S1-E2 · The Counterweight Gallery
S1-E2 · Basement Area 2 · Map Key
The Counterweight Gallery
A dry gallery overlooks the flood channel. Six pairs of soot-black counterweights hang from the ceiling, each linked to a bell-pull and a chain disappearing into the stone. Dust lies everywhere except around a squat iron chest bolted beneath the western rail.
This is the control room for the basement mechanism. The counterweights preserve the order of the twelve ash-marks, while the gallery’s dry floor gives the party a place to pause, compare notes, and decide whether to split up.
Map key
| Feature | Contents and use |
|---|---|
| Six counterweight pairs | Each pair corresponds to two matching marks. Scratches on the housings show the order in which the pairs were normally released, but the final two housings are obscured by soot. |
| Caller’s bell-pulls | Six short pulls carry sound to different parts of the foundation. A character can use them to relay a mark to S1-E1 or S1-E3 without shouting across the water. |
| Reinforced chest | Bolted beneath the western rail and sealed with a simple iron hasp. It contains six polished smoky quartz gems worth 2 gp each, a silvered gear-pin worth 5 gp, and a folded counterweight diagram naming the first four pairs. |
| Emergency chain | The black chain freezes the flood mechanism for 1 round. Its warning plate says that using it sends a shock through the mansion and alerts the level above. |
| Gallery ledge | The ledge overlooks the channel to S1-E3. A careful search finds old boot scuffs and a dropped child’s brass button, evidence that servants once crossed here during the fire. |
Treasure
Gem cache: Six smoky quartz gems (2 gp each; 12 gp total), one silvered gear-pin (5 gp), and the counterweight diagram. The diagram is a clue, not a consumable, and remains useful if the party leaves and returns.
Route: The east stair drops to S1-E1. The gallery’s south rail overlooks S1-E3, and a narrow service door leads toward S1-E4.