The Circle of Magic (Spoilers all books incl City of Dragons)

[Farseer]

Quite simple. Defaced glyph up, left or right. Pit down. result = pit trap.

Which is exactly what *I* think but that's only because I believe that they may still work after they are damaged/tampered with/downed. If you beings believe that the Skill Pillars will *not* work if the Pillars have been downed (as I say, I don't, which is why I think that the Chalcedeans have devised a very clever trap for their enemies), and/or were aware that such a downed Pillar was damaged, how do you suggest the Elderlings/Skilled Ones got there in the first place? After all, all five Pillars are laying on the ground. They have been downed.

You beings are agreeing with me but you argued first that the Pillars just would not work if something had been done to them prior to use. If the Pillars were operating and the Chalcedeans had tampered with them and placed them on the ground, or an accident had taken place elsewhere in the realm that ended up with a Skill Pillar facing down, and an Elderling/Skilled One attempted to pass through it, and as you beings suggested that the Pillars would not then work, then the setting of the trap would be pointless. The Skill Pillar would not work, going on your theory, and thus the Elderling/Skilled One could not use it and then find themself underground.

You beings...you argue with me even though you agree!

['thul]

no, 'thul argued that a pillar wouldn't work if the destination pillar was destroyed or buried. Not if merely defaced. it has been proven that defaced pillars (see buckkeep pillars) still work.