- Sign In
Cipher Deck
Cipher Deck
Rotating validation device
Loading image…
type:
Mechanical authenticator; pocket device
rarity:
uncommon
material:
brass plates; hardened pins; ebony sliders; mica window
dimensions:
9 × 5 × 1.5 cm
weight:
180 g
origin:
legality:
Licensed under guild charter; controlled use in archives
Cipher Deck is a handheld authentication tool used to generate rotating validation marks for bonded records. It pairs with a Ledger Signet to unlock sealed files at the Counting House and counters along Vesper Quay. Brokers like Scillia Doge employ it for hush contracts and cargo audits under oversight from Harbor Wardens led by Ilex Marr.
Description
- Form: Palm-sized deck with interlocking brass plates, numbered wheels, and sliding ebony tabs beneath a mica readout window.
- Interface: Dial wheels set a base series; tabs advance the internal pins to display a short alphanumeric key in the window.
- Seal Sync: When keyed, the deck imprints a micro-groove pattern onto warmed wax; a matched Ledger Signet completes the impression.
- Safeties: Spring gate locks prevent accidental tab shifts; a telltale pin flags misalignment from tampering.
- Carry: Felted leather sleeve to mute rattle on the counting floor; lanyard eye for coat-loop tethering in Vesper Quay crowds.
Type / Category
- Category: Access device; cipher authenticator; archival tool.
- Users: Guild clerks, bonded brokers, and escorted visitors at the Counting House.
- Interfaces: Lockplates on archive drawers; wax seals; counter registers.
Stats / Effects
- Validation Code: Generates a rotating 4–6 glyph key recognized by Silver Ledger registries.
- Paired Use: When used with a Ledger Signet, grants read access to bonded manifests and current tariff flags.
- Anti-Forgery: Counterfeits suffer disadvantage on verification checks; misaligned pins produce a blackened wax edge.
- Lockplate Action: Pressed to approved plates reveals current audit tier and inspection windows.
- Jam Risk: On mishandling or grit intrusion, 10% chance to jam; clearing requires a steady hand and tools.
Usage / Crafting / Requirements
- Issuance: Assigned to bonded members in good standing with the Silver Ledger; tracked by serial and registry slip.
- Operation: Warm wax; set base series; advance tabs to current cycle; press deck, then seal with the Ledger Signet.
- Verification: Wardens under Ilex Marr compare the window code and wax micro-grooves at the counter.
- Maintenance: Brush out grit; oil sparingly; recalibrate pins quarterly at the Counting House Wax Room.
- Crafting: Not public; guild machinists assemble from gauged plates and coded pin sets; failed tolerances are scrapped.
- Restrictions: Unlicensed possession draws fines and temporary quay bans in Vesper Quay.
Lore / Background
- Standardization: Adopted after the Lantern Truce to curb forged manifests moving between neutral piers and the Silver Ledger.
- Archive Vaults: The Archive Vault in the Counting House uses rotating cipher slots keyed to the deck’s current cycle.
- Gray-Market Pressure: The Gutter Syndic circulates look-alikes; most fail the wax-edge and heat tests.
- Field Practice: Brokers such as Scillia Doge keep a travel deck tuned for night-market filings along Vesper Quay.
Image Gallery
Loading image…
A cipher device set beside wax sticks in the Counting House
Loading image…
A female broker keying the deck before sealing a contract at the lantern docks
Loading image…
A male harbor warden verifying a code against a counter register
Loading image…
Archive drawers unlocking as the deck’s code is accepted
Related Characters / Mobs / Scenes
Variants
- Clerk-Issue Deck: Simplified wheels; limited to two-digit cycles for front-counter use.
- Vaultmaster Deck: Heavier plate stack with sealed screw heads; adds emergency override pin for deep archives.
- Cutout Replica: Syndic-made copy with soft brass pins; passes casual glance, fails heat and edge tests.