The Fivefold Infernal Contract

You enter a circular dungeon chamber of polished basalt and black iron. A five-spoked arch rises from the floor, each spoke ending in a recessed infernal glyph. Thin red light pulses beneath the plates like a heartbeat, while the air smells of hot metal, burnt sugar, and old blood. Around the walls, brass letters crawl slowly across a contract-poem. Above the arch, a cracked obsidian lens watches the room. Five channels in the floor terminate at the glyphs, each marked by a different substance: ash, black salt, red wax, silver dust, and emptiness.

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Puzzle EntrySequence / CipherLevel12Hard

The Fivefold Infernal Contract

12LevelHardDifficultySequence / CipherType

LevelLevel 12

DifficultyHard

TypeSequence / Cipher

Components4 parts

Time LimitThe party has 10 minutes of in-world time before the arch begins forcing activations. After that point, at the end of each round, one unlit glyph pulses; a character adjacent to the arch must succeed at a DC 32 Will save or be compelled to press that glyph as a free action. The compulsion ends when the next correct glyph is activated.

Primary DCDC 35

Quick Reference

Type

Sequence / Cipher

Difficulty

Hard

Level

Time Limit

The party has 10 minutes of in-world time before the arch begins forcing activations. After that point, at the end of each round, one unlit glyph pulses; a character adjacent to the arch must succeed at a DC 32 Will save or be compelled to press that glyph as a free action. The compulsion ends when the next correct glyph is activated.

Primary DC

DC 35

Checks

Arcana or OccultismDC 32 Arcana or Occultism
Identify the seals as magical command states and notice that each correct activation advances the arch instead of resetting it.
Infernal Lore, Legal Lore, or SocietyDC 32 Infernal Lore, Legal Lore, or Society
Recognize the verse as a formal infernal contract and infer the legal order of its clauses.
PerceptionDC 30 Perception
Notice the tiny numerals, repeated clause marks, and the different resonance produced by each glyph.
ReligionDC 35 Religion
Recognize the symbolism of witness, binding, punishment, and release in an infernal judicial rite.

Overview

Discovery

The mechanism is safe to study for several minutes, but its inscription and physical design reveal that it is a five-stage legal sequence rather than a password. The glyphs correspond to Silence, Witness, Binding, Flame, and Release. The contract-poem gives their order through its clause structure and line initials.

Puzzle Handout

what the players see

The Brass Contract

Five headings are stamped above the moving script:

SILENCE

Let no tongue contest the word once spoken. Let breath become a locked and listening room. Before judgment, still the clamor.

WITNESS

Let one eye remain when all other eyes are closed. Let memory stand where doubt would kneel. Before the chain is drawn, name what sees.

BINDING

Let iron answer ink, and ink answer blood. Let promise become weight upon the living. Before the flame is called, close every escape.

FLAME

Let consequence burn the lie from the oath. Let the guilty mark shine brighter than the seal. Before the gate is opened, let payment be witnessed.

RELEASE

Let the final lock remember why it was made. Let the path open only after the debt is clear. Let what was bound depart, and let the contract sleep.

The Five Glyphs

The Closed Mouth: a black circle crossed by a vertical bar.
The Open Eye: a red almond surrounding a silver point.
The Linked Chains: three interlocking black loops.
The Burning Seal: a red square with a flame rising through it.
The Broken Shackle: a silver ring split by a clean gap.

The Clause Channels

Ash. Black salt. Red wax. Silver dust. Empty glass.

Inscription beneath the arch

Empty the room before the room may hear. Name the eye before the chain may hold. Close the chain before the flame may judge. Call the flame before the road may open. Leave the road before the oath may sleep.

Glyph Chart

Glyph	Meaning	Category
The Closed Mouth	Silence	Command
The Open Eye	Witness	Command
The Linked Chains	Binding	Command
The Burning Seal	Flame	Command
The Broken Shackle	Release	Command

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