[IC] New Crobuzon & the World Beyond

[Selina Parcellus]

[[Of COURSE it's something potentially skill-based when I decide not to prepare Divine Insight. *grumbles*]]

[GM Marvel]

[Bump]

[Selina Parcellus]

"Thank you, Elphaba. Well...I don't think it would hurt to find out what this riddle is."  Selina temporizes mainly because the vague reference and even more vague threat doesn't really get anyone anywhere.

[Crozar the Sunspot]

Crozar nods in agreement.  "No real option but to proceed at this point."

[GM Marvel]

Elphaba nods and then repeats the word Nang spoke.  "Aparecium..."  As soon as she speaks more light shines through the door under the previous rhyme, burning glowing words into whatever material the door was made from.  This time however, each of you understand the written words in your native languages.  The words simply say, "Knowledge is your key."  A large keyhole suddenly grows into the middle of the featureless face.

[Selina Parcellus]

[[/me gripes some more about not preparing Divine Insight or leaving a few spell slots open.]]

Selina frowns and nods.  "We will need knowledge of some sort.  That much is obvious.  But what knowledge, specifically?..."  She has a look around, trying to find any sort of clue as to what the gate seeks as 'knowledge'.

Search: [1d20]=4  [[Nnnnope!]]

[GM Marvel]

Simon says, "I've never been any good at riddles.  Facts have always been my thing.  If we can't figure this out fairly quickly then I suggest we have no choice but to take the hard route to our destination."

Tomel adds, "The door made a real keyhole but that doesn't make any sense."

[Selina Parcellus]

"I would rather not risk any sort of 'curse', if it's all the same to you, whether to myself or to anyone else present.  We do not have to rush this.  And the keyhole may still be symbolic, or it may be a physical key that is hidden somewhere else in this apparatus that is opened by solving this riddle."

[Crozar the Sunspot]

Crozar attempts to help Selina look around as he thinks about the riddle. [[Search: [1d20+1]=1+1=2]]  Having little success with the search he asks Simon and Elphaba, "Could this been the lair of a Biothaumaturgist?  Given the creatures up from and the defense mechanisms here, and the flesh fields as a whole just reek of the influence of a biothamaturge or maybe a physiothamaturge."

[GM Marvel]

Simon replies to Selina, "I only meant that riddles can be very time consuming.  Of course we shouldn't rush to answer this riddle but at the same time we shouldn't spend a week trying to solve it when there's another route available to us."

Tomeal nods to Selina's suggestion that the keyhole might be symbolic.

Both Simon and Elphaba consider Crozar's thoughts.  Simon then replies, "While a biothaumaturge does manipulate flesh, they tend to do so to living beings by attaching new useful or useless living grafts.  So you could remove a nocturnal beast's eyes and then give them to someone else so they can see in the dark or remove a crocodile's tale and attach it to someone else to give them an additional slam attack.  More grotesquely, you could also attach a hundred arms to someone's body and have them constantly move to get in the way of the person as punishment.  I remember one grewsome story where a mother killed her child so she was Remade to have the baby's arms attached to her temples so it's hands would block her vision as a constant reminder to what she had done.  As for physiothamaturge, that is the practice of attaching mechanical objects to a humanoid.  Using the door as an example, if the face were human (and perhaps it is) it could be attached to the door and everything would still work.  Though many of these changes are punishments, some are requested.  If you're a soldier, accepting a canon being attached to your chest would make you much more effective."

While you talk, all of you search the area but no one finds anything that might be useful.

[OoC: Since I don't think it's fair to expect players to have the same knowledge as characters with genius intellects, I will let each of you make an intelligence (knowledge) or wisdom (Intuition) check.  If you happen to have an 18+ you can make 2 checks and 20+ you can make 3 checks.  Depending upon your rolls, I will give you a vague hint at the answer.]