What to relate when the thief asks for lock description

 

Also provides me with inspiration of how/were to place some device traps.

More tricksy boxses https://www.antiquebox.org/category/antique-locks-and-mechanisms/

Recent History of the Ancients

[Old, old file in my pile of Gold and Glory Campaign notes]

After their final war a few Ancients scrabbled for survival in the nuclear wasteland they had created.  Over 10,000 years pre-war tech got used up/broke, mutations and radiation died down, and the former ancients had devolved into primitive tribes all but forgetting their former glory & Armageddon.  Just starting the slow crawl back to civilization. Then came strange lights from over the horizon, lifting people into the night sky. Returned some days later, deformed, mutilated or transformed.

Over next dozen generations Zamorans (Greys) genetically manipulated the former ancients eventually settling on a swine/human hybrid. Zamorans also pushed their technology development. Causing them to rapidly reach the steam age. A few hundred years into their Golden Age of Steam, after they had spread across the world and formed several constantly at war (Mord) empires Zamorans obliterated all their cites, released species specific mutagens, decimating the hybrids. Over next hundred years Zamorans deposited several hundred thousand humans they had abducted from various points in Earth's history. These humans were encouraged to kill the human/swine hybrids and take their stuff. To escape marauding humans the hybrids hid underground and in the least hospitable wildernesses. Today we call these former ancients / swine hybrids orcs.

[1 in 12 orcs have enough ancient DNA to activate ancient tech and get ancient AI's / robots to obey them. Pure Strain Ancients are not aware of what happened to their less fortunate brethren but will know they are genetic descendants after a simple medical scan.]

Posing as various human gods Zamorans conducted genetic and social experiments on and generally jacked with the human cultures they had transplanted. Created grotesque hybrids, helped one nation conquer its neighbors only to inflict famine and plague on it later, forcing the most capable humans(heroes) to participate in life or death games, survive trials, or complete bizarre "labours". Thus giving rise to the various legends of capricious and fickle gods.  Soon Trans-dimensional Beings of Pure Thought (TBPTs) decided Grey meddling had reached a point they could no longer ignore. They weakened dimensional barriers creating many connections and coexistence with a fey dimension. This brought the fey, true magic, made The Portals possible, and overtime caused the various human gods and demons to become "real".

Unfortunately, this weakening also attracted Cosmic Alien Intelligences that rival TBPTs and whose "meddling" is far worse than Zamorans.  The TBPTs also created a belt of energy around the world which causes Grey technology to fail. Several Grey star ships malfunctioned and crashed before they figured it out and kept away.  The The crash-landed Zamorans got some small revenge. Posing as Asgardians they convinced the Elves to abandon Alvar ways and take up science.  As punishment the TBPTs transmorgified these Greys into true Aesir/Vanir but left the Elves to decide their own future.  TBPTs are generally responsible for giving gods their power and they are the primary means the TBPT hope to contain Cosmic Alien Intelligences and eventually drive them away at Ragnorok.