You enter a round temple vestibule where soot-dark pillars lean inward around a waist-high brass apparatus. Three controls gleam in the emberlight: a tiny bell beneath a demon’s mouth, a pair of scales, and a red-glass socket beside an iron lever. Warm air smells of burnt sugar and old coins. A low pulse travels through copper channels in the floor whenever you approach, and the socket brightens briefly as if waiting for a final command.
You step into a circular temple vestibule, where a brass apparatus stands beneath a soot-black arch. A tiny bell, a pair of scales, and an iron lever surround a red-glass socket. Warm air carries the smell of burnt sugar and old coins. Copper lines in the floor give a faint, rhythmic pulse beneath your feet.
The controls are sturdy and can be touched without immediate danger. The brass plate is written in Common and Infernal. The bell gives a soft answering note when struck; the scales shift when something is placed on them; the red socket glows when the lever is moved.
Let players inspect and discuss freely before the first mistake. If they stall, offer the plate’s wording or the bell’s answering chime as a clue. After two failed sequences, make the socket’s pulse visibly point back toward the bell, then let them try again without further damage.
You enter a round temple vestibule where soot-dark pillars lean inward around a waist-high brass apparatus. Three controls gleam in the emberlight: a tiny bell beneath a demon’s mouth, a pair of scales, and a red-glass socket beside an iron lever. Warm air smells of burnt sugar and old coins. A low pulse travels through copper channels in the floor whenever you approach, and the socket brightens briefly as if waiting for a final command.
The operating plate is easy to read in Common or Infernal. Characters who inspect the controls notice that the bell, scales, and lever are connected by copper channels, while the red socket remains dark until the mechanism is activated.
The order of the terms is the order of the hands.
The characters can operate the controls in any order, but the mechanism opens only if they complete the three stages in sequence: ring the Caller, place a small object in the Scales’ slot or pan, then pull the Seal lever. No check is needed to perform these actions or read the plate. On a correct first action, the bell answers with a second chime; on the correct second action, the scales level and the copper channel to the socket glows; on the final action, the socket turns gold and the way forward opens. A wrong action produces a red flash and triggers the failure outcome, then the apparatus resets after 1 minute. The object placed on the scales is returned when the mechanism opens.
Touching any of the three controls wakes the apparatus. It begins tracking the order of the characters’ actions.
| DC | Check | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Investigation | Notice that the three controls have distinct wear patterns and that the engraved sequence describes their intended order. |
| 12 | Arcana | Recognize that the ember-lit channels are a three-stage magical circuit, and that activating the seal before the other stages will ground the circuit. |
| 13 | Perception | Hear the bell’s faint answering chime and see the scales twitch before the seal is engaged, confirming the apparatus responds in stages. |
No hint given yet.
The red socket turns gold, the apparatus gives a resonant three-note chime, and the sealed temple door slides open. The offered object is returned with a small brass seal impressed upon it.
The socket flashes and releases a harmless but painful pulse. Each creature within 10 feet makes a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 fire damage on a failure or half as much on a success. The controls reset after 1 minute, and the party can try again. The pulse also briefly illuminates the copper channels, making their route easier to follow.
The infernal architect Vhalzura built this threshold apparatus for a temple where petitioners bargained with a bound devil. It enforced the terms of every audience: the petitioner had to be called, the demanded price weighed, and the bargain sealed. After the temple was abandoned, the mechanism continued to accept offerings, but its warding now treats careless operation as an attempted breach of contract.
For a party struggling with the hazard, remove the fire damage and make a failed attempt merely reset the apparatus with a flash and a loud chime. For a more dangerous temple, increase the failed-sequence damage to 2d6 fire, but do not raise the puzzle DCs.
Do not require a skill check to understand the plate or operate the controls. Checks reveal context and confirm observations, but the players should be able to solve the sequence from the inscription. Treat clever methods that reproduce the three stages in order as valid.
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