Another daft idea for a password that will probably make you roll your eyes... Not quite the ideal I was striving for, but maybe the next best thing. Enjoy.

As a warning, none of the password letters are the first letters of the clues, as indicated by the brackets.



1. Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)

Is the river mentioned in the clues the same one?

Yes.

2. NAIN?

NI + A + N, 'back'wards.

7. AGLAROND?

If so, ARO is 3/4 of the river. Is the river AROS, then, and an element in all the clues? My only concern is that I think AGLAROND is plural.

No, but you have some elements right.

You are correct on all counts - and my bad, of course it is plural, don't know what I was thinking.
(All the clues? Not necessarily. But as I said above, the river is the same river).



1. Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)

8. Air (ar+i)


5. Pharazon (harp + ar + ???)

And 2 is Borin, if my reasoning is right.

3. Araman (AR+A+MAN)

4. Erebor (ERE+BOR)

1. Arathorn?

1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)


No to the guesses for 2, 5, 8.

2. Boron?

No again. I can tell you are using most of the clues elements, but there is one you left out. You are like 90% there.

Maybe I am looking it the wrong way, then...


Robin? Borondir?

10. Aragost? (RAG+OS inside AT)

No. You had "steal back" correct, but need to work on incorporating the rest of the clue correctly. Look back at Pervinca's guess for that clue, she had an element that you didn't.

Yes to Aragost.


1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)

Could the password be HOMOPHONES?

Mine used the same system.


BOR (ROB backwards)
I (Roman numeral, one)
N (Short night.)

Oh, wait. It says 'after' not before.


So, it should be either INBOR or ANBOR.

Or Anborn?

Ah! That's interesting.

Homophones of what, though?

Anborn seems to fulfil the cryptic criteria perfectly.

1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. ANBORN: He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. P He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. H He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. N He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. E After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)


Near-homophones of each other. There are certain patterns in Tolkien's names where everything sounds alike, it's all made up of pretty much the same limited set of sounds slightly rearranged. Plus one or two of very similar style but an unrelated pattern, thrown in there for giggles, because they still use a very similar sound palette.

5. Araphor?

Correct.


1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. ANBORN: He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. ARAPHOR: He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. H He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. N He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. E After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)

I'll let others try to solve the rest.

ARAHAD or ARAHAEL would fit 6 ... but both only work until I get to the 'going north' bit.

Unless north is a reference to the northern kingdom (held by these chieftains in exile) ...?

You are right about the first half, and you're right to look to the chieftains. "North" is an element, not a straight clue - but it's used differently here than in the other clues. One of your guesses is an immediate relation to the answer.

6. Aranarth?

Yes.



1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. ANBORN: He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. ARAPHOR: He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. ARANARTH: He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. N He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. E After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)

8. Arandor?

Yes.


1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. ANBORN: He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. ARAPHOR: He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. ARANARTH: He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. ARANDOR: He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. E After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)



The last one is different from the rest. Don't bother looking through chieftains. And think about the straight clue.

So...the straight clue refers to some people, and the solution contains BOR somewhere...

Yes.

Pity PEREDHIL and DRUEDAIN don't fit with the cryptic clues.

BEORNINGS has BOR, but the E is in the wrong place.

Anything to do with CELEBORN or CELEBRIMBOR, who are sort of near-homophones for Erebor?

None of the above, sadly. The answer is more of a sound-alike with Anborn than Erebor.

Oh, I see it now.

AFTER you BOR, go N (orth) with these people.

Am I right?

Indeed!



1. ARATHORN: Cross half a river and one more, going erratically north with him. (5)
2. ANBORN: He steals back north after one short night. (4)
3. ARAMAN: There is half a river and a whole man. (4)
4. EREBOR: Alone, before you steal back. (5)
5. ARAPHOR: He plays a harp haphazardly over halfway into the river. (4)
6. ARANARTH: He crosses half a river with one going north, and thus gains one for naught. (8)
7. AGLAROND: Three quarters of a river mix with a gland in a cave. (6)
8. ARANDOR: He crossed half a river and one more, going round ‘n round without you. (4)
9. AFTERBORN: After you steal back, go north with these people. (4)
10. ARAGOST: He takes a cloth to the other half of the river, in where it’s at. (6)



And over to Urwen, who has swept this password away in record time.

Well, I wouldn't have without Pervinca finding Aros.

New password soon.

This one should be easier.

1. A pirate says he plays a distorted harp before an endless zone.
2. A black viscous substance precedes Ron's aunt with a vowel switch, for her.
3. An endless pickle follows a man. He emerges.
4. He is an aristocrat of the globe, literally.
5. An Egyptian god is mirrored inside a negative ion for him.
6. Finrod's moniker and sword's handle combine in disarray to reveal the burned one.
7. A sauce and a lowland, mixed, reveal a good king.
8. He sounds like an electronic legume.