Need help with a test/riddle

[UndertakerSheep]

In about 7 hours, my party will enter the Cathedral of the Five Spires. At one point, the Cathedral was just a big church devoted to Bahamut but it was eventually converted to worship Tiamat (several towers were added just for this purpose).

However, one room remains perfectly in tact. It houses a powerful draconic artifact: a scale of Bahamut himself. The artifact has the power to completely destroy any worshiper of Tiamat when that person uses a divine power. Truly evil worshipers don't even get a save. An overpowered artifact, even if it only has 6 charges. But that's the entire point

The room is in tact because it is protected by Bahamut's influence. The only way to enter or harm the room is to solve a riddle or pass a test. I am however not coming up with anything interesting and I am running low on available time. That's why I come to you, playground. Please give me some suggestions for Bahamut-related riddles or tests.

The artifact is intended for the party's dwarven invoker of Bahamut, if that is of any help.

TL;DR: I need a test or riddle that suits a church of Bahamut hiding an overpowered artifact.

[nedz]

this thread might be helpful.

[ReaderAt2046]

A nice one for this purpose might be:

"What is greater than God and more evil than the devil? Rich people want it, poor people have it, and if you eat it you die a slow and painful death."

Answer

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Nothing.

Also:

"Light I flee but without it I die,
Oer the earth I cannot fly
I am made in but one hue
Not red or gold or green or blue"

Answer

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Shadow

[Lapak]

(First couple of lines started to fall together in my head when I thought about Bahamut's general themes, rolled on from there.)

My first is the second of oceans,
devotion means my end.
Between comes a meditation,
complete I'm the heart of a friend.

I am the highest principle;
The hope that is brought to the meek.
The light you bring into darkness,
The succor you give to the weak.

Speak my name and enter;
Err and be destroyed.
In the name of Bahamut you came here,
That my Power be employed.

(Answer:)

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Compassion

[Anxe]

I really like Lapak's. I've got two problems with it though.

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1. How do the devotion and meditation lines match with the answer?
2. How does the answer match with Bahamut? Isn't he more about justice than compassion?

[Lapak]

I really like Lapak's. I've got two problems with it though.

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1. How do the devotion and meditation lines match with the answer?
2. How does the answer match with Bahamut? Isn't he more about justice than compassion?

It IS a riddle, after all. It shouldn't be TOO easy. On the other hand, I did literally just throw it together and I have no doubt it could be improved with some tinkering. (And I'd be quite happy to see it improved, as collaboration is fun for this kind of project.) Anyway, the reasoning I was using in answer to your questions:

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1. The 'a meditation' bit is the weakest portion, admittedly, as it's an out-of-game reference and a stretch of one to boot.

That said: "My first is the second of oCeans" = c.
"Devotion means my end": Poetic reordering here, should be read as 'the last part of my name means devotion'. Playing with synonyms here, as a passion is something you are devoted to. = passion

c__passion was what I started with, leaving me with 'om' to fill in. The only way I could think of to get to it is with the 'om' syllable/mantra that begins and/or ends various prayers and meditations in Buddhism and Hinduism. Since I was just kind of banging this out in my head, I ran with it and moved on to the next stanza.

2. He's about justice for those who can't get it specifically, as I understand his goals. Good Dragons don't need Bahamut's protection; they're supposed to deliver it. Which is to say that his focus (outside of Tiamat) is on providing strength to the weak, delivering justice to those who cannot win it through arms or money or magic. Which is pretty clearly Compassion for those who aren't Good Dragons or similarly powerful folks.

EDIT: Also, darn it, I corrected the syllables in that second stanza and must not have saved the edit. Doing so now.

[Anxe]

AH! Now it makes sense.

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The devotion line is fine then. I'd change the meditation line to,

Between is the sound of meditation

That said, it's still a freaking hard riddle. Might want to give an alternate way around that one. Maybe slaying the dragonstone golem that speaks the riddle?

[UndertakerSheep]

Thanks everyone!

I ended up using three riddles in the entire adventure: the two from Reader and Lapak's with Anxe's modification. The first one was easily guessed by the fighter but the second one took them a few minutes until the rogue figured it out.

Lapak's riddle took them almost 45 minutes. It was a very hard riddle for them and they needed a little bit of help. But they eventually figured it out and were proud of themselves.

The artifact is now in the hands of the heroes and they feel like they've earned it. Thanks everyone for helping me with this!

[Lapak]

Thanks everyone!

I ended up using three riddles in the entire adventure: the two from Reader and Lapak's with Anxe's modification. The first one was easily guessed by the fighter but the second one took them a few minutes until the rogue figured it out.

Lapak's riddle took them almost 45 minutes. It was a very hard riddle for them and they needed a little bit of help. But they eventually figured it out and were proud of themselves.

The artifact is now in the hands of the heroes and they feel like they've earned it. Thanks everyone for helping me with this!

Glad it worked out well!

[The Random NPC]

A nice one for this purpose might be:

"What is greater than God and more evil than the devil? Rich people want it, poor people have it, and if you eat it you die a slow and painful death."

Answer

Spoiler

Show

Nothing.

Also:

"Light I flee but without it I die,
Oer the earth I cannot fly
I am made in but one hue
Not red or gold or green or blue"

Answer

Spoiler

Show

Shadow

Spoilered for spoilers.

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I would like to point out that since this is D&D, there are many Gods that have varying levels of power, the most evil being is an angel, no matter what you have, you still want something, the poor always have something, even if it is only their pride, and with a Ring of Sustenance (or being a Warforged) you can eat nothing for your entire life without dieing.
Also, shadows have many hues, they aren't just black, but a really dark version of what ever color the thing is. So a tree's shadow is dark green and dark brown.

[Anxe]

But you were still able to get the riddles, weren't you Random?

And I'm glad it worked out too!

[The Random NPC]

I was, but that's because of my out of game knowledge. The comment about the second riddle is really just pedantic splitting of hairs, but if you use only the information given to you from the game, you would have a lot of trouble solving the first. It may even be impossible, what with about 1/3 of it being flat out wrong.

[thriceborn]

Spoilered for spoilers.

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I would like to point out that since this is D&D, there are many Gods that have varying levels of power, the most evil being is an angel, no matter what you have, you still want something, the poor always have something, even if it is only their pride, and with a Ring of Sustenance (or being a Warforged) you can eat nothing for your entire life without dieing.
Also, shadows have many hues, they aren't just black, but a really dark version of what ever color the thing is. So a tree's shadow is dark green and dark brown.

Who is the most evil being? I was never big on traditional cosmology, my group is doing an entire homebrew world.

[The Random NPC]

Asmodeus. According to the Fiendish Codex II he started as an angel that fought the demons. The Gods were concerned about mortals actions and Asmodeus convinced the Gods that they needed to create a disincentive so that mortals would fear the Gods and follow the established rules. So they let him create hell, and gather magic from the souls of the damned. Of course, since the legends are from pre-mortal times, they aren't 100% reliable.

[Dr.Epic]

Well, if you like Mythology Gags, make it involve a rat tail.