The Locked Scroll of the First Floor

Secrets locked behind secrets

Sure, take a look. None of us have been able to crack it yet. I bet it's something really important, like a message from Miyu to Avartarian.

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— Comprilith Record Keeper

Found somewhere on the first floor of The Comprilith nearly a year ago, the Locked Scroll is an uncracked enigma that has already become famous across nearly all of Cathedris. In classrooms, on lunch break, while drinking in pubs, a favourite topic of conversation for many is "tell me what you think is on the scroll!".
The scrolls itself is a fairly simple, if slightly elegant, cylindrical locking scroll. It has 6 rotating tabs on it with which a code may be input, and a single gray button to the side that most think will unlock the contents when the correct code is entered.

The Discovery

One year ago, a team of 6 entered the Comprilith for a routine, low level excursion -- the Comprilith has countless floors, but they were intending to only explore the first one or two floors. The team was comprised of an equal mix of seasoned explorers, and junior explorers only on their 1st or 2nd trip into the tower. As far as any of them could tell, the excursion was as routine as could be; the time spent in the tower roughly equaled the passage of time outside the tower, and they returned with only one document -- the Locked Scroll.
However, the strange and unsettling part of the entire expedition is that, after exiting the tower, each member of the expedition had a different first-hand accounting of what they found. Stories varied wildly, with different locations, as well as different team organizations, in each account.

The Comprilith

The Comprilith is a strange and often times quite difficult place to explore. Time flows differently within its walls; some believe they spend 2 days exploring, only to find themselves exiting mere minutes after they had entered in the first place -- others find the opposite. While people never find themselves exiting the tower before they enter, extreme care must be taken in order to not vanish into the future.

This place was built eons ago, by gods that ruled over space, time, and knowledge. It's gonna get weird in there, so say your prayers and prepare yourself for the worst.

— Exploration Leader

The Explorer's first hand accounts

Jaren Averson

Junior explorer

Went on to explore the tower another few times over the next year, but sadly vanished on his last trip.

Many expeditions are now named in memory of Jaren

It was my first trip in the tower, actually. And aye, I was the one that picked up the scroll. All six of us were together when we saw it - it was sitting in this massive pile of... what looked like pure junk. Now that I think about it though, I'm fairly certain that wasn't junk -- I'm pretty sure it was a pile of similarly locked scrolls. What made this one stand out to me? I have no idea. It was just the first thing I saw, the first thing I knew I had to grab.

---

So there we were, Jaren and I somehow slightly separated from the rest of my crew, when we saw it. There were these two pedestals, immediately next to each other in the middle of a large and open area, with the scroll sitting right on top of them. It was like time was frozen in that second, it lasted for ages as I stood there. I shook my head to clear my mind, grabbed the scroll, and then we joined the others. Strangely enough, they told us we were only gone for a second, too.

Michelle Vance

Experienced Comprilith explorer

After the confusing first hand accounts from this trip, vowed to never enter the Comprilith again

Later on, opened a coffee shop in Russin

---

Roland Achterberg

Ex Legion operative turned Comprilith explorer

Generally used as protection services, as they're knowledgable in many dangers, not just Rendlings

Has continued to work and explore the Comprilith since then

I was all on my own -- as was everyone else, I think. We had gone for the spread-out-and-cover-more-ground method of operation, like we usually do. I count myself as very lucky, because I was the one that found the scroll! It was weird, though. It was in this room that I had passed through many times while exploring -- I think it was my eighth time in there. And suddenly, there the scroll was, sitting in the middle of the floor.

---

Two explorers had decided to go off on their own, leaving the rest of us to wonder why they had left. Jaren was with us and he seemed unconcerned, so we didn't worry about it and continued to explore as a slightly smaller group. We found this room that looked like someone had intentionally sabotaged it -- every chair, table, and desk had one of their four legs removed, and nothing stood properly anymore. I found the scroll in that room, wobbling on top of an unstable table near the edge of the room.

Blerta Gagliardi

Junior explorer

Has since gone on to explore the Comprilith more than any other in the last year, with more successful item retrievals than any other within the same amount of time

Has climbed the ranks, and is now a team lead for future explorations

---

Albor Borislov

Experienced explorer

Still goes into the Comprilith with some regularity, although less than he used to

Appears to be obsessed with cracking the code for the Locked Scroll -- at all times, he is talking about or discussing possible combinations

It was so strange, the instant we entered the Comprilith, there was one fewer of us. Scared the shit out of us all, even the experienced ones -- so the rest of the time we spent looking for them. We eventually began to explore this hallway with numerous doors to find them -- and twelve doors in, we found them. Strangely enough though, just three rooms before we found them, I checked a room, and there was the locked scroll, sitting in the middle of a dusty room.

---

We had agreed early on to split the group into two -- much easier to cover more ground, and there was enough of us that we'd be safe in our smaller groups. Me and my group were tasked with checking the bookshelves, and were finding the usual things: hundreds of serialized fiction books throughout the ages, nothing too important to grab. I was idly pulling books off the shelves when I found it, this ornate scroll, hiding behind the third book in this random series of books.

Eden Pederson

Most experienced explorer

Just like Albor, she has become obsessed with the Locked Scroll

No longer goes into the Comprilith, but instead serves as record keeper for the items brought out, in the hopes one will give a clue to the scroll's combination

---

The Theory

The scroll itself offers no hints or insight as to what its code is -- there are no distinguishing markings, apart from the numbers on the tabs themselves. This has lead many to believe that there must be environmental clues to the secret of the scroll; some think the strangeness surrounding the first-hand accounts of discovery must contain the key. Most theorize that the number of explorers present during each accounted discovery, as well as situational hints from within the explorers tales, must have something to do with the combination for the scroll.

On the Nature of We Few

From the Musings of Qur

The memories come to me, to us, in dreams. I have talked with the others. It is always dreams.
The memories of beginnings. The memories of before. The memories from outside. Are they real? It's hard to say. They feel real. Their effects are real -- it shapes my actions just as it shapes the others. But within those actions -- within the memories -- lay the true oddities about them all. Why are we so different? Why do my memories of the beginning drive me to create, to build, while Miyu's drive her to combat? Why is Sharenskus called to the ocean, while Farad takes to the mountains?
The Seed. The Shard. The Knife. These symbols -- items? How many are there? They keep flashing through my fitful dreams. My memories of the beginning. I think they might be older than We Few.
The others know them too. Sometimes by different signs, different names, but they know them just the same. We all see them. We all feel their presence.
In the before.
And after the end?

Like the CSS you see?

Cut it open? Are you mad? Look at the craftsmanship of the lock housing! The beautiful brass dials, and delicate lettering! He'an help, there's no way we'd ever cut this thing open.

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— Aghast keeper of the Lock

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