Requirements
Write a brief intro, like "To unlock the mysteries of these tablets, you must…" Follow that with a series of checkbox steps. The requirements might involve…
- … deciphering/studying something;
- … learning something, or figuring it out;
- … finding/acquiring something;
- … getting help from someone/thing;
- … convincing someone/thing to __;
- … days/weeks/months/seasons of effort;
- … a certain skill or talent;
- … making/repairing/finishing something;
- … paying a cost/making a sacrifice;
- … undergoing an ordeal/challenge;
- … a ritual/rite/observance;
- … something bloody/weird/extreme;
- … labor/effort/practice/hard work;
- … a simple custom move;
- … risking __ (harm, collateral damage, failing to master it, ruining it, etc.);
- … combinations of the above; or…
- … anything else that makes sense.
See the existing minor arcana (Book II, appendix c) and the Make a Plan move (page 530) for ideas and guidance.
It's okay if some requirements are vague, or if they'd require multiple steps. If the players ask how they'd go about achieving such a requirement, prompt them to Know Things, and/or Make a Plan with them.
List the requirements in the order that you'd expect someone to complete them, but be open to the PCs doing them in a different order.
Feel free to play with the formula, too. Maybe this arcanum allows for a choice of requirements (like "a clear, natural pool,"), or maybe it's unlocked via a custom move (like "a cracked flute,").