Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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You walk out of number 9
Note: When doing puzzles, I usually give people hints based on their intelligence modifiers so if anyone wants a hint let me know. (I've run this puzzle before and it took my last group a loooonnnng time to figure it out...)
(Well you've been in there for a while...)
Just as Angelino pops back into the room, a white light suddenly flashes and you all can clearly see two new figures standing in the room. One is a Thri-Kreen holding and ornate wooden staff with many different animals carved into it, the other is a Kobold who is holding a gun that is about the same size as he is.
As soon as the light fades the Thri-Kreen looks around. He sees all of you and says, (in a voice that sounds a lot like C-3PO), "Oh dear, what have we stumbled into." He raises all four hands and addresses you all, "Now I don't think it's necessary to kill each other just yet--"
He is cut off by the Kobold who had been frantically looking between all of you swinging his gun as if around trying to aim at all of you at once, "Don't you try anything!" He says in a voice that sounds like Golem. "I'll shoot! I will do it! Don't try me!"
"Cage," The Thri-Kreen says, "calm down, we don't even know if they want to kill us yet or not. Besides, we are all stuck in this room now, why don't we wait until we find the relic and then decide if we should kill each other. The instructions didn't say anything about temporary co-operation."
The Kobold looks at the Thri-Kreen then looks back at the rest of you, still with gun at the ready, waiting to see what you do.
"I think a temporary alliance could be mutually beneficial. I'm Harmony! We don't really understand what is going on- can you explain anything about this contest?"
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Immediately after saying this, a flash of inspiration appears to strike Harmony, and she turns around and walks backwards through the mirror directly across from the mirror she just entered from. "I'm looking back while walking forward to go back to the other place!"
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
“Ugh! More peasants! Who are you? Never mind! Don’t care! Moving on!” Angelino walks after harmony, trusting them, but showing off like it was their idea.
"I agree that an alliance would be in all of our best interest," Alexander sighs at Angelino's remark (after Angelino goes through the door so he doesn't hear.)
The Thri-Kreen is about to respond when--
You walk from 9 into 3 and out of 4
After you do this the Thri-Kreen responds to your first question, with a gracious bow he says "Wonderful! I'm glad we agree! My name is Tek-Tagak. Although for some reason everyone is calling me Tick-Tack. I'm not sure why but they are. So call me whichever you like." As he says this you feel a telepathic link form between you and him,
(I apologize for the somewhat irrelevant lore dump but this is whats this NPC would tell you! Lol)
"Since you haven't asked the right questions, I don't think you are one who sees. I will try my best to explain it to you, but don't say any of this out loud. You'll upset the Watchers. I'm not going to explain too much because you won't remember it the next time I see you... Well... I apologize for being blunt but--basically we are in a virtual death game. In this one, we have to collect relics which we will use against each other then against the final boss. In order to collect these relics, we have to complete these puzzles." He sighs, "I only wish to be free of this endless cycle of death. In here it's kill or be killed most of the time. But all I can do is wait until there are more who can see...."
The rest of you don't hear what is in the spoiler instead you hear, (Harmony hears this too, but you hear it at the same time as you hear the other part.) "It looks to me that we need to figure out the correct sequence. Have any of you tried going through the same mirror twice in a row?"
Can I answer him back telepathically? If so:
We've been traveling through an endless series of rooms before we arrived here. Is that part of the virtual death game?
Out loud: "Greetings Tek-Tagak. No, we haven't. Maybe we should. That could make sense with the riddle."
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Yes you can.
“That is odd. I suppose it is likely. Though I’ve never been in that scenario before. Which is strange, the Watchers have put me through a few of the same scenarios several times. I’ve been through this particular one three times.” He pauses for a moment “But before you ask, yes I know the answer to this riddle. I’m just not going to tell you right off. It’s getting hard for me to keep my remembering the scenarios secret, and I don’t know what they’d do to me and the others if they find out. They might permanently kill us or worse... Anyway I like you. I’m going to feel really bad if I end up having to kill you, I know I won’t really be killing you but... well I will remember you even if you don’t remember me. I won’t hold it against you if you have to kill me. Just know you aren’t really killing me. I’ll re-spawn next round. When we do have to fight I won’t hold back, I don’t want you too hold back either, I don’t want the watchers getting suspicious.”
”Oh I’m getting off topic. I’m sorry I had to burden you with all that. Your just a lot easier to talk to than Cage is. He doesn’t believe a word of what I just told you. He isn’t one who sees.”
(From this you’d probably gather that you are now in a death game inside a death game lol)
“Yes I think that would be a good starting place. I’ll try this!” He then walks through Number 2 comes back out number 2 then walks through 2 again exiting out 4. “Has it done that before?”
“Why do you two keep staring into each other’s eyes? It’s weird.” I believe Angelino tried what Tek-Tagak tried. “So… Tik-Tak or whatever… can you figure this out for me? Peasant.”
(You tried something similar but not exactly, you went into 4 came out 2, went back into 2 and came out 2 again, Tek-Tagak went in 2 came out 2 went back in 2 and came out 4)
The Thri-Kreen turns his head in your direction, “That is what I’m trying to do. Though not just for you. All of us need to get out of here to continue with the game, and all of us need at least four relics. Also, I am no peasant. I am the son of a chieftain, but I will forgive your mistake. I know my kind doesn’t dress as...extravagantly as yours does.” He looks back at the mirrors, “Plus, I cannot do everything for you, you will likely need to walk through the correct sequence as well.”
Alexander walks through the same sequence as the Tek-Tagak, testing to see if it turns out the same for him. If it does, he will say, "Alright, so...should we try going through 4 three times as well?"
Well, we've seen a lot of crazy things lately, so this is perfectly reasonable to believe. What do you think I should do? I do have some magic abilities, but nothing incredible.
"So, if you can't read the god squiggles, the words say: The Room of Reversal To move forward you must only look back. To move back you must go forward. Solve the puzzle or remain forever in the endless loop. We're pretty stuck. We've tried walking backwards, and going into the one across from where we got out, or the one we just came out."
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
"Maybe it has something to do with the numbers themselves? 2 backwards is 5, and 6 upside down is 9."
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
“Yes that’s nice…” Angelino says in a dismissive tone “Oh, hm? You like my robes?” Angelino grins aggressively at Tek-Tagak. “Yes, grand observation on my part, but I believe we will all have to do the correct… uh, pattern thing for the mirrors.” Angelino then mimics the mirrors that Tek-Tagak goes through
That… actually make tons of sense. “Oh! I have a wonderful idea! Everyone! What if we do the upside down numbers!? Like, 5 is 2! Roughly…”
Alexander goes through door 4, testing to see what happens
"Didn't I just say..." Harmony shakes her head and walks through number 2, and then number 5. (Two opens backward- looking back, five opens forward-going forward)
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
"Play along with the game i guess. That's all we can really do as of now."
"Well i just went in 2 came out 2 went back in 2 then came out 4...." From the tone of his voice it sounds like he is trying to hint at something. "Oh look, that one is trying what i did!" He gestures to Alexander.
You walk through 2, come out 2, walk back in 2, come out 4, walk back through 4, and come out 6.
Tek-Tagak stares at you. The Kobold, who was standing in silence this entire time pipes in, "Can I shoot him now?"
You walk in 2, coming out 2, walk into 5, then come out of 7
Alexander walks through 4 again