![[trial-of-the-forgotten-code.png|banner]] > [!infobox|static wmed] > # `=this.file.name` > ![[trial-of-the-forgotten-code.png|cover hsmall]] > > ###### 📜 Quest Identity > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Quest Type | `=this.questtype` | > Status | `=this.status` | > Location | `=this.location` | > Region | `=this.region` | > Starting Location | `=this.startinglocation` | > Known Objective | `=this.knownobjective` | > Known Reward | `=this.knownreward` | > Public Risk | `=this.publicrisk` | > > ###### ⛩️ Associated Places > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Associated Locations | `=this.associatedlocations` | > > ###### 🌒 Related Events > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Associated Events | `=this.associatedevents` | > > ###### 👥 Associated Groups > Type | Stat | > ---|---| > Associated Groups | `=this.associatedgroups` | ## Overview The Trial of the Forgotten Code was the anniversary challenge announced during the [[Ten Year Anniversary Festival]] in [[Iga Ueno]]. It was presented as a once-in-a-lifetime event connected to [[Torii Mori]], a shrine that had stood sealed since the launch of [[Eternal Night]]. The trial promised a relic, a reward from the city, and recognition within the Lodestone Chronicle for the first party to claim the prize. Adventurers, players, and rival groups were drawn toward the road to [[Torii Mori]], believing they were entering a special event designed for glory and competition. After the [[Twilight Fracture]], the Trial of the Forgotten Code is no longer remembered as a simple anniversary challenge. It is remembered as the transformation of [[Yureihara]] ## Public Announcement The trial was announced by [[Hiroshi the Herald]] beside the [[Lodestone Notice Board]] in [[Lodestone Plaza]]. The announcement told the crowd that: - The trial was part of the Ten Year Anniversary celebration - [[Torii Mori]] had opened - A relic waited within - Each party would walk its own path - The first party to claim the relic would earn the shrine's prize, the reward of the city, and recognition in the Lodestone Chronicle The announcement caused excitement to ripple through the plaza. To most present, it sounded like glory. To those who looked closer, something felt wrong. ## Known Event Rules The trial was described as a challenge for parties of Marebito and adventurers. Known rules included: - Parties enter separately - Each party walks its own version of the trial - Other groups cannot interfere once inside - The first party to claim the relic wins - The nature of the relic is unknown - The temple may close without warning - There is no known strict time limit The trial was not presented as a race of pure speed. The wording suggested endurance, judgment, and worthiness mattered more than simply reaching the shrine first. ## Road to the Trial The path to the trial began in [[Iga Ueno]] and led toward [[Torii Mori]]. ## Torii Mori [[Torii Mori]] was the heart of the trial. For ten years, the shrine could be seen but not entered. Players, pilgrims, and wanderers visited its grounds only to find the temple doors sealed and silent. During the Ten Year Anniversary Festival, the gates opened for the first time. The shrine presented a series of ritual spaces, tests, and strange signs, rewarding observation, reverence, caution, and respect for sacred thresholds. ## Public Understanding To most people in [[Iga Ueno]], the Trial of the Forgotten Code was an anniversary spectacle. It was a public challenge offered by the city, announced through the Lodestone, and tied to the long-sealed mystery of Torii Mori. Common beliefs included: - The trial was an official anniversary event - The relic was a rare prize - The first successful party would gain fame - The challenge was dangerous but fair - Torii Mori had opened because the time had finally come - The Lodestone Chronicle would record the victors Most people did not understand that the trial might be connected to a larger instability. ## Signs of Danger Even before the full disaster, the Trial of the Forgotten Code carried signs that something was wrong. Known warning signs included: - The [[Lodestone Notice Board]] flaring strangely during the announcement - Reports of prior teams returning different - Reports that some teams had not returned - System messages that appeared and vanished before they could be recorded - Warnings connected to [[Torii Mori]] - The shrine opening without force or ritual - Glitch-like behavior inside the shrine - Sacred spaces responding as if they were watching the party These details suggest that the trial was never only a festival challenge. ## Current Status The Trial of the Forgotten Code is considered disrupted by the [[Twilight Fracture]]. The public may still speak of it as an anniversary event, but those who experienced the aftermath know that its meaning has changed. The trial was the path that led from celebration into crisis, from festival excitement into the first visible fracture of the world. No one outside the most informed circles fully understands what the trial revealed. For now, the trial remains tied to unanswered questions. ## Known Questions - Why did [[Torii Mori]] open after ten years? - Who or what authorized the trial? - Was the relic real? - Was the trial part of the original game? - Why did the Lodestone react during the announcement? - What happened to earlier teams? - Why did some return different? - Was the trial meant to test the Marebito or release something? - Did the trial cause the [[Twilight Fracture]], reveal it, or simply happen at the same time? ## Adventure Role The Trial of the Forgotten Code is the adventure hook that pulled the party from festival celebration into the deeper mystery of [[Yureihara]]. It began as a public challenge and became the bridge between the ordinary systems of [[Eternal Night]] and the changed reality after the [[Twilight Fracture]]. It should be remembered as the moment the game offered a prize, but the world demanded a cost.