Heavy is the Head - Campaign thread

Saoirse stores the spectacles again, carefully wrapping them with her cloack. Then replies to Spiderlock's shrug with one of her own. With no better ideas in mind, she tells her companions to step a little aways just in case, and pushes the abjuration button.

There is a satisfying click, and those attuned to magical energy can see the glow of the arcane lock shimmer momentarily, but the door does not open.

Lam says in a low voice, “It shimmered. The lock. Is that good?” He thinks it means pressing the buttons is definitely the answer, but he still doesn’t know what order to press them in. Is there any pattern here? Any that would start with abjuration? He stares at the door, trying to figure something out.

The abjuration symbol feels like it was the right one to hit first. Arcane locks are abjuration magic. Maybe there's something there?

Spiderlock's heightened senses keep him certain that there is a gnome on the other side of the door, but he doesn't seem to be talking directly to you.

Spiderlock skitters up the door, having heard the satisfying click, and starts to point at one symbol from each vertical pair. From left to right, he points to transmutation, evocation then enchantment. Along with abjuration, that makes it like a combination lock, based on the vertical pairs.

He once again shrugs.

Without much of a second thought, Saoirse nods at Spiderlock.

- Okay, let's see ... - she says, as she clicks the suggested buttons and waits to see the results.

As soon as you press the transmutation symbol, a familiar voice appears in the air around you - the voice of the major image that greeted you on the first and second floors: "Incorrect. Repeated incorrect attempts will summon the ARTS security system."

Spiderlock sags on it's legs a little, showing it's disappointment.

Not seeing any clues as to how to solve the puzzle, he starts to skitter off back down the stairs, looking for anything that might help.

Perception: 1+6=7 (passive 16)

- "Repeated incorrect attemps will summon the ARTS Security system" - Saoirse repeats after the major image, imitating the voice in a mocking way - By the nine hells, I'm getting sick of that voice!

Then, as disappointed as her spider-looking friend, she also goes downstairs, trying to vent off her frustration searching among the notes and books, just in case they missed something that can give any idea on how to open the locked door.

Looking at the neatly ordered books, she says:

- We could try pushing the buttons in alphabetical order. We know that Abjuration was the fist one, so we could try with Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment ... and so forth. In fact, the the vertical pairs match if we follow that order. Sounds like an easy solution comparing the first door, but ... - she was going to add "it won't hurt to try", but the major image warning suggested just the opposite - Be prepared just in case, okay? - she adds, looking at her companions.

Saoirse pushes the Abjuration button once again, and then does the same with the one just below it, belonging to the Conjuration school. 

A growl of frustration escapes Lam when that darned major image starts talking again. He follows his friends downstairs to take a look around the room, hoping his heightened awareness of magic will help him notice something he didn’t before.

 When Saoirse goes back up to press the buttons on the door, Lam follows, gripping his javelin and ready to stop anything that might try to attack them if they’re incorrect.

Spiderlock follows Saoirse back to the door, and tries to give her the thumbs up when she suggests trying alphabetical order. Unfortunately, spiders don't have thumbs and he just ends up waving a leg randomly.

He slaps his spider forehead with another leg when he realises the gesture is going wrong, and then simply waits and watches.

Sha is very confused watching Spiderlock, "Um Saoirse, I think Spiderlock is trying to communicate with you." too late as she is pressing buttons already, "Oh maiden of moons watch over us."

"Two failed attempts. The security system will activate if you continue. Please leave the tower or double-check the code." If anyone is on the next floor down when Saoirse presses the buttons and the voice activates, they might notice a blue glow coming from underneath the harpy nest with an egg in it, or see the corner of a conjuration circle sticking out from under the nest.

When the major image starts talking again, Lam stomps his foot and then roars, “THIS IS HARD!” Then he catches himself and takes a couple of deep breaths. He doesn’t like that voice- how it seems to come from everywhere and talk in a condescending tone. He is frustrated that he feels he doesn’t understand whatever thing about magic this door wants them to know. He goes up to the door and stares at the buttons. Not wanting to mess anything up, he chooses to press no buttons and instead opts to just knock on the door as loudly but gently as possible (as without that effort, his knock can be more of a startling bang). He shouts through trying to get the attention of the person on the other side, “HELLO? WE NEED HELP WITH DOOR.”

The voice from the other side of the door gets a little louder, enough to make out the words but still muffled by the door. "Yes, I know somebody's at the door, Cubert, but you and I both know I can't talk to them. I sure do hope they can get in here, but I have to stay locked in here. If they walked up every floor of the tower, then they should know the code though! Owowowow, ouch. Right Cubert? I'm only talking to Cubert, he's here with me and that's permitted, dammit. Ouchie my gosh-darned head." The voice fades, as he speaks less loudly again, mumbling to the construct.

Lam frowns at what he hears from the voice. Is he not allowed to talk to others? But what he said was very pointed, and seemed to be directed to them anyway. Lam is still for a moment as he deciphers what he just heard. Then he says, “…We need code from tower. Every floor. First was…” he presses the abjuration button again. He thinks for a moment and then tries the evocation button next, unsure if he is on the right track or not.

Both the abjuration and evocation buttons emit satisfying clicks when pressed, and there is no interruption from the woman's disembodied voice.

Hearing Lam mention they needed to know the symbol for each floor, Spiderlock skitters quickly across the ceiling and down the door, covering the glyphs and stopping any more from being pressed.

He then jumps to the floor, making them all take a step back. He looks up at the others, then holds up one leg, then a second, then a third and finally a fourth. At this point, he topples over forwards and has to get back up.

With that, he skitters off down the stairs, hoping they will all follow.

Lam is startled, then momentarily angry about being startled, and finally confused. “…Four?” He says in response to his spider friend’s gestures. He watches his friend skitter past and then hesitantly follows.

Saoirse is about to tell Lam that she doesn't think he's going to get a reply when the voice at the other side of the door not only answers, but also gives a hint about what they need to do. 

- ...I didn't expect that ... - she mutters, with her eyebrows arched in surprise, and then adds - Nicely done, Lam.

She doesn't quite understand the spider's gestures, and sees that Lam hasn't understood that much either. Anyway, it was clear that Hemlock had had an idea, and knowing him, it would surely be a bright one, so she just followed him, again mutterrng:

- ... sheesh, arcane people certainly love their puzzles...

In any case, she was glad there was still ideas left on how to open the door. She would have hated having to swallow her pride to go ask Eliza for help.