A round dungeon chamber smells of wet stone, old incense, and the sharp mineral scent of a storm. Blue-green light pulses inside a ribbed black-stone console, where a silver bell, bronze bellows handle, and bone-white latch sit beneath the words NAME, BREATH, and BONE. A faint voice seems to come from the walls, while a sealed sarcophagus shivers whenever the mechanism clicks. An iron crank rests in a wall bracket beside an inscription cut into the console.
You step into a round chamber that smells of wet stone and extinguished incense. Blue-green light throbs beneath a black-stone console. A silver bell, a bronze handle, and a pale bone latch sit beneath three carved words: NAME, BREATH, BONE. From somewhere behind the wall, a voice whispers, "Do not leave me unfinished."
The console inscription is legible, and the controls are safe to touch individually. The bell answers the spirit's whisper with a faint vibration; the bellows exhales cold air; the latch clicks. The crank fits the central socket but resists turning until the rites are complete.
Let players experiment with one control at a time and describe clear feedback. Offer the tier 1 hint after a few minutes of circular debate, tier 2 when they understand the rites but not the order, and tier 3 if needed. The backlash creates urgency without threatening a total party defeat.
A round dungeon chamber smells of wet stone, old incense, and the sharp mineral scent of a storm. Blue-green light pulses inside a ribbed black-stone console, where a silver bell, bronze bellows handle, and bone-white latch sit beneath the words NAME, BREATH, and BONE. A faint voice seems to come from the walls, while a sealed sarcophagus shivers whenever the mechanism clicks. An iron crank rests in a wall bracket beside an inscription cut into the console.
The controls and their labels are immediately visible. The inscription gives the governing idea, while careful observation reveals that the bell reacts to the spirit and that the crank is the final action.
Call the one who lingers by name.
Let the final breath return to silence.
Lay the bones still, and turn the wheel.
Then may the bound depart in peace.
The console can be operated by anyone, and the players may inspect or test its controls freely. To release the bound spirit, they must ring the Name bell, press the Breath bellows, lower the Bone latch, and then turn the crank. The etched instruction and the spirit's responses point to this order. Correct actions produce a soft chime, a sigh of air, and a settling click; an out-of-order action makes the light flash violet and resets the controls after the backlash. Arcana, Perception, and Thievery checks can clarify the device or reduce its risks, but are not required to solve it.
The puzzle begins when a creature touches any control or attempts to turn the crank.
| DC | Check | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Arcana | Arcana identifies the apparatus as a funerary release mechanism and explains that its controls represent rites, not power settings. |
| 18 | Perception | Notice that the Name bell vibrates when the bound spirit whispers, and that the crank's socket only turns freely after the three rites are performed. |
| 18 | Thievery (Disable a Device) | Safely inspect or temporarily hold a latch, or disable the backlash mechanism. A critical success also reveals the correct order. |
No hint given yet.
The console gives a clear three-note chord. The sarcophagus opens without force, and a pale spirit rises, bows, and dissolves into a stream of harmless blue light. The crank remains behind as a usable iron tool.
A pulse of grave-cold energy deals 2d6 void damage to each creature adjacent to the console, with a basic DC 18 Fortitude save. The controls reset, and the spirit whispers a short clue about the last action that was out of order. After three failed attempts, the pulse still occurs but the spirit gives the tier 2 hint.
The mortuary-engine was built by the necromancer-priest Ilyra Voss to let the dead pass onward without surrendering their memories to her order. Its three controls enact the final rites: call the spirit by name, let its last breath go, and lay its bones to rest. After Voss vanished, the apparatus was left in the dungeon, still holding one volunteer spirit in a cycle of unfinished burial.
For a lower-threat party, reduce the backlash to 1d6 void damage. For a more resilient party, use 3d6 damage or have each failed attempt advance an approaching patrol. Keep the logic and solution unchanged.
Keep the consequence visible and bounded: the spirit is trapped, not hostile, and the console gives useful feedback after mistakes. Do not require a particular character to make a check; let players reason from the inscription and reward sensible experimentation. Treat alternate rites and clever physical bypasses generously.
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