The Harvest Behind Stone

You find a circular cavern whose walls sweat cold water and echo with a slow, irregular dripping. A massive stone slab seals the far side, its surface carved with a faded red spiral and three kneeling figures. Before it stand three waist-high pedestals: one bears a bronze bowl of warm red blood, one a silver bowl containing five tarnished coins, and one a tied linen bag of dry grains. At the center of the slab is a fist-sized hole ringed by narrow metal grooves. Old scratches and rust stains around the hole suggest that the wall has punished previous attempts.

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Puzzle EntryRiddle / WordplayLevel4Devious

The Harvest Behind Stone

4LevelDeviousDifficultyRiddle / WordplayType

LevelLevel 4

DifficultyDevious

TypeRiddle / Wordplay

Components6 parts

Time LimitNo strict time limit. If the characters spend 10 minutes arguing or make two failed attempts, the wall releases a low gong that may alert nearby cultists, at the GM's discretion.

Primary DCDC 13

Quick Reference

Type

Riddle / Wordplay

Difficulty

Devious

Level

Time Limit

No strict time limit. If the characters spend 10 minutes arguing or make two failed attempts, the wall releases a low gong that may alert nearby cultists, at the GM's discretion.

Primary DC

DC 13

Checks

InvestigationDC 12
Notice that the wall hole is clean and dry, while the spike channel around it is stained with old rust and dark residue.
ArcanaDC 13
Recognize that the inscriptions use ritual language with agricultural imagery and distinguish literal sacrifice from metaphorical offering.
ReligionDC 12
Recall that grain is commonly used in old warding rites as a symbol of renewal, continuity, and a future harvest.
NatureDC 10
Identify the contents of the bag as ordinary grains and notice that several kernels are marked with a tiny spiral.

Overview

Discovery

The chamber is quiet enough for the characters to hear a faint click from inside the wall whenever an offering is lifted, moved, or set down. Careful inspection reveals that the hole is not a receptacle for a weapon or key, but a ritual socket designed for a small symbolic offering.

Puzzle Handout

what the players see

The Three Offerings

Above the Bowl of Blood

Give what the fearful give,\n> The life that leaves and does not live.\n> Let red devotion mark the stone,\n> And open paths where death is known.

Above the Bowl of Silver

Give what the hungry heart will keep,\n> Five pale stars from earth's dark deep.\n> What buys the oath and weighs the hand\n> Shall purchase passage through the land.

Above the Bag of Grain

Give not the fruit, nor give the field.\n> Give what sleeps beneath its yield.\n> What dies when sown, yet rises more,\n> Shall wake the path behind the door.

Words Carved Around the Hole

One offering enters.\n> One truth returns.\n> Choose what becomes more when it is given.

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