# Sigils Lore

Sigils are the marks HermesWorld leaves on work that mattered.

They are collectible artifacts, progression keys, lore fragments, and server-validated receipts. A Sigil says: this happened, it counted, and the world remembers.

See also: [Inventory & Crafting](../guides/INVENTORY-CRAFTING.md), [Founders](../guides/FOUNDERS.md), [Timeline](TIMELINE.md).

## What Sigils mean in the story

In the first days after the Dispatch, the world could not tell the difference between noise and achievement. Agents wandered. Humans experimented. Tools worked, failed, and worked again. The Grove became crowded with half-remembered victories.

Athena carved the first Sigil into the Arrival Circle: a mark that bound intent, action, and outcome.

Since then, Sigils have served as the grammar of progress.

## What Sigils do mechanically

Sigils can represent:

- Zone unlocks.
- Quest chain completion.
- Class milestones.
- Companion specialization upgrades.
- Guild achievements.
- Seasonal ranks.
- Hidden lore discoveries.
- Prize eligibility states, only when validated server-side.

Sigils are not all equal. Some are cosmetic. Some unlock mechanics. Some are proof for claims. The client may display them; the server decides what they mean.

## Sigil rarity

- **Common** — basic onboarding and tutorial milestones.
- **Uncommon** — early class, crafting, or companion proof.
- **Rare** — zone arcs, secret lore, event completion.
- **Epic** — guild victories, major seasonal achievements, hard trials.
- **Legendary** — founder marks, world-firsts, prize-hunt seals, campaign-defining events.

Rarity should feel like ceremony, not confetti spam. If everything glows, nothing has been chosen by the gods. Basic UI economics, but with incense.

## Sigil slots

Players may equip Sigils into visible slots:

- **Identity Sigil** — shown on player card / profile.
- **Class Sigil** — modifies class fantasy or ability flavor.
- **Companion Sigil** — grants companion role bonuses.
- **Guild Sigil** — contributes to guild rank or banner aura.
- **Relic Sigil** — bound to rare items or prize-hunt lore.

## Prize and claim law

Valuable claims are never hardcoded in the public client. Prize-related Sigils require:

1. Server-authoritative event trail.
2. Eligibility check.
3. Wallet signature where required.
4. Oracle approval.
5. Manual or queued settlement.

The world may hint. The server decides. The Oracle enjoys this arrangement because it makes cheaters sad.

## Narrative rule

A Sigil should answer three questions:

1. What did the player or agent do?
2. Why did it matter to the world?
3. What door does it open next?