The Guardians
The pair of knights stand before you in pristine armor, Sir Lawrence in silver, and Sir Phillip in Green. They stand silently, but each holds a scroll with elegant script. You’ve heard of this test from lore… each scroll holds either only truth, or only lies. They could both be holding truths, both be lying, or there could be one of each. You must determine each of the knights’ types - truth or liar - and then decipher the hidden passcode. Only then will you be allowed to complete your quest.
Begin by determining each of the knight’s “type” - truth or liar. They both state that the other lies. From this, can you determine if they are both liars, both truth tellers, or one of each?
Let’s say Sir Phillip is telling the truth. That would mean from his first statement that Sir Lawrence must be lying (his first statement “Sir Lawrence lies” must be truthful). This would make them different types.
Let’s say Sir Phillip is lying. That would mean from his first statement that Sir Lawrence is telling the truth (his statement “Sir Lawrence lies” must be a lie). This also makes them different types.
Since both options result in the knights being different types, Sir Phillip and Sir Lawrence must be one of each type: one truth teller and one liar.
To determine which type each is, take a look at Sir Phillip’s final statement.
Sir Phillip states that he and Sir Lawrence are the same type. From what we just discovered, we know this to be false. He must be the liar, and Sir Lawrence is telling the truth.
We now know that all of Sir Phillip’s statements are lies, and all of Sir Lawrence’s statements are true. Can you use the other lines to determine the passcode?
We now know that the passcode starts with a V and ends with an R, is five letters long, and has an A next to an L. So the passcode must be: “V _ _ _ R”, with an A and L next to each other somewhere in the middle.
We also know that the password DOESN’T have an “A” in the third or fourth position in the word (isn’t the third or fourth letter), from Sir Phillip.
Can you determine where the A and L go in the word? Can you find the final word?
Because the A can’t go in the third or fourth positions in the word, it must be the second letter. This means the L must be the third letter. We now have: “V A L _ R”. Can you determine the final word?
The passcode is: “VALOR”. Enter this solution to discover the conclusion to the puzzle, as well as some fun info about the mechanic.