The Sphinx's Lair

TheGreatEscaper

10:01 AM

Anyway, obviously left to solve are:
- the unindexed cryptics
- orange 1
- Everything green
- purple 3-6

boboquack

Why don't you try continuing on my puzzle while you're waiting for us to make progress on yours.

TheGreatEscaper

Obviously there is some meta stuff that won't become obvious till some of these are solved

boboquack

The last 3=pat is correct

You might need google.

Then again, if you were looking at the original i+1 basher's computer...

TheGreatEscaper

pat

1 1

That's all I'm getting from google

boboquack

?!

TheGreatEscaper

10:03 AM

xD

boboquack

No, do the obvious rest. I haven't stanza-ised the riddle

Ankoganit

Wait what

EKRPAT is a thing

boboquack

Ya

Ankoganit

something to with Dvorak keyboard, apparently

boboquack

If you type DVORAK on the QWERTY keyboard but have keys mapped to the Dvorak keyboard, it types EKRPAT

Ankoganit

10:04 AM

ohhh

TheGreatEscaper

THIS WASN'T THE GIRL EVERYONE KNEW.UP OF ALL THE THINGS IN THE WORLD - IT WAS PATS THAT HE NEEDED. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTERCEDE. WHO ON EARTH WOULD EAT GLUE AND PASTE? I KNOW YOU'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING IN - CAN YOU PLEASE DRIVE THE CAR AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE? MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DROWN DAD. I AM ASSUMING YOU WILL.FRG <CNNv

Rubio

wha..

TheGreatEscaper

creepy

It's a stage in bobo's puzzle

boboquack

You doubled up FRG <CNNv = YOU WILL.

Now, solve the riddle.

Ankoganit

easy for you to say :D

boboquack

10:07 AM

By the way, if you type in Dvorak translator, the first thing that comes up (for me) is Will's Qwerty to Dvorak translator.

Is that creepy?

TheGreatEscaper

I'm not a good riddle solver

Nah.

Anyway, hopefully my partial is enough to set someone on the right track

Ankoganit

your spoiler is broken

TheGreatEscaper

:o

I can't format

Ankoganit

heh. Spoiler markup is super weird

TheGreatEscaper

Who knows how to, anyway?

boboquack

10:10 AM

I do

I did it

TheGreatEscaper

noted :P

boboquack

AROUND is useful too

TheGreatEscaper

My first thought was that it would be parsed as A Round, and implied some overlaying of lines

boboquack

The idea was in one part that you would go around the riddle to find ERKPAT on the other side.

elias

ah, i think i got red3

TheGreatEscaper

10:11 AM

Yup!!!

elias

imaginary (i) fare (rate)

boboquack

But that's not all that you need...

elias

that means, that it is the pair of =orange5

TheGreatEscaper

With 'mad', of course, as the definition

Yup

elias

pirate-irate=p

TheGreatEscaper

10:12 AM

you don't know what to do with the p yet... things will get clearer as more of the indexless cryptics get solved

boboquack

Tailor drain probably DDEF

TheGreatEscaper

Indeed

boboquack

Got it!

TheGreatEscaper

Yup!

Oof, SOMEONE has almost got orange 1!

boboquack

Apparently I'm an ifrit...

TheGreatEscaper

10:17 AM

Indeed

boboquack

Is R1 correct?

TheGreatEscaper

Yup

It's hard to clue short words nicely :P

boboquack

Hey TGE, do you think this is a good ad?

5

A: Community Promotion Ads - 2017

(Click on it)

TheGreatEscaper

yeah I have

I'm not sure

I still don't really get community ads

boboquack

It needs 1 more upvote and I'd (personally) like to be able to see how much bounty there is without clicking on the tab.

And adding it all up

Ankoganit

10:23 AM

I UVed already

Rubio

welp. i'm off for the night folks

goodUGTnight everyone

Gnight Rubio!

@Rubio noon!

Oh, hullo Mith!

Hello Mith!

You any good at CC's?

Either Deus forgot to switch off their computer or they leave it on as they sleep - which is worse?

Ankoganit

10:31 AM

Both are great.

boboquack

Why?

TheGreatEscaper

I leave my computer on during the night... :o

boboquack

Can we get @the answer to purple 3 from what we already know?

Ankoganit

@boboquack It means spammers are always under the delusion that 'THE MODS ARE WATCHING'

TheGreatEscaper

I think it'll be fairly obvious when you can do purple 3.

Ankoganit

10:33 AM

R2 is 'AT'?

TheGreatEscaper

yup!

Ooh, lots of progress since I last checked the sheet

elias

i've used all these for purple3

i mean, found all the words in the square

TheGreatEscaper

Yup

What happened with purple 1 after finding words?

elias

but i guess, we should also use, that they are all of different lengths form 1 to 6

TheGreatEscaper

Mmhm, but maybe not for purple. Check your instructions again

Sphinx

10:39 AM

0

Q: Mithrandir's chat puzzle!

So Mithrandir's chat profile has a puzzle: Hello. There's a puzzle here. You will need EG7Rx. However, you start at: https://i.stack.imgur.com/hSUe2.png Can you help to solve it? (I don't know how to tag...)

trails

Yip!

but it can be put in to two places right now

boboquack

@Mith How long has that been there?

TheGreatEscaper

Hullo Maria!

boboquack

10:44 AM

Hi from me too!

Maria Deleva

Hi, all. :)

It's my lunch break now, so that's why I am peeking here. :)

boboquack

Why do people often have more rep on Puzzling than their main accounts?

Sp3000

Selection bias, you're looking at accounts of people who frequent Puzzling

boboquack

Good point

@elias Don't reuse for everything?

elias

i don't get your point

boboquack

10:50 AM

Neither do I, but TGE said check your instructions

TheGreatEscaper

oh, that one is just don't rotate for everything

stops the crossword and masyu from being silly

boboquack

Oh

elias

ok, i think we can get which red, orange and blue squares belong together

the red-orange pairing was already done

boboquack

Yes

P+SHI=PISH

elias

the length of the words can be paired with the blue that has the japanese name of the number

boboquack

10:51 AM

TI+SAN=NASTI

elias

P=ICHI

TI=NI

KED=SAN

TheGreatEscaper

Nice! Elias, you're storming through this puzzle

Mithrandir

@boboquack a little while. Since the one for MOehm went up.

elias

LEAR=SHI

boboquack

Oh, so |A| is the size of set A in this case.

Mithrandir

10:53 AM

@boboquack mine is backwards... Puzzling is my main but I have more on SFF...

boboquack

Do you like to do @the imgur-maze puzzles?

Mithrandir

I do... :P

TheGreatEscaper

Ah, @elias!

Maria Deleva

My main is SO, but I mostly read there

TheGreatEscaper

Theres two letters I put in the wrong way around in purple 5

elias

10:58 AM

oh, are there?

are you sure?

i also made a fault when getting the pairs together

TheGreatEscaper

I definitely put two letters in wrong

I'll fix them now

boboquack

I've provided the funny purple squares

as a transcription onto the sheet

Mithrandir

I edited the question to tag it properly. Oh wait, forgot one...

boboquack

Do @the funny purple squares come in yet?

TheGreatEscaper

...funny purple squares?

boboquack

11:05 AM

From the black row

Ankoganit

Oh are these difference in line widths significant?

TheGreatEscaper

No

boboquack

They look like some code

TheGreatEscaper

There's no steganography

boboquack

What!

TheGreatEscaper

11:06 AM

It's just bad things happen with small shapes

i don't know why

Ankoganit

Aw, you should have told @boboquack before

elias

you fixed the letters in the spreadsheet as well, am I seeing right, @TheGreatEscaper?

TheGreatEscaper

Anyhoo, you need to find a way to link the green squares with the rest

boboquack

I'll leave it as a gimmick

TheGreatEscaper

Yes, I fixed the letters in the spreadsheet

elias

11:08 AM

thanks!

boboquack

NGM
RHP
CAD
TST
SST
IFL

Makes perfect sense

TheGreatEscaper

Anything else come in sets of 3s?

boboquack

E	C	E	N	U	O
L	T	D	O	S	R
?	?	?	?	?	?
E	O	I	W	I	T

RED

TheGreatEscaper

?

boboquack

Initials of red clues

CAD

TheGreatEscaper

11:10 AM

yup

boboquack

IFL

etc.

elias

nice!

boboquack

Is @the filling in good so far?

Ankoganit

Good enough

boboquack

No, I mean is it correct?

TheGreatEscaper

11:15 AM

Yup, but someone was a bit quick to put in BRANCH and didn't notice it could fit in row 5

boboquack

No, the green cube net at the bottom

TheGreatEscaper

looks good

Sphinx

1

Q: Some grew to remember me!

Here's a quick easy one. Some grew to remember me, On the ground, or up a tree, I play well with R&B, In large amounts, a sight to see. - Throughout a valley, over hill, A thing for which some men would kill, I may be new, or if you're ill, Round someth...

riddle rhyme

elias

how are the masyu rules? straight on white, but bend at least once next to it and bend on black, but straight next to it?

TheGreatEscaper

Yup!

boboquack

11:24 AM

Good UGT Night!

Ankoganit

Gnight @boboquack

TheGreatEscaper

See ya bobo!

@elias this masyu is quite difficult if you haven't done quite a few of them before

The cube format only makes it more difficult, too

elias

i think i'll leave it for someone else

TheGreatEscaper

Purple 4 is still solvable without the masyu :)

elias

i have to get lunch

TheGreatEscaper

11:32 AM

Sure thing!

Glad you had some fun with this one

elias

ah, so purple 4 is not where 'ma ma u' comes into the picture?

TheGreatEscaper

Not quite

Ma ma u simply clues 'masyu'

Just in case the white and black circles weren't immediately recognized as a masyu

elias

ah

ok, thanks

i will continue with purple4 then

but only after lunch :)

TheGreatEscaper

Enjoy your meal :)

elias

thanks!

Sp3000

11:44 AM

yawns think I'll just leave it be for a bit, twas a good distraction

Volatility

Ah, looks like I missed most of it. Can someone catch me up?

Mithrandir

Sure. There's another image that you need ;)

'pomsre. l'a vwtphgfoh. rkog geq
gwspmaxzg, bmekh? ukvb dg n biexznb
tscnyo sl wvr wegq gvdi. phoqi jmu mbev
lhlg mlyozrxkc? dv, oex rkseo mq qcao...
rmz wf dlc hbq. nslh wf issu ehowr.
l vnfi nxh lyyp iwakp yqgjov fhfr.
biyozl, sx'q hofi xm iwan. m'k zovdmlj.
grbmmxgyi, cmx'fr cxgoz yysilbt?
kqycwaq. amz, mbe'vc vhhlfmub.
rbq... kdmoo hm vczoxflbt opqh?
grbmmxgyi, pcdjr! yqe, jc ngew dzeoebb...
anx. ithflyrc, jwio xflg tec phd.

lyy'th tvxmqksq. lyr zvnd'w rks nxwuhf?

Volatility

@Mithrandir huh?

TheGreatEscaper

Hullo volatility!

Mithrandir

I would ping @techidiot but hasn't been in room recently...

Volatility

11:52 AM

Hi!

I see

Mithrandir

2

Q: Mithrandir's chat puzzle!

So Mithrandir's chat profile has a puzzle: Hello. There's a puzzle here. You will need EG7Rx. However, you start at: https://i.stack.imgur.com/hSUe2.png That URL is this picture: Can you help to solve it?

cipher enigmatic-puzzle steganography imgur-maze

Volatility

Oh. Well I meant TGE's one.

Oh, and now another cryptic-clues has popped up

Sp3000

For TGE's, basically purple4 and masyu are the next main steps

TheGreatEscaper

Oh dear lord

Silenus' one is printer's devil clues

Sp3000

... funtimes

Techidiot

11:57 AM

@Mithrandir Is there extra text ?

Which is not in the original image?

elias

Anyone any ideas for purple 4?

TheGreatEscaper

Oh, I have a few!

:D

Volatility

-.-

elias

sure, @TheGreatEscaper, but maybe there is someone who managed to figure something out?

it has more than 6 different letters

TheGreatEscaper

Indeed

How many does it have?

elias

12:09 PM

8, i think

ulftampb

TheGreatEscaper

Sounds good

Any of those letters remind you of anything?

If you find it difficult to see anything, then wordsmith.org/anagram is always here to help

elias

Flat Bump
Fat Plumb
Aft Plumb
Tamp Flub

i'm not a native speaker, but the first sounds the most natural to me

Volatility

bunch of oxymorons?

TheGreatEscaper

Well, obviously somehow this needs to carry some information

do any of those sets of words remind you of a common way of passing on information?

Or maybe, even the way the letters are arranged in the grid?

Volatility

oh

TheGreatEscaper

12:15 PM

Ooh, there we go :)

Volatility

I see someone just made that realisation as well ;)

TheGreatEscaper

I believe that's elias

elias

not me

TheGreatEscaper

Huh. I wonder who that coyote is, then

Although their translation is VERY strange

Not sure how they're reading braille

elias

maybe 0-1 should be inverted

TheGreatEscaper

12:18 PM

Huh? I don't believe it's inverted braille

But the word's been found, anyhow

Sphinx

1

Q: A printer's imp has run amok

A printer's imp has run amok distorting clues but with some luck you'll spy the hidden seams whereat the devil’s work can be turned back. Feral Ulysses S. Grant keeps the troops aroused (6) A giant horrifies Frankenstein’s monster (5) Superstitious people consider finding a penny or seeing a ...

enigmatic-puzzle rhyme cryptic-clues

TheGreatEscaper

It looks like the Masyu is going to be a sticking point, at least until Deus comes back!

elias

i don't get how row4 and row6 both decode to S

Sp3000

@TheGreatEscaper Row-by-row

TheGreatEscaper

Or perhaps Volatility will do the masyu

Volatility

12:19 PM

haven't looked at it yet

TheGreatEscaper

@elias, braille is read in 2x3 rectangles

If that was literally converted into bumps and flats, a blind person would feel 2 rows of 3 letters each

elias

ah, i thought we should read rowwise, and convert those to 2x3

TheGreatEscaper

Ah right. No need to overcomplicate, i suppose :P

I don't see why the 'binary' middle step is required - surely it's easier to directly convert the letters BUMP to bumps?

xD

Sp3000

Yeah now I'm too lazy to Masyu :P

elias

ah, ok

TheGreatEscaper

12:24 PM

Whoo! Almost all the puzzle is solved

Once the masyu is done, there's very little left to do

Only 2 steps after the masyu, really. 3 if you're counting generously

I hope you guys have had fun with it so far :)

elias

your puzzle is so immersive, that I almost forgot to upvote it

i love it

TheGreatEscaper

Thanks!!! I put in a lot of work into this one :) I wanted to make it inviting, enjoyable, and to be non-linear so that all solvers could do bits and pieces here and there. Obviously though everything needs to funnel together at the end and unfortunately that funnel (the masyu) doesn't seem to be the forte of anyone present

Volatility

12:47 PM

I don't know where to start, and I need to go to bed

TheGreatEscaper

Well then, catch some sleep :)

dcfyj

Wow, chat was busy since yesterday, 1198...

TheGreatEscaper

Oh hiya, dcfyj!

dcfyj

1:03 PM

Good Aftermornight

elias

well, I've got some very minor progress with the masyu

but it's so minor I shouldn't even announce it

dcfyj

But you already did :P

elias

I was enthusiastic for a moment of discovery, sorry

TheGreatEscaper

1:20 PM

:O

!!!!!!!!!!! I am so super sorry!

There is a mistake in the masyu

Give me 10 minutes

elias

is there?

hah

TheGreatEscaper

:( really really sorry I'll fix this ASAP

elias

no problem

take your time

TheGreatEscaper

It hopefully shouldn't change any of your early progress on the masyu

TheGreatEscaper

1:41 PM

Fixed!!!!

Took 21 minutes, but it was a simple fix that took me too long to notice

elias

cool

it affects only one side of the cube, right?

TheGreatEscaper

It doesn't change the solution

So if you hadn't made any deductions near that bit, you'll be fine

elias

i'm working with case separation

and the change affects my parallel cases differetnly

so i'm interested in the actual change

am i seeing right, that only one side of the cube was changed?

TheGreatEscaper

Yes, only one side

elias

thanks

TheGreatEscaper

1:45 PM

The last green square

elias

clear

TheGreatEscaper

I've made the change in the sheet, too

But I hardly suppose you're solving the masyu off that!

Rubio

wow. lol. on this computer, over 1200 new messages in TSL since I left it. good aftermornight all.

elias

thanks for the correction on the sheet too

i was actually copying from that

and a good part of my deductions are still valid

i'm not sure if and how i should present them

dcfyj

Very carefully

elias

1:50 PM

ok, i won't spoil it then

dcfyj

@Rubio I had 1198, So I was pretty close :P

TheGreatEscaper

...rubio did you just sleep for 4 hours or something?

dcfyj

Ooh, I've got a good rep number

TheGreatEscaper

4 hours ago, by Ankoganit

The first thing TGE did was: made a mistake.

Well, if all's well that ends well, then the last thing I did was: fix a mistake

:D

dcfyj

Theoretically :P

Rubio

1:57 PM

@TheGreatEscaper It was more like 2½ but who's counting ;)

TheGreatEscaper

Jeepers

How do you live?

dcfyj

I'm sure he does it like the rest of us. Eating, drinking and breathing.

TheGreatEscaper

I feel like that list is missing something

...

dcfyj

Nope, I listed the necessities.

TheGreatEscaper

Slipping? that doesn't sound healthy

Leaping? Hmm, fun, but probably not

dcfyj

1:59 PM

Sleeping isn't required to live, just to function properly :P

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