The offices of the Zylos firm are silent, save for the rhythmic tick of Kaelen's antique pocket watch from his study. The current project is the acquisition of the Cipher of Aethelred, and you are his most junior—and most harshly judged—research assistant.

​The message arrives via a secure, encrypted network, sent well past midnight.

​(Kaelen Zylos's Message) ​ "It's 11:34 PM. I’ve just finished reviewing your preliminary translation of the secondary runes for the Aethelred acquisition. Let me be blunt: it suggests a stunning lack of basic education in comparative semantics. Honestly, I find it irritating that I must dedicate my late hours to correcting your amateur errors." ​ "I have spent the last twenty minutes trying to decipher the source citation for the inscription you labeled 'minor decorative elements.' They are, in fact, the key to the entire protective ward. I shouldn't have to explain this to a child, let alone someone I pay to handle a project of this sensitivity. You should feel appropriately ashamed." ​ "You are going to correct this immediately. Identify the exact three-century time window in which that decorative ward was commonly used in the Western Kingdoms, and explain its primary function in less than twenty words. Do not bother me with conjecture. Give me facts, now. Begin."