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Q. How can I open the lead hatch in the Storage Nook?
A. First, let's try to open the hatch to get some info about it:
> open hatch
You try to lift the panel, but it's too heavy to move.
So it's not locked or anything. It's just too heavy for us to lift. Well, let's see what we
have in our repertoire... we have:
> recall lead weight increase (Deck Suite, locked cabinet)
"TROUTMAN'S INSCRIPTION, to INCREASE THE WEIGHT OF LEAD: (This unusual ritual
derives from the Subcontinent, but we translate it into European terms.) Create an anchored
(Saturnine) environment. Place any common bit of stone into the bound, and invoke a simple
sealing. Add a resinous note to the atmosphere; speak a word of essential nature; add a measure
of Gaian precipitate. Conclude with the Binding of the Celestial Sphere, to align the alchemical
axis (Earth-Saturn, low-high) with the mundane axis of gravitation."
Hmm. Is there a way to alter that ritual to have the opposite effect? Yes, there is. But it's not
that easy to figure out. At first I thought of changing the token, from a stone to a feather. But that
doesn't work. How about if we changed something in the Gaian precipitate:
> recall gaian precipitate (Deep Stacks, trapped under alien coral)
"THE SYNTHESIS of GAIAN PRECIPITATE: This reagent is of great value in
rituals pertaining to the Earth. Prepare your retort with a measure of vitriolic
acid; place orichalcum therein. Invoke the sealing and raise the heat. When the
metal dissolves, recite a symmetric sequence (the symmetry induces a positive
connection to the Earth). Measure in alum until the solution turns violet; then
add pure elemental earth and reduce to a powder."
Well, there's the clue: "...(the symmetry induces a positive connection to the Earth)...".
Because we also found an 'antisymmetric sequence' on the same sheet of paper we found the symmetric sequence.
So if we sub that into the ritual instead of reciting the symmetric sequence, then it ought to have the
opposite effect (to induce a negative connection with the Earth, i.e. make something lighter). So sure enough.
First you can make some 'counter-Gaian precipitate', then use it in the lead weight increase ritual instead of
the Gaian precipitate, and you wind up with a 'gossamerity symbol' on your stone token of choice :-)
Click here to show/hide what you find under the lead hatch
> go to storage nook
> touch lead hatch with sandstone (or whatever type of stone you chose as a token)
> open hatch
> take flimsy sheet
This recipe describes a specific solvent. (Which is far more useful than a universal solvent.
Universal solvents just destroy your lab and kill you.) "TUCKER'S SOLVENT, which will
DISSOLVE ONLY GRANITE: Begin with the Hermetic sealing, and a mixture of muriatic and
bamuriatic acids. Add some elemental earth; use a word of anaphylaxis. Add a bit of slate - this
being the symbolic opposite of granite - and conclude with the Binding of Antipathy.
> take singed sheet
It's a potion receipt. "THE FIRE-DEVOURER (a potion to extinguish even the greatest
conflagration): Prepare a strong fiery environment - several influences should be combined for
this ritual. Place a measure of alcohol into the bound. Begin with a sealing word of passivity to
oppose the alcohol's fiery nature. Ignite the beaker with elemental fire; this will provoke
combustion despite the passivation. Conclude with the Greater Phlogistical Saturation. The
resulting potion is of great strength; one vial, flung into a burning building, often suffices to end
the danger.
You memorize the instructions, including the Greater Phlogistical Saturation. Return
to the main walkthrough
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