Roleplay and Puzzle Question - Seeking Advice
In a roleplay a friend and I are running, we're trying very hard to come up with SOME sort of puzzle for the characters to solve. Basic gist of the scenario (in a My Little Pony-esque universe):
A group of neutral ponies go to an island to meet/greet with a new breed/race that has been recently discovered, which they hope to bring out of their isolation. Along the course of the journey, they are invited to join the ponies in their underground caverns. However, the new race are able to thrive underwater, and the neutral ponies are not, so they must enter through an above-ground, long since abandoned "escape route" with an intricate method of entry for outside access. This method of entry has long since been forgotten over the generations, as the new breed has remained underground for many years (a big reason why nobody knew they existed previously).
We want there to be a puzzle to opening the door, but we aren't entirely certain how to work it. What we have thusfar is entirely tentative, and we'd love to hear any alternate ideas, additions, or suggestions to what we already have.
What we have thusfar:
Intricately carved stone slab barring entry to hole in the ground which leads into underground caverns. Around the 'seam' of where the slab would lift away are seven stone pedestals. Each pedestal has a single word/concept carved into it. The ponies will have to gather items that have been scattered across the island (a prior trek through the island will have given hints to locations to items they didn't know they would need later). They will then have to decipher which item is associated with which concept. For example (really poor example, we haven't thought these out yet), a vase might mean the gift of friendship, associated with a friend giving you a vase full of flowers (yes lame, which is why we need help, as we don't want to use that).
On the slab itself there will be seven cut-outs, each color coded. The ponies will have to find the items that fit into the cut-outs. Again, these items will have been hinted at during the trek, and the ponies will be able to find them by retracing their steps/remembering/etc. The cut-outs are all the same shape, and the Keys will be color coded as well. They will have to be inserted in the right order for things to work: roygbiv.
Now, we do know that there will only be SIX of what we're calling Hinges (the items that go on the pillars and associate with what we're calling the Triggers). The seventh Hinge (something like unity or family or somesuch) will actually be some form of participation by the new breed, basically inferring that the magic used to create the lock was specifically made so that there had to be a pony of this race opening the lock, or the lock would not open. Another precaution to make sure there weren't any attacks from said entrance (at least, barring internal conflict and betrayal, which they did not plan for).
The Triggers may or may not also be word jumbles, just to make things a little more complicated. I'm not sure on this, but I think my partner might be set on it.
Okay, so, that's what we have thusfar. We're not really sure if it makes sense. We're not really sure if it will be challenging enough. We're not really sure if it will be too obscure and thus too challenging. That's where we'd like some help? Do you think we're on a good track here? Or do you think we should do something else? If you like what we have so far, what do you think we should do for the Triggers and Hinges? I'm at such a loss...
Thank you all, in advance, for your help!
A group of neutral ponies go to an island to meet/greet with a new breed/race that has been recently discovered, which they hope to bring out of their isolation. Along the course of the journey, they are invited to join the ponies in their underground caverns. However, the new race are able to thrive underwater, and the neutral ponies are not, so they must enter through an above-ground, long since abandoned "escape route" with an intricate method of entry for outside access. This method of entry has long since been forgotten over the generations, as the new breed has remained underground for many years (a big reason why nobody knew they existed previously).
We want there to be a puzzle to opening the door, but we aren't entirely certain how to work it. What we have thusfar is entirely tentative, and we'd love to hear any alternate ideas, additions, or suggestions to what we already have.
What we have thusfar:
Intricately carved stone slab barring entry to hole in the ground which leads into underground caverns. Around the 'seam' of where the slab would lift away are seven stone pedestals. Each pedestal has a single word/concept carved into it. The ponies will have to gather items that have been scattered across the island (a prior trek through the island will have given hints to locations to items they didn't know they would need later). They will then have to decipher which item is associated with which concept. For example (really poor example, we haven't thought these out yet), a vase might mean the gift of friendship, associated with a friend giving you a vase full of flowers (yes lame, which is why we need help, as we don't want to use that).
On the slab itself there will be seven cut-outs, each color coded. The ponies will have to find the items that fit into the cut-outs. Again, these items will have been hinted at during the trek, and the ponies will be able to find them by retracing their steps/remembering/etc. The cut-outs are all the same shape, and the Keys will be color coded as well. They will have to be inserted in the right order for things to work: roygbiv.
Now, we do know that there will only be SIX of what we're calling Hinges (the items that go on the pillars and associate with what we're calling the Triggers). The seventh Hinge (something like unity or family or somesuch) will actually be some form of participation by the new breed, basically inferring that the magic used to create the lock was specifically made so that there had to be a pony of this race opening the lock, or the lock would not open. Another precaution to make sure there weren't any attacks from said entrance (at least, barring internal conflict and betrayal, which they did not plan for).
The Triggers may or may not also be word jumbles, just to make things a little more complicated. I'm not sure on this, but I think my partner might be set on it.
Okay, so, that's what we have thusfar. We're not really sure if it makes sense. We're not really sure if it will be challenging enough. We're not really sure if it will be too obscure and thus too challenging. That's where we'd like some help? Do you think we're on a good track here? Or do you think we should do something else? If you like what we have so far, what do you think we should do for the Triggers and Hinges? I'm at such a loss...
Thank you all, in advance, for your help!