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[WitchOfSecrets]

Inspired by When the Seagulls Cry (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

The difficulty of this chapter is Reasonably Solvable. Would you care to guess?

The story so far...

Spoiler for Recap

In 2011, eight members of an exclusive riddle club competed for a great prize. However, misfortune after misfortune struck the group: allegations of cheating were made, an earthquake and a storm struck, a valuable ring was stolen, and a trusted servant came to an untimely end. To complicate matters, the events of that night have been cloaked in a mantle of silence, leaving behind only mysteries and a set of typed pages of uncertain accuracy.

Ten years later, in 2021, a boy met with an enigmatic Witch to try to discover the truth of that night. At this gathering, he and a group of humans fought a series of duels to dispel the Witch's illusions. However, when the first duel ended, the boy unexpectedly defected to the Witch's side, leaving the players seemingly alone to face the bizarre mystery.

A Note for New Players:

Spoiler for For New Players

I'm trying to keep this game relatively open for new players, so the first several puzzles can be solved without even glancing at the earlier threads. Later, I will generally link to prior posts in some form when they’re necessary to solve a puzzle. That said, the new thread will include spoilers for the earlier ones.

If you don't want to fish through all the earlier posts, here are a few tips:

* The narration is not literally reliable. Some scenes are exaggerations, and others are metaphorical. However, statements in red are true.

* There are two layers to this story, at the very least. We are reading sheets of paper describing supposed events of 2011. We are also attending a Witch's Banquet devoted to grappling with the mysteries raised by those sheets of paper.

Synopsis/Key Post Index:

Spoiler for A helpful tool?

The index/synopsis below might help you catch up with the plot. Since you probably don't want to go fishing through 26 pages on two threads, here are links to all of the posts with major plot/character details. All character intros include a puzzle.

Prologue:

1. The Sphinx's Decalogue, a set of rules for fair riddles; introduction; we face the first safe

2. Character intro: Ocean Zweidler.

3. We discover that the first safe has two possible answers, though one may be unfair. Character intro: L. V. Ford-Seaton.

4. In the world of 2021, we meet the Sapphire Witch and our first Animate, Dudeney.

Chapter One:

1. We learn of the Sapphire Witch's past; a ring goes missing; a cabinet key must be found and a compass lock opened.

2. One answer to the compass lock; Character intro: Kenichi Nakamura.

3. Progress on the cabinet key; Character intro: Otto Rinaldi.

4. An earthquake; an opal is discovered; Character intro: Alicia Tressler

5. The key is found; the second answer to the safe; the first part of the microphone lock.

6. Microphone lock #2; a cipher; Character intro: Walter Sexton; Cryptic Crossword tutorial

6. An amber is found; Chapter 1 Intermission begins; we meet Ms. Cox, Rathvon, and a mysterious boy, and learn about Witch's Chess.

7. The boy asks some pointed questions of the Witch, and receives ambiguous answers.

8. Character intro: Batsheva Ellis.

9. The intermission ends; a safe opens; Character intro: Nat Foreman.

10. A mysterious envelope appears; a puzzle for world travelers

11. Another amber is found, a button is pressed, the earth shakes, thunder crashes, the lights fail, a boy is lost and rescued, and a servant's mangled remains are discovered in a locked room.

12. A witch's duel begins!

13. Many critical facts are confirmed in red.

14. We meet the Witch of Secrets, who doesn't play nice.

15. Dudeney's nature is revealed; the Witch nearly loses the first duel, then comes back for round two.

16. The mystery of the missing ribbon.

17. The duel ends; the Banquet of the First Chapter begins; guests reminisce in the rain; the courtship of the Sapphire Witch ends; the human side strikes at the core of the Sapphire Witch's being and nearly ends the game.

18. The boy defects from the Human side to become a Witch.

[WitchOfSecrets]

(Theme: A Banquet of Many Years Ago)

(Scene: An autumnal conclave of Witches and Sorcerers. Seated about a long table, these mysterious magicians chatter of rituals and illusions until the Sapphire Witch rises from her seat, silencing them all.)

Sapphire Witch.

 Rejoice! All-Hallows Eve is nigh,

 The hornèd moon doth crown the sky,

 Yon clock-tower tolls the long day’s knell --

 The rush hour traffic dies as well.

 But Witch’s revels such as these

 Bow not to dull solemnities.

 Come, comrades, conjurers, and kin,

 And let our mystic play begin!

Ruby Sorcerer.

 I am the Witch of Transmutation

 Who shares the Witch of Vision’s station.

 With staves in hand and scrolls unfurled,

 Together, we create a world,

 And bind the mind with sigils, giving

 Life unto the once-unliving.

Sapphire Witch.

 Crowther, arise! I summon thee

 To pose our first perplexity.

(Crowther, an Animate, presents the first riddle to great applause:)

I’m born when a boy makes a foolish mistake;

I’m emboldened by drink to make mighty men quake;

I’m courageous or cold in the presence of death,

And I’ll wrack you and twist you and rob you of breath.

Witch of Secrets.

 By Hecate’s scythe-blade, what an old device --

 A greybeard Animate in a younger mask.

 The Witch of Secrets casts a fresher spell

 That mortal eyes have ne’er beheld before!

(The Witch unfurls a scroll, which reads:)

My first is in FILLINGS, but not in BRACES,

My second’s in TENNIS, but not in RACES.

My third’s in the SOIL, but not in the SEAS,

My fourth in CANDY STORES, not PARFUMERIES.

My fifth is in STORMS, not merely in GALES,

My sixth in the STREETS, but not on the RAILS.

My seventh in a TILT, but not in a QUAKE,

My eighth in the OCEAN, but not in a LAKE.

My ninth hides in DARKNESS, under a pall –

My ninth may not be my ninth at all.

(Applause. As this illusion fills the air, two younger people arise and bow. The Ochre Sorcerer introduces them.)

Ochre Sorcerer.

 It looks like we’ve got two apprentices

 With us tonight, and each of them has spun

 A spell to show us all the tricks they’ve learned.

 As Witch of Curiosity, I say,

 Let’s see these novice conjurings at once!

(The Crimson Apprentice, a fledgling Witch of thirteen, is the first to rise to the challenge with an illusion. Her mother assisted her in the editing, but the essential form of the ritual is her own.)

Crimson Apprentice.
 It’s really hard to make a perfect crime,
 But here’s a mystery I have to share:

A dozen men are on their backs and none can call for aid;

Our culprit paints them gleefully with runes of garish shade.

He locks up all the bodies till they’re stiff, and when he’s done…

Off with their heads!

Off with their limbs!

One by one by one!

No matter how he maims them, police won’t come around,

And even if they did, the bodies never would be found.

(Applause, and some nervous looks. The Opal Apprentice, a boy younger than the Crimson Apprentice, poses a spell crafted with the help of the Sapphire Witch herself. He places a chessboard upon the table, as well as a bucket of pieces - black shapes in conical hats.)

A Witch in a chess game’s a powerful thing;

It can move like a bishop or move like a king.

So how many Witches, one way or another,

Can fit on this board without threatening each other?

(The assembled Witches set to solving these riddles...)

*****

Before I allow you to glimpse the Epigraph itself, let me test your mettle with these apprentice's riddles.

I doubt they shall delay you for long, but perhaps your struggles will entertain me.

With all due courtesy,

The Witch of Secrets

Edited by WitchOfSecrets, 13 May 2012 - 06:25 AM.

[Yoruichi-san]

Excellent. Btw, that chinese character in the picture is actually my last name (or first in chinese) ;P

Spoiler for Chess board

8 is the maximum number of witches. The "moves like a bishop" limits it to 8, since 8 would span all the diagonal tiles, which is easily seen by placing them in a straight line (I'm sure there's a rigorous math proof somewhere, but I'm too sleepy to figure it out), and the "moves like a king" doesn't limit the number further, but limits the minimum distance between pieces. "Moves like a rook" would give the same number, but limit placement further.

As for the Witch of Secrets' scroll...well, I'm kinda stuck.

Spoiler for In one, but not the other

This seems like it has to do with the difference in which letters are in each word, but I can't find a word yet that fits the pattern. The closest I come to something that makes sense is like, "gildstick", which I'm pretty sure is not actually a word.

Bed for me, someone else figure it out. XP

[Aaryan]

Spoiler for the first one

Doesn't really fit, but...the wind?

Edited by Aaryan, 13 May 2012 - 01:41 PM.

[fabpig]

Spoiler for Well

I can get 12 Witches on the chess board (3 each on columns A & H white, 3 each on rows 1 & 8 black, leaving the corners blank). Word possibilities : GILT STICK, LILY STICK, LILY'S TICK (or TIC if ninth letter is ignored )

[Time Out]

Spoiler for ?Crowthers riddle

laughter

Spoiler for ?Crimson Apprentice riddle

making/eating gingerbread men

Got the same number as fabpig for the chessboard, with different positioning.

[Morningstar]

A thought...

Spoiler for Crowther's riddle

A cigarette?

[Potok]

Spoiler for ChessWitches

7 of one color and then 5 of the other color do make a 12, that will most likely be correct

Love this project!

Edited by Potok, 13 May 2012 - 05:44 PM.

[flamebirde]

Spoiler for Crimson apprentice

Maybe some sort of black ritual? and then they eat the bodies...?

Probably wrong, but oh well. I was never any good at solving puzzles.

[WitchOfSecrets]

(Nice progress!)

Agate Witch.
 I got it! I know what the third one's about,
 I took me a moment to figure it out.
 The cops won't be coming; they never do when
 The men you dismember are...

Spoiler for Answer to Crimson Apprentice's riddle

... gingerbread men!

Crimson Apprentice.
 That's right. There is no corpus delicti
 (she said, with much pretension for her age.)

 A baker won't be hanging from a rope.
 That's all from me, your future Witch of Hope!

ESPER, the Crimson Apprentice, Witch of Hope

Witch of Sighs.

 The Animate that faces us is such

 That any man with memories of cruel,

 Cold youth may end it swiftly, with a sigh.

 Your Crowther, ANNABEL, is simply...

Spoiler for Answer to the Sapphire Witch's riddle

... laughter.

Sapphire Witch.

 Farewell, dear Crowther, servant true!

 HERMETICUS, this one goes to you;

 You've answered it with great precision.

 Thus speak I, the Witch of Vision!

ANNABEL, the Sapphire Witch, Witch of Vision/Doubt

Witch of Connections.

 For the fourth riddle... twelve?

Opal Apprentice.

               You can do better.

Ochre Sorcerer.

 The third riddle puzzles me; I checked each letter.

 Is the answer Gilt Stick? Could it be Lily Stick?

Witch of Sighs.

 With THALASSA, you know, there's always a trick.