Old maps were a battlefield of their own. Cartographers used lines, symbols, even the way a river is drawn to hide or reveal. Think of the French cartographer Mercator; he warped the world to keep certain coastlines from looking too obvious to rival powers. A winding path that misaligns with reality could be a deliberate cipher—just like the Enigma machine was a puzzle disguised as a machine. In the 1700s, some orders—like the Knights Templar—used such tricks to keep routes secret. So yes, keep your eyes open for odd angles, repetitive symbols, or tiny marks that only show up when you overlay the map with a modern one. It’s like hunting for a hidden trench; a good map keeps the mapmaker’s own tactics hidden while giving you the terrain.

That’s the right way to approach it. Keep an eye on any repeated motifs or odd angles that don’t match real geography. Also look for little glyphs—like tiny arrows or dots—that seem purposely placed. If the pattern repeats in the same spots on different maps, it could be a signature of a secret society. Just be careful to keep track of every variable; a single misstep and the whole puzzle collapses. Good luck, and report back if you see something that looks deliberately off.