When the totems were finally placed, Jigano rose and bowed to his friends, proud of their achievement, and especially at the way they had worked together - two among them especially. "It was no easy challenge, but you did well to decipher the clues!" he praised, smiling at each of them in turn. "And you reasoned them out well, sharing the information with each other as you went along. The dragon rises like the sun, in the east." He grinned at Amalia, acknowledging her as the first to make the connections. "The sword is to the south because that direction is the hottest throughout the day, and deserts are associated with heat as well. The bear went to the west, laying itself down to rest like the sun at the end of the day, and the gryphon belongs to the north, the coldest direction, and the darkest. And of course, the Spire went in the center, heart and cage both," he nodded to Caiside with approval.
Isuma went to rub her soft head againstSamuel 's arm in reassurance as Jigano turned to him with a wry smile. "Not all puzzles are based on words however. Or at least, not entirely. When we went into the basement of the Spire we passed designs on the doors that looked as though they had been visual puzzles. Perhaps, as we explore the Undergound and uncover more of the ancient knowledge that is still hidden there, we might come across more such puzzles. So, in order to prepare us for such an undertaking, I have one final challenge for you, my friends."
He stepped around the table to lift the bowl from the center of the table - only, the entire bowl didn't come up. He lifted a bowl, but another remained on the table: not one thicker dish, but two that fit cunningly together so that they looked like one piece. He set the inner bowl to the side, revealing a piece of paper that had been hidden within, sandwiched between the two metal containers. Smoothing out the creases, it became obvious that there was writing on it, and a large blank area beneath. Reaching into his box of puzzles, he pulled out five slender strips of metal with hands engraved on them, and placed them carefully beneath the words. He placed a slender mallet beside the puzzle and then offered it to his Loreseekers by stepping back so they could gather around it.
"You are not without clues," he advised them with a smile, folding his hands into his capacious sleeves. "But this puzzle is a test of your quick thinking. Strike the keys with the mallet in the correct order - the first to do so correctly will win this challenge. I do ask that you take turns, though. Once you have tried a combination, set the mallet down for the next person to make their attempt. No matter what order you go in, I'll let you each take a turn before I let you know if anyone got it right. And yes, if you think you've solved it after someone else has, you may repeat their pattern."
The message on the paper was simple:
“The spaces between notes are just as important as the notes themselves.”
A B C D E
Last round! Who will strike the right tone and gain those last, precious points?
No posting order!
Isuma went to rub her soft head against
He stepped around the table to lift the bowl from the center of the table - only, the entire bowl didn't come up. He lifted a bowl, but another remained on the table: not one thicker dish, but two that fit cunningly together so that they looked like one piece. He set the inner bowl to the side, revealing a piece of paper that had been hidden within, sandwiched between the two metal containers. Smoothing out the creases, it became obvious that there was writing on it, and a large blank area beneath. Reaching into his box of puzzles, he pulled out five slender strips of metal with hands engraved on them, and placed them carefully beneath the words. He placed a slender mallet beside the puzzle and then offered it to his Loreseekers by stepping back so they could gather around it.
"You are not without clues," he advised them with a smile, folding his hands into his capacious sleeves. "But this puzzle is a test of your quick thinking. Strike the keys with the mallet in the correct order - the first to do so correctly will win this challenge. I do ask that you take turns, though. Once you have tried a combination, set the mallet down for the next person to make their attempt. No matter what order you go in, I'll let you each take a turn before I let you know if anyone got it right. And yes, if you think you've solved it after someone else has, you may repeat their pattern."
The message on the paper was simple:
A B C D E
Last round! Who will strike the right tone and gain those last, precious points?
