The Keep:Valley of Riddles/Hints

Hints and solutions for the riddles solved
Back to the Valley of Riddles

SPOILER ALERT

'Warning! Hints cannot be hidden on mobile! Proceed with caution!'

The Black Stallion
by Sphinx The Black Stallion - Thin as an alien, But so strong, you can admire - Jumps into the fire!

The Blask Stallion might have helped you in February 2015 if you decided to stay indoors. It also may be useful now if you peek into the Aspiring Coders guild. However Matt Boch the Beast Master hasn't been seen with the Black Stallion recently.

Back to the Valley of Riddles

The fall of a member of the royalty
by Sphinx

At last the Sphinx has awakened. He heaves a deep sigh and starts a new story. Although you haven't asked for one.

"I've lived a long life and I've seen many strange and mysterious events happening." - he breathes another sigh and stays silent for a couple of moments - "Yes, once I've seen the fall of a mighty member of the royalty. One day they were walking along the terrace expecting nothing but a pleasant walk. They were so graceful in their well-fit shiny luxurious robe. And their escort of the most loyal men were following them. All of a sudden a horse came from around the corner. The horse was galloping fast and no one could stop it. In just a moment the horse jumped over the royal person - so proud of themselves before. They knew it was the moment of disgrace. There was nothing else to do to save their face and no one else could help them now. Shocked, they made two or three steps back at once and then immediately had to officially leave the throne - declaring it in front of everyone who witnessed that shameful moment".

The Sphinx pauses and you notice a sparkle in his eyes. He seems to be willing to say something else, but you have no idea what. The Sphinx keeps starring at you and the sparkle in his eyes now frightens you. You should definitely react somehow to show that you do understand him. Time goes slowly here. You'd better ask the question the Sphinx is waiting for.

In fact the right question may be asked in many different ways, but it should be a one-sentence question (and it shouldn't be an alternative one) - so make sure you take into account all the details You get the idea, but don't know what to ask about? Do you think this is the end of the story? Well, the Sphinx has something else to say to you continuing his story. There should be some meaning in the story he's telling you. Your question should fit in the ending logically or at least not contradict to it. Try to remember, haven't you seen a horse jumping over a royal person yourself? Think of this situation as a game and as something that can happen under your control. Still no ideas? Try to play this game in your imagination and maybe you'll find the moment when the Sphinx has stopped. In the chess game a piece called the Knight is usually represented by a horse's head and neck. So what happened to the Knight? Unfortunately, the Knight in this story is not the member of the Royalty, so it's not him, who fell. Its complete move looks like the letter L - so it moves from around the corner - and unlike all other standard chess pieces, the Knight can 'jump over' other pieces. But what was that other piece? And what's more important, what were the consequences? Try to play this game in your imagination once again. The member of the Royalty in a chess game is surely a queen or a king. But the story doesn't tell us who exactly. Maybe there's a purpose? Try to find a hint in the text of the riddle. In what way does the answer to this question influence the story? The King wasn't able to make "two or three" steps in one turn - as it moves only for one square at a time apart from the move of castling - but nothing in the riddle suggests the latter. So it was the Queen. Now as you know it, you can probably guess why the Queen had to leave the throne. But was it the end of the game? The Queen was surely captured. The only two game options when a player loses the most valuable piece are: trying to trick the opponent on purpose; or avoiding the threat for a king or maybe another piece that is crucial in current game situation. Which of the two options might have happened in the depicted game? The Sphinx describes the Queen as shocked at that moment. So the player controlling the Queen didn't expect the other player to make this move, and he was unable to save the Queen - due to the threat of check / checkmate / other deadly risk. So the Queen was moved in the only possible way to meet the attack - and the player understood he was losing the Queen with this move. Right, now you know the whole story. But is it the end of the game? I'm sure you are ready to ask the question the Sphinx is waiting for. Let me put it simple: what is the goal of any game? You've seen a situation which might have been the beginning of the disaster, but you haven't been told if the disaster actually happened... What else to ask? You ask the Sphinx: "Did the player who had lost the queen lose the chess game then?"

The Sphinx continues with something you can perhaps call a sad smile on his face. "Losing something you believe you value most - says the Sphinx - doesn't necessarily mean losing it all at once. Having lost a horse, a castle, the most loyal men, and great opportunities or even when your Queen has been captured by someone else - you must not forget about the purpose of it all, your main goal. The one you play this game for. Are you sure you know it?.."

You stay speechless staring at the Sphinx and suddenly he winks at you. "No - says the Sphinx - that player managed to win without the Queen. In fact one of the pawns became his Queen a bit later".

Back to the Valley of Riddles

What about the cactus?
by Sphinx Cow - 3, Dogs - 4, Frogs - 6, Rooster - 14, Cactus - ? Leave the cactus alone for a bit. All others are clearly pets. What can they have in common? What do the pets do, that can have a countable attribute? Have you heard the song "What Does the Fox Say?" Cow says MOO (3 letters), Dogs say WOOF (4 letters), Frogs say RIBBIT (6 letters), Rooster says COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO (14 letters excluding dashes), and Cactus - ? Cactus is silent (0 letters). So the answer is 0.

Back to the Valley of Riddles

Untitled
by Ben West My roof, it is crumbling; my walls are encrusted; and dare you look within? For within the walls of my hot little halls is gathered the bringer of sin. There are bread crumbs or some crumbly topping on top. Actually the walls are pie crust. Pie is little and hot. If you figured the snake, why not the apple with which the serpent tempted Eve? Apple pie

Back to the Valley of Riddles

Charm of Kittens?
by Ben West I am the charm of kittens A trinity made square I am the last one single But I'm nothing without my tail. 9

Back to the Valley of Riddles