DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fun & Games ETD: Escape the Dream Episode III: The Sixfold Seal

You stand before a pair of heavy stone doors at the end of a narrow passageway.

They are not especially decorative. There are no skulls carved into them, no ominous warnings, no fresh bloodstains, no chanting cultists, and no helpful sign reading Certain Doom This Way.

This, naturally, makes them suspicious.

The doors open inward with only the slightest push.

Beyond is a wide, many-sided chamber of smooth gray stone. The air smells faintly of dust, candle wax, and old magic. Six passageways lead away from the central room like spokes from a wheel: northeast, east, southeast, southwest, west, and northwest. A seventh doorway, directly north, is sealed by a great stone door bearing six keyholes arranged in a circle.

At the center of the chamber stands a low stone pedestal. Upon it is a carved circle divided by lines and numbers, though some of the markings are difficult to make out beneath the dust.

On the north wall, flanking the sealed door, stand two stone guardians. They are tall, broad, solemn, and almost certainly too heavy to move. Their eyes glow faintly blue.

The moment the last of you steps inside, the entrance doors swing shut behind you.

There is a thunderclap.

A cloud of glittering lights bursts from the central pedestal and swirls upward, arranging itself across the ceiling like a constellation of tiny candles.

Then, standing dramatically atop the pedestal where no one had been a moment before, appears a tall, narrow man in a robe patterned with moons, stars, comets, and what appears to be one embroidered duck. He wears a pointed hat. His beard is long. His staff is taller than he is, and a crystal in its gnarled tip glows with theatrical importance.

He spreads his arms.

"Greetings, travelers! Welcome, welcome, welcome to..."

He pauses, glances upward, waits for the candlelights to flare brighter, and then continues.

"The Sixfold Seal!"

The blue-eyed stone guardians do not applaud.

The wizard continues anyway.

"I am Conundromus, Archmage, Artificer of Astonishments, Constructor of Confinements, and Master of Moderately Safe Magical Entertainment. You have entered a pocket dungeon of my own design. The door behind you is closed. The door before you is sealed. Six keys are hidden within six trials. Find them, use them, and the way forward shall open."

He leans slightly forward, lowering his voice.

"Fail, and you shall remain trapped here forever."

A pause to let that sink in.

"Or until I remember to let you out. Whichever comes first. Legal counsel insists I clarify these things."

He taps the pedestal with his staff.

"The six chambers may be explored in any order. Some can be solved by logic. Some by observation. Some by experimentation. Some by being very, very good at finding things I was certain I had hidden better. And yes, before anyone asks, there may be clues in one chamber that help you in another. I am generous that way. Also vain. Mostly vain."

With another gesture, six small flames appear above the six passageways. Near each entrance, a painted panel shimmers into view upon the wall.

"Observe! Each passage bears a painting. Symbolism! Foreshadowing! Interior decoration! Ignore them at your peril, or admire them at your leisure."

He points his staff toward the stone guardians.

"If you become hopelessly, tragically, embarrassingly stuck, you may ask one of my guardians for a clue. They are not conversationalists. But they are reliable."

One guardian's eyes brighten.

In a voice like two millstones politely disagreeing, it says:

"Clue?"

Conundromus beams.

"See? Splendid."

He lifts one finger.

"A few rules before we begin. This is a puzzle adventure, not a battle to the death. You may search, experiment, reason, roleplay, and roll dice. A poor roll will not make the room unsolvable. It may simply mean you receive a less complete clue, attract a nuisance, or have to try another approach. A good roll may reveal a hidden object, shortcut, or useful connection to another chamber."

He lifts a second finger.

"Also, certain decorative objects are marked with small signs reading Do Not Touch. These should not be touched. This is not because I am hiding the best treasure there. It is because touching them may result in Certain Doom."

He pauses, then adds, "Possibly Mild Doom. Again, legal counsel."

The floating candlelights above you flicker, though not in any especially urgent way.

Conundromus steps backward into a puff of silver smoke.

His voice echoes from everywhere at once.

"Six keys. Six trials. One sealed door. Do try to look clever while escaping."

The smoke clears.

The chamber is yours.

---

What you can see

The central chamber contains:

• The sealed northern door, with six keyholes arranged in a circle.
• A central stone pedestal, carved with a circular pattern and partially visible numbers.
• Two stone guardians, who appear to respond to the word "clue."
• Six passageways, each with a painted panel near its entrance.
• A length of rope, coiled near one wall.
• A few loose stones and dusty corners that may be worth inspecting.

The six passageways are:

Northeast Passage: The Bright Corridor

A painting beside the arch shows a polished shield turning aside a lance of golden light.

East Passage: The Labyrinth Door

A painting beside the arch shows a glass lens held over a map, revealing a hidden path in red ink.

Southeast Passage: The Wizard's Study

A painting beside the arch shows a stone sundial beneath a perfect noon-shadow.

Southwest Passage: The Silent Crypt

A painting beside the arch shows a hearth-fire driving pale figures back into their coffins.

West Passage: The Game Room

A painting beside the arch shows a white chess piece standing triumphant before a black king.

Northwest Passage: The Smoke Tunnel

A painting beside the arch shows a great fan blowing dark smoke away from an iron key.

---

Current State

Keys Found: 0 / 6
Clues Requested: 0
Known Useful Items: none yet
Available Exits: Bright Corridor, Labyrinth Door, Wizard's Study, Silent Crypt, Game Room, Smoke Tunnel
Candle-Lights: Numerous, dramatic, and probably not as urgent as Conundromus implied

Try to clear some of the dust from the pedestal. Blow hard or use a bit of clothing.

The dust on the pedestal is old, soft, and dry enough that even a careful breath sends it curling away in little gray clouds.

For a moment, the candle-lights overhead shimmer in the disturbed air.

Beneath the dust, the top of the pedestal proves to be carved with a three-by-three grid, though the lines are arranged within a circular border rather than a square frame. Three of the spaces are clearly marked.

From top to bottom, down the center column, the numbers read 7, 5, 3.



The remaining spaces are blank... or perhaps meant to be filled by something elsewhere.

Around the edge of the circle, tiny carved words appear, now that the dust is gone: All paths balance.

(Not playing, but I know of two possible ways to complete this.)