hutt's puzzle dump

  The door opens to what at first appears to be an ordinary storeroom. The only other hole in the room is a grate in the ceiling which does not move when rattled. Along the back wall is a panel with several pegs. A box on the floor contains gears which could fit into the pegs. Two gears are already stuck in the panel: one is a wheel with 26 spokes, and the other is directly connected to the grate but has too much friction. Felix suggests that may have to assemble a contraption to slide the grate open. Rules: Add circles which rest completely within the grid. All circles should be centered on gridpoints and have integer radii. No circles may overlap, but all circles must be tangent to each other in a chain which connects the given partially shown circles.

  In comparison, the halls of the castle are oddly quiet. Dahlia silently leads the way to the tower. They haven't gotten very far by the time someone else rounds a corner into mutual view. As the gangly man approaches them with a slight smile, Dahlia whispers, "The royal messenger. Listen and do not speak." When he is close enough, he bows and says, "Lady Cantor, his Majesty requests an audience with you immediately." Dahlia says, "I have only just returned. Why the haste? Can this wait a few minutes longer for me to ensure my things are in order?" The messenger tuts and says, "His Majesty thinks your reconnaissance may contain valuable information in regards to the activities of our nemeses. It seems urgent. Allow me to lead you to the meeting." As he begins to walk away from Dahlia, she says, "Wait. May I be permitted to deduce its location first?" He pauses, turns around, and says, "Quickly. You may have five questions....

  There is much rejoicing about the castle courtyard. Tables are established both inside and outside booth-sized tents, at which many citizens are engaging in feasts and other forms of merriment. The scene is lively. A common chant percolates from one of the tents: "Hip-hip, hooray! So soon the day that all unknown is cast away!" A few others stand and gaze stoically with palms facing down in front of their foreheads. Dahlia tells the duo, "We need to reach the castle without anyone paying us any mind." Rules:  Draw a path for the trio that enters from the top and exits through the bottom where indicated; the path may only move in cardinal directions and cannot revisit cells. The path must not pass through any active clues. At any given time, either the circle clues or the square clues are active: it switches every time a border is crossed. A border must not be crossed directly to or from a clued cell regardless of if it's active. Active cells with arrows repres...

     It's well in the evening as the trio approaches the South Castle of the Kingdom of Gravel. The guard posted at the main gate assumes a mixture of relief and anxiety. His attire speaks more to his aristocratic background than to the sometimes unsightly duties of his career. Casually, he says, "Lady Cantor! A pleasure to welcome you back. I trust Miss Vax is right behind you?" Dahlia inhales and exhales briefly before stating, "Richard, would you trust me?" He responds, "Of course. The three of us have known each other for years. You worry me. Is she alright? And who are these fellows?" She says rather loudly, "She has decided to extend her travels. I grew homesick. May I introduce these gentlemen at your station?" He grudgingly obliges and leads them into a private checkpoint.     "So," says Richard, "will any of you say how you met?" Renn is about to speak when Felix jabs him in secret. Dahlia speaks instead: "Yo...

     On the way to the castle, Dahlia speaks her mind. "What I can't wrap my head around is why a spellcaster would need Cheryl. She rarely ventures outside the castle walls. Her proficiencies are in spinning pottery and the clarinet. Not to mention her illiteracy. All the motives I'd envision are flimsy." In an act of pondering, she tugs on her pendant and the chain breaks loose. Diamond-shaped beads are scattered about in the grass. Renn offers to help try to mend it. https://pzprxs.vercel.app/p?diamond/10/13/i1ag.zrdg1dzt2agdzp.i2.i Rules: Solve as a Diamond Chain. The chain is fragile: the ax cannot be used on these clues.

FYTTE THE SECOND in which betrayals are formed on noble grounds.     The woman introduces herself as Dahlia. She explains that she was going on an excursion with a friend when suddenly they got tangled up in some vines by a plant nymph. She says, "I hope she's alright. Before we were separated, the nymph said someone named Neward had plans for her." Felix exclaims to Renn, "He lives in the fortress on that map we've been searching for! I heard he was a great spellcaster, though no one has heard from him in recent years. But if the map isn't here, then where would it be?" Dahlia says, "The kingdom I hail from sacked countless nearby dungeons a few decades ago. You should check our royal archives. If it's not there, I could arrange for you to check the other castles. Anything to help her." Renn smiles and says, "Likewise."     The new pressing issue seems to be getting back to the surface. The darkness discourages everyone from try...