You enter a squat stone gatehouse that smells of cold ash, wet rock, and old iron. A sealed stone gate fills the far arch, while a brass lamp, a hanging bronze bell, and three waist-high controls stand in a row beneath a carved verse. Blue light pulses faintly inside the seams of the gate. Dust trembles whenever the bell shifts, and the gate's counterweight gives a slow, ominous groan.
You step into a squat stone gatehouse. A sealed stone gate blocks the far arch, and three controls stand beneath a carved verse: a brass lamp lever, an iron bell handle, and a heavy stone gate lever. Cold blue light pulses through the gate's seams as the counterweight groans overhead.
The inscription is legible, and each control visibly operates its matching device. Let the characters inspect, test, or discuss the controls freely. A single incorrect move produces a warning pulse and reset, not an immediate serious consequence.
Give the group time to connect the verse's three lines to the controls. If they debate without making progress, offer tier 1 after a few minutes, then tier 2 if needed. Use tier 3 only when they are stuck or the scene needs to move forward.
You enter a squat stone gatehouse that smells of cold ash, wet rock, and old iron. A sealed stone gate fills the far arch, while a brass lamp, a hanging bronze bell, and three waist-high controls stand in a row beneath a carved verse. Blue light pulses faintly inside the seams of the gate. Dust trembles whenever the bell shifts, and the gate's counterweight gives a slow, ominous groan.
The controls are within easy reach, and the inscription is readable without a check. The lamp, bell, and gate each respond to their own control, making it clear that the puzzle concerns operating them rather than finding hidden objects.
First shade the flame when night draws near, Then ring the bronze so all may hear. At last raise stone, and welcome those Who walk the road through wind and snows.
The party must perform the three actions in the sequence described by the inscription: lower the lamp shutter, ring the bell once, then pull the gate lever. Each control can be operated with an action by a creature within reach, and the group can divide the actions among themselves. After each correct step, the corresponding device glows blue and the pulse travels toward the gate; a wrong step makes the pulse flash red, resets the sequence, and counts as one failed attempt. The party gets three attempts before the nonfatal failure route opens. Checks can reveal clues, but no check is required to solve the puzzle.
The puzzle activates when a creature touches or moves any of the three controls. The gate's blue seams brighten, and the mechanism begins tracking the order of actions.
| DC | Check | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Investigation | Notice that the three controls have wear marks matching the order implied by the inscription. Success reveals the first step, lowering the lamp shutter. |
| 12 | History | Recognize the verse as a practical watch-keeper's instruction rather than a poetic riddle. Success points out that its lines describe events in sequence. |
| 13 | Arcana | Understand that the faint magical pulse moves from the lamp to the bell to the gate when the correct sequence is performed. A failed check does not trigger the mechanism. |
No hint given yet.
The lamp burns steady blue, the bell rings once without being touched again, and the gate rises smoothly into its arch. The counterweight settles with a deep, satisfying thud, opening the way forward.
On each incorrect sequence, the controls reset and release a sharp burst of sound. Each creature within 10 feet of the controls must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 thunder damage and be pushed 5 feet away. After three failed sequences, the gate remains locked but a maintenance hatch opens, allowing passage through a cramped side route that takes about an hour to traverse.
The dwarf engineer Orra Flintwake built this gatehouse for a sanctuary that sheltered travelers during a long winter. Its lock was designed to teach each new keeper the sanctuary's emergency procedure: make light, sound the warning bell, then raise the gate. Orra believed a keeper who understood the order would be less likely to strand someone outside or expose those within to danger.
For a lower-level or more forgiving party, remove the thunder damage and let the mechanism reset indefinitely. For a stronger party, increase the failed-sequence damage to 2d6 thunder or have the gatehouse begin filling with dust and rubble after the first failure, while leaving the maintenance route available.
Keep the clue literal: the poem describes the intended watch procedure in chronological order. Don't require a check to read or understand the basic verse. Checks can make the intended interpretation more apparent, but players who reason it out should be rewarded without rolling.
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