Greatest Story Never Told

[Failia]

Hi all!

Well, I've started this little adventure and I have to say, it's stumped me already and I'm only on the first damn step. Since it's possible for everyone to get different riddles, I was going to post mine and see if others will post what else is available.
Good luck to all!

HO / OSC / BRA / N's / EM / CE
Fire / LIGHTNING / WATER / EARTH / ICE / WIND
The Wheel must turn anew.

Only thing I've learned from it is that the order is wrong.

It's supposed to be:

Lightning/Fire/Earth/Ice/Water/Wind/Lightning

According to Essences and Permutations

The spark of Lightning ignites when it strikes, and thus Fire is born.
The heat of Fire renders to ash all that it touches, and thus earth is born.
The density of Earth shuns Sun and harbors cold, and thus Ice is born.
The armor of Ice melts away, and thus water is born.
The moistness of Water mists and rises, and thus Wind is born.
The gusts and sighs of Wind gather the clouds, and thus Lightning is born.

Problem is, I don't know where to go from there...

[Magnesium02]

Since this is kind of the default thread, I will post a mini-guide here for each riddle.

There seem to be a few sets of the riddles and each person can get one of them. If you want to post and anwers iplease use the spoiler tags ("HB" "/HB" - replacing " with []) in case someone with the same set as you gets spoiled.

Alternate Languages

Please note that some of the riddles may be different if you are using German or French. Some of the methods to calculate the answers may also be different.

Riddle #1: Wheel of Elements

You are given a set of jumbled letters followed by a line of elements and a message about elements such as

REN / FLO / SPI / TEL / 'S / RE
FIRE / LIGHTNING / WATER / EARTH / ICE / WIND
The wheel must turn anew.

Valliant Heart mentions a thaumaturge called Yayaroku. Heading to Uldah and talking to him reveals the following dialogue

Yayaroku: You wish to speak of ancient Belah'dia? It would be my pleasure to converse with a fellow student of history. I─ Wait, this isn't about Winebaud's message, is it?
Yayaroku: Then you must be another wide-eyed treasure hunter searching for the lost treasure of Lalafuto III. <sigh> Winebaud was a skilled storyteller, and you would be forgiven for thinking his tales were all true. Even now, I cannot say if he was lying to us or himself.
Yayaroku: Hm? You say you deciphered his message? Very well, let us hear it.
Yayaroku: “Fire, lightning, water, earth, ice, wind. The wheel must turn anew.”
The six elements...but the order is wrong.
Yayaroku: “The spark of Lightning ignites when it strikes, and thus Fire is born.
The heat of Fire renders to ash all that it touches, and thus Earth is born.
The density of Earth shuns sun and harbors cold, and thus Ice is born.
The armor of Ice melts away, and thus Water is born.
The moistness of Water mists and rises, and thus Wind is born.
The gusts and sighs of Wind gather the clouds, and thus Lightning is born.”
Yayaroku: A passage from Essences & Permutations, in case you were unaware. Anyway, I have no idea what Winebaud meant to say.

The trick to solving the riddle is rearranging the letters as they apply to the elements listed below it in the order of the THM text.

Known combinations and answers in the spoiler

REN / FLO / SPI / TEL / 'S / RE >>>> FLORENTEL'S SPIRE
HO / OSC / BRA / N's / EM / CE >>>> OSCHON'S EMBRACE
AL / TH / SPI / 'S / RE / TE >>>> THAL'S RESPITE

Talk to a NPC at the destination and return to Horizon

Riddle #2 - Word Puzzles

This riddle involves a cryptic string of words, with a second line referencing a NPC who will give you a hint to how to solve it

Known combinations in the spoiler

SEMALF FO LLAH EHT
Isouda knows the truth.

SCITEHTSEA S'EMIATHSE
Isouda knows the truth.

ETAG FLOW ETIHW
Isouda knows the truth.

Isouda's Dialogue: (I don't know - this was mine and I figured it out without the help)

---

AQPMYF KZLD GPS RQQHOFR
Memenugu knows the steps

GNMKNXDC IDZWDMTOHMKZS AQJCFF
Memenugu knows the steps

GNND NG SGF BN FTQMBKBV
Memenugu knows the steps

Memenugu: 2 steps forward, one step back. over and over again, until the end
>> what this means is that you need to decrease or increase the letters according to alphabetical order in a pattern of + + -. So the first two letters get increased by one, the third letter get decreased by one fourth and fifth increase one, sixth decreases one (e.g. abcdef > bcbefe)

---

180504 130114200919 0601121219

260516082518 0418090620

08051212190218151504 0815120519

Jahelle: “I learned the letters of mathematics, but alas, not the grammar.”
I don't know why; a simple sorry would have sufficed.

> each letter if the alphabet is assigned a 2 digit number (a=01 b=02 etc) substitute letters for numbers

Known answers in the spoiler

SEMALF FO LLAH EHT = THE HALL OF FLAMES
SCITEHTSEA S'EMIATHSE = ESHTAIME's AESTHETICS (Jewelry shop in Uldah)
ETAG FLOW ETIHW = WHITE WOLF GATE (Gridiania Side)

AQPMYF KZLD GPS RQQHOFR = BRONZE LAKE HOT SPRINGS
GNMKNXDC IDZWDMTOHMKZS AQJCFF = HOLLOWED HEAVENSPILLAR BRIDGE (In north Shroud near entrance to central).
GNND NG SGF BN FTQMBKBV = HOME OF THE COEURLCLAW (South Shroud)

180504 130114200919 0601121219 = RED MANTIS FALLS
260516082518 0418090620 = ZEPHYR DRIFT
08051212190218151504 0815120519 = HELLSBROOD HOLES (Central Thanalan - Cutters Cry)

The unscrabled letters will give a destination where a white orb with a ??? name will be waiting. Interact with it to proceed then return to Horizon


Riddle #3: Situational Emoting

The third riddle with give you a phrase describing a place with random letters in capital, followed by a message about the marauders knowing etiquette. Going to the MRD guild in limsa you can interact with a book for the following text:

A treatise on cultivating interpersonal relationships and influencing others catches your eye. You open it to the bookmarked page and take note of an underlined passage:
Conspicuous Treatise: A deliberate display of emotion, as befits the situation, can be effective in deepening your relationships with others.

What this means, is you need to use an emote at a specific location. The location, as mentioned, is described in the text, the emote is an anagram of the capitalized letters. There will be a ??? glowy orb at the destination

Known phrases & hints

cOncealed belah'dian maJestY - Hint: Search: The Doom That Came to Belah'dia
sappHires and peaRLs, fortUnes Great and Small - Hint: What locations are named after gemstones.
CherIsh the sPinniNg wAter lullaby - Hint: What makes water go round and round?
PulPy NuTritiOus, And decIDedly DElicious cItruS - Hint: You ought to try an orchard
All foR fen-YLL - Hint: Fen-yll is a brand sold by the Leatherworker guild
HylLfyr's cUtthroAts and briGands - Hint: Bloody Executioners are a pirate gang led by One-eyed Hyllfyr, captain of The Astalicia
Under tRanqUilItys FoOtpathS - Hint: there is a very tranquil camp out there
red ligHt amidst the blUe Haze - Hint: Look for Fog that is Blue
rope ANd wooD aCross thE gully - You need to bridge a gap near Wineport


If you want the answers expand for deciphered locations and emotes

cOncealed belah'dian maJestY - use /joy at the Invisible City in East Thanalan
sappHires and peaRLs, fortUnes Great and Small - use /shrug at Pearl/Saphire Lane in Uldah
CherIsh the sPinniNg wAter lullaby - use /panic at a watermilll in Hyrstmill, North Shroud
PulPy NuTritiOus, And decIDedly DElicious cItruS - use /disappointed outside Summerford Farms, Middle La Noscea.
All foR fen-YLL - use /rally underneath the Leatherworker guild
HylLfyr's cUtthroAts and briGands - use /laugh on the Astalicia
Under tRanqUilItys FoOtpathS - use /furious under Camp Tranquil
red ligHt amidst the blUe Haze - use /huh in Bluefog near a rock up the ramp
rope ANd wooD aCross thE gully - use /dance at one of the wood and rope bridges south of Wineport, East La Noscea

Riddle #4: Letters and Numbers

Okay this one is a bit complex

You will be given the following phrase

If SWORD+SWORD=DAGGER, then return to me with X of X.
The master of the markets has my list.

Where the "X" are replaced with 2 variable letters.

Visit the NPC that you get the introduction to the markets from (e.g. Seseroga). You may need to go to the city you started in to get the NPC to talk to you. You will get the following dialogue

Seseroga: The adventurer returns, asking after a...Winebaud? Yes, I remember now. He requested my assistance in locating a number of items many years ago.
Seseroga: However, his list lacked sufficient information, and I was unable to proceed. Fortunately for you, I am loath to dispose of any documents related to business. Now where did I...? Ah, here we are.
Winebaud's List:
1 = Pearl
2 = Fluorite
3 = Malachite
4 = Choker
5 = Sunstone
6 = Earrings
7 = Ring
8 = Bracelet
Seseroga: To be fair, it matters not if it were more detailed. A dead man cannot pay a finder's fee, after all.

What remains in a math problem. If you take out all the double letters you have S W O R D A G E = 8 letters and there are 8 items on the list. Each letter represents a number and you have to do some math to work out. You need to solve what they all mean to provide an item of jewelry (for example, a Choker of Sunstone). However what item depends on the numbers correlating to the "X of X"

To get more hints expand spoiler

Tip 1: you have to add 2 5-digit numbers to get a 6-digit number. The highest number you can make is 87,654 so x2 =175,308 is the max that Dagger can be. This means that D has to be "1".

Tip 2: Filling in D as number 1 means that R (1+1 no carried forward) has to be "2"

Tip 3: Filling in R as number 2 means that E (2+2 no carried forward) has to be "4"

Continue to use logic to solve for S, W O A and G.

If you are not good with math problems and want the answer to the formula expand spoiler

sword + sword = dagger
78321 + 78321 = 156642

Work out what letters you need and buy/craft the item of jewelry specified and return to Horizon. You need to ineract with the Message with the iten equipped.

Known Combinations including answers

G of R = Fluorite Earrings
G of O = Malachite Earrings
G of A = Sunstone Earrings
S of R = Fluorite Ring
S of O = Malachite Ring
S of A = Sunstone Ring
W of R = Fluorite Bracelet
W of O = Malachite Bracelet
W of A = Sunstone Bracelet

Riddle #5: A Lesson in Poetry

After riddle 4, talk to the stone again and you will get this message

Winebaud's Message: Irrespective of the lives we lead, we are often defined by our beginnings and endings.
Winebaud's Message: The poet understood this. So do I, and so must you.
Winebaud's Message: Seeker of treasure and truth, I have given you the key.
Winebaud's Message: The lock lies before you, behind my obfuscations.
Winebaud's Message: It's a story, you see...
Winebaud's Message: But not the one we were told.

You need to combine the 6 lines of poetry from the last 3 riddles. If you didn't make a not of them, talk to Valliant Heart again and he will read them out one by one. The full poem is as follows

Clandestine rendezvous leave me breathless and wanting
Obsession consumes me, a thirst for the taboo
Perchance we meet in public, be not a beguiler
Ply me not with honeyed words, and spare me glances alluring
Ere long this torment must end; together we must be
Renounce it all I would, but we must be more discreet

The way to solve this one is hinted at in the first line of Winebaaud's message

Expand for a hint

Think Acrostic



Expand for a further hint

Look at the first letter of all the lines and the last letter of all the lines




Expand for the answer

COPPER GORGET

There is a glowing orb on the back of the statue. You should know what to do here.

------------------------

And you are done! Enjoy the completion of the quest and the lore

ALL THAT FOR ONLY 10 gil ????????

Oh and an achievement ... that's fine then

[Failia]

OH! I get it, by stating that the order of the elements is out of order. I would have had to rearrange everything above that to match it.

[Failia]

Got my next riddle but can't determine if I should be re-arranging the letters according to their order in the riddle or position in the alphabet. I've been trying but either time it's not making any sense for me.

AQPMYF KZLD GPS RQQHOFR
Memenugu knows the steps

2 steps forward, one step back. over and over again, until the end

[Tchoc]

Currently I'm stuck on this problem:

sappHires and peaRLs, fortUnes Great and Small

then it sends you to the marauders guild, where it leads you to a book that indicates that a display of emotion, appropriate to a situation, may deepen your relationships with others

Now, I suspect it's a letter scramble, and I suspect it's an emote, but I don't know what emote (shrug and throw [because 'hurls'] were my thoughts and I don't know who to perform it to!

[Magnesium02]

Currently I'm stuck on this problem:

sappHires and peaRLs, fortUnes Great and Small

then it sends you to the marauders guild, where it leads you to a book that indicates that a display of emotion, appropriate to a situation, may deepen your relationships with others

Now, I suspect it's a letter scramble, and I suspect it's an emote, but I don't know what emote (shrug and throw [because 'hurls'] were my thoughts and I don't know who to perform it to!

Hint: Look at the capitals

HRLUGS > SHRUG (I think you typoed the L capital)

The location is given in the text. Saphires and Pearls. Look for a glowing white Orb with ??? over it somewhere near sapphire avenue and Pearl Line in Uldah emote /shrug at it

[Tchoc]

You were right about the L. It was a misunderstanding. Clever. clever on the location. I wasn't even thinking about there being another place to go on this step. Thank you.

[ViciousDreamer]

My second clue:

SEMAF FO LLAEHT
Isouda knows the thruth.

Backwards -> Hall of Flames.
Clicked on spot labeled ???

[ViciousDreamer]

My third clue that I'm having trouble with:

cOncealed belah'dian jaJestY
I understand I need to /joy, but idk where at.
Qarn drops belah'dian glass so I'm checking the ruins around Qarn, but I'm not seeing anything...

[Magnesium02]

My third clue that I'm having trouble with:

cOncealed belah'dian jaJestY
I understand I need to /joy, but idk where at.
Qarn drops belah'dian glass so I'm checking the ruins around Qarn, but I'm not seeing anything...

You are on the same quest line as me.

Hint:

Search: The Doom That Came to Belah'dia

(the next one is a pain)