Three Linked Riddles

[WitchOfSecrets 20]

I.

Emblems bright of Western lords --

Scarlet palaces, guarded by swords.

II.

Water-mover, stone-breaker,

Fire-watcher, heir-forsaker.

III.

It makes things drink, but feels no thirst -

Without a needle, makes them burst.

Edited May 8, 2012 by WitchOfSecrets

[Thalia 59]

Welcome back!

Pressure? or hiccups?

Eh. Probably not but oh well.

[WitchOfSecrets 20]

A good guess! It's headed in the right direction. That said, I recommend tackling the first two riddles first.

[plasmid 38]

They say a good place to begin is at the beginning...

a crown, with a central red tuft surrounded by prongs

[Thalia 59]

Hmm. There is a Red Castle and a Redcastle in. . . Scotland? Which makes me think of Ireland, Wales, and England but not sure how those fit the other two. . .

[tiger_lily111 116]

Salt certainly qualifies

[Quag 34]

sun setting over the rocky mountains

[WitchOfSecrets 20]

plasmid: A bit too literal for this one.

Thalia: England's relevant.

tiger_lily111: Both you and Thalia are basically on the right track. The thing is, the way this riddle is structured pretty much requires the answer to be phrased a certain way - it's not my best.

Quag: Poetic and elegant, but not what I was looking for.

An edited version of the first riddle to reduce its ambiguity and add in Thalia's insight:

Emblems bright of English lords --

Scarlet or white and guarded by swords.

Edited May 10, 2012 by WitchOfSecrets

[Thalia 59]

The word emblem keeps making me think of family crests or a coat of arms.

[Thalia 59]

Random thought that came from nowhere: joy?

[Time Out 11]

Roses Moses Osmosis

[plasmid 38]

Wow, Time Out just solved two riddles right off the bat! Well done, TO.

[Molly Mae 101]

...hoses?

[WitchOfSecrets 20]

My computer's fixed, and I've come back to see that Time Out has it! Well-solved!

[WitchOfSecrets 20]

(Adding poll)