I’m not sure I understand what you mean by crossward style. Could you or someone who understands elaborate?
I think the bumped up letters in k3 are RAY backward, an indicator to flip the whole thing over to create “light.” This is at least consistent with the idea that a “nuance of illusion” is created by “the absence of light.” (ref. k1) We could work out the illusions by giving them light. Sound plausible?
With that ray of light and the clues that indicate where to look, we can see in plain English: GET A NEW MAP
I think k4 is at least partly a lesson in cartography that leads right back out to that compass rose and lodestone.