Turn over the envelope labeled Room 3
Just as you did when exiting the previous room, you feel your arm tremble as you reach for the button to open the yellow door. Again, you worry, “What if I overlooked something? What if my logic was slightly off?” Just a single mistake could lead you to the wrong door and trap you inside this nightmare forever. However, you know you must press on if you are ever going to escape, so you push the open button and stand back as the sliding door separates, allowing you to step through. As you walk through the doorway, the new room illuminates, and your eyes are drawn to a new set of challenges.
The first thing you notice is that this room has only four exit doors instead of five. They are large wooden doors with etchings indicating the seasons: a snowflake for winter, a flower for spring, a sun for summer, and a leaf for autumn. You seem to be in a dank dungeon with stone walls and flickering lights.
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As with the prior room, in the center is a table with several items on it: a page from an ancient diary, a slider puzzle, and another sheet with symbols on it. There is also an oversize photo of a large stone slab with engraved symbols on it like those on the sheet; from the label, it appears to be the tablet on which Zeus documented the punishments he handed down to various kings and Titans.
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On the wall is a large screen with a video game-style rendering of a man, possibly Sisyphus, pushing a boulder uphill, and on the table are controls to move him. Finally, there is a locked wooden box labeled with a “P.” Surely not Pandora’s box?! You shudder at the thought of opening it (as you undoubtedly will have to do) given what happened when Pandora opened her box.
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There is some solace in knowing that since you are still alive, your puzzling skills enabled you to choose the previous door correctly. But, given how elaborate this room is, it is clear you dare not rest on your laurels. You cannot fathom how the Knights of Veracity have never had a hint of this madman. Particularly considering the number of workmen who would have been required to create such realistic settings. But you don’t have time to spare on such thoughts as you know he will be addressing you again shortly with potentially critical information.
Listen to the audio file and then open the Room 3 envelope.
​PLAY ME
TRANSCRIPT Kudos to you for surviving another room. But don't get cocky Detective - there is much more to come. We are just getting started on your lessons. And I do hope you are learning Detective. This is all for your benefit, remember – for your salvation. But let us continue. Although I typically prefer the acumen of the Greek gods, the Israelite King Solomon once wisely said, “to everything there is a season.’ But what is the correct season to ensure you see the next sunrise? To determine that, you will need your wits. To assist you, and as a reward for making it through to room number three, I have supplied you with some rare mythologic relics that few humans even know exist. One of the items before you is an archaic newspaper containing an article about King Midas. As you probably already know, King Midas was famous for turning everything he touched to gold. However, what you probably didn’t know is that he went through a phase where his touch converted items to other elements. To gain safe passage you will need to do some word alchemy yourself. Next, feast your eyes on the lost folio from the diary of Sisyphus. Perhaps you feel sympathy for him? I mean, try walking a hill in his sandals. But his crimes were severe, and though it is one of Zeus’ most diabolical punishments, it is richly deserved. Speaking of punishments, I have managed to collect a photo of the actual stone tablet on which Zeus cast down his most famous sanctions. Unfortunately, there seems to have been redactions with some sort of code, probably only understandable by an Olympian god. Good luck attempting to figure that out, which you must to proceed. My only advice is that Zeus typically punished kings and Titans. And the pièce de résistance (or, in ancient Greek, tò meion)? I have found and given you Pandora’s box – yes, the original. I know all common knowledge essentially warns you not to open this box, but to move forward that is exactly what you’ll have to do.