A badly-wrapped package.

[eternally_aggrieved]

A brown paper package sits on Ahrotahn's desk in Relto. It shakes and wobbles, giving the general impression that it is grievously annoyed.

Comments

[all_the_worlds_have]

She can.

[calledtoventure]

At last.

Inside the safe is―

[all_the_worlds_have]

Another box, made of a dark grey material, and oddly shaped. Depending on what parts you counted as 'sides', it could have anywhere from seven of them to eleven of them. The top is flat, slightly overhanging the box's sides: it is inscribed with a wide golden circle.

A small plaque on one side states that it is a "Talisman Co. Heliocentric Orrery." So at least it appears that Ahrotahn is done with safes.

The fact that sliding the plaque slightly to one side reveals a hidden switch does rather suggest that there are more than a few puzzles left, however.

[calledtoventure]

Eeeeeee.

She inspects it through the lens, tries to rotate the circle, and flips the switch.

[all_the_worlds_have]

Proceeding to the right from the plaque, there is:

An oddly-shaped hole, clearly meant for one of those folding-keys she's already met. Below it is a long rectangular inset panel: above it is an empty inset shaped like a four-pointed star.

A four-by-four grid of lights. They turn on and off when she touches them: lighting more than five causes all of them to go dark again. Below them, there is a small filigreed panel.

An entire globe inset into the box, which rotates freely on a hidden pivot. Four oddly-shaped pieces of map are missing from it, likely corresponding to the four small doors in the box at each corner around it. Below the globe, there is a small sealed chest: below that, there's a pair of slight seams in the base of the orrery. Tugging at the relevant bit of edging doesn't produce any results, though.

A flat, circular piece of wood. When viewed through the lens, she can see a simple rotating lock hidden from view. A few simple manipulations reveal a small, square hole. A tiny plaque with a floral pattern sits above this whole arrangement.

Some form of vault, with both a keyhole and a combination dial.

A small inset area with two switches and half of a pair of gears. Two small handles are inset into the box above it, refusing to budge.

A large square panel, sealed tightly.

A pair of small, vertical rectangular insets, flanking a niche with some sort of lens inside it. There's an irregularly shaped hole on the base of the box in front of the niche.

A circular panel that separates in six teardrop-shaped segments. A small square hole sits to its right. Below it, there's another long horizontal inset panel.

Flipping the switch opens the inset panel to the right of the plaque, revealing a small puzzle-box and another note with the AS initials.

[calledtoventure]

She reads the note, inspects the small puzzle-box, and flips the switches in the inset area.

Can she reach the lens in the niche?

[all_the_worlds_have]

The note reads:

"The origin of the Null element implies it may be somehow tied to my soul: but how would that explain the colossal energies it contains? Is the human soul truly such a powerful metaphysical force? Or does the power come from some other source?

Through trial and error, I have fashioned a device to contain and harness this vast energy. I am unsure how it functions, relying as it does on the hexagram glyph. I am fearful of further experimentation.

I lack the understanding to control the Null."

(A pair of illustrations sit beneath, detailing a spherical device contained within a hexagram cage-armature. It gives the general impression of an exceedingly eccentric astrolabe.)

---

The box has a small 'slide the bead to the goal' puzzle on it. It proves inadequate to Ahrotahn's bead-sliding skills. With a click, the box unlocks: inside sits a plain brass key.

The switches do nothing.

The lens on the side of the box appears to be firmly attached, but it does rotate with a small clicking sound. Nothing appears to happen when it's turned, however.

[calledtoventure]

She tries the brass key in the vault keyhole.

[all_the_worlds_have]

It fits! Turning it unlocks the vault dial. A bit of experimentation shows that it works in much the same way as the previous vault dial, save with more latches.

Inside sits a small square frame, with an eyepiece pointed at the vacant space between two upright posts.

[calledtoventure]

She retrieves the telescope from the eye-panel area. Can it be sensibly mounted on the posts?

[all_the_worlds_have]

Unfortunately, the telescope has disappeared into the depths of the previous box along with the rest of the movie apparatus.

[calledtoventure]

She looks through the eyepiece.

She inspects the floral plaque. Is it movable at all? If it's removable, she'll try mounting it on the posts in the square frame, and looking at it through the eyepiece.

She is of course still wearing the aether-crystal monocle for all of this.

[all_the_worlds_have]

There is nothing to see through the eyepiece, even wearing the monocle. The floral plaque refuses to budge.

[calledtoventure]

She tries turning the half-gears. Then she looks through the lens in the niche, while rotating it.

[all_the_worlds_have]

There is only one gear remaining of a pair of intermeshing gears. It spins loosely and does precisely nothing.

It's impossible for her to get her eye positioned so she can see through the lens: it's oriented vertically, and the niche above it is too small for her to hit her head into.

[calledtoventure]

And it rotates around its own axis of symmetry, rather than so as to afford reorienting?

She takes a closer look at the filigreed panel.

[all_the_worlds_have]

Yes.

The panel appears to be made out of wood, just like the rest of the orrery. The filigree seems to be entirely ornamental, with no hidden catches or other such things.

[calledtoventure]

She examines the note, the empty puzzle-box, and the old photograph (front and back) closely through the monocle.

[all_the_worlds_have]

None of this reveals anything new.

[calledtoventure]

Can the photograph be mounted on the posts in the square frame?

[all_the_worlds_have]

It fits precisely!

[calledtoventure]

She looks at it through the eyepiece.

[all_the_worlds_have]

The mansion in the picture doesn't look any different.

[calledtoventure]

What if she mounts it backwards, and looks at the back of the photograph through the eyepiece?

[all_the_worlds_have]

The photograph refuses to come back out of the holder.