Entrance B (The Cargo Lift)

The Situation: The party has defeated the Lord of Blades’ Zealots in the Plaza of Artifice. The area is quiet except for the erratic clanking of the remaining Animated Armor and the hum of distant, unseen machinery. Before them is the main entrance to the Cannith Tower and its massive cargo lift.

The Challenge: The lift is a piece of high-security, pre-Mourning technology. It’s not broken, but it’s deliberately unpowered and requires high-level clearance to operate. The challenge is a two-step process: restore local power, then provide authorization.

Step One: Restoring Power

• The Scene: “The doors to the cargo lift are massive, seamless adamantine plates, cold to the touch. Beside them, a crystal control panel is completely dark and inert. It’s clear the lift has no power.”
• The Investigation: A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a character to trace a thick, armored power conduit from the panel to a reinforced door across the lobby. The door is marked with a small plate that reads: “Substation 7G-Alpha”. The door is locked (a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check to pick, or a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to force).
• Inside the Substation (The “Lever Puzzle”):

“The substation is a small, cramped room filled with the low hum of dormant systems. A large control panel features a series of three heavy levers, all currently in the ‘down’ position. A brass plate above them reads: ‘System Startup Protocol: Engage Primary, then Secondary, then Tertiary Conduits in Stabilizing Sequence.’ Unfortunately, the labels beneath each lever have been blasted off or are unreadably corroded.”

• If looking closer…

Following the mechanisms down from the levers, you see that each is connected to a thick, armored power conduit that runs into the wall. You notice they aren’t identical. The conduit connected to the middle lever is significantly thicker and more heavily reinforced than the others. The one on the far right is the thinnest, with delicate-looking silvery wiring woven around it. The lever on the left is connected to a conduit of a standard, intermediate size.

• The Solution: They need to figure out the correct order. This is a logic puzzle, not a random guess.
  • Intelligence (Arcana) check, DC 14:
    • Success: “You extend a hand, feeling the dormant magical energy. The hum is strongest and feels like raw, powerful evocation magic from the conduit connected to the middle lever – clearly the Primary power source. The thinnest conduit on the right has only a faint divination aura, likely for monitoring. Your deduction about the order is correct.”
  • Intelligence check with Tinker’s Tools, DC 14:
    • Success: “Based on your knowledge of Cannith engineering, a conduit of that gauge [the middle one] is always used for primary power input in these substations. This smaller one [the right one] is a standard data or auxiliary line. The sequence of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary would indeed be Middle, Left, then Right.”
• Failure: Pulling the levers in the wrong order results in a loud but harmless CLANG and a shower of sparks from the panel. All levers automatically reset to the “down” position. This signals failure without causing damage, allowing them to try again.
• Success: Pulling the levers in the correct sequence causes the conduits to glow with a steady blue light. A loud KER-CHUNK sound echoes from the lobby as the lift’s control panel and the lights around the lift doors flicker to life.

The Correct Sequence:

• 1st: Pull the Middle Lever (Primary)
• 2nd: Pull the Left Lever (Secondary)
• 3rd: Pull the Right Lever (Tertiary)

Step Two: Gaining Authorization

• The Scene: “Returning to the lobby, you see the control panel by the lift is now glowing with a soft cyan light. A prompt has appeared on its surface in neat, glowing script: ‘Authorization Required. Present Cannith Artificer Sigil of Rank 4 or Higher.‘”
• The Solution: The party needs an authorization key. This key is not lying around; it was on the leader they just defeated. A thorough search of the Warforged Blade-Bearer’s body will reveal a heavy, iron signet ring bearing the intricate gear-and-anvil mark of a House Cannith Senior Artificer (Rank 4). It was likely taken from a Cannith official during a past conflict and was what the zealots were hoping to use themselves.
• Activation: Pressing the flat face of the signet ring to the crystal panel causes the prompt to change: “Authorization Verified. Welcome, Master Artificer. Destination: Sub-Level Transit Hub. Engage Lift?”

The Descent:

Once they engage the lift, the massive adamantine doors grind open, revealing a huge platform. As they step on, the doors seal and the platform begins a slow, noisy, hundred-foot descent into the darkness of Layer 2.

The Reward:

They arrive safely in the Central Transit Hub, a relatively secure, pre-lit area of Layer 2. Their reward for defeating the tough surface encounter is a safe entry point and, as we discussed, immediate access to a pristine map of the subterranean level, giving them a major strategic advantage for the rest of their exploration.