Quill Cabinet: Word Trails, a Night-Time Word Hunt

About Quill Cabinet: Word Trails

Once a year the Quill Cabinet, a society of letter-writers who have met in secret for two hundred years, hides a scavenger hunt across the whole city by night. You ride the last tram with a hunt card in your pocket, and at every district a desk is waiting under a street lamp: three notes pinned to the board, each with a word missing, and a tray of ink stamps.

The stamps are near-synonyms, and here is the trick: every one of them fits ONE note best. Brief, fleeting and prompt all mean short, but only one of them suits a mayor’s speech, a comet’s glimpse or a fast reply. Sort the stamps onto the notes, swap them as often as you like, then seal the desk. Every stamp scores its own fit for the note it sits on.

A perfect desk raises your ink, which multiplies the next one. A good desk earns a wax seal, and every seal raises the Cabinet’s own desk at the end of the line. Sort a desk perfectly without the lamplight and the district’s landmark unfolds out of the city plan as a paper pop-up, drawn in gold ink by a flying quill. Every trail runs under one night’s rule: a clear night, a foggy night with a decoy stamp, or a full moon when the ink runs double. There is no clock; a trail takes five to eight minutes, and your progress stays on this device.

How to play

On the tram map, pick one of the two districts at each junction. You can see the whole line ahead.
At a desk, lift an ink stamp from the tray (tap it, or press 1 to 4), then tap the note it fits best (or press A, S, D or F).
Swap stamps as often as you like. When every note has one, press Seal: each stamp scores its fit out of 100.
A perfect desk raises the ink (the multiplier); a desk averaging 70 or more earns a wax seal.
Every trail ends at the Quill Cabinet, a desk of four notes; every seal you pressed raises its points.
Sort a desk perfectly without the lamplight (the one-per-trail hint) and its landmark rises from the map.

Controls

Tap a district on the tram map, or press 1 or 2 — ride there
Tap a stamp, or press 1 to 4 — lift it; tap a note, or press A, S, D, F — set it there
L — the lamplight hint; Enter on Seal — seal the desk
Arrow keys or D-pad — move between notes and stamps; Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How are the stamps scored?

Every stamp has its own fit for every note, out of 100. The same word can be exact on one note and poor on the next, so think about where each one belongs before you seal.

What are the ink and the seals?

A perfect desk raises the ink, which multiplies the points of the next desk. A desk averaging 70 or more presses a wax seal, and each seal raises the Quill Cabinet’s desk at the end of the trail by a quarter.

What changes from night to night?

Each trail has one rule: a Clear Night, a Foggy Night with a decoy stamp that fits no note best, or a Full Moon when perfect desks raise the ink twice as fast.

Is there a clock?

No. Take your time. Today’s trail, the daily challenge, is the same map and the same night for everyone.