Proceeding onward, the group explores the room beyond the library and after slaying a devil, proceeds onward into a great banquet hall, whose tables are filled to near-collapse with wonderfully prepared foodstuffs of every possible sort. Therein, they make the acquaintance of the last surviving party member of the group that has penetrated the rings ahead of our heroes. The person in question is a female human bard. The bard is terrified and thoroughly over the entire idea of penetrating the inner circle. When the paladin and cleric of Torm swear they will protect her, but that she must help the party complete their mission – she reluctantly agrees to journey with the group and provide suitable battle music and inspiring chants.
She shares all that she knows about that which lies ahead – giving the group access to the third circle by means of hidden levers in the various chambers that they have visited so far. She warns of an automaton guardian that will require a set of colors in order to allow the group to pass safely. Suitably alarmed, the group members are all on their best behavior as they unlock the doors that allow passage into the inner ring of the vault and confront the steel menace. Although the colors are acceptable, the group is warned about the importance of the correct order.
They journey beyond and immediately encounter a crazed dwarf and his undead companion. A hastily erected wall of ice provides time and space to avoid that particular encounter, but it is noted that the unlikely duo are positioned right in front of an ornately carved door frame that closely resembles the ones that allow entrance to the next ring. It seems likely that a return to this location is in order at some point. The group views this as their ultimate goal and sets about investigating to try and determine the correct order of colors that will allow entrance to the vault.
The next chamber gives an encounter with a xorn and its evil dwarf henchmen. The xorn tries to confound the party by turning swaths of the cavern floor into mud, but a swift fireball and a quick-thinking party that deploys hay bales and folding boats atop the treacherous floor manages to slay the dwarves and force the xorn to retreat from combat. Pausing only to draw breath, the group members prepare to move onward…
Check out the current map.
What 3rd grader drew that map?
We have now found all the clues we need to penetrate the inner ring of this vault…..”the scepter is not first, it is red or purple.” “that which is gold comes before the crown and the orb”, “the scepter goes before the crown not of platinum made and the orb is not fourth”, “the sword that is not purple is second; the heart is not a white metal”, “the orb is not last, nor is it metal; the third is red”.
We have found five panels in separate locations within the third concentric ring of this vault. Each panel has five buttons of the same shape: one panel has heart shaped buttons, one has scepter shaped buttons, one has swords, one orbs and one crowns. Each of the five buttons is a different color, and the colors are as follows: purple, red, gold, silver and platinum.
Which buttons do we press and in what order??