You find a sealed, waist-high stone door set into a wall slick with condensation. Four shallow sockets run across it beneath a brass plaque, while four carved tokens lie on a ledge nearby. A dim blue glow threads through hairline cracks in the door; when a token is lifted, the glow shifts toward the sockets, and the room fills with a soft, hollow chime. The air smells of wet earth and extinguished candles.
You step into a damp stone antechamber. A sealed door faces you, its four empty sockets faintly glowing beneath a brass plaque. Four carved tokens rest on a ledge, and a cool draft sighs from a narrow vent below the door.
The tokens depict an oak, a flame, a star, and falling rain. The plaque gives four ordering clues. The sockets have faint grooves running left to right; tokens can be lifted and rearranged freely.
Let the players test ideas without a strict timer. If they stall, offer the tier 1 hint after a few minutes, then tier 2 when they stop comparing clues. Use tier 3 if the table is still stuck. A wrong attempt gives feedback, not damage.
You find a sealed, waist-high stone door set into a wall slick with condensation. Four shallow sockets run across it beneath a brass plaque, while four carved tokens lie on a ledge nearby. A dim blue glow threads through hairline cracks in the door; when a token is lifted, the glow shifts toward the sockets, and the room fills with a soft, hollow chime. The air smells of wet earth and extinguished candles.
The plaque is readable without a check. The tokens and four empty sockets make clear that the party must arrange the emblems in an order. Investigation or simply tracing the grooves reveals that the row is read from left to right.
Four emblems mark the order of the storm:
Place the four tokens in the sockets from left to right.
The players must place the four tokens into the sockets from left to right, then press the brass plaque to submit the arrangement. They may move tokens freely and discuss the clues aloud; no check is needed to make an attempt. A correct sequence makes the blue lines brighten and the door open. An incorrect sequence causes the sockets to dim, the vent to exhale cold air, and the plaque to chime once, signaling failure without revealing which token is misplaced. Checks can clarify the grooves, the function of the mechanism, or the nature of its feedback, but should not replace solving the clues.
The puzzle begins when a creature touches or removes one of the tokens, causing the four sockets to glow and the plaque to become faintly warm.
| DC | Check | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Investigation | Notice that the inscription describes an ordering problem and that the four sockets are read from left to right. |
| 12 | Arcana | Understand that a correctly ordered set of tokens will activate the lock, while an incorrect order triggers a harmless warning pulse. |
| 11 | Perception | Spot the faint left-to-right grooves connecting the four sockets. |
No hint given yet.
The four tokens ring in a clear ascending chord. Blue light travels through the door, the lock retracts, and the sealed doorway swings inward to reveal the cistern chamber.
After three incorrect arrangements, the lock gives a low groan and temporarily freezes the tokens in place for one minute. The door remains intact and the puzzle can be tried again. The noise may alert nearby creatures if the GM wants to add pressure, but it does not block progress.
The astronomer-priest Maelin built this lock to guard a cistern that supplied a besieged town. Its four emblems record the sequence of a storm watched from the temple roof: the oak stood first, fire was lit beneath it, the stars appeared, and rain came last. Maelin designed the lock to test careful observation rather than strength, so the town's keepers could reach the water even during an attack.
For a less experienced group, add faint numbered grooves beneath the sockets or provide the tier 1 hint sooner. For a group that enjoys a greater challenge, cover one clue with grime that requires cleaning or a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to read, but do not remove the clue entirely.
Do not require a check to read the plaque or attempt the arrangement. Checks reveal structure and feedback, not the answer. Ask players to explain how their order satisfies each clue before a final attempt. Reward clear, logical equivalents to the tokens.
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