Latin III

The Drawing of Lots

Sortēs Iactae

Seven locks. A garland, a race, and a whole crowd waiting to see which way luck falls.

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Briefing

A City Waits on Chance

The street is packed from wall to wall. Before the race can even begin, the drivers must cast lots for their starting places — and everyone in the crowd has their own idea about who fortune will favor.

Seven puzzles stand between you and the race itself. Solve one, and the crowd presses a little closer — until, at the end, one final word names the very thing everyone is waiting on.

How To Play

Seven Locks

1

Crossword — the vocabulary of a city gathered for a race.

2

Anagrams — unscramble seven words for the danger the city has already faced.

3

Cipher — decode a message, then answer the riddle it asks.

4

Matching — one verb, redūcō ("to lead back"), active and passive, in every tense you know.

5

Picture Count — reassemble a scattered scene, then count what you see.

6

Odd One Out — find the mismatched word in each row to learn how the day unfolds, then answer questions about it.

7

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.

1

Crossword

Verba Reticulata

Fifteen words from a city gathered for a race. 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.

Across

1. The people.
6. A garland, a wreath.
7. Fear.
8. Light.
11. A horseman.
12. A lot, a chance.
14. Grief, pain.

Down

1. Panic.
2. Children.
3. A crime.
4. A song.
5. Rest.
9. Iron, a sword.
10. A race, a course.
13. Safety, health.

The grid is correct. Unscramble the six red letters:

2

Anagrams

Verba Mixta

Seven words for the danger the city has already faced. Unscramble each one.

TUMUUTLS
a riot
LCMUUPRIE
danger
EEFRTASN
a window
UMSTIEG
a groan
NUMUEMNOMT
a monument
IDAISINE
a trap, an ambush
UPMPDOI
a town
3

Cipher

Littera Mota

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.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C
RPQHV PH VHQWLXQW QHPR PH YLGHW DQWH FXUVXP VHPSHU DGVXP TXLG VXP

Decode the message — it already asks its own question at the end.

4

Matching

Verbum Ūnum

One verb, redūcō, redūcere ("to lead back") — the horses, the drivers, the whole procession — active and passive, in every tense you know. Drag each English meaning onto its matching Latin form.

5

Picture Count

Numerī

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.

A Roman festival procession decked in green and gold, with soldiers, horses, banners, and women weaving garlands

Click two pieces to swap them. Correct pieces lock in place — keep going until the whole picture is assembled.

6

Odd One Out

Verbum Dīversum

In each row, three tiles belong together and one doesn't. Drag out the odd tile. Find all 15 to learn how the day unfolds.

_____ _____ _____ _____. _____ _____ _____. _____ _____ _____. _____ _____ _____. _____ _____.

Now that the story is whole, answer these in Latin:

7

Final Rebus

Verbum Ultimum

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.

Sortēs

Chance Has Spoken

The password was:

SORTES

sortēs — "the lots." The drivers take their places, the crowd falls silent, and the race is finally, truly, about to begin.