86. The Sealed Door

(20'x20' room, double doors south in southeast corner to hallway, door west in southwest corner to room 87) This room appears to be empty. There is a door in the west wall, made of some gray metal. It has huge armored hinges, but instead of a knob or handle the door appears to be closed by a circular seal, marked with the signs of the Zodiac. The door west into room 87 is made of an adamantine alloy, set flush into the wall, with huge armored hinges as described. The circular seal is about 16" in diameter and holds the door closed by means of magic. The seal is attached to the edge of the door so that it laps half over the door, half over the wall; it is positioned about 3 feet above the floor. The seal is as shown on the Player's Handout: The Seal page (see below). The Zodiac symbols are largely universal, so even an illiterate peasant farmer will recognize them (since they are important to the planting schedule). The signs on the seal, however, are out of order. The correct order of the signs is as follows: If any player asks about the order of the symbols, give them Players Handout: Astrological Symbols. When the Seal is touched, it will begin to glow; when left untouched for a full round the glow will fade. To open the door, the out-of-order signs must be touched in the correct order; the first out-of-order sign must be touched first, so touching all the signs in their correct relative order will not open the seal. For a sign to be touched "first" the Seal must not be glowing when it is touched. The signs which must be touched are as follows, in the order they must be touched: When this is done, the door will open about a quarter inch, and may be opened the rest of the way by grasping the edge of the Seal and pulling. If closed completely, the Seal re-locks automatically. The door will not close on its own. From the inside, it may be opened simply by pushing on the door. 58