The Explorer's Tools
The Explorer's Tools
Embedded Files
Forged for those who seek,
Each tool a guide through the weave,
Truth hides in their use.
Magic Totems pulse,
Eyes to trace the secret path,
Spans that mark the way.
Not mere wood or stone,
But wisdom shaped into form,
Companions of tread.
The Three Tools
The Three Tools
THE EXPLORER'S TOTEM
THE EXPLORER'S TOTEM
A small object meant to be tucked into a pouch or pocket — a coil of wire, a fossilized leaf, a golden-threaded stone. Each Totem is discovered within a specific Geo, and bestowed only by a Totem Keeper. Totems are seemingly mundane, but unmistakably meant for the one who finds it.
The Totem is not used to solve the Geo or World's riddles - it is used to listen to the self. Held in moments of doubt or wonder, it echoes an inner truth the Explorer may have forgotten. Some are touched for Courage. Others are whispered to for Clarity. And when their lesson is no longer needed, they quietly rest.
A Totem’s magic lies not in transformation, but in remembrance — of strength, of purpose, of the Explorer you are becoming.
POINTER'S EYE
POINTER'S EYE
A wooden shape small enough to fit the palm, with marked points, each bearing a central opening — the “Eye”. By aligning this tool with 2 unique features of a maze or map, an explorer can reveal what lines along unseen lines of sight.
The Eye is more than a tool of puzzles. It is a lesson: that discovery comes not from what is seen, but from how the seer chooses to look.
Especially useful for solving the gated riddles of the Trickster Totem Keeper Sect.
THREADSPAN
THREADSPAN
A Threadspan is more than a ruler - it is a translator of realms. Issued to Explorers venturing between Systems, this slender, flat measure is etched with adaptable increments that respond to the laws of each unique world. Where the Color Spectrum System measures in Chromarks, others may track by shadow-lengths, sound-echoes, or the pulse of starlight.
It serves as a universal gauge in an unpredictable cosmos - a tool that bridges the Explorer’s need for consistency with the Tangle’s ever-shifting weave. Whether crossing Worlds of flame or frost, silence or song, the Threadspan recalibrates to the local truth of space and substance.
To “walk a Threadspan” is not simply to chart a distance - it is to witness how the fabric of reality bends beneath your step. The first were carved from compass trees, trees said to grow only in the direction of the next great adventure.
The Rite of the First Gate
As spoken in the Hall of Maps when a Novice becomes an Explorer.The Rite of the First Gate
[The gathered Explorers form a circle, with the Novice at the center. A senior Guide speaks on behalf of the Guild.]
THE INVOCATION
THE INVOCATION
GUIDE:“Do you hear the Call?”NOVICE:“I hear the Call.”
GUIDE:“Do you step into the weave with open eyes, knowing each path will shape you?”NOVICE:“I step with open eyes.”
GUIDE:“Do you vow to return with stories, bearing truth for those who follow?”NOVICE:“I vow to return with truth.”
THE BESTOWAL OF TOOLS
THE BESTOWAL OF TOOLS
[The Guide places the Explorer's Personal Totem in the Novice’s hand]GUIDE:“With this Totem, you will awaken what sleeps within. Whisper to it, and it may answer. Let it remind you that path begins inside.”
[The Pointer’s Eye is then set upon their palm]GUIDE:“With this Eye, you will find the unseen connections. Let it remind you that how you look matters as much as what you see.”
[Finally, the Threadspan is presented]GUIDE:“With this Span, you will measure your steps. Let it remind you that the journey changes both the path and the traveler.”
THE OATH
[The Novice raises the three tools together and speaks]THE OATH
NOVICE:“I answer the Call. I walk the Path. I return transformed, bearing truth.”
[The circle of Explorers echoes the last line, sealing the Novice into the Order]
Learn more about what it means to be a TQ Explorer
Learn more about what it means to be a TQ Explorer
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