Puzzle Box Puzzle

El Noto

Just use Mysterious Puzzle. I don't think this page has anything unique left on it.

(shall we delete it?)(I know not, my brother)(I would love to see it burn)(oh, yes, yes… but no, we must wait until we grow strong, my brother. then the world will cave in like a bag of Lay's underwater)(*munch*)

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When a mysterious puzzle box is used:

You take a while to examine the puzzle box. Creases trace over it's entire surface, splitting up featureless black metal and strange runes alike.

Every piece of the box looks like it should slide, but only a handful actually move when you push at them.

Here's a Short & Sweet Mysterious Puzzle Guide.

NOTE: This item is crazy complex. Bear with the crazy layout. ;)

NOTE: Each attempt to change the form seems to give 10 energy of Puzzled Out, even if nothing appears to have been accomplished.

NOTE: Attempting to use one of the puzzle box's forms while under the effect of Puzzled Out fails, with the message: "Your brain still hurts from last time you tried to work with that thing. Best to give it a while to cool down."
Attempting to use one of the box's forms while under the effect of Runic Puzzle, Puzzle's Gaze, Music of the Cube, or Black Metal Strength also fails.

NOTE: Moves have different results for different people.

Basically there are (probably!) four kinds of uses: form-changing uses (example: change one form into another); ability-unlocking uses (example: you hear something shift inside the box/rod/etc, turning on the pyramid's red gem); ability uses that do not require unlocking (reading the tablet); and unlocked ability uses (staring into the pyramid's eye, powder pouring, pulling the rod apart).

BOX FORM

ACTION	POSSIBLE USE MESSAGE	POSSIBLE EFFECTS (BESIDES PUZZLED OUT)
Rotate the top	The top of the puzzle box rotates smoothly. You fiddle with it for a while, trying to see if any positions do anything interesting. A faint red glow seeps through the cracks in the puzzle box.	Become mysterious puzzle rod OR Become mysterious puzzle tablet OR Activate eye gem, unlocking 'reach for the eye' in pyramid form (given message)
Twist the sides	You grab the left and right sides of the cube and rotate them without moving the center. It's a little challenging, but seems like it might do something interesting. You twist and turn it, but all it seems to do is turn back into a cube.	(no apparent effect)(no apparent effect as Vholes' Action 8)
Swivel a corner	One of the cube's corners is separated by a visible crease. Judging by the universal law of puzzles, that means it must do something, so you spend some time twisting at it. You twist it experimentally until you hit just the right spot, then it folds down into a strange prism or rod.	(became rod as Vholes' action 9 and later actions)
Pull at a crease	You pry at one of the more obvious creases with your fingernails for a minute. Eventually, it pops open, revealing more complex workings beneath. You twist the cube until it hinges open and folds out into a tablet covered in strange writing. Cool.	Becomes mysterious puzzle tablet (for Vholes' 1st action, with given message) OR not (see note)
Push at the center	You hold the cube firmly in one hand and press down on a suspicious plate in one side with the other. A tiny section of black metal trembles on the side of the cube, like it's trying to open but is held back somehow. OR You hold the cube firmly in one hand and press down on a suspicious plate in one side with the other. You twist the cube experimentally until a gem is revealed, staring at you like a baleful red eye. From there, it's easy to flip out that piece and slide together the pyramid underneath it.	(Became mysterious puzzle pyramid for Vholes' 13th, 23rd, and 28th actions)
Look for another catch	You carefully search over the cube, finding one tiny bump that might be a button. You press it a few times, then try to push it back and forth. Eventually you hear a "click" but you're not sure which part did it. AND EITHER: A faint red glow seeps through the cracks in the puzzle box. OR: You twist the cube experimentally until a gem is revealed, staring at you like a baleful red eye. From there, it's easy to flip out that piece and slide together the pyramid underneath it. OR BOTH: A tiny section of black metal hinges open, revealing a small chamber within the cube. Now, the cube is confusing sometimes, but you're positive that chamber couldn't possibly fit inside it. AND ONE OF EITHER: Do you have anything you'd like to pour in there? It looks like it couldn't fit much more than a pinch of powder. OR: The chamber empties itself into your hand. You found: <what you put in it>	NOTE: I played with the red gem in the pyramid form, might be needed to activate this. (Lead to Powder Pouring for Vholes' 21st, 23rd, 42nd, and later actions) (returned implanted cut Nova for Vholes' 22nd action)(results for later actions detailed on the powder pouring page)
Stop and Listen	You listen to the cube's gentle, alien rhythms. After a while, you start to sway along with whatever strange time it's keeping. Gives 10 turns of Music of the Cube	Needs to be unlocked. Box has this additional description when it is: As you examine the box, you can hear a faint, tinkling music.
Leave it be		presumably leave it alone and gain no energy of Puzzled Out?

TABLET FORM

Twist the left side	You grab the left side of the tablet and twist so it rotates lengthwise. Oh yeah, that seemed to free up a lot more pieces to move. You go ahead and start fiddling with those. After several tries, you find a large red gem mounted in a small pyramid. From there, you fold in the rest of the pyramid underneath it.	becomes mysterious puzzle pyramid (became pyramid for Vholes' 17th and 37th moves)
Separate the layers	Putting one hand on the front of the tablet and the other on the back, you're able to slide the faces away from each other. They rotate pretty freely, but now to find what other pieces they've freed up. As hard as you try, you can't find anyway to turn it into anything but a tablet.	(unlocks other move?) (requires unlock first? Doesn't work: look for a latch, start from a corner)(no apparent effect for Vholes' 2nd, 4th, 6th, 34th, or 36th moves)(34th move didn't catch message due to browser blip, don't know if it was same as given)
Start from a corner	Hmmm, one of the corners of the tablet looks like it could rotate. You twist it for a bit to see if anything interesting happens. AND EITHER You hear a tinny note as metal slides against metal. Sounds like a small plate moved a short distance within the box. OR You hear a tinny note as metal slides against metal. Sounds like that plate slid back to its original position.	(Unlock other move?) OR Becomes mysterious puzzle box (if…?) (first message for Vholes' 5th move, second for 88th)
Find a crease	There's a crease hidden among the etched runes on the tablet. You take advantage of it to fold the tablet in half and reveal the inner workings. After fiddling with it for a while, you discover the tablet folds down into quarters. You then slide them back into place, returning the box to its original shape.	(became mysterious puzzle box for Vholes' 7th move)
Fold the corners in	Carefully taking all four corners of the tablet, you fold them towards the center. It's beautiful, really, how smoothly they move. After several false starts, you realize the tablet has segmented enough to roll it into a prism.	(became rod, with given message, for Vholes' 32nd move)
Look for a latch	You run your fingers along the runes, admiring the craftsmanship that went into this puzzle box. Ah, there, right at the one that looks kind of like a Z, a small button clicks into place. AND EITHER There's a strange click and several segments of the tablet seperate. They don't seem to free up any more movements, though. Perhaps its somewhere else in the puzzle. OR You unwind some more gears, allowing the segments to seperate further.	(Unlocks another move?)(no apparent effect for Vholes' 3rd move, with first message)(no obvious effect for Vholes' 35th move, with second message)
Read the tablet	You look over the runes. They don't mean much to you, but… there's something deep in your mind that they call to. You feel connected to an inner strength you weren't aware you had, like a memory of being a god among men.	Gain 10 energy of Runic Puzzle

PYRAMID FORM

The puzzle box sits in the form of a small pyramid. It faintly reminds you of educational programs about the ancient Egyptians, but you're fairly sure that writing isn't Egyptian.

All in all, its black metal construction and the dull red gem at its apex feel more like a terrible monolith than a kingly tomb. It doesn't make working the puzzle any easier that you can see through the gem while you're touching it.

Twist the bottom	You twist the bottom of the pyramid until the sides open to reveal finer inner workings. Eventually, you turn the pyramid upside-down and fold the other pieces around it, creating a flat tablet.	(became mysterious puzzle tablet for Vholes' 16th move and 31st moves)
Slide the faces	You twist the faces on the pyramid until they click, letting your rotate the top and bottom more freely. Try as you might, it doesn't seem to turn into anything other than a pyramid. The gemstone eye glares at you mockingly.	(no apparent effect as Vholes' 14th or 25th moves)
Rotate the top	You twist the top of the pyramid, hearing a series of clicks as different sections of the pyramid unlock. You get to work trying to figure out what they do. The runes slide into a different configuration. You still can't read them, but they seem pretty interesting.	(interesting… no apparent effect for Vholes' 15th move)
Try to open a side	You search over the pyramid for a crease and eventually find one that lets you open it lengthwise and fold it. You take a while seeing what you can do with it from there. From one corner, you work along, methodically folding the pyramid into a long prism.	Becomes mysterious puzzle box (Became mysterious puzzle rod, with given message, for Vholes' 19th and 38th moves)
Work on the middle layer	Although it's a little awkward, you can push the pyramid down and hold it with one hand, then move the central section with the other. Eventually enough pieces are free to turn the pyramid back into it's original form. It's definitely easier going in reverse. OR Although it's a little awkward, you can push the pyramid down and hold it with one hand, then move the central section with the other. From one corner, you work along, methodically folding the pyramid into a long prism.	(Became mysterious puzzle box for Vholes' 12th and 26th moves) OR Became mysterious puzzle rod for Wyrd's ehm.. 10+ move.
Reach for the eye	Being the most obvious and prominent feature of the pyramid, you reach for the gemstone "eye." It takes a few attempts to get over the vision of your hand reaching down to twist it, but eventually you set about twisting the gemstone "eye" in various directions to see if it does anything interesting. AND EITHER: The runes slide into a different configuration. You still can't read them, but they seem pretty interesting. OR A small metal plate at the base of the pyramid trembles but just won't seem to open. OR Eventually enough pieces are free to turn the pyramid back into it's original form. It's definitely easier going in reverse. OR A small chamber clicks open at the base of the pyramid and strange red flakes fall out, smelling strongly of blood. You found: red flakes OR The small chamber that opens at the base of the pyramid seems to be empty. You did just clear it out a little while ago, after all.	No noticeable effect with or without glowing gem. (no apparent effect for Vholes' 18th, 24th, 30th, or 38th moves, second 'won't open' message)
Stare into the eye		Gain 10 Energy of Puzzle's Gaze. Option unlocked when the eye is glowing (first available for Vholes on his 29th action)

ROD FORM

This puzzle box is in the shape of a long rod or prism made of cold, black metal. Something's separated the rod into segments, so it almost looks like you could pull them apart.

Looking closer at the whole arrangement, it's entirely obvious it can't work. There's no good reason at all the pieces should stay together, let alone be locked in place like half of them are.

Turn the left side	You hold the puzzle firmly and twist the left side. It slides smoothly, but takes a fair bit of force. You can hear a loud grinding noise as you twist the puzzle. Maybe something's happening to the powder you put in there.	(for Vholes, grinds any powder inside the puzzle. Not tested without powder there, or with 'upgraded' powder. See Powder Pouring)
Twist around the axis	Holding on to a central segment, you rotate the rest of the puzzle around it. It feels a little strange, but it's not immediately apparent whether it's doing anything. You twist at the puzzle as hard as you can, but can't force it to change into anything other than it's present shape. Eventually your muscles and your brain both give up. Best to try again later, probably.	Nothing… needs unlocking probably (with this message, no apparent effect for Vholes' 79th or 81st moves)
Work on the right edge	There's a crease near the far right edge of the puzzle, so you move that for a while, trying to find somewhere it'll unlock more movement. AND EITHER: You hear a clink from somewhere within the rod. You hope you didn't break anything, but the rest of the mechanism seems to be okay. OR: Interesting… the harder you pull here, the more metallic tinks you can hear. It's almost like tiny bells or gears rubbing against each other. OR You wrench at the rod as hard as you can. After a bit of effort, it collapses back into its original shape. Neat.	Now this probably unlocked something. :) (Became mysterious puzzle box for Vholes' 20th, 40th, and later moves, with second message)
Pull at another crease	It takes some serious effort, but you open one of the creases in the side of the rod. With that separated, you get access to the more complex inner-workings. After a bit of effort, you find a gem hidden among the many moving pieces. From there, it's easy to fold it out into the rest of the pyramid.	(Became mysterious puzzle pyramid for Vholes' 11th move) OR Unlock/needs unlock (Wyrd's uncounted move)
Fold in the middle	Perhaps the rod is broken or perhaps the people making it through it needed a test of raw physical muscle, but it takes some serious raw power even though the rod was obviously intended to fold in half. Once it's done, you take a short breather and come back to see what you've uncovered. There's a soft click and a seam at the side splits open, letting you roll the prism out into a strange tablet.	(became tablet for Vholes' 33rd move)
Search for a latch	Running your hands over the puzzle, you eventually happen upon a small bump. Sliding it along frees up several pieces and you begin experimenting with them. You hear a clink from somewhere within the rod. You hope you didn't break anything, but the rest of the mechanism seems to be okay.	(given message with no apparent effect for Vholes' 80th move) Becomes mysterious puzzle tablet
Pull apart the segments	You haul at both ends of the rod as hard as you can. It feels like your shoulders are going to dislocate, but the rod separates into long segments instead. You faintly remember a crackle of energy, then wake up a few minutes later feeling energetic but… different.	Gain 10 energy of Black Metal Strength (not Puzzled Out)
Leave it be	Yeah, hauling at that thing is hard work. You're surprised you don't get more tired, but there's no time for it now.	nothing (no energy of puzzled out)

Searching for a latch on the puzzle rod turns it into a mysterious puzzle tablet, which is readable for a buff.
Twisting the left side of the puzzle tablet turns it into a mysterious puzzle pyramid which has the option to "reach for the eye" (a red gem), this does something…not sure what. Trying to open a side of the pyramid turns in into the mysterious puzzle box

I got the Eye on the pyramid to glow while in Box shape, and now that it is glowing I have the option to stare at it in pyramid shape. If you do not hear from me again… do not stare in the eye!