Hi everyone!
I wanted to do a cryptic crossword series for Achaeans. The prizes will involve credits and herbs. If you're unfamiliar with cryptic crosswords, the clues are basically riddles. I have styled my clues after The Times / The Herald Tribune cryptics, so I would recommend a crash-course on clue cracking if you've never tackled those before. Its fairly easy once you get the hang of it. The clues will basically be anagrams, synonyms, anagrams of synonyms, words that sound alike when spoken aloud, etc.
For this first crossword, you won't need to dig into the Achaea wiki. 98% of Achaeans should be familiar with the answers to the clues. Future crosswords may dig deeper into Achaean lore, depending on reception!
To play, just follow the link to the crossword, and
PM me a screenshot of your crossword answers. You don't need to complete the crossword 100%, as I'm
hoping some of the riddles are real stumpers. Achaeans are a smart bunch though.
- After 24 hours (so all time-zones can participate), I will release the answers and winners
- Prizes:
- 1st Place: 20 credits + 1000 moss + 3 azelhurium + 3 valenticite (First to submit 100% correct crossword, or highest % of correct answers)
- 2nd Place: 5 credits + 500 moss + 3 xerthyst (Second to do the above)
- 3rd Place: 300 moss + 5 shunsten
Happy solving!
Crossword #1:
https://crosswordlabs.com/view/achaea-cryptic-1
Comments
The answers are below. Most of the riddles had multiple clues, and some of them had a straight-forward definition of the answer in the riddle, which I'll bold.
Note: I screwed up the clue for 16-Down, sorry guys, I did not correctly transfer what I had written on paper to the screen. I'll be more careful in the future.
I must admit there was low participation for this, but I announced it on the forums which have lower participation than the game itself, without any warning. So the next puzzle will be 2 days from now, and I'll post it around 6pm EST.
The Answers
Across
4. If bats turn back from you, is it perfidy? (BACKSTAB. "Turn back from you" = literally read backwards from "tUrn")7. It was thus done, they say, in a hidden place. (AZDUN. "Thus done" = As done, if spoken out loud)
8. Event saw enemy hoodwinked to join in panda treat harvesting. (FOOZLE. Enemy = Foe, hoodwinked = bamboozled, panda treat harvesting = remove "bamboo")
10. I quaffed a pair of rum and went for a drunken swim. (RIPARIUM, anagram of "pair rum" + I)
11. A tutor healed our group after the saga. (EPICURUS. Healed our group = cured us, saga = epic)
12. The retired judge was found in thought. (THOTH, found in 'thought')
13. The dwarf turned and faced us to speak. (PHAESTUS, sounds like "faced us")
15. Found in clever prose that slowly kills you. (HEARTSTOP, anagram of "prose that")
16. A game of words traded by Satyrs. (HANGEDMAN. Traded = excHANGED, Satyrs = men)
19. Two visitors from outer space, we hear. (DEUCALION. Two = deuce, "visitors from outer space" is "aliens" spoken aloud)
20. You should retreat when Eris appears pretty. (SIREN. "You should retreat" = read backwards from Eris)
21. "Hey baby, are you a pair of ouroboi?" (ENCHANTING )
23. A diner accepted six, but purged a row, whispered voices in the garden. (DIVINE. "Diner accepted six" = insert VI into 'diner'. "Purged a row, whispered" = Row sounds like Rho, the greek R)
25. Umbra was cast after eve, revealing a bloodthirsty mob. (BELLADONNA. Umbra = shade, Eve = night, nightshade is a plant also known as Belladonna)
27. An entrepeneur said to meet halfway in a rural inn. (RURIN. Rural + Inn meeting halfway / spoken aloud)
29. That time when Poe was lost on an island... (NEWHOPE. Anagram of "when Poe")
30. 'e bid adieu while losing you, adding a bow prior. (ARCADIA. "'e bid adieu while losing you", so remove E+U from "adieu", adding a = ADIA, "a bow prior" = ARC is synonym of a bow)
32. We went at it confused, but found success in new attack lacking tact, they said. (TENWAT. Anagram of "went at", or "new att", clued in "lacking tact (TACK)" spoken aloud)
33. Tim, I'd follow her, but she joins hedonism with no thought of salves. (SHEEP. "Tim I'd follow her" = TIMID FOLLOWER. "joins hedonism with no thought of salves" = SHE + EPICUREANISM= SHEEP if you remove "CUREANISM", clued by "with no thought of salves")
Down
1. An immense vessel was stuck around pitch. (VASTAR. "Immense" = vast, "vessel" = vas, pitch = "tar". It was also found in the beginnings of the words)2. He sold a tenth, but lost and began anew with tea, they say. (TSOLTETH. Start at "sold a tenth", lose A,N,D (solteth), add "tea" (T) to the beginning)
3. It takes a while to emit such splendid lights, we hear. (RADIANCE. Splendid lights = radiants, spoken out loud)
5. Small insect I squashed next to apple discard. (MANTICORE. Small insect = ant, apple discard = core)
6. Said to aspire high, Duane could be heard from afar. (DUANATHAR. Duane + "afar" spoken aloud)
9. Three novices staying temporarily. (TRITRANS. Three = Tri, staying temporarily = transient)
14. Send over a long ruler to measure wealth. (SOVEREIGN. "Send over" = Sover, "long rule" = reign)
16. We expected daggers, but instead found flowers. (HEARTSEED. I actually screwed this clue up, sorry guys. It was supposed to say "but instead here are flowers", which would give an anagram, but I did not type it correctly into the clue)
17. A service to forgiving, he banged his gavel thus releasing four. (FORGING. Forgiving + release four (remove IV). Also banging a gavel is banging a hammer, which is what forgers do)
18. Sir, it appears the constellation has stopped working. (BROKENSTAR. Because the constellation is broken, amirite?)
22. "No, it cannot -!" (BETRUE. Shouted by Occultist victims, obviously)
24. A valiant nub ran a mile initially, but succumbed to sleep. (VALNURANA, found "initially" in the first half)
26. Is it a tree, or a rock? Historians say both. (OAKSTONE. Because its a tree+rock.)
28. A duo stood before great works of skill. (TWOARTS. Duo = two, great works = art)
31. Perhaps 'e is a bit scattered with all that disappearing act. (PHASE. Anagram of "haps e". )
I'd never heard of Cryptic Crosswords before yesterday. After reading some "crash-course" articles about how Cryptic Crosswords work, like Aktillum suggested, I solved over half of the clues. And for the ones I didn't get, the answers & explanations certainly make sense (the "Cureanism" one might be a stretch, haha.)
The difficulty might come from not being able to give the "straight definition" portion of a clue for Achaea-specific terms, without making the answer obvious. How do you "straight define" words like Deucalion, Phaestus, Riparium, without just giving it away.
Awesome that you read up on Cryptic Crosswords before tackling this, I thought it befitting "Krypton" won the prize
Crossword #2 is posted now - I had the riddles sitting in a notepad for a few days now, but had a crazy busy weekend.
I can only offer a 1st place prize of 25 credits for this round, unless someone wants to bankroll this (and future) prizes. However, I tried to lower the difficulty considerably, and I'm giving everyone 72-hours (so deadline = Thursday, 3:25am PST) from this posting to submit their answers.
Good luck!
https://crosswordlabs.com/view/achaea-2
Thanks for the participation everyone
Answers:
Across
3. Renegade stares in vile yet effective manner. (EVILEYE, anagram found in "vile yet e...")
11. A medley of Bards teach an ode to hunting game. (BANDERSNATCH, anagram bolded)
12. The bronze medal awarded for Polyphemian skill of sight. (THIRDEYE. Bronze metal = third place, Polyphemus is a cyclops in Greek myth)
14. Pack later, dinner is served initially on pious nights. (PALADIN, found "initially" + pious nights = pious knights)
15. Mhun have Orange Juice for dessert, they say. (MHOJAVE, another anagram + dessert = desert)
16. Prankish child lost hand in welding accident, Attorney-General fixed it. (PANDORA, the first sentence is literally part of her IG history, "Attorney-General" = Ag = silver)
18. It's just you waiting in perplexity for a tournament. (JOUSTING, anagram bolded)
20. 1000 correct? No, it needs a ponderous reflection. (MEDITATION, 1000 = M in Roman numerals, correct = edit, then "reflection" is a clue to read backwards and get "a ti on")
23. A bat in an elm tree. An omen of world's end? (BALMET, anagram bolded)
24. As love begins in confusion, souls are lost. (ABSOLVE, another anagram)
25. St. Iver lost one in a terrible accident. (VERTANI, anagram bolded)
27. The curse of lycanthropy can make you do foolish things. (ACONITE, curse/lycanthropy = bane/wolf = wolfsbane = also known as aconitum)
28. Are Jack's memories coming back? He's been chewing oak to increase vitality.. (JERA, which is symbolized by an oak)
Down
1. A monster said akin to Krypton in his element. (KRAKEN, element of krypton = Kr + "akin")
2. Weather permitting initially, rough seas require self-control. (WILLPOWER, synonym of self-control, also initial WP)
4. Fast cats flash by in scintillating lights. (STAFFCAST, clued by "scintillating lights")
5. Alteration of grim arts Nyssa ordered. (TRANSMOGRIFY, synonym of "alteration", anagram'd in clue sentence)
6. She rustled up some grub to avoid husband's punishment. (SHRUB, a punishment)
7. Calm yet anal I debated in circles with tiger in Delos. (CLYNALIA, found in anagram "calm yet anal", Clynalia is "the tiger" in Delos)
8. Cigar droppings were sun-kissed in metropolis. (ASHTAN, cigar droppings = ash, sun-kissed = tanned)
9. A lone chemist overlooks one who hides in plain sight. (CHAMELEON, anagram in "a lone chem")
10. Al moved in zig-zag pattern, said to protect. (ALGIZ, "Algiz protect" was a common saying in Cyrene)
13. Confident stroller passed view of harbour inhabitant. (SEASTRIDER, confident stroller = strider, view = see)
17. These men are confounded by salesman of great power. (MERENTESH, the artefact salesman)
19. Vigilance in some own said to regress for the sleepless. (INSOMNIA, "in som" + ain (synonym of own) backwards)
21. Hairy-legged men sat around a pyre. (SATYR, hairy-legged men :P)
22. A race of divers suddenly found aviation attracting. (ATAVIAN, anagram in "aviation")
26. Sketch of lion confused Baker Anna, so she took it down from her shop. (BERKANA, symbolized by a lion, anagram'd in Baker Anna)
I have no idea what just happened.
What went on in here?