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Cracking to door open slightly, Nik peers through to see a huge chamber that seems to encompass most of the interior of the tower, the source of the metallic clangs becomes apparent as she sees a steel figure walking repeatedly into a nearby wall, it does not seem to have noticed that the door has been opened.
Up above, an arching ceiling looms over a myriad of interconnected platforms, each supported on a branch of several wide pillars that rise from the stone floor.
Garion looks into the room to see if there seems to be any way to reach the platforms.
Perception
NIK is looking for a way to the platforms too, and also any doors of passages out of this big room!
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The platforms are spaced irregularly, branching off the four massive pillars, and a marble stairway leads up into open space near to the closest pillar, but ends in open space, quite far away from any platform. What looks to be an iron lectern stands to the left of the stairway, though no books or notes rest on it, it is covered in a complex inscription that you can't quite make out from this distance.
No other exits can be seen, though almost directly opposite, and what must be several stories up, a 30' cube of stone juts out of the tower wall with a wooden door that much like the stairway seems to open into midair. Another such stone cube is suspended lower down to the right, above, the oddly behaving golem. The door to this cube opens onto one of the platforms.
NIK will stay a bit behind and try to help if asked
Nik, are the stairs trapped?
"I ll check Zeldin!"
NIK will carefulli check the stairs for traps
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As Nik enters the room, the golem continues to walk headlong into the wall, emitting the occasional clang, the low roar that was audible from within the reception room now seems to be coming from beneath the ground. With a quick glance back towards the door, Nik sees that the reception room was contained within its own cuboid, no more than 12' tall. The stairs seem quite solid, and Nik finds no tripwires or pressure plates.
"We should investigate the lectern first and see how the construct reacts. Then climb the stairs and see if we can get to one of the doors," says Garion.
"I agree Garion! Not sure If I ll be able to tell anything from it but I'll check!"
NIK goes to have a look at that lectern, checkin for the usual (traps and anythin hidden)
Samant waits at the ready with his club.
Zeldin looks for a way to the other door.
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Upon closer inspection, the engravings on the lectern appear to connect six slots similar to those on the guardian's foreheads, four of the slots seem to be connected in parallel between the two others at the top and bottom of the surface. All of the slots seem to have melted slightly around the edges, and there are cracked gray stones in all but the top slot, in which a fine grayish blue dust is all that remains.
My guess is that these platforms are some sort of transportation, and that the system has misfired leaving our empty-headed friend trying to get to a passage he is not lined up with. Any guess on how this all might work?
"do you think we have to use those Ion stone thingies to make it work?"
"Garion did go get us a rope, but I m not sure if we can get it attached up there!"
NIK will peek to get an angle to see the metal dummies forehead, and see if there is a stone there, specially a blue one!
Good idea Nik! An old friend used a puzzle like this to teach me different ways to approach a problem.
Now if I only remember how it is done... If we throw the rope over a platform, then the three of us that are weakest or lightest can pull the heaviest or strongest of us on to the platform. Once they are there, we get the lightest there. Then the people on the platform pull the one the is lightest from the ground up, and then the three of them pull the remaining person up. We would not have to tie off on anything to make this work. I like looking in the highest door. The harder something is to look in, the more I think it will be worth it!
Or we could attempt the stairs
"I'm up for tryin the rope thing: but no looking under my dress guys!"
"I'm up for tryin the rope thing: but no looking under my dress guys!"
Why do you think I suggested it? Zeldin says playfully, and then turns and blushes at his mirth.
"well I m GAME! just wanna check first if that dummy here has the stone that fit in the lectern ... i doubt it but its worth checkin quickly!"
NIK checks for that
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Samant: There aren't any other doors that you can see on the ground floor.
The floor, and most of the platforms are scattered with workbenches piled high with papers, and as Nik weaves through them to draw close to the golem and check its forehead, the construct lurches forwards suddenly, crashing again into the wall. There is indeed a stone in it's forehead, but it is grey and cracked just like the others you have discovered. The slots are very similar to those in your wayfinders, in so far as it appears that any ioun stone would fit easily inside, though it is quite possible that just like with your wayfinders, different stones would have different effects.
The stairs do indeed lead to nowhere, they end about 15' above ground level, and 30' below a platform suspended high above them. There is a platform at the same height as the stairs near the top, and a nimble acrobat may be able to get onto it.
Zeldin starts perusing the accessable papers.
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Zeldin finds that the notes seem to be written in some language he does not understand, though he does recognise several of the words, such as a draconic word that means to glide or swim for a great distance, and an elven word for a rocky formation. Alongside the strange text he finds an assortment of scribbled maps and odd diagrams,
Samant, could you come here and see what you make of these?
Of course Zeldin
Knowledge Geography
NIK will let her more school-worthy friends handle the paper-stuff.
NIK will get warmed up (using some dance steps 2 do so) and get ready for jumping the platform.
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On closer inspection, the text also seems to contain words from other languages too, including common, varisian, and something that might be phonetic sylvan.
Samant and Garion are able to identify some of the maps as being vague approximations of coastal regions of western Cheliax and Varisia, though there are some notable mistakes.
Zeldin can tell that some of the diagrams seem to relate somehow to the arcane matrices that allow wayfinders to interact with ioun stones, but most of it is above his head and would require much more study to understand. Other diagrams seem to relate to the various constructs that she has made or researched.
Excellent more things to study back at the society. No for the next puzzle, looking up at the platforms.
NIK is gonna start goin up and gettin ready to make the jump
"so do we try Zeldin's rope idea? I m READY!!!"
Zeldin approaches the lecturn and removes the stones.
Nik, do you think you could get any of these free?
"I think the rope idea is our best bet for getting to the platforms. Should the three of us lift Samant first?"
"I ll try 2 help out with the stones Zeldin!"
NIK tries 2 dislodge the stones
"I dont think Garion that lifting someone up will work: it looks too high 4 that! Best is for me 2 leap it and secure your rope like Zeldin suggested"
Zeldin can you tell what energies might have caused those stones to be fused into place like that?