The Puzzle
The characters arrive in a flooded hallway with 6 inches of grungy, opaque water via teleportation. This water has a swamp-like smell and reeks of decay. Around the corner and at the end of the hallway are two doors. The doors are mystical with arcane sigils racing across them. One creature can open the door and see another room beyond the doorway. However, once an intelligent creature steps into this room, the door blends into the wall as if it were a painted mural making it impassable and trapping the creature on the other side. A creature within the room sees the same outline of a door that is visible on the other side.
The creature in the room can hear through the walls and communicate with those on the other side. We will call this Room A. Nothing will happen until Room B is entered and occupied by an intelligent creature. Room B is identical to Room A with regards to the arcane door blending into the wall once a creature occupies it.
Once each room has an occupant, two ghouls will teleport into the hall. Roll for initiative.
Have the creatures in Room A and Room B each roll for initiative, but only note the higher die roll. Both of these creatures will act together on this initiative count.
The ghouls will act on initiative count 10. Two more ghouls will teleport into the hallway in 1d4 rounds or when there are currently no ghouls in the area.
On initiative count 5, the water in the room will rise from 6 inches to 1 foot. The water continues to rise by 1 foot for every round hereafter on this initiative count.
All characters can hear each other and communicate freely. This includes those in the hallway and those in the Puzzle Rooms A & B.
Full Demonstration of the Puzzle
The Puzzle Rooms. Each Puzzle Room has 3 alcoves on one side of the room and two niches on the other side of the room. Each niche has a bronze plaque underneath. One of them is labeled “pass” the other “receive”. Please refer to Map 1a.
Each of the three alcoves in puzzle rooms A & B have a mural or scene painted on the wall. Set within each of the murals are two niches with an orb floating inside. When the puzzle begins all paintings are in greyscale and orbs in alcoves 2 and 3 are insubstantial. They cannot be grasped. However, in the first alcoves of both puzzle rooms, the greyscale murals have colored orbs within that can be removed from the wall.
On a passive investigation of 15 or a DC 15 investigation check, the occupants of the puzzle room can determine that the murals require the correct colored orbs. Currently, at least one of those orbs are incorrect.
Initiating an investigation check will require an action.
The Pass/Receive niches. The two niches on this wall (both Room A and B) are the same size as the niches in the mural and each have a bronze plaque underneath them. The one on the left says “Pass” and the one on the right says “Receive”. On a passive investigation of 12 or a DC 12 investigation check, a creature can determine that an orb from the mural can fit into these niches.
The murals. The following description will be true for all six murals:
- Each active mural begins in grayscale with no color.
- The walls in which the mural is painted have two niches. Each niche contains a removable orb of a certain color (the color of each orb is noted in the individual alcove descriptions below)
- The orbs can be removed from the wall.
- Only one mural in each puzzle room can be activated at a time. The other alcoves are also in greyscale and the orbs in those niches are incorporeal and cannot be grasped.
Puzzle Alcove 1a: This mural is a grayscale painting of a volcanic island. There are two blue orbs.
Puzzle Alcove 1b: This mural is a grayscale painting of a tropical island with lots of vegetation. There is a green orb and a red orb that can be removed.
SOLUTION
Both puzzle rooms and the main hallway allow for verbal communication. This is a cooperative puzzle where the party must work together. The niches in the middle of the puzzle rooms will allow for the characters to pass colored orbs to one another. Placing an orb in the “pass” niche will send it to the other side into the “receive” niche.
Ideally, each player can pass one orb through the wall on their shared turn in the initiative order and place the orbs into their respective murals. It is recommended that a “real-life”, 30 second timer is added to limit combat from stalling. Once the timer expires, move to the next creature in the initiative order.
Solution for Alcove 1a: Red and Blue
(The volcanic island symbolizes red for fire/lava but will also represent a mountain going forward. The blue will represent water or islands. A blue orb and red orb must be set into the wall of this mural.)
Solution for Alcove 1b: Green and Blue
(The tropical island symbolizes green for vegetation and blue for water or islands. A blue orb and a green orb must be set into the wall of this mural.)
When the correct orbs are set into the walls of the murals, the painting becomes full color, the orbs lock into place and can no longer be removed.
Puzzle Alcove 2a: This is a grayscale painting of a mountain range covered in trees. A green orb and a black orb are set into the wall of this mural . (Wooded Foothills)
Puzzle Alcove 2b: This painting is of a dragon carcass rotting away in a dark, polluted body of water. A blue orb and a red orb are set into the wall of this mural (Polluted Delta).
Solution:
Alcove 2a: Green and Red
Alcove 2b: Blue and Black
When the correct orbs are set into the walls of the murals, the painting becomes full color, the orbs lock into place and can no longer be removed.
Puzzle Alcove 3a: This is a grayscale painting of a barren, flat land scattered with animal bones and remains. The sun shines overhead. Two white orbs are set into the wall of this mural (Scrubland).
Puzzle Alcove 3b: This is a grayscale painting of a lush field of wild trees and grasslands with the sun shining overhead. A black orb and a green orb are set into the wall of this mural. (Savannah)
Solution:
Alcove 3a: White and Black
Alcove 3b: White and Green
When the 3rd alcove puzzle is solved the doors will reopen, the water will drain, additional ghouls will cease to spawn and a new portal will appear.
Establishing Symbolization with the Colors
White is symbolizing the sun, life and the color white.
Blue is symbolizing water and islands
Black is symbolizing death, decay, swamps and pollution
Red is symbolizing mountains, volcanoes and fire
Green is symbolizing trees, forests and vegetation.
