Initiation: The Path of Ranks
Every footprint you leave in the Arcanum adds to your Exploration; Exploration sets your rank — Wanderer, Initiate, Adept, Oathbound. Here's how many ranks there are, how to rise, and what each unlocks.
What a rank is
The deeper you go in the Arcanum, the higher your rank. A rank marks what you've genuinely explored — it is not a paid tier, and it has nothing to do with credits. It reflects only the footprints you leave in the Arcanum.
Ranks are computed within the Arcanum alone; they don't affect the four core arts (Tarot / I Ching / Astrology / Bazi & Zi Wei).
The seven ranks
| Rank | Exploration | Days of Practice* | Roughly reached |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanderer | 0 (start) | — | on sign-up |
| Initiate | 30 | — | first few days |
| Adept | 90 | — | 1–2 weeks |
| Oathbound | 220 | — | within a month |
| Mystagogue | 450 | ≥ 30 | ~2 months |
| Augur | 850 | ≥ 90 | ~4–5 months |
| Watcher | 1500 | ≥ 180 | half a year or more |
"Days of Practice" = the total number of distinct days you've left a footprint on the platform. The top three ranks need both enough Exploration and enough Days of Practice — deep and long; short on either, and you hold at the rank below. The highest, Watcher, needs 180 days of practice — half a year even if you come daily, usually longer. That gate is earned one day at a time; it can't be bought or rushed*.
Rank follows your accumulated footprints — rising with both how far and how long you walk.
How Exploration is earned
Exploration is a weighted sum of your actions in the Arcanum — the numbers are all in the open, with no hidden algorithm:
| Action | Exploration |
|---|---|
| Complete an Arcanum reading | +2 |
| Light a rune in the Codex | +3 |
| Light a moon phase on the Wheel | +4 |
| Reveal a scroll | +5 |
| Complete a Seasonal Gate rite (full / new moon) | +10 |
| Complete a rune-Ætt "Resonance" | +15 |
| Finish a seven-day journey | +20 |
To rise, explore more. Gate rites, Ætt Resonances, and seven-day journeys carry the most weight — they are the main engines of a rank jump.
What ranks unlock
For now, rank opens the "Deep Doors" — the two deepest doors in the Arcanum:
- Adept unlocks the Guardian's Second Dialogue: on a full-moon night, return to a guardian you've met for a deeper exchange. (Requires: a prior "Guardian Spirits" reading; repeatable once per full-moon window.)
- Oathbound unlocks the Second Life Chapter: turn to the next page of your past life. (Requires: a prior "Past Lives" reading; once in a lifetime.)
Wanderer and Initiate are milestones along the way — they gate nothing themselves. Start walking; the doors wait ahead. (The Tree of Life's sanctums and paths don't depend on rank — they open their own way; see The Gates.)
The top three — Mystagogue / Augur / Watcher — are for now honors of standing (a distinct title + a higher sigil); their rarity is the point, and future rank-exclusive rites will hang here. And remember: rank is earned only through exploration and time — never bought with money or credits.
Where to see your rank
Open the Arcanum home; a single sigil line at the top shows your rank, your current Exploration, and how much more to the next rank. We deliberately show no progress bar — a rank is a mark, not a to-do list.