This chapter organises what your characters can know — and how. Information in the campaign is divided into four tiers by depth and method of access. Tier 1 and 2 represent what characters learn through background, observation, and ordinary skill checks. Tier 3 and 4 represent what players earn through sustained investigation and trust.
The GM context for Tiers 3 and 4 — including campaign secrets — is visible to GMs in the collapsed sections below. Players should not read those sections.
The Four-Tier System
| 1 |
Common Knowledge |
Anyone, no check required |
Public facts; what Varenholders discuss openly |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 12–14 History or Investigation, or relevant background auto-unlock |
Context and detail; what educated or well-connected people know |
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 16–18, plus relevant background, faction trust, or document access |
Hidden context; what specialists know; NPC personal information that isn’t secret but isn’t volunteered |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
DC 20+, plus specific trust threshold or item discovery |
Core campaign revelations; the moral center of the campaign |
Backgrounds auto-unlock Tier 2 in their relevant topics without rolling — see crafting-and-professions.md for the full list. A Sage character starts knowing Corven’s official biography and the Spire’s public theories. They do not automatically know Tier 3 or 4.
Faction trust can substitute for high die rolls. A player who has invested deeply in the Restorers may learn Edoran’s Tier 3 material because Edoran tells them — not because they rolled well.
The three-clue rule applies: every Tier 3 and Tier 4 revelation has at least three routes to discovery, not a single high-stakes roll.
The Eight Topic Tables
Each topic below shows the Tier 1 and 2 rows you can learn through normal play. The GM context for Tiers 3 and 4 is in the collapsed sections.
1. The Twilight / The Ritual
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
Fifty years ago, Archmagister Corven Ash performed the Ritual of Eternal Dawn at the Ashring plaza. It was intended to amplify sunlight permanently. It failed. Corven died. Ten children were born from the backlash — the Dawnborn. The sun was replaced by permanent twilight. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 12 History; or Sage/Acolyte background |
The ritual had twelve formal steps and required the Primer Stones positioned at the Ashring’s edge. Corven had developed the Solar Hypothesis for decades. The Spire approved his research but not the final ritual execution. The High Penitent of Auris granted conditional approval; the conditions were not fully met. The official record calls the outcome “a miscalculation.” |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: The Twilight / The Ritual
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 17 History + Theron or Isolde consultation; or access to Archive restricted section |
The failure mechanism was not a miscalculation in the ordinary sense. The energy the ritual was meant to channel through the site instead lodged in the Dawnborn as Lux Anchors. The Primer Stones were not ceremonial — they were activation points. The scorch marks at the Ashring are not damage; they are the permanent impression of where the Lux energy discharged. An inversion path exists and is documented, but none of the Spire’s three competing teams has confirmed what it requires. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Corven’s sealed letter (shelf 4-17-3, Archive); or DC 20 + Theron’s full trust |
Corven knew his anchor mechanism calculations might be wrong. The night before the ritual, he wrote to himself: “If I am wrong about the anchor mechanism, the children will not emerge as symbols. They will emerge as the cost.” He proceeded anyway because he believed the anchoring effect would be reversible — that the Dawnborn could be freed by reversing the Primer Stone sequence. He was wrong about this too. The inversion path requires all ten Dawnborn to stand willingly at the Primer Stones within a six-second window. The destructive path — any forced version — kills all ten and releases the energy uncontrolled. Corven did not know this. |
2. The Dawnborn
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
The Dawnborn are ten people born during the Night of the Ritual. They appear younger than their fifty years. Each has unusual abilities connected to light and warmth. They live primarily in the Dawnhalls. They are respected by some, resented by others, revered by the Restorers. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 13 History or Insight; or extended conversation with any Dawnborn |
Each Dawnborn’s abilities are distinct: Sera Voss’s warmth aura, Tomas Areth’s precision with light calculations, Lira Anwick’s medical intuition. They age, but slowly. They treat each other as family without using the word. They avoid discussing their own futures in specific, consistent ways. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: The Dawnborn
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 16 Arcana + Spire access; or Tomas’s or Sera’s trust |
The Dawnborn are Lux Anchors — they carry the energy that was meant to amplify the sun. What appears to be ability is Lux energy bleeding through. They are slowly degrading. The term “extinguished” refers to a Dawnborn whose Lux energy has depleted. It doesn’t mean their light goes out. It means they die. Tomas has calculated the asymmetry: five primary anchors (Sera, Tomas, Ysel, Lira, Petra) each carry approximately twice the energy load of the other five. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Tomas’s Asymmetry Journal (Session 4 riddle); or Sera’s direct trust at maximum |
The inversion path releases the Lux energy safely into the solar mechanism — but only if all ten stand at the Primer Stones simultaneously, willingly. Any forced version takes the destructive path: all ten die, energy releases uncontrolled. The Dawnborn who have worked this out are Sera (who has known longest), Tomas (who calculated it), and Lira (who suspects but hasn’t confirmed). None of them have told the others. None of them have told the players. Corven believed the anchors would be freed without loss of life. He was right about the inversion outcome. He was wrong about believing he could document the path well enough to guarantee it. |
3. Grey Sickness
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
The grey sickness is a wasting condition affecting a large portion of Varenhold’s permanent residents. It causes fatigue, emotional withdrawal, and eventually death. It does not spread between people. It seems to develop from long-term exposure to twilight conditions. Lira Anwick’s compound slows its progression. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 12 Medicine; or Folk Hero/Acolyte background |
Three stages: Stage 1 (fatigue, fog, flat mood; affects ~60% of the population; often not identified as illness), Stage 2 (cognitive slowing, emotional blunting, visible physical symptoms; ~20% of population), Stage 3 (care-dependent, terminal; 2–3 year median survival; ~5–8%). Lira’s compound costs 3 writs/month and slows Stage 1–2 progression. It doesn’t cure. The Healers’ Guild and Morthis clergy jointly staff the care houses. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: Grey Sickness
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 16 Medicine + Healers’ Guild access; or Lira’s trust |
The grey sickness is a deficiency condition — the absence of specific solar-spectrum radiation that the body uses for certain regulatory processes. Lira’s compound substitutes marsh oil derivatives and magnesium for the missing solar-spectrum input. This is why it works: it isn’t magic, it’s nutritional chemistry. The reason it can’t scale: Lira doesn’t fully understand her own formula, and an impure batch accelerates Stage 2 progression rather than slowing it. Two confirmed acceleration cases from black market versions. She is aware of both. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Sevra Dain’s trust (DC 20 or extended relationship); or statistical analysis of full Healers’ Guild records |
People who spend significant time regularly near a Dawnborn progress through Stage 1 at one-third the normal rate. Stage 2 slows but does not halt. Stage 3 patients show no effect. Sevra Dain knows this correlation and has not published it — the implication is uncomfortable. If the correlation reflects a real mechanism, then the Lux energy the Dawnborn carry is partially compensating for the absent solar spectrum. It further implies that if the Dawnborn die in the inversion ritual, the energy release might have a lasting healing effect on the grey sickness population — beyond simply restoring the sun. Sera does not know this. Tomas suspects it and has not confirmed. Lira would find it unbearable to learn. Do not give this to players until they have earned the full weight of what it means. |
4. The Factions
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
The six major factions: City Council, the Restorers (ritual advocacy), the Desperate (protest and reform), the Healers’ Guild, the Spire Scholars, the Merchants’ Compact. Each has a stated public position. The Reckoning is a rumored extremist splinter of the Restorers. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 13 History or Persuasion; or Noble/Criminal background |
Council: Chancellor Ostenveld maintains public neutrality while the councillors split privately between pragmatists (resolve the ritual on any terms) and moralists (consent of the Dawnborn is required). The Restorers’ visible leader is Brother Edoran, who lost his daughter to grey sickness. The Desperate’s demands center on ritual resolution and compound access. Saret Onn of the Merchants’ Compact has active ties to the Arveth Compact. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: The Factions
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 16 Persuasion + specific faction access or trust |
Restorers: Three internal factions — the Grieving (personal loss), the Idealists (principled advocates), the Fanatics (willing to use force). Edoran controls both the Grieving and the Fanatics. He is not above strategic deception. Desperate: Led in the Lowmark by a woman named Nessa; organized around the food network crisis; the Grain Measure ledgers are their most powerful tool. They will accept partial victories but have a clear trigger for violence: if food rationing is announced, Nessa loses control of the moderate wing. The Reckoning: Real, not a rumor. Led by Harran, who left Varenhold in Year 8 after his son showed Stage 1 symptoms. His son died at 22 in the Dusk Parishes. The Reckoning has operated for twelve years. Harran believes peaceful approaches have been tried long enough. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Specific trust thresholds or deep investigation per faction |
Edoran’s secret: His daughter Annem died in Year 44 at age 17 of grey sickness. Edoran believes that any ritual resolution — the Dawnborn freed, the sun restored, or the energy released in any form — would retroactively make her death meaningful. He is not rational about this. He will sacrifice himself and, if necessary, others. He has not examined whether this is true. Harran’s critical error: He has obtained detailed ritual documents and believes the Dawnborn can be forced into the Inversion Circle. He is wrong about the mechanics. Without willing participation within the six-second window, the ritual takes the destructive path. All ten die. Harran does not know this. No one has told him. The players may choose whether to. |
5. The Ashfen Clans
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
The Ashfen Clans live in the southern marsh territories. They trade marsh oil, plant compounds, and occasional crafted goods with Varenhold. They are considered by most Varenholders to be insular, superstitious, and not particularly sophisticated. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 13 History; or Hermit background |
The Clans are organized into territorial groups with specific marsh knowledge and tradition. They have an oral tradition predating Varenhold’s founding. They have controlled their marsh oil supply with considerable intelligence — prices have tripled over fifty years as Varenhold’s dependency became undeniable. Erem is a Wadewalker, a specific Clan role serving as outward-facing diplomat and information broker. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: The Ashfen Clans
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 17 History or Arcana; or Erem’s trust |
The Clans’ oral traditions about the Night of the Ritual are more accurate than the Spire’s academic records. Their oral accounts use metaphor, but the metaphor maps closely to the actual Lux Anchor mechanism. The Spire has consistently dismissed these accounts as superstition. The Clans recognized what the Dawnborn were immediately. They chose not to volunteer this to Varenhold because no one asked them in a way that made clear they wanted to know. Erem will tell anyone who asks respectfully and listens fully. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Erem’s deep trust; hearing all five oral histories in sequence |
The fifth oral history, “The Return Song,” is a ritual chant sung when the Clans believe something is about to be restored. It was last sung the night before the Ritual of Eternal Dawn — fifty years ago. The Clans did not know the ritual would go wrong. The song describes a sequence that maps closely to the Inversion Circle’s requirements: ten voices, one moment, willing. The Wadewalker tradition has been waiting for someone to ask about it for fifty years. Erem will not bring it up unprompted. He will answer completely if asked. |
6. The Ritual Mechanics
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
The Ritual of Eternal Dawn failed fifty years ago. The Dawnborn were created in the aftermath. Some believe it can be reversed; the Restorers say so. The Spire has been studying it for fifty years without a confirmed solution. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 13 Arcana or History; or Sage background |
The Primer Stones at the Ashring’s edge were part of the original ritual configuration. A documented inversion path exists — a theoretical reversal sequence. The Spire has three competing theories about what it requires. None have been tested. Tomas Areth has published work suggesting the asymmetry between the Dawnborn (some carry more Lux energy than others) makes a simple simultaneous inversion more complicated than it appears. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: The Ritual Mechanics
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 17 Arcana + Spire access; or Tomas’s trust |
The 12-step ritual breakdown: each step was designed to amplify then channel solar energy through the Ashring. The inversion path requires the Lux Anchors — the Dawnborn — to be present and willing at the Primer Stones. Partial versions produce unstable results: three willing anchors produce localized release that helps no one, five anchors produce a surge that damages the weaker ones, ten produce either the inversion (if willing) or destructive release (if forced). Tomas’s asymmetry calculation: the five primary anchors (Sera, Tomas, Ysel, Lira, Petra) each carry twice the load of the others, making their cooperation more critical than the remaining five. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Corven’s sealed letter + Tomas’s Asymmetry Journal + Corven’s Final Entry (Session 5 riddle) |
The six-second timing window: all ten Dawnborn must activate their respective Primer Stones within six seconds. A single activation outside this window takes the ritual to the destructive path. Inversion success means the Lux energy releases into the solar mechanism; the twilight ends; the Dawnborn are freed of what makes them extraordinary. They become ordinary people. None of them know this. Corven believed it would be painless and complete. On this point, he was right. |
7. Trade and Economy
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
Varenhold exports amber lanterns and greywheel cheese; imports food, wine, and dye goods. Currency is marks, writs, and amber script. The city’s economy has declined over fifty years but remains functional. The Merchants’ Compact manages most formal trade. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 12 History or Persuasion; or Sailor/Merchant background |
Full currency details and the credit-writ system. Which roads carry what goods. The black market exists and is accessible to anyone who asks the right way. The food stores are at 40% capacity. The amber workshops are paradoxically Varenhold’s most successful industry — more productive than before the twilight, but with compressed margins and reduced workforce. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: Trade and Economy
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 16 History + Merchants’ Compact access; or Saret Onn’s trust |
The specific agreements Saret Onn maintains with Arveth Compact partners. What the Compact will do if the ritual succeeds: renegotiate Varenhold’s trade status from emergency partner to full partner; property values in Varenhold would increase significantly within five years. What the Compact will do if the ritual fails indefinitely: withdraw the credit-writ guarantee, effectively collapsing Varenhold’s formal credit economy within months. The amber workshops’ true financial state: Guild Master Helv Onn is covering a 15% supply shortfall with reserves. She hasn’t disclosed how long the reserves will last. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Wess’s ledgers (full access) + Saret Onn’s deep trust |
The food stores will hit 20% capacity in approximately four months at the current rate. At 20%, the Dawnhalls move to rationing — one meal per day, restricted to households with children and grey sickness patients. When rationing is announced, Nessa loses control of the Desperate’s moderate wing. This is not speculation; she has said so, privately and publicly. The campaign has a real-world clock. Track it. Let it pressure the timeline. The players should feel it even if they don’t know the specific number. |
8. Corven Ash
| 1 |
Common |
Anyone |
Archmagister Corven Ash was the most brilliant solar scholar of his era. He believed he had found a way to permanently amplify the sun’s light. He died the night of the ritual. He is considered a tragic martyr by most Varenholders — a man who meant well and failed catastrophically. The Restorers treat him as a saint. |
| 2 |
Informed |
DC 12 History; or Sage background |
Corven had been developing the Solar Hypothesis for thirty years before the ritual. He trained a generation of Spire scholars, including Theron Waide’s predecessor. He requested High Penitent approval five years before the ritual; approval came with conditions that were not fully met. His personal papers are restricted in the Archive. His wife Nara stayed in Varenhold after his death, worked as a teacher, and died of Stage 3 grey sickness in Year 15. She never spoke publicly about him. When students asked, she said: he meant well. So do most people who make things worse. |
GM Only — Tiers 3 & 4: Corven Ash
| 3 |
Expert |
DC 17 History + Theron’s partial trust; or Archive restricted section access |
Theron Waide found documents in Year 11 suggesting Corven had doubts about his anchor mechanism calculations. Theron chose to say nothing. He believed the documents were incomplete and that publicizing them would destroy the ritual advocacy movement that Varenhold needed psychologically to survive. The High Penitent’s conditional approval required three safeguards that were not met at the time of the ritual. |
| 4 |
Campaign Secret |
Corven’s sealed letter (shelf 4-17-3 in the Archive; discovered via Session 5 riddle trail) |
The full moral weight of the campaign rests here. Corven knew he might be wrong. His note to himself, written the night before the ritual: “If I am wrong about the anchor mechanism, the children will not emerge as symbols. They will emerge as the cost.” His sealed letter explains that he believed the anchoring effect would be reversible — that the Dawnborn could be freed by simply reversing the Primer Stone sequence. He was wrong about this too. The campaign secret is not that Corven was a villain. It is that he was a brilliant, careful man who knew the risk, believed he could fix it if he was wrong, proceeded anyway — and the cost was not borne by him. It was borne by ten people who had no choice in the matter. |
Quick Reference: Tier DCs by Check Type
| 1 |
Automatic |
Automatic |
Automatic |
Automatic |
Automatic |
| 2 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
12 |
13 |
| 3 |
17 |
16 |
17 |
16 |
16 |
| 4 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
Tier 4 DCs should almost never be reached by a single roll. They represent the combination of roll + trust + discovery. A natural 20 with no context earns a hint that something significant exists — not the full revelation.
GM Only — Three Routes to Every Secret
The three-clue rule applied to this campaign’s Tier 3 and Tier 4 revelations:
| Corven’s sealed letter |
Shelf 4-17-3 trail from Session 5 riddle |
Theron’s trust (Tier 3 → direct disclosure) |
Session 1 notation key cipher leads to archive location reference |
| Harran’s identity |
Reckoning defector (supporting NPC) |
Research into old Varenhold departure records (Year 8) |
Nessa in the Lowmark mentions a man named Harren without knowing it’s relevant |
| Edoran’s daughter |
Restorer Grieving members know her name |
Death records in Morthis care house archives (Year 44) |
Edoran himself, at maximum trust, during Session 4 or 5 |
| Grey sickness proximity effect |
Sevra Dain’s trust (long-term relationship) |
Statistical analysis of Healers’ Guild intake records |
Tomas, if players ask him directly about the grey sickness and he trusts them |
| Inversion timing window |
Corven’s sealed letter |
Tomas’s Asymmetry Journal (Session 4) |
Ashfen oral history #5 (“The Return Song”) via Erem |
| Dawnborn mortality cost |
Tomas’s Asymmetry Journal combined with Session 5 events |
Sera’s direct trust at maximum |
Corven’s sealed letter describes the reversal as “painless” — players can ask what that implies |