Charlemenge's Seven Temptations

You enter a circular vault of black marble and pale blue witchlight. Seven stone masks watch from the walls, their expressions shifting whenever Charlemenge speaks. The female sphinx stands chained to a moonstone dais, her bronze wings folded tightly and her eyes bright with fear beneath a practiced smile. Silver thorns coil around her limbs without drawing blood. Behind her, two crystal-barred cages hold sleeping sphinx children. At the far wall, a sealed door bears seven empty sockets, while faint chimes rise from its locks as if the chamber is waiting for answers.

Back to Generator

Create your own Puzzle

Puzzle EntryRiddle / WordplayLevel4Moderate

Charlemenge's Seven Temptations

4LevelModerateDifficultyRiddle / WordplayType

LevelLevel 4

DifficultyModerate

TypeRiddle / Wordplay

Components5 parts

Time LimitThere is no strict real-time limit, but each riddle should receive about three minutes of table discussion before the GM offers the next hint. In-world, the blue witchlight dims after each wrong answer, and after seven total wrong answers the vault summons a level-appropriate fey guardian.

Primary DCDC 20

Quick Reference

Type

Riddle / Wordplay

Difficulty

Moderate

Level

Time Limit

There is no strict real-time limit, but each riddle should receive about three minutes of table discussion before the GM offers the next hint. In-world, the blue witchlight dims after each wrong answer, and after seven total wrong answers the vault summons a level-appropriate fey guardian.

Primary DC

DC 20

Checks

Occultism, Religion, or SocietyDC 19
Recall Knowledge using Occultism, Religion, or Society identifies that the chamber's seven masks represent the traditional deadly sins and grants one broad thematic clue.
PerceptionDC 18
Perception notices which mask reacts to each riddle and spots the emotional expression or symbolic image that supports the answer.
Thievery or CraftingDC 20
Thievery or Crafting identifies the chain-release mechanism and reveals that correct answers weaken restraints rather than merely opening a door.
Diplomacy or DeceptionDC 19
Diplomacy or Deception lets a character address Charlemenge's hidden intent, granting a +1 circumstance bonus to the next riddle answer if the character promises to free her children.

Overview

Discovery

The characters discover the puzzle when Charlemenge announces that the vault opens only for those who can name what mortals hide from themselves. Each riddle is spoken aloud and then appears on the moonstone lectern in Common. The players can inspect the chamber before answering, learn that the masks correspond to the seven deadly sins, and notice that Charlemenge's expression becomes hopeful whenever an answer is close.

Puzzle Handout

what the players see

Charlemenge's Seven Riddles

Charlemenge speaks each riddle aloud. The moonstone lectern records the words in silver letters.

Riddle One

I climb where none may stand, I wear a crown of air, I call the mountain small beneath me, And say no equal's there. What am I?

Riddle Two

I have a mouth that never eats, A belly no coin can fill. I swallow fields, houses, crowns, and names, Then hunger for them still. What am I?

Riddle Three

I paint a stranger's joy in green, And count what is not mine. I see a crown upon another brow And wish that crown were mine. What am I?

Riddle Four

I promise honey on the tongue, A rose behind the door. I make a want seem like a need, Then whisper, “Only more.” What am I?

Riddle Five

I build a feast inside my throat, Yet leave the table bare. I eat the gift, the plate, the praise, And ask for one to spare. What am I?

Riddle Six

I am a red bell in the blood, I ring when crossed or slighted. I turn a spark into a torch, And call the ashes righteous. What am I?

Riddle Seven

I am the softest chain, The bed that bars the gate. I tell the hand to wait, the foot to rest, Until the hour is late. What am I?

Inscription beneath the riddles

Seven mouths may speak one truth. Name the hunger, not the thing it eats. Name the wound, not the hand that strikes. When every hidden vice is named, The thorn forgets its master.

Glyph Chart

Glyph	Meaning	Category
A crowned face above a mountain	Pride	Deadly Sin
An open mouth filled with coins	Greed or Avarice	Deadly Sin
A green eye watching a jeweled crown	Envy	Deadly Sin
A rose wrapped around a golden key	Lust	Deadly Sin
A banquet table with no empty plates	Gluttony	Deadly Sin
A red bell surrounded by flames	Wrath or Anger	Deadly Sin
A sleeping hand resting on a locked gate	Sloth or Apathy	Deadly Sin

Visual sheet

Turn Charlemenge's Seven Temptations into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.

Gallery

No gallery images yet.

Riddle Seven

I am the softest chain, The bed that bars the gate. I tell the hand to wait, the foot to rest, Until the hour is late. What am I?

Inscription beneath the riddles

Seven mouths may speak one truth. Name the hunger, not the thing it eats. Name the wound, not the hand that strikes. When every hidden vice is named, The thorn forgets its master.

Glyph

Meaning