It's Alive!

The activation platform

Quasistatic and Irian parts of the machine

Myocyte and Phrenostatic parts of the machine

Overview

A rare encounter in the Orchard of the Macabre. You approach a mysterious platform where a Fleshwright is working in a flesh golem. He asks for your help to power up the flesh golem. You must solve six puzzles in a short time, with increasingly complexity. After solving the third one, Riftborn Air Elementals will start to spawn to burden you.

After completion, you can choose to make Shelley follow you or stay there.

Objectives

• Bring the golem to life

Rewards

Chest, Epic Tapestries Shreds, and 4800 XP

Encounter

• Fleshwright: I find myself in need of a new assistant.
• Fleshwright: What about you? Will you help me push the frontiers of magic, or our understanding of life itself?
  • You: What exactly do you need me to do?
    • Fleshwright: When lightning strikes one of the four lightning rods at the corners of my laboratory, you will need to channel the power to my equipment.
    • Fleshwright: For each bolt of lightning, I shall call out to you which pieces of equipment must receive the power. You must make sure the right ones are powered before the next lightning strike hits!
    • Fleshwright: Are you ready to begin?
      • You: Let's do it. (Start encounter)
  • You: Did you have a previous assistant?
    • Fleshwright: My foolish excuse for an assistant ran off to join that Vol cult.
    • Fleshwright: I cannot imagine what was going on inside that vacant head of his. The Blood of Vol has been promising imortality to its faithful for centuries. And look at where all their followers ended up! Dead and buried in graveyards, that's where.
    • Fleshwright: No, it is I who will master the mysteries of life and death. The answer lies right here on this table. Will you help me bring it to life?
  • You: What is all this equipment for?
    • Fleshwright: This laboratory's purpose is to give life to the empty shell on my table.
    • Fleshwright: Ah, but I know your next question - all this for one flesh golem? You see, this is will be no mere flesh golem! My equipment will give it sentience - a fully living thinking being! In all practical ways, my creation will truly be alive. It will be an Incarnate Flesh Golem!

During the encounter, he will give you commands, in this order. The number is on the lightning strike count.

• Fleshwright: When lightning hits, you must direct its power to the exact laboratory equipment that I call out.
• Fleshwright: (1) Route power to the <equipment>! Make sure no power is going to any of the other equipment!
• Fleshwright: Hahahaaa, it's responding just as I predicted! We must continue! With the next bolt, route it as I instruct!
• Fleshwright: (2) Route power to the <equipment>! Make sure no power is going to any of the other equipment!
• Fleshwright: Good, good! The next lightning strike will be harder. Two pieces of equipment must be powered simultaneously, but without powering the others!
• Fleshwright: (3) Route power to the <equipment> and the <equipment> simultaneously!
• Fleshwright: Surge in power... elementals escaping from the equipment. Bah, ignore them or deal with them, but do not let the elementals keep you from powering up with the next lightning strike!
• Fleshwright: (4) Route power to the <equipment> and the <equipment> simultaneously!
• Fleshwright: Hahaha, we're nearly done! another strike or two will do it! And then I will be known as the master of life and death!
• Fleshwright: (5) Route power to the <equipment> and the <equipment> simultaneously!
• Fleshwright: Yes, yes, look, it's almost done! This last will be the trickiest! You must power three pieces of equipment simultaneously!
• Fleshwright: (6) The <equipment>, the <equipment>, and the <equipment>! You must power all three simultaneously!
• Fleshwright: IT'S ALIVE! (encounter completes)

If you are taking too long to solve the puzzle, he will tell you:

• Fleshwright: The charge is dissipating! Quickly, power the equipment before we lose the charge!

If the next lightning strike before you solve the puzzle, the encounter will be restarted (NOT fail) and he will complain:

• Fleshwright: You bafoon! The power from the lightning bolt dissipated while you were dithering!
• Fleshwright: Bah! Now we have to restart from the beginning! Prepare yourself so you don't foul up again. Come talk to me when you're ready.

After the encounter completes, creator and creature wil trade a few words before he put the flesh golem under your care:

• Empty Shell: Argh... argh... who argh... who are you?
• Fleshwright: I am your creator. I am your father.
• Empty Shell: Who am I?
• Fleshwright: Who are you, indeed. "Empty Shell" will no longer do. Your name will now be... Shelley. Yes, I name you Shelley.
• Shelley: What is this place? Why am I here? Who are the others with you? Why is the sky gray? What is...
• Fleshwright: Too many questions! My child, the only way you'll truly find your answers is the seek them out in the world.
• Fleshwright: Perharps you can travel with these good adventurers.

If you talk to the Fleshwright after completion, he will reply:

• Fleshwright: I have given my creation sentience and named it "Shelley."
• Fleshwright: But one thing I have not bestowed is experience. It asks so many questions, and the only answers lie out there in the world.
• Fleshwright: As the midwive to my creation, will you take Shelley on your travels, so that it... he may learn and grow? If you are not so inclined, then leave Shelley here, and I will do my best with him.

If you talk to Shelley after completion, it will reply:

• Shelley: My father says that I should experience the world. Can I come with you?
  • You: Come with me (Shelley will follow you around)
  • You: Stay here for now (Shelley will stand ground)