Cryptic Crosswords: Achaean Edition [Prizes Inside!]

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

  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    I'll be releasing the answers in a few answers, keep submitting :)

  • I did adore trying to figure this out. I didn't go swell but thank you for putting so much effort into our entertainment. :)
  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    edited March 2017
    Tahquil said:
    I did adore trying to figure this out. I didn't go swell but thank you for putting so much effort into our entertainment. :)
    Glad you at least had fun :) Hopefully the answers above will give you idea about how to solve these kinds of riddles for the next one I do, also "How to Solve the Cryptic Crossword" by Val Gilbert is excellent, lots of great examples and exercises to do.

  • KlendathuKlendathu Eye of the Storm
    I just filled the squares with cursewords. Much more satisfying :D

    Tharos, the Announcer of Delos shouts, "It's near the end of the egghunt and I still haven't figured out how to pronounce Clean-dat-hoo."
  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    Achaea Belladona is only one "n"
  • I do numerous Cryptic Crosswords and just found this too difficult, might be why you had a low response? Maybe just me of course!

    (Party): Mezghar says, "Stop."
  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    Ignoring "BETRUE" and "ENCHANTING," which aren't standard Cryptic Crossword clues, I thought they were all pretty true to form!

    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.
  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    edited March 2017
    Krypton said:

    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.
    So very true, though The Times sometimes doesn't give a "straight definition" in their clues, its a mixed-bag. I'll try to add a few more "obvious" clues in the next crossword, so that you can use a few letters to figure out answers for harder ones.

    Awesome that you read up on Cryptic Crosswords before tackling this, I thought it befitting "Krypton" won the prize =)

  • AerekAerek East Tennessee, USA
    To be fair, we also only had a day to look at it. I saw it posted Tuesday before my night class, figured I'd give it a shot the next day, and by the time I sat down with it, you'd already posted the answers. Give it a few days or a week and you might see more submissions.
    -- Grounded in but one perspective, what we perceive is an exaggeration of the truth.
  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    Aerek said:
    To be fair, we also only had a day to look at it. I saw it posted Tuesday before my night class, figured I'd give it a shot the next day, and by the time I sat down with it, you'd already posted the answers. Give it a few days or a week and you might see more submissions.
    Completely agree, I did not take into account people's lives outside of Achaea. I will release the next crossword soon and extend the submission deadline considerably.

  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    edited March 2017
    Sorry for the delay guys!

    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



  • AktillumAktillum Philippines
    edited March 2017
    @Krypton takes first place again with 100% correct and completed crossword  :open_mouth:

    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 got 0 answers.

    I have no idea what just happened.
    image
  • I felt like I showed up to a hotel room and woke up in a pool of blood and my own urine.

    What went on in here?
  • KlendathuKlendathu Eye of the Storm
    I got 2 this time round... Might complete one by round 34597457013498560234785023465034650e10

    Tharos, the Announcer of Delos shouts, "It's near the end of the egghunt and I still haven't figured out how to pronounce Clean-dat-hoo."
  • KresslackKresslack Florida, United States
    edited April 2017
    I tried.

                 


  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    Did I actually solve it... Or did I just find the password to the Answer Key?... The world will never know...
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