This Will Be Solved, Even If It Will Not Be Solved

Platform: hackerlab | Category: Misc | Type: Challenge | Difficulty: Easy | OS: NA | Author: XESXOR | Date: 2025-03-08 | Status: Solved Techniques: alphabet_identification, clue_driven_attribution, context_based_identification, manual_transliteration

Summary

Task: a parchment-style PNG contains readable text written in a fantasy glyph set, and the challenge asks for the encrypted name as the flag. Solution: identify the script as the Elder Scrolls Daedric alphabet, transliterate enough key phrases, and use the lore markers to uniquely recover Sheogorath.

This Will Be Solved, Even If It Will Not Be Solved — HackerLab

Description

Этот текст был обнаружен в стенах древнего подземелья. Но вот имя того, о ком идёт речь, зашифровано. Думаю, и будет флагом для получения очков опыта. По идее, как и везде, имя пишется на английском языке, первая буква заглавная, остальные - маленькие

The archive contained a single PNG image styled as an old parchment with several paragraphs written in an unfamiliar fantasy script. The task asked for the referenced name in English Title Case, wrapped in the CODEBY{...} flag format. ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

Recon

The first useful observation was that the image did not behave like a steganography challenge. There was no need to extract hidden layers or metadata for the answer: the main content was visible text, only rendered in a non-Latin glyph set.

Several indicators pointed toward a substitution-style alphabet:

• words were separated normally;
• line lengths and paragraph layout looked like plain prose;
• repeated symbols formed repeated word patterns;
• the challenge statement explicitly suggested that the final answer was an English name. ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

That combination strongly suggested: identify the alphabet first, then transliterate enough text to identify the subject.

Knowledge-Base and Research Steps

Before spending time on blind decoding, I checked the internal knowledge base for similar solved tasks involving fictional alphabets and readable-but-unfamiliar scripts. That step was useful because it narrowed the search space from generic "runes" and stego ideas to known game and fantasy alphabets.

External research then confirmed the match: the glyphs correspond to the Elder Scrolls Daedric alphabet. This is not a separate language; it is effectively English text written with Daedric letterforms, so a character-by-character transliteration is sufficient. ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

Alphabet Identification

The decisive clue was the visual match between the challenge glyphs and public Daedric alphabet charts. After comparing several letters and repeated patterns, the mapping was consistent with the Elder Scrolls / Daedric font set.

This immediately changed the problem from "decrypt an unknown script" into "transliterate visible English text from a known fantasy alphabet".

Decoding Logic

A full perfect transcription of every paragraph was unnecessary. Manual transliteration of enough words produced the following high-value lore markers: ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

• The Prince of Madness
• Daedric Prince
• Shivering Isles
• Mania
• Dementia

These phrases are already enough to solve the task.

Why partial decoding was sufficient:

1. the text clearly described a specific character rather than asking for the entire plaintext;
2. the challenge wanted only the encrypted name's English equivalent;
3. the recovered markers point to one Elder Scrolls character uniquely.

Why the Answer Is Uniquely Sheogorath

In Elder Scrolls lore, Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness and the ruler of the Shivering Isles, which are divided into Mania and Dementia. That exact cluster of descriptors is distinctive. ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

Even without recovering every line perfectly, once those four markers appeared together there was no realistic alternative candidate. The text was describing Sheogorath.

Solution

The practical solve path was:

1. open task.png and verify that the content is visible, not hidden;
2. recognize that the symbols preserve English word boundaries and repeated patterns;
3. compare the glyphs against known fantasy alphabets;
4. identify the script as the Elder Scrolls Daedric alphabet;
5. manually transliterate enough text to extract distinctive lore phrases;
6. map the recovered clues to the only matching character: Sheogorath;
7. format the answer as the final flag. ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

The following helper script documents the final identification logic once the key clues are recovered:

 python read-only • copy allowed Copy
#!/usr/bin/env python3

recovered_clues = {
    "the prince of madness",
    "daedric prince",
    "shivering isles",
    "mania",
    "dementia",
}


def identify_subject(clues: set[str]) -> str:
    required = {
        "the prince of madness",
        "shivering isles",
        "mania",
        "dementia",
    }
    if required.issubset(clues):
        return "Sheogorath"
    raise ValueError("Not enough unique lore markers recovered")
‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍


name = identify_subject(recovered_clues)
flag = f"CODEBY{{{name}}}"

print(f"Name: {name}")
print(f"Flag: {flag}")

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