The sagging gallery · Velstraven

A major room of chapter 1. When you walk in, the room card reads: The gallery beam sags under its load; the far side is closed to readers.

Narrated walkthrough

The sagging gallery from its entrance — The sagging gallery: how to solve it

Getting there

Chapter 1, first upper floor. After the dark frieze, follow its east passage through the raised gate and climb the winding stair; the tall reading gallery is at the top. Solving it raises the gate signed "Shut until the sagging gallery is solved" on the long passage east to chapter 2's Teaching court and conservatory. The optional upper shelf (S21) opens off its west end.

What is wrong

"The gallery beam sags under its load; the far side is closed to readers." The Cart's card: "The laden cart stands on the cracked middle of the gallery beam, and its weight bows it; the sound pier to the near side would carry it." Walking the cracked middle while the cart is still on it overloads the beam.

What you can work

Cart: The laden book cart on the cracked middle of the gallery beam.
Cracked beam / Stone footing: The cracked gallery beam (aim above 1 m) and the solid stone footing on the floor below it (aim below).
Span: Two sound balcony supports facing each other either side of the loaded segment, with nothing between them.
Wall: Bare stone beside the far pier, rising to the gallery.
Return: A plain latch on the gate of the far-side return stair; it lifts by hand from the gallery's far end.

Solution

A nudge

Upward airflow takes most of the cart's weight off its runners. It loads the crack less and rolls with much less friction.

The full solution

From the floor, aim at the Cart up on the gallery and cast Lighten (Wind + Wind + Will).
Upward airflow takes most of the cart's weight off its runners. It loads the crack less and rolls with much less friction.
What you see: "Upward assistance reduces the cart's load on the cracked segment."
Cast Draw (Wind + Will + Water) on the Cart and watch it roll to the near pier.
The pull lasts several seconds and runs toward the sound parking pier. Parked there, the cart's weight rests on solid stone, not on the crack.
What you see: "The cart travels toward the sound parking pier." The Cart card then reads "The cart stands on the sound pier, off the cracked beam."
Climb the open, lamp-lit stair onto the gallery and walk across the beam to the far end.
With the cart off the cracked segment, your own weight alone is within what the beam can carry.
What you see: The beam stays level, and no "The load vane is rising." warning appears.
Handle the Return latch at the far end.
It is the far-side return stair's gate latch, and it can only be reached from the gallery's far end.
What you see: "The far-side return stair latch opens." Then "The sagging gallery settled."

Other ways that work

Draw (or a hand push) without Lighten also moves the cart, more slowly: about three and a half seconds to the pier. Stay off the beam until it gets there.
Slick surface (Fire + Will + Growth) on the Cart greases the track so Draw moves it faster: "The track turns slick under the runners; the cart does not move by itself."
Brace (Growth + Growth + Growth) on the Cracked beam or the Stone footing: "A rooted compression brace reaches the beam from its solid base." A strut lets the beam carry you and the full cart, so you can cross without moving the cart.
Span (Wind + Growth + Growth) on the Span: "The woven bridge connects the sound balcony supports around the loaded segment." Walk the woven deck around the cracked segment instead of on it.
Climbing growth (Will + Water + Water) on the Wall: "Frozen holds climb the wall beside the far stone pier." Climb straight up to the far end and Handle the Return.

Watch for

Standing on the cracked middle while it is overloaded shows "The load vane is rising." After three seconds of that the attempt fails. Step off and the warning drains away twice as fast as it built up.
Lighten alone is not enough to cross: the lightened cart plus your weight still overloads the crack. Move the cart.
Rising draught does not help: hovering over the beam still loads it at the spot below you.
A Stilling ward under the cart slows its roll. Leave it out here.
Suspend on the cart only holds it up for a moment: "Suspend takes the weight of the book cart for a moment; it settles back where it stood."
A second way of sparing the beam is announced as the same repair: "The cracked beam was already spared; this is a second way for the same repair."

If it goes wrong

Overloading the beam fails the attempt: "The attempt failed. This room restarts from its entry; earlier progress is retained." The room puts itself back as you entered it, and other rooms keep their progress. Then move the cart (or brace, span or climb) before you step onto the cracked middle. You can also hold R for one second to reload the room-entry autosave.

Achievements here

The Gallery Holds: Solve the sagging gallery.
The Gallery in a Minute: The Gallery in a Minute (focused): solve within 60 seconds of entering. Bind Lighten and Draw beforehand, cast both at the Cart from the floor as you come in, climb while it rolls, then cross and Handle the Return. Brace on the beam is the shortest alternative: one cast, then cross. The clock starts when you walk in; stepping out into a corridor does not reset it, but visiting another puzzle room or failing the room starts it again.
Weightless Freight: Weightless Freight (spine): the main route earns it (Lighten, then Draw on the same Cart within twenty seconds).
The Reading Galleries Settled: The Reading Galleries Settled (spine): settling this with S01–S04 and M01 completes chapter 1's six required puzzles. The upper shelf is not required.
A Wing Before Lunch: A Wing Before Lunch (focused): all six chapter 1 required puzzles within twenty minutes of first entering one of them.

Spells used

Lighten, Draw, Slick surface, Brace, Span, Climbing growth.