Draconic Puzzleboxes

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The puzzleboxes are extremely intricate in their workings, requiring the exact right combination of pushes, pulls, button presses, and occasionally hits with magic and flame in order to open due to their complex locks and pins. Their locking mechanisms are robust, and in well designed boxes, impossible to open through brute force and may even completely reset if one tries to pick them or manipulate it outside of how the box was designed to function. More expensive puzzles, in addition to being more complex, may also have wards to trick those trying to solve them with false sounds of the lock opening, illusions, or other tricks such as fake prize trays.

Significance

These puzzleboxes were once common toys, meant to preoccupy restless hatchlings and young dragons alike. Designed to be incredibly frustrating and in some cases, taking weeks to years to work out how to open them, they are a challenging toy that can keep even the most arrogant dragons preoccupied so their parents can get some peace. Almost all of the puzzleboxes contain some form of prize on the inside when finally opened- as they can massively vary in size, difficulty, and that some boxes are also made for adults, these prizes can vary from other small toys or candies to incredibly valuable items.
The puzzleboxes have largely faded into obscurity, though are making a recent resurgence in popularity due to nostalgia. Many old designs have long since been cracked and their solutions are readily available online in guides, and some vintage lines of the toys also had vulnerabilities and flaws that could either make them incredibly simple to bypass or could easily break and become outright impossible.
Occasionally, the boxes are used in contests, often raffling off items such as expensive jewelry, tickets to exclusive events, vehicles, or vacations to whoever can solve them. Some contests are also known to use impossible versions of the puzzles in order to drive up hype under false pretenses. These boxes are most often found at carnivals and fairgrounds.

Item type

Toy

Rarity

Uncommon