Needle
02-28-2010, 02:39 AM
Hi All,
I occasionally DM an rpg campaign and I'm working on composing a kind of riddle. I don't have a good sense of how tough it is, but I'm afraid the solution may be too obscure to do in a reasonable time (e.g. <30 minutes of discussion amongst party members).
The premise is that the party has found a song, The Land Lies Dead, written by an anonymous bard that chronicles a battle between two dragons. The party needs to prove that the song was written by the great Shonwodis. A sage tells them if Shonwodis wrote the song, then he would have left his signature encoded somewhere in the lyrics. Is it reasonably difficult/easy to deduce that Shonwodis wrote the following? (spoiled for space). Thanks in advance for thinking about it...
The Land Lies Dead
A simple herald, attempts retelling
Death aflame lights Oerth’s night.
Laughter ignites Vance’s erupting sight!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Who is she? Elven beauty, wearing royal blue.
Immune to flame, joins the game, and battles ‘till they’re through.
Burning Oaks the blood lies spilling, she puts her spells to the killing!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Both the drakes, immune to fire.
To kill another, burns their desire.
Useless to the flame, yet they burn it just the same!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Claws and teeth, promise death
Red’s final roar, Red’s final breath.
The drake and maiden’s victory, as Red plummets to the sea.
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Westward flies the gold afar, as I look up to my guiding star.
All the life that has been lost; who will pay the cost?
Perhaps the Oaks will lend a hand, rebirthing trees to this land...
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Am I the only witness, to a secret in the first.
Ocean quenching fires thirst.
Is my name the key, to this ballad of finished eternity?
It is in the last, singing this song of the past.
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Is all my song heard on nights when only darkness ignites sight?
-Anonymous
I occasionally DM an rpg campaign and I'm working on composing a kind of riddle. I don't have a good sense of how tough it is, but I'm afraid the solution may be too obscure to do in a reasonable time (e.g. <30 minutes of discussion amongst party members).
The premise is that the party has found a song, The Land Lies Dead, written by an anonymous bard that chronicles a battle between two dragons. The party needs to prove that the song was written by the great Shonwodis. A sage tells them if Shonwodis wrote the song, then he would have left his signature encoded somewhere in the lyrics. Is it reasonably difficult/easy to deduce that Shonwodis wrote the following? (spoiled for space). Thanks in advance for thinking about it...
The Land Lies Dead
A simple herald, attempts retelling
Death aflame lights Oerth’s night.
Laughter ignites Vance’s erupting sight!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Who is she? Elven beauty, wearing royal blue.
Immune to flame, joins the game, and battles ‘till they’re through.
Burning Oaks the blood lies spilling, she puts her spells to the killing!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Both the drakes, immune to fire.
To kill another, burns their desire.
Useless to the flame, yet they burn it just the same!
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Claws and teeth, promise death
Red’s final roar, Red’s final breath.
The drake and maiden’s victory, as Red plummets to the sea.
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Westward flies the gold afar, as I look up to my guiding star.
All the life that has been lost; who will pay the cost?
Perhaps the Oaks will lend a hand, rebirthing trees to this land...
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Am I the only witness, to a secret in the first.
Ocean quenching fires thirst.
Is my name the key, to this ballad of finished eternity?
It is in the last, singing this song of the past.
Fire from gold, fire from red
Fire from gold, fire from red
The land lies dead, the land lies dead
Is all my song heard on nights when only darkness ignites sight?
-Anonymous