Cryptic

Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:05 am

-Cryptic-

This is, I believe, a new idea. It combines riddles and stories in a way that I hope will prove challenging and fun. The object is simple, your given a riddle and you'll have to solve it in order to continue on with the story which will lead to more riddles. Besides that you'll win the gratitude of a job well done, and I'll put your name on the riddle in bright, bold colors to let people that, you, are ever so wise.

All you have to do is post the answer and how you got it(optional) and I'll give you credit and move on to the next one, simple, no?

I don't think this has been done before so feedback is appreciated.

-----------

-Cryptic I-

Spoiler
Dear Arch-Archaeologist,

I've sent to you a document that I've found incredibly interesting, I've uncovered it from an ancient ruin of what appears to an old Yokuda tribe. The walls were inscribed with chilling rituals of blood and sacrifice and with strange chants and rites carved into the walls. The ruins themselves are extremely interesting, the very stone they are made, I've never seen before.

It's a blue-black substance that is slightly soft and seems to...pulsate. It appears that this was some kind of ancient temple before it was sunk into the ground by a cataclysm(tremors?). There is is only one entrance and exit, I've confirmed that as the building as a whole seems remarkably intact. Yet my guards are convinced that the hear some kind of chanting from below us...

At any rate, here is a passage I found that was completely intact, my you have better luck than me in solving it and perhaps it shall shed light on the situation (the last three words appear to be gibberish)

Va Dun Fell av Molag, Dun Daedra joran Ald Acharyai. Sunnabe Dun Daedra Irgola av loria. Rantha! Rantha! Rantha!

Sincerely,
Your Closet Friend

Note: It may not make that much sense when you solve it, but I believe you'll know when your onto something and yes, the last three words are indeed gibberish.

Solved: Mony

The Answer:

Spoiler

In cursed city of fire, dark Daedra betrayed old people of Nirn. Blessed be curse Daedra master of darkness. Rantha! Rantha! Rantha!

How: Using http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Ehlnofex_Languages as a key helps and then just translation. A little hard because even when you translate it, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.


-Cryptic II-


Spoiler
Dear Arch-Archaeologist,

Thank you Sir Mony for your wonderfully insight of the previous mentioned task, I knew you could solve it. My exploration of the temple has continued I am glad to tell you, yet I have hit another barrier I am afraid, but let my back up a bit.

While waiting for your response I continued to sift around the ruins, on about the third day after the letter was sent, a section of wall crumbled, revealing a narrow passageway. The stone of this passageway is different, it is a polished white, I believe a marble of some sort. Also, the passageway is incredibly smooth and straight, it is as if someone has made it out of magic. Or some huge tunneling beast, but that's just ridiculous.

At any rate at the end of this tunnel is a large stone door of the same type of the temple. It is locked but by no means that I can see, for there is no lock or knob. It has a strange inscription on it that reads:

Vs lbh jvfu gb orpbzr bar, whfg tvir hi jung gurl inyhr zbfg naq znl gurve yvsr oybbq eha va eviref!

Sincerely,
Your Closest Friend

Solved: DarthRavanger

The Answer:
Spoiler

IF YOU WISH TO BECOME ONE, JUST GIVE US WHAT THEY VALUE MOST AND MAY THEIR LIFE BLOOD RUN IN RIVERS!

How: It's actually a special type of a substitution cipher called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROT13


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Caroline flitcroft
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:27 pm

In cursed city of fire, Dark Daedra betray the old original ancestors. Blessed be Dark Daedra master of darkness. Rantha! Rantha! Rantha!

1) Really cool idea, and challenging. Spent 30 minutes on this and I'm quite positive it's wrong in certain words. None the less, I'm posting it.

2) I'm quite positive Dun is translated wrong, I was expecting it to be "the" but when I looked it up, it meant Dark or Cursed and thus, used it accordingly. Daedra wasn't translated simply because if I did, it wouldn't read right, in my mind.
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Lalla Vu
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:25 pm

Nope, you got it. Well almost, but close enough, though I realize that's a bad first example. Since some words mean more then one thing it could be confusing but since you got most of it, congratulations. The next will one will be up soon, thanks for participating Mony.
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[Bounty][Ben]
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:53 am

Thanks for bringing it to life for me to participate in it :)

I'm going to bed now, but hopefully the next one will have others work at it
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chirsty aggas
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 6:24 am

Seems like a pretty cool idea, Yttrium! I will participate whenever the next riddle emerges.
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Dawn Farrell
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:52 am

Thanks for the feedback guys, this one is a little more challenging.

-Cryptic II-

Dear Arch-Archaeologist,

Thank you Sir Mony for your wonderfully insight of the previous mentioned task, I knew you could solve it. My exploration of the temple has continued I am glad to tell you, yet I have hit another barrier I am afraid, but let my back up a bit.

While waiting for your response I continued to sift around the ruins, on about the third day after the letter was sent, a section of wall crumbled, revealing a narrow passageway. The stone of this passageway is different, it is a polished white, I believe a marble of some sort. Also, the passageway is incredibly smooth and straight, it is as if someone has made it out of magic. Or some huge tunneling beast, but that's just ridiculous.

At any rate at the end of this tunnel is a large stone door of the same type of the temple. It is locked but by no means that I can see, for there is no lock or knob. It has a strange inscription on it that reads:

Vs lbh jvfu gb orpbzr bar, whfg tvir hi jung gurl inyhr zbfg naq znl gurve yvsr oybbq eha va eviref!

Sincerely,
Your Closest Friend

Solved: DarthRavanger
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des lynam
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:12 am

Thanks for the feedback guys, this one is a little more challenging.

-Cryptic II-

Dear Arch-Archaeologist,

Thank you Sir Mony for your wonderfully insight of the previous mentioned task, I knew you could solve it. My exploration of the temple has continued I am glad to tell you, yet I have hit another barrier I am afraid, but let my back up a bit.

While waiting for your response I continued to sift around the ruins, on about the third day after the letter was sent, a section of wall crumbled, revealing a narrow passageway. The stone of this passageway is different, it is a polished white, I believe a marble of some sort. Also, the passageway is incredibly smooth and straight, it is as if someone has made it out of magic. Or some huge tunneling beast, but that's just ridiculous.

At any rate at the end of this tunnel is a large stone door of the same type of the temple. It is locked but by no means that I can see, for there is no lock or knob. It has a strange inscription on it that reads:

Vs lbh jvfu gb orpbzr bar, whfg tvir hi jung gurl inyhr zbfg naq znl gurve yvsr oybbq eha va eviref!

Sincerely,
Your Closest Friend

Note: I will release a hint after a day or two if no one is able to solve it.

Not Yet Solved


Description implies Ayleid, but outside of the word Va it simply isn't congrous with Ayleid. It's not Quenya either. It's not Ehlnofex. It could be scrambled, in which case I don't see a logic behind it. Riddle one implies a structure made by the left-handed elves, but there language is not known. I've found several documents on the RPI.edu website that remind me of the inscription, but I haven't figured out what language it is.

Edit: Considering the first clue contained Dunmeris, Aldmeris, and Ayleid, I wouldn't be surprised if this clue is also a language salad.
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Ice Fire
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:16 am

This is entirely my fault as I have mislead. The riddle isn't any of those languages, simply English.

Two reasons for this, the first is the biggest reason.

1.) I do not have a big enough vocabulary in any of those languages to make a satisfactorily attempt at a riddle any different then the previous one.

2.) The ruins which the "friend" is investigating, isn't simply one tribe it's a sprinkling, a mixture of people and as thus is not just one language.

But regardless I should have mentioned that beforehand, I think I meant to make a note of it but forgot. Sorry about that.

Though would you prefer more Alyeid/TES Language oriented ones which would probably end up similar to one another or English ones which could have a little more variety.
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jess hughes
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:58 am

As long as the overall meaning of them fits a certain purpose and has a storyline, of sorts, I'm fine with whatever you do. Also, this is pretty hard, but fun.
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Causon-Chambers
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:52 am

This is entirely my fault as I have mislead. The riddle isn't any of those languages, simply English.

If it's just code for an english sentence, you've got me stumped. I don't see the logic behind it. (I'm pretty certain I've even found other iterations of the same thing online, but nothing to tell me what I'm looking at.
Two reasons for this, the first is the biggest reason.

1.) I do not have a big enough vocabulary in any of those languages to make a satisfactorily attempt at a riddle any different then the previous one.

Could try Ehlnofex. It's a very context sensitive language.
2.) The ruins which the "friend" is investigating, isn't simply one tribe it's a sprinkling, a mixture of people and as thus is not just one language.

The First riddle notes that its the ruins of a Yokuda tribe. Considering that the only two peoples that would actually fit that description are yokudan men and left-handed elves, (not redguards, they have been changed by their settlement of Tamriel) Only a mannish language and Aldmeris would be sensible. Also, if the ruins are actually on Yokuda, well the other races don't exactly think "Let's colonize the atomized hell-hole!" Which definitely means that it could have only been built by Yokudans and left-handed elves.

But regardless I should have mentioned that beforehand, I think I meant to make a note of it but forgot. Sorry about that.

Though would you prefer more Alyeid/TES Language oriented ones which would probably end up similar to one another or English ones which could have a little more variety.

Well not all riddles need to codes. Strange mechanisms and mysterious carvings also work.
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Alex Vincent
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:53 pm

As long as the overall meaning of them fits a certain purpose and has a storyline, of sorts, I'm fine with whatever you do. Also, this is pretty hard, but fun.


Thank you, my story line is lacking and it'll be over soon and I'll start another one that will probably have more thought into both the stories and the riddles.

If it's just code for an english sentence, you've got me stumped. I don't see the logic behind it. (I'm pretty certain I've even found other iterations of the same thing online, but nothing to tell me what I'm looking at.

Here, I'll give a hint: It's a substitution cipher, shouldn't be that hard to solve I would think.


Could try Ehlnofex. It's a very context sensitive language.

True and I may pick it up again, just takes a lot more work on my part and limits me, for instance any type of a substitution cipher would not work.

The First riddle notes that its the ruins of a Yokuda tribe. Considering that the only two peoples that would actually fit that description are yokudan men and left-handed elves, (not redguards, they have been changed by their settlement of Tamriel) Only a mannish language and Aldmeris would be sensible. Also, if the ruins are actually on Yokuda, well the other races don't exactly think "Let's colonize the atomized hell-hole!" Which definitely means that it could have only been built by Yokudans and left-handed elves.

You learn something new every day! And true it may have been built by Yokuda tribes men, but as I might indulge later on...There is a certain magic to it that just attracts people who may have added to the temple for the newly discovered room was an obvious add on, different stone all together.

Well not all riddles need to codes. Strange mechanisms and mysterious carvings also work.

I was actually working on incorporating a star chart on one of my riddles but until the weekends I don't have as much time as I would like. Though thanks for the tips, hopefully through this I will become better at making these.



Well thanks Dark for you insightful comments, I admit the story was not too well done and I sure have added more too it. But this one will be ending in a riddle or two and a new one will begin with the story and the riddles being more intune. At any rate I hope you still have fun trying to solve it.
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Erich Lendermon
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:12 pm

Thank you, my story line is lacking and it'll be over soon and I'll start another one that will probably have more thought into both the stories and the riddles.



Well thanks Dark for you insightful comments, I admit the story was not too well done and I sure have added more too it. But this one will be ending in a riddle or two and a new one will begin with the story and the riddles being more intune. At any rate I hope you still have fun trying to solve it.

Is the answer something like:


IF YOU WISH TO BECOME ONE, JUST GIVE US WHAT THEY VALUE MOST AND MAY THEIR LIFE BLOOD RUN IN RIVERS!
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Nice one
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:26 am

:clap:

Easy, no?

I'll try something harder next time.
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DarkGypsy
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 6:26 am

:clap:

Easy, no?

I'll try something harder next time.

It was easier once I knew what I was looking at. The idea that it was a cipher didn't cross my mind until you said that's what it was.
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.X chantelle .x Smith
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:48 am

I would be participating, but these are way to hard for me. But good idea! :thumbsup:
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Antonio Gigliotta
 
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Post » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:43 pm

Wow, so hard....

Still, looks really fun, would love to participate once I have time.
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lacy lake
 
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