Letter found beneath the ash ledger

To the next keeper of the mansion,

Do not force the Twelvefold Alignment from the hall. The first three rooms must answer one another before the machine will hold: begin at the Ash Intake, carry the mark through the Counterweight Gallery, and finish at the Twelvefold Sump. If the ripples return out of order, stop. The house is listening, and it will close its doors around anyone who mistakes noise for a signal.

When all three rooms answer, turn the final wheel once and leave the keyhole untouched until the bell sounds.

— M.