Why do we even have that lever?

Spoiler: drama

That’s the same one you did last time, pretty much? Might have something to do with it.

edit: in reply to @Wingyl

edit edit: no, I fucked up, in reply to @Sethrial MacCoill

 

Spoiler: response

It's all good. I actually went back to check what killed the thread last time around to make sure I wasn't repeating myself too much, and it seemed like a pretty different question to me. Underground labyrinth vs moving walls.

eta: I looked back some more, and it was pretty similar to one I'd asked before. In my defense, that was a year and a half ago, and two people answered it like day of. Also in my defense, there are only so many weird things going on in fantasy games to ask about, and a solid quarter of the questions in this thread boil down to "why is this room trying to kill me?"

 

That's not a diary. It's an antique letter writing book. They were usually sold in pairs, and whatever's written or drawn in one will show up in the other instantly. Cutting edge technology for the time, and it changed the face of communication for years, until we figured out stones of farspeech. After that they faded from popularity, and now they've been more or less forgotten. Somewhere out there there's probably another little girl wondering why her old diary is talking to her. You might write her a note to explain things before her parents panic and call an exorcist.

Why do old blind women keep giving me cryptic advice?

 

Spoiler: cont

I wasn't thinking of moving walls; the similar ones are these:

but honestly idk what I'm even trying to accomplish. are we calling people out for self-plagiarism now? me @ me: if it ain't broke don't fix it

 

I'd feel worse about it if a solid quarter of these questions weren't "why is this room trying to squish me?"

We're doing better about asking interesting questions this time around, but for a while there people were adventuring through a lot of industrial equipment

 

Why does this knife, which I liberated from a person who was trying to kill me with it and almost succeeded, have no sharp edge? It left cuts on me fine while we were fighting, but I touch the blade and it feels like the business end of a prybar: narrow, yes, but not even slightly keen. It's perplexing.

 

Those are the Sisters of Perplexity. It's a rather charming little convent that works off of the principle that the best way to help people better themselves in the here-and-now is by making them think harder. They also put out a weekly crossword puzzle and run a rather popular cryptogram newsletter.

They're not actually all blind, of course, and about half of them aren't really even that old - but their vows require they set aside both mortal vanity and the allure of believing all that your eyes tell you. So the novices all wear blindfolds for the first few years, and the whole lot of them have glamours set into their clothes that gives them a fairly uniform appearance of "little old lady".

That's a safety knife! They're usually used in professional kitchens, actually - it's easier to ensure that your chefs aren't cutting their fingers off by rushing if it's actually impossible for them to lose a finger to the knife, after all. It's also a popular item for families with young children who are learning how to cook.

It's got enchantments set into both the handle and the blade. It won't cut whoever's holding it (which happens to be you, right now!) and the blade will never lose its edge. This does, unfortunately, make them a bit popular in criminal circles but it's usually a bit too expensive for your run-of-the-mill mugger or murderer to get for the explicit purpose of using it for that.

Why are so many parts of this city blocked off until I solve a puzzle in a completely different section of the city? Why should pushing a statue into place and sorting out bookshelves make any difference to what's going on, on the other side of town?

 

Oh hi there, I'm the gate operator! I hope you weren't waiting for long. I just nipped out to borrow a book, and I must have gotten turned around. This is embarrassing, but I swear I turned left at the same statue several times and ended up in totally different places. I'm telling you, those things move when you're not looking. Creepy, huh? But never mind that, you'll want a pamphlet for the East Side Extravaganza! Enjoy your visit!

Why can't I put this expensive vase down carefully once I pick it up? I can carry it pretty much indefinitely with no issue. So why do I need a pillow to catch it so it won't shatter into a million pieces, since I will inevitably drop it on the floor like a dolt?

 

Indefinite endurance compounded with severely limited dexterity? Could be a motor disability, but I'd put my money on dissociation.

Why would I need to get out or break down the wall to communicate with the prisoner in the cell next to me, when I have a perfectly functional set of lungs and am demonstrably capable of hollering in other contexts?

 

soundproofing. you can holler loud enough to be heard through one layer of soundproofing- the one on the cell next to you- but not through both your own cell's soundproofing and the other cell's soundproofing.


why are there all these moving blocks with traffic lights and spikes on them in parts of a city that have no roads?

 

The floating ones? They’re there to direct traffic for the flying, floating, hovering, and otherwise gravitationally challenged population of the city. If you pay close attention you’ll notice that they move in a 24 hour cycle to keep the upper lanes moving smoothly as traffic increases and decreases at different times of day. If you stick around you can watch the 5 pm rush. There’s this one flock, sapient hive mind of about 300 birds, that has beautiful plumage this time of the year.

Why is one denomination of your currency worth 17 of the next smallest, and why is that one worth 29 of the one below that?

 

It's perfectly simple! It's a Pythagorean prime currency as I believe you would call it, the most mentally harmonious currency. It takes 37 of the next lowest for each 29 of the 17 that equal one of that note you have right there, it's all very straightforward, you see? If you had five of that note, you could exchange it for one of our largest notes. It's that easy!

Honestly, I've never understood why foreigners seem so unconcerned with the effect of insufficiently pleasing denominations. How do you cope with the numerical ennui every time you make change? How do you regain your sense of geometric harmony? Do you have to stop making purchases until you recover? I can't imagine what that does to your economy.

Why are there accurate instructions for defeating a series of trolls in armed combat, scratched into the ground beside a skeleton outside of the troll cave?

 

Welcome to the Frightful Fungeon! A fun dungeon adventure for skeleton warriors age 200 and under! (Please have IDs ready at the gate). Get ready for the bone rattling time of your unlife in our fun, interactive, two hour long dungeon crawl through the Spooky Scary Abyss! Please keep the locations of all emergency exits in mind while adventuring and follow the marked path through the dungeon. The danger is real, but don't worry, our friendly trained skeletons are here to help if you get stuck. Have fun, be safe, and welcome to the Frightful Fungeon!

(Fungeon admittance for card carrying members of the skeleton army only. All others will be removed.)

Why do these thousand pound monsters get scared and run away when I raise my arms and shout?