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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6529092" data-attributes="member: 97077">THE LIFT<img src="http://i.imgur.com/qDsf4Yv.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Once the Big Problems are resolved, cut to this scene: The Lift. This is the top chamber of a 10-level vault deep under the mountain where the Warding Guild stores its clients' valuables. While ten floors of loot may make gold-hungry adventurers paralyzed with avarice, they need to focus because time is of the essence and what they're seeking is on the final floor. The challenge here is to get the lift to function in a timely fashion and without summoning this area's defenders. Within five minutes of the adventurers' arrival here, a guard rotation will come along - one knight (MM p. 347) and two guards (MM p. 347) with dwarven traits. You can adjust that time limit upward or downward to make it an easier or harder challenge for the players.Turn to page 122 of the Players' Handbook and show it to any player whose character speaks Dwarvish.FEATURES OF THE AREAEntrance: A grand marble arch bounds a set of heavy stone and metal doors that lead into the area of the lift. On the inside the arch is incribed in Dwarvish: "The Eyes of the Manticore Be Upon You."The Lift: A magically-powered apparatus that can be controlled to hold a half-ton of weight and raise or lower it to one of the ten floors of the vault. It is emblazoned with the seal of House Kundarak. It cannot be used unless it is unlocked (see below). Once unlocked, touching the Dwarvish runes ("I, II, III, and IIII") will send it to the desired floor (e.g. "I" and IIII" will send someone to the fifth floor") after a short pause to allow for people to step on the platform.Paintings: On the walls west, north, and east of the lift are fine paintings. The west painting depicts a manticore observing a battle between dwarves and Jhorash'tar orcs on a wintry mountaintop. It is initialed by the famous Dwarven artist Deft Otak ("DO" in Dwarvish script). The northern painting shows dragonmarked dwarves forging an alliance with manticores in a vast cavern warded with runes. It is unsigned. The final painting, on the east wall, shows crossbow-wielding dwarves flying atop manticores, driving orcs before them and out of the Ironroot Mountains. It is initialed by another famous Dwarven artist, Welv Naldra ("WN" in Dwarvish script).Hexagonal Pillars: These pillars are constructed of metal and stone. On each side are letters in Dwarvish script. On the SW pillar are the letters, H - K - L - D - Z - G. On the NW pillar are the letters, C - E - I - O - Q - R. On the SE pillar are the letters, V - N - B - T - S - N. On the NE pillar are the letters, W - X - A - F - J - Y. The pillars can be rotated clockwise which each face of hexagon pointing toward the Dwarvish runes on the lift apparatus. When placed in the correct sequence, the lift is unlocked with an audible "click." If, however, the wrong sequence is set (all four pillars must have been manipulated in some fashion), then a manticore (MM p. 213) is summoned from one of the paintings and it attacks. Three manticores can be summoned in this fashion after which the lift completely shuts down, useless until reset by the Silver Keys.The Correct Combination?[spoiler]I - D, II - O, III - W, IIII - N. The initials on the two paintings provide a clue to this. As well, the only letters of the alphabet missing from the hexagonal pillars are "U" and "P," which may provide a hint since this lift is at the first floor and can't go up at all.Wait - isn't this a problem with One True Solution? Hell no - the players remembered to bring a rogue along, right? Good. The rogue can always try to hotwire the lift or whatever - it just takes more time and probably has a chance of failure. If that's the case, consider adjudicating failure on the check as "progress combined with a setback." For example, the rogue gets the thing working, but the thieves' tools are ruined or it takes up more time than expected or it shocks the crap out of him or her for 2d10 lightning damage.[/spoiler]</blockquote>

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