Shelf passage · Velstraven · Morass Games Wiki

A small room of chapter 1. When you walk in, the room card reads: A sealed folio is trapped in its shelf slot; its receiving bench stands empty.

Narrated walkthrough

Shelf passage from its entrance — Shelf passage: how to solve it

Getting there

Chapter 1, ground floor, between the Vent antechamber (north) and the Silent refectory's west passage (south). From the Entrance court go west through the Vent antechamber and out its south passage. From the refectory it is the arch by the basin, once the Old buttery's seals have opened that passage's grille.

What is wrong

"A sealed folio is trapped in its shelf slot; its receiving bench stands empty." The Folio's card: "A sealed folio lies flat behind a slot narrower than its broad face; it would pass only edge-first."

What you can work

Folio: The sealed folio in the protective slot of the tall bookcase. It turns in quarter turns and slides out only edge-on.
Rear folio: The same folio seen from the service landing behind the bookcase, where the shelf is open.
Wall: Bare masonry up to the rear service landing; no holds until something grows on it.
Receiving bench: The empty conservation bench the folio belongs on.

Solution

A nudge

The slot is narrower than the folio's broad face. A quarter turn stands it edge-on, so its spine lines up with the slot.

The full solution

Aim at the Folio and cast Orient (Will + Will + Water), or press X (pad Triangle) to turn it by hand.
The slot is narrower than the folio's broad face. A quarter turn stands it edge-on, so its spine lines up with the slot.
What you see: "The folio turns edge-on; its spine now lines up with the narrow slot."
Cast Draw (Wind + Will + Water) on the Folio and wait about three seconds.
Draw is a steady current of air toward you. Edge-on, the folio fits the slot and slides forward, about a third of the way each second.
What you see: "The sealed folio slides edge-first through the narrow slot." Its card then reads "The folio has slid out of its slot and rests at the slot's mouth, within reach of a hand."
Handle the Folio.
Out of the slot, nothing shields it from a front grip.
What you see: "You lift the retrieved sealed folio." The place plate shows "Carrying · Sealed folio".
Carry it to the Receiving bench and Handle the bench.
The bench is where the folio belongs; setting it down there is the room's goal.
What you see: "The folio rests on its conservation receiving bench." Then "Shelf passage settled."

Other ways that work

Draw first, then turn: Draw on the flat folio only presses it against the slot ("The pull presses the folio's broad face against the narrow slot."), but the pull stays on it, and turning it edge-on then slides it straight out ("The folio turns edge-on, and the pull still on it starts sliding it spine-first out through the slot.").
From behind: cast Climbing growth (Will + Water + Water) on the Wall ("Frozen holds reach the rear service landing."), climb to the landing behind the bookcase and Handle the Rear folio ("The open rear shelf permits an ordinary hand grip."). Then carry it to the bench.

Watch for

A second turn lays it flat again: "The folio turns flat again; its broad face lies across the narrow slot." Turn once more.
Before it is out, a hand on the Folio answers "The protective slot prevents a front grip on the folio."
The Rear folio grip only works from the landing behind the shelf; from the front it answers "The protective shelf blocks a grip from this side."
A board on the back of the tall case points the way on: "← Silent refectory".
The Reading lamp (Handle it, or Heat it) and the Reading shutter (Handle or Orient it) stand in every room. They only light the room to read by and work none of its fittings.

If it goes wrong

This room has no failed state. To put it back as you found it, hold R for one second (pad: Start, then Restart from autosave); that reloads the autosave made when you entered the room. Nothing here can fall or break.

Achievements here

Shelved and Delivered: Solve the Shelf passage.
Turned and Fetched: Turned and Fetched (spine): the main route earns it. Orient the Folio, then cast Draw on the same Folio within twenty seconds; both casts must be accepted (turning with X does not count).

Spells used

Orient, Draw, Climbing growth.