Who wants to take a stab at my riddle, feel my players' pain

[PitaChip]

Now maybe a few of you have heard something similar to this because I did find something similar online, but I did write most of it myself. I want to see if it's too hard for you guys lol. My players already hate me and I gave them 2 weeks to figure it out.

This is given to them at the entrance of a pretty obvious dungeon. (I say this coming from a DM that makes nothing obvious) There's a Galeb Duhr guarding the entrance and a magically sealed stone door. When you approach the Galeb Duhr, which at first just looks like a small stone pillar/obelisk, it pops out into its normal creature-like form and spits out three sounds that sound pretty much just like the Sages from Breath of the Wild in the shrines when you're getting a spirit orb. This is the language of Terran (Primordial), and if you're like my party and cast Comprehend Languages, you'll hear:

"Cities without denizen
Forests with no life
Streams without water
...
Savior of the drifter
Blessing to the wise
Fool be he to understand the world from its tale"

That's all they have to go on. I'm excited to see what they come up with and what you guys think

[Wizard_Lizard]

It's a good riddle. And now I have a headache from trying to work it out for about a minute ish. So that sould be fun. And now this is gonna nag at me until I solve it... I love riddles in DnD.

[Ortho]

Think I've got it figured out:

Is it, perchance, the Internet? :smalltongue:

[PitaChip]

Also before anybody says it:
I understand the concept of making challenges that challenge the characters, not the players themselves being kind of game-breaking and meta. I say baloney because we're playing a game to have fun for the players, and none of my players' characters are particularly unintelligent or hyperintelligent. I'd rather give the players a challenge that they can all collectively overcome just like if they were in character, rolling dice. They'll still have the satisfaction of defeating the "stone golem" as they so eloquently described the Galeb Duhr amongst themselves just as if they had rolled dice and reduced its HP.

[KOLE]

Is it, perchance, the Internet? :smalltongue:

Please don't be right, I'll be legitimately upset.

[PitaChip]

Think I've got it figured out:

Is it, perchance, the Internet? :smalltongue:

Good guess, but not quite lol

[KOLE]

it's a map

[PitaChip]

it's a map

Wow that was fast, good job! Hopefully my players can get it

You officially get a gold star sticker

[KOLE]

Oh man! I feel accomplished. It was the last line that really tripped me up, made me feel it was something deceitful or intentionally false, but that makes total sense. Great riddle!

[PitaChip]

I'm theming this dungeon off of a really beloved Wizard's tomb, her whole motto was "go out and live the world, don't let life pass you by" and it's gonna be chock full of really encouraging iconography and meaningful puzzles that I'm still working out. Oh, and also the stuff that kills you like slimes and mold. Couldn't have a dungeon without that of course

[PitaChip]

Oh man! I feel accomplished. It was the last line that really tripped me up, made me feel it was something deceitful or intentionally false, but that makes total sense. Great riddle!

Thank you! I tried to write it as not just like a riddle that the DM wrote, but like the person who commissioned the dungeon and summoned the Galeb Duhr to say. Like she would believe that so that's part of the riddle

[KOLE]

I'm theming this dungeon off of a really beloved Wizard's tomb, her whole motto was "go out and live the world, don't let life pass you by" and it's gonna be chock full of really encouraging iconography and meaningful puzzles that I'm still working out. Oh, and also the stuff that kills you like slimes and mold. Couldn't have a dungeon without that of course

That sounds amazing, I'm a little jealous for your players.

[NecessaryWeevil]

What is the meaning of the ellipsis in the middle? Is the Galeb Duhr pausing or...?

[PitaChip]

What is the meaning of the ellipsis in the middle? Is the Galeb Duhr pausing or...?

Yeah that was explained when I gave it to them, sorry. It's literally just a speech pattern. Like he said the first bit, and then the party starts talking again like he's done and then he interrupts them because he wasn't and gives the second verse. I dunno, I just kept it in I guess. Nothing really to do with the answer to the riddle, it's just the way it was given I guess. Splits up the two stanzas

[firelistener]

Ah, wish I'd seen this thread sooner! I knew the answer immediately. It was only because I played through the Dragon Age Origins video game recently though, as it has an almost identical riddle with the same answer in this chamber where you're going after a holy grail/urn.

Good riddle, OP. I like the wording a lot.

[Democratus]

Good riddle. But I don't understand the "blessing to the wise" bit.

[KorvinStarmast]

Wow that was fast, good job! Hopefully my players can get it

You officially get a gold star sticker
I think your first sentence is slightly off, English composition wise

Cities without denizen
should be
Cities without denizens

Nice riddle.

[Damon_Tor]

"Cities without denizen
Forests with no life
Streams without water
...
Savior of the drifter
Blessing to the wise
Fool be he to understand the world from its tale"

First thought is a map
EDIT: looks like I'm late.

[Segev]

I think your first sentence is slightly off, English composition wise

Cities without denizen
should be
Cities without denizens

Nice riddle.

In poetry, like this riddle, small allowances for plural/singular are generally made. I'm a stickler for things like that, and I loathe poetry that is used as an excuse for bad grammar, and I didn't even bat an eye at it. Anecdotal, but that's my analysis. i.e., it's fine. I actually think it loses something with the plural 's' added.

[Kobold_paladin?]

i'm not 100% sure, but it seems like the only reasonable option: map. please tell me if i'm right.

[Sparky McDibben]

That's a map, dude.

[PitaChip]

I'm glad everyone had a ball tackling this riddle lol. Yeah, a bunch of you guessed a map and you're right, that's the answer.

And that's interesting, the whole plural/singular swap that I did. I didn't even notice, I guess I was just trying to sound cool. However I think maybe it would be permissible just because you're using a first level spell to decode an ancient other language from an alien plane of existence. I think maybe it adds to the effect I'm trying to go for? But it was totally subconscious so I don't know why I didn't notice I was doing that. Thanks for pointing it out though

[Democratus]

I think "silence" is also a valid answer.

[Avista]

Nice riddle! First three lines made me go 'it's a map' but how does "Fool be he to understand the world from its tale" connect it back to the answer?

[Democratus]

Nice riddle! First three lines made me go 'it's a map' but how does "Fool be he to understand the world from its tale" connect it back to the answer?

I think that one makes sense. A person can look at a map and think that they understand the world simply by examining it.

[Grey Watcher]

I think your first sentence is slightly off, English composition wise

Cities without denizen
should be
Cities without denizens

Nice riddle.

I think it's one of those archaic forms that's handy for things like this, even if it doesn't fly in modern writing outside of literature or poetry. A bit like using "dread" as an adjective instead of "dreaded".