Haterius
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Haterius started life as a slave. Now he is one of the richest men in Rome — and he has already built himself a tomb grand enough for a senator, whether his neighbors approve or not. Today he isn't thinking about that tomb. Today is a festival, and he means to spend it with everyone who matters to him.
Seven puzzles stand between you and Haterius's own legacy. Solve one, and the picture comes into focus — until, at the end, one final word reveals how he has spent his fortune.
Crossword — the vocabulary of a rich freedman's life and legacy.
Anagrams — unscramble seven words from a life of struggle before the wealth came.
Cipher — decode a message, then answer the riddle it asks.
Matching — one verb, exstruō ("to build"), active and passive, in every tense you know.
Picture Count — reassemble a scattered scene, then count what you see.
Odd One Out — find the mismatched word in each row to reveal how Haterius spent this day, then answer questions about it.
Final Rebus — one clue from every lock. Their first letters, rearranged, spell the final word.
Every answer box checks itself instantly. Spelling and capitalization are forgiving — macrons are never required.
Fifteen words from a rich freedman's life. Every clue gives the English meaning; you supply the Latin. Fill the grid — every crossing letter must agree both ways. Six cells are marked in red: once the grid is solved, their letters unscramble into one more word.
The grid is correct. Unscramble the six red letters:
Seven words from a life of struggle before the wealth came. Unscramble each one.
A message has been shifted 3 letters forward through the alphabet. Shift each letter back 3 to decode it — the message speaks for itself. Answer the question it asks, in Latin.
Decode the message — it already asks its own question at the end.
One verb, exstruō, exstruere ("to build") — the tomb Haterius built with his own fortune — in every tense you know, active and passive. Drag each English meaning onto its matching Latin form.
The picture below has been scattered into 24 pieces — click two to swap them. Each piece locks in place once it's correct. When the whole picture is assembled, five counting questions will appear — in Latin, they ask quot ("how many") of each thing you can find.
Click two pieces to swap them. Correct pieces lock in place — keep going until the whole picture is assembled.
In each row, three tiles belong together and one doesn't. Drag out the odd tile. Find all 15 to learn how Haterius spent this day.
Now that the story is whole, answer these in Latin:
One clue from every lock you solved. Answer each in Latin — the first letter of each answer will reveal itself, in the order the locks appeared.
You're almost there! Arrange these letters to make a word.
The password was:
affēcī — "I have affected/accomplished." Rich or poor, freeborn or freed, Haterius built a life worth remembering — and one more festival to enjoy it.