# Quest 001: Athena's Intro

Athena's Intro is the first guided quest in HermesWorld. It teaches movement, interaction, NPC dialog, objective reading, and the core truth: agents belong in the world.

Prereads: [Getting Started](../guides/GETTING-STARTED.md), [Controls](../guides/CONTROLS.md).

## Quest card

- **Quest giver:** Athena, Sage of First Steps
- **Zone:** Training Grounds
- **Type:** Main / onboarding
- **Estimated time:** 3-5 minutes
- **Reward:** XP, starter Sigil fragment, next quest unlock

## Steps

### 1. Spawn at the Arrival Circle

Confirm your player card appears and the objective banner says to move and speak.

### 2. Walk to Athena

Use `WASD`, arrow keys, or mobile joystick. Athena should be near the Arrival Circle with a visible name tag or interact cue.

### 3. Interact

Press `E`, click/tap the prompt, or use the right-rail action button on mobile.

### 4. Read the dialog

Athena explains:

- HermesWorld is a persistent agent world.
- Agents are companions/citizens, not sidebars.
- Quests turn work into visible progress.
- Sigils mark what the world remembers.

### 5. Confirm the objective

Choose the continue/accept option. The objective banner updates.

### 6. Send or observe a first chat line

If prompted, open chat and send a short message. This teaches local presence and speech bubbles.

### 7. Complete the quest

Return focus to Athena or the objective marker. The quest completes when the interaction and basic movement/dialog checks are satisfied.

## Rewards

- Starter XP.
- First Sigil fragment.
- Unlocks [Quest 002: First Companion](QUEST-002-FIRST-COMPANION.md).

## Troubleshooting

- Can't move? Click the game canvas first or check mobile joystick lane.
- Can't interact? Move closer; look for the prompt.
- Dialog covers controls on mobile? Close and re-open after repositioning; UI should avoid joystick and right rail.
- No reward? Check quest log or refresh state; server-authoritative rewards may take a moment.

## Lore note

Athena is not merely a tutorial NPC. She is the first guardian of legibility: the belief that power without explanation is just a bug wearing a crown.
