Strange Language
Strange Language
Platform: TaipanByte | Category: Misc | Type: Challenge | Difficulty: Medium | OS: NA | Author: XESXOR | Date: 2026-03-08 | Status: Solved Techniques: fantasy_alphabet_decoding, game_lore_research, symbol_to_letter_mapping
Summary
The challenge provides an image SL.jpg with handwritten symbols of an unknown alphabet. Challenge description:
Strange Language — TaipanByte CTF
Description
The challenge provides an image SL.jpg with handwritten symbols of an unknown alphabet. Challenge description:
"Это не случайный набор символов. Это структурированное сообщение на языке, который имеет чёткие правила перевода. Мир, в котором он используется, полон магии, стали и отчаяния. Найдите словарь и грамматику, чтобы разгадать надпись!"
Files: SL.jpg — image with orc alphabet symbols from the Gothic game.
Analysis
Key observations:
- Hint in description: "world full of magic, steel and despair" — direct reference to the Gothic game series by Piranha Bytes
- Symbols: angular runes characteristic of orc writing from Gothic
- Structure: 3 lines of symbols with delimiters (underscores)
- Trap: the message uses leetspeak — mixing letters AND numbers from the orc alphabet
Solution
Step 1: Language Identification
Searching for keywords "Gothic game alphabet" and "orc language" led to Gothic Wiki:
The orc alphabet was created by Michael Hoge and Frank Kahlfuss, published in the book "The Art of Gothic 3".
Step 2: Obtaining the Alphabet
Two key images found on Gothic Wiki:
- Orc Alphabet of orcs on Khorinis — A-Z mapping
- Orc language numbers — 0-9 mapping
Step 3: Correspondence Table
Letters (used in the challenge)
| Letter | Symbol Description |
|---|---|
| A | M-shaped arch with V inside |
| C | Chevron/angle ^ |
| E | Double circle with tail (≤-like) |
| I | Small angle ^ |
| N | N-rune with V and stripes |
| R | C-shaped form with horizontal bar |
| T | Cross ¥ with fork on top |
| V | Curved bracket |
| Y | Φ — circle with cross |
| Z | Triple chevron ≫ |
Numbers (critically important!)
| Digit | Symbol Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Tall arch ∩ (similar to letter O) |
| 1 | Γ — hook/angular bracket |
| 3 | Γ — L-shaped bracket |
| |
Step 4: Decoding the Image
Image SL.jpg contains 3 lines:
Line 1:
Φ ∩ ∩ _ A R 3 _ N ∩ T _
Y 0 U _ A R 3 _ N 0 T _
Line 2:
E V 3 N _
E V 3 N _
Line 3:
A _ C 1 T 1 Z E N
A _ C 1 T 1 Z E N
Step 5: Difficulty — Distinguishing Letters and Numbers
The main difficulty of the challenge — some number symbols are very similar to letter symbols:
| Symbol | Could be | Correct Value |
|---|---|---|
| ∩ (tall arch) | O or 0 | 0 (digit) |
| Γ (hook) | V or 1 | 1 (digit) |
| Γ (L-bracket) | F or 3 | 3 (digit) |
| |
Leetspeak context helps determine the correct value:
- Y0U = YOU (0 instead of O)
- AR3 = ARE (3 instead of E)
- N0T = NOT (0 instead of O)
- EV3N = EVEN (3 instead of E)
- C1T1ZEN = CITIZEN (1 instead of I)
Step 6: Final Message
REDACTED
In readable form: "YOU ARE NOT EVEN A CITIZEN"
This is a thematically appropriate phrase for the Gothic world — orcs wouldn't consider humans as citizens.
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring numbers: If decoding only with letters, you get nonsense (YOU_ARE_NOT instead of Y0U_AR3_N0T)
- Confusing 0/O, 1/I/V, 3/E: Number and letter symbols are very similar — need to compare with both references
- Wrong alphabet version: Several versions of orc alphabet exist (Khorinis, original sketch) — need to use the correct one
Resources
- Gothic Wiki — Orc Language: https://gothic.wiki/w/Orc_language
- Orc Alphabet (Khorinis): orc_alphabet_khorinis.png
- Orc Numbers: orc_numbers.png
- The Art of Gothic 3 — book with original alphabet
Related Techniques
- Tengwar (Tolkien) — Elvish script from Lord of the Rings
- Daedric (Elder Scrolls) — Daedra alphabet
- Dragon Language (Skyrim) — Dragon language
- Klingon (Star Trek) — Klingon alphabet
- Leetspeak — replacing letters with numbers (1=I, 0=O, 3=E, 4=A, 7=T)