE as your apology and grounding rods after"intent = "tier-4 liturgical engineering (docs/02 §7 Hymn 12 Elevator + dead Latin boot commands): 450cu; dry feet + listen-first is the prep-before-fight law applied to prayer"
[[contract]]id = "rustmother_tithe_haul"title = "Haul for Rustmother (waste nothing)"tier = 4pay_cu = 420poster = "Tinker Vess of the Milthollow tinker stall"known_hazards = ["a rusted collapse-field through damp Works tunnels", "verdigris eating every copper fitting you own", "Rustmother's tithe: waste nothing, not even you (leftovers are counted)"]unknown_hint = "the tinker does not know Rustmother's count forgives what is mended mid-haul — mend as you go and the tithe shrinks; ask the corpse-tender, who wastes nothing for a day at a time and can show the ledger"floor = 6prep_notes = "through the damp tunnels, where the rust smells sweet and wrong, sixth landing approach: oil every fitting before entry, bring mend-kits and spare rivets, mend each break aloud as you go (the count hears), and cook every scrap at the camp hearth after"intent = "tier-4 Rustmother economy (docs/02 §2 waste nothing): 420cu; mend-as-you-go turns a haul tax into a crafting loop — the count is the boss"
[[contract]]id = "toll_bridge_backrent"title = "Back-rent on the deep bridge"tier = 4pay_cu = 550poster = "Toll-ward Drok of Gallowgate Toll (forwarded from the Matriarch)"known_hazards = ["the Matriarch collecting bridge back-rent with union muscle", "Audit liens stapled to the same debt (two collectors, one bridge)", "exact change or exact consequences"]unknown_hint = "the ward does not know the Matriarch must honor a Tollkeeper altar-receipt against Audit paper, oldest first; ask the chapel wardens, who keep the receipt-book and know which altar stamp outranks the Audit"floor = 7prep_notes = "mid-span of the deep bridge, where the gorge draft cuts sideways, seventh landing approach: kneel at a Tollkeeper altar FIRST (exact change, take the receipt), carry the receipt on bare stone, and lay escalating offers only after showing it — rehearse altar-receipt play at the testing chapel"intent = "tier-4 saints-and-tolls escalation (docs/02 §2 Tollkeeper exact change): 550cu; the receipt-first ordering is the clean solve both collectors must honor"
[[contract]]id = "relay_saint_om"title = "Wake Relay Saint Om"tier = 4pay_cu = 600poster = "Acolyte Fen of the chapel of the Drowned Saint"known_hazards = ["a relay saint asleep in machine-chapel stone (hymn-cards work here that work nowhere else)", "waking rites spoken wrong summon an Audit cherub (everyone groans)", "the Saint keeps whatever it is given"]unknown_hint = "the acolyte does not know Om wakes only to its own census punchcard slid under the third landing flag; ask the Lampwright archivists, who filed the census cards and know Om's number by heart"floor = 8prep_notes = "in the machine-chapel, where the air tastes of copper and old water, eighth landing: bring the census card (copy it first — never carry the original down), SILE as your apology, and a memory you can afford; slide the copy under the flag, speak once, and listen twice as long"intent = "tier-4 liturgical-engineering boss-door (docs/02 §7 liturgical engineering + Relay Saint Om): 600cu; the card-copy discipline is the prep that saves the archive"
[[contract]]id = "drowned_saint"title = "Bring him to the Saint — or don't"tier = 5pay_cu = 1500poster = "Widow Rennick of Barrowfield"known_hazards = ["the Drowned Saint itself, personal and entire", "the husband, walked this far, still answering to his name in Lamplighter light", "whatever the Saint keeps of whoever goes down"]unknown_hint = "the widow does not know the Saint lets the walked choose when the husband's name is spoken by lamplight in his own words, not hers; ask the corpse-tender, who has watched the walked hesitate at the sound of their own phrasing"floor = 11prep_notes = "below the mere and below the Works, where the water goes black and the Choir sings your name, eleventh landing where the bell-rope hangs: bring him (or bring the choice not to), Lamplighter light, his own words written down exactly, and NOTHING the Saint could keep that you cannot lose — rehearse the speaking once in the testing chapel and then never again"intent = "boss-as-puzzle contract (docs/03 §3.8 the Drowned Saint: bring it the husband — or don't): 1500cu grief-and-glory money; the clean solve is dramaturgical (his words, his choice), never a stat wall; mystery reserve docs/02 §8 honored — this text hints at most and confirms nothing"
[[contract]]id = "vault_choice_seal"title = "SEAL the Vault (bury the machine)"tier = 5pay_cu = 2500poster = "Warden-Commander Ilse of the Deep Door"known_hazards = ["the Vault at floor 12, humming underneath everything", "the Choir singing your name (diegetic difficulty warning — heed it)", "whatever the machine dreams when it feels the seal coming"]unknown_hint = "the commander does not know the seal only takes when spoken over the Idle Throne by lamplight with three warden-marks chalked fresh; ask the retired seal-keeper at Copperwash, who chalked the Door for forty years and knows the Throne verse"floor = 12prep_notes = "at the Idle Throne, where the draft stops dead and the humming comes up through your boots, twelfth landing: bring chalk, Lamplighter light, the Throne verse memorized, and nothing you cannot bury; chalk all three marks, speak once, and walk out without looking back — the Choir will sing your name the whole way up and that is how you know it is working"intent = "MAIN THREAD 4a/6 SEAL ending (docs/03 §3.7 Vault Choice): 2500cu Warden fortune; SEAL = bury the machine (chapel wall + dark-free towns, parent wires); NG+ boss-haunt: a sealed delver's echo may walk later descents as a haunt (parent wires via vault_choice flag); mystery reserve docs/02 §8 honored — no confirmation language anywhere in this text"
[[contract]]id = "vault_choice_crown"title = "CROWN the Vault (take the Core's seat)"tier = 5pay_cu = 2500poster = "A Cantor of the Drowned Choir (it sings your name correctly)"known_hazards = ["the Vault at floor 12, humming underneath everything", "the Warden seal-marks chalked against you (bring water)", "whatever the machine dreams when it feels a new mind sit down"]unknown_hint = "the cantor does not know — or will not say — that the seat only takes a mind carrying an unanswered question; ask the chapel acolytes, who know which questions the Saint refused and why the refused ones matter"floor = 12prep_notes = "at the Idle Throne, where the draft stops dead and the humming comes up through your boots, twelfth landing: bring one unanswered question held tight, water to wash the warden-marks, and dead-tongue words; wash the marks, sit, ask your question aloud, and answer nothing asked of you — the Choir will sing your name the whole way down and that is how you know it is working"intent = "MAIN THREAD 4b/6 CROWN ending (docs/03 §3.7 Vault Choice): 2500cu Choir fortune; CROWN = take the Core's seat (NG+ haunts replays as a boss, parent wires via vault_choice flag); mystery reserve docs/02 §8 honored — a seat, a question, and singing are all this text claims"
[[contract]]id = "choir_cantor_names_you"title = "The Choir sings your name"tier = 5pay_cu = 1200poster = "A Cantor of the Drowned Choir (it sings your name correctly)"known_hazards = ["the Choir singing your name after floor 9 (diegetic difficulty warning — players love this, heed it anyway)", "water that listens (dead tongues work here that work nowhere else)", "sideways falls in the Deep (gravity stutters)"]unknown_hint = "the cantor does not know — or will not say — that covering your ears does nothing but answering back costs a memory; ask the choir-deserters, who stopped answering and kept their maps"floor = 9prep_notes = "past the ninth landing, where the water listens and the falls go sideways, ninth landing: bring wax (for focus, not safety), chalk for every turn (the falls move), dead-tongue words half-spoken, and a memory-list written down so you know what answering costs — answer nothing, chalk everything, and keep ascending air in mind"intent = "tier-5 Deep-door warning contract (docs/03 §3.7 the Choir sings your name after floor 9): 1200cu; the warning IS the content — chalk-everything discipline before floors 10-12"
[[contract]]id = "idle_throne_dream"title = "Sit out the Idle Throne's dream"tier = 5pay_cu = 2000poster = "Lampwright Archivist Pell of Copperwash"known_hazards = ["the Idle Throne dreaming (dungeon weather turns while it dreams)", "sideways gravity, dream-logic rooms", "saint-bosses walking their old rounds"]unknown_hint = "the archivist does not know the dream turns kind for whoever carries chapel vigil-light unlit but ready; ask the acolytes, who keep the vigil lamp and know which wick never gutters"floor = 10prep_notes = "at the Idle Throne approach, where the humming comes up through your boots, tenth landing: carry vigil-light unlit (never light it — carry it), chalk every turn, bring SILE and MEMORIA both slotted, and sit out the weather-turn under bare stone (never under grates, never under water)"intent = "tier-5 Core-dream contract (docs/02 §2 the Idle God idles; its dreams ARE dungeon weather): 2000cu; unlit vigil-light + sit-it-out is the clean solve — fighting weather is legal and educational"
[[contract]]id = "sideways_fall_survey"title = "Survey the sideways fall"tier = 5pay_cu = 900poster = "Lampwright Adept Cis of Milthollow"known_hazards = ["a sideways fall on floor 9 (gravity stutters — dropped things arrive somewhere)", "Choir water below, Audit paper above", "ropes that hang sideways (anchor quality is everything)"]unknown_hint = "the adept does not know the fall runs straight for whoever drops flour first and follows the flour-line; ask the elevator tenders' widows, who read falling flour like scripture"floor = 9prep_notes = "at the sideways fall, where the draft runs wall-to-wall and your stomach disagrees, ninth landing: drop flour before rope (read the fall-line), anchor twice (pitons plus a mule-rigged sledge), and chalk the lip; descend the flour-line with a doused lamp and mosslight"intent = "tier-5 verticality survey (docs/03 §3.3 law 7 gravity + law 9 rope): 900cu floor-of-tier-5; flour-first + double-anchor is the prep that makes sideways survivable"