A
Pythagorean Pun
There were once 3 kingdoms that bordered the same
lake. In the middle of the lake there was an island, and the 3 kingdoms had
been fighting over it for years. No one seemed to be able to keep the upper
hand for very long and no one had been victorious. The wars over this little
island were very costly, but all 3 kingdoms wanted it because legend had it
that a great and powerful weapon was hidden there.
Finally, the monarchs agreed to a way to settle
the matter permanently. Each would send their knights and squires to the island
and fight until a victor emerged. Whoever’s knights and squires won the day
would keep the island forever.
One kingdom sent many knights and each knight had
a few squires. The night before the battle, the knights polished their armor while
the squires readied the weapons. When the armor was finished, the knights sat
around the fire drinking.
The second kingdom sent more knights than the
first and each knight had several squires. The night before the battle, the
knights drank around the fire while the squires scurried about polishing armor
and readying weapons.
The third kingdom only sent one knight and he had
only one squire. While the squire polished armor and readied the weapons, the
knight hung a single pot from the tallest branch of the tree and tied a rope
with a loop at the end from another branch. Then the knight sat by the fire and
drank while the squire kept working.
The fateful day came and all the squires came out
to the battlefield. (The knights had stayed up too long drinking). The battle
was fierce. In the end, only the lone squire from the third kingdom was left
standing. Proving once again, the age-old theorem:
The
squire of the high pot and noose is equal
to
the sum of the squires of the other two sides.
***
I'm using this as a riddle in my campaign. ^^ Three kings from three kingdoms, all turned into trolls. My players have already killed one of the trolls and retrieved a crest, and conversations have hinted at the other two remaining trolls. So that's what they're up to this Thursday! ^^
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