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Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,
By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,
I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,
Until the day comes to reign over the masses,
From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,
Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,
Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,
But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,
Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

Who / What am I?

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  • $\begingroup$ Is it related to rot13(plpybar) ? $\endgroup$
    – Deunis
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:09
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    $\begingroup$ You know you've been reading too many politics and conspiracy sites when you read this and immediately think "Hillary Clinton?" $\endgroup$
    – COTO
    Jan 24, 2020 at 15:42
  • $\begingroup$ Very well done! Readers, you will understand why when you get to the observation by @DarrelHoffman (noted in the thorough answer by @Avi). $\endgroup$
    – ChrisB
    Jan 25, 2020 at 0:36

12 Answers 12

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I think you are

A STORM

All the clues are

Similar in sound to storm-related phenomena/entities

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

"impede the son" = "impede the sun"

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

"heir" = "air"

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

"whet" = "wet"

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

"reign" = "rain"

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

"I" = "eye" (e.g. in hurricanes) ("watch" is barely like "wash"?)

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

"Poring" = "Pouring"

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

"Sell" = "Cell" (i.e. storm cell)

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

"Whether" = "Weather"

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

"Hale" = "Hail"

Title:

A storm can kill, but has no emotion

@DarrelHoffman noticed that

Each homophone from lines 1-9 is placed as word 9-1 (respectively) in the line

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  • 3
    $\begingroup$ I give you the checkmark because this is the first answer to have both the correct word and to explain each line's clues correctly. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 24, 2020 at 5:29
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    $\begingroup$ Though this is mostly a copy of Sneftel's answer with some of the comments in that answer incorporated. Also, nobody has yet pointed out that rot13(enpu pyhr vf avar jbeqf ybat, naq gur pevgvpny jbeq fgnegf va gur avagu cbfvgvba naq zbirf onpx bar sbe rnpu bs gur pyhrf.) $\endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Jan 24, 2020 at 14:50
  • $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman This answer is more of a synthesis of multiple answers than a truly original answer in itself, but since Sneftel hadn't edited their answer since yesterday, I figured it was time to sum everything up. $\endgroup$
    – Avi
    Jan 24, 2020 at 14:55
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, this goes further than my answer, and deserves the tick. $\endgroup$
    – Sneftel
    Jan 24, 2020 at 16:55
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Are you

A cloud?

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

"impede the sun", that is

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

"air" made apparent (visible)

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

"wet"

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

"rain" over the masses, haw haw

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

The eye of the storm?

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

"pouring" (thanks Stiv)

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Quite a stretch here, but clouds prevent the use of heliography, preventing the transmission of Morse code

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

"hail"

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  • $\begingroup$ Haw haw indeed. $\endgroup$
    – ZanyG
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:16
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    $\begingroup$ 'Poring' too! :) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:34
  • $\begingroup$ @Stiv can't believe I missed that one $\endgroup$
    – Sneftel
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:38
  • $\begingroup$ Certainly explains the slightly odd usage of "whet my appetite" (sharpen my hunger) when "sate my appetite" (satisfy my hunger) seems to fit better in a literal context - but doesn't work as wordplay. $\endgroup$
    – Alchymist
    Jan 23, 2020 at 13:24
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    $\begingroup$ So close, you caught most of the clues. The answer is related to your answer. In fact you said the answer somewhere. For line 7, you might want to look at the location of the other clues... there might be a pattern.. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 23, 2020 at 19:34
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My confidence level isn't great, but are you:

A Black Hole / Singularity

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

Could be a play on words between son and sun. Our solar system is orbiting a black hole the center of the milky way - locked in an eternal struggle perhaps.

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

This is the one I struggle to apply the most. A black hole is a natural force - and perhaps the "true heir" as if the sun goes supernova it will reign supreme

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

No matter how much a black hole sucks up, it's going to keep on sucking

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

Black holes have a huge mass, particularly supermassive ones.

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

The center of a black hole is the singularity which is infinitely small but hugely dense. No one really knows what happens there.

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

Black holes spin and are certainly destructive planet killers

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Not being sentient, a black hole would kill without remorse

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

There is really nothing that could be done if you come across one...

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time

The black hole is going to remain strong and healthy. Reborn time after time as stars collapse.

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  • $\begingroup$ Not the answer but it does fit in many ways. +1 $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 23, 2020 at 8:55
  • $\begingroup$ No matter how much it sucks up, it's going to keep on sucking $\endgroup$
    – michael griffin
    Jan 23, 2020 at 15:15
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    $\begingroup$ @michaelgriffin I want to jump in here - I apologize for any derailing - and clarify that black holes don't 'suck' any more than the Earth or the sun does; rather, they have a ridiculously high gravity. $\endgroup$
    – kanoo
    Jan 23, 2020 at 15:26
  • $\begingroup$ you mean ridiculous powerful sucking. damn i wonder how you know. $\endgroup$
    – michael griffin
    Jan 23, 2020 at 15:30
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks for the scientific clarity @kanoo :) - I was taking a bit of creative license with my answer - not to be interpreted too literally $\endgroup$
    – Johnson
    Jan 23, 2020 at 19:12
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A variation on @Sneftel's answer.

Are you a

Hurricane?

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

Man can be referred to as the sons of Adam. This may also be a sun pun.

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

I have nothing better than Sneftel's air pun for this line.

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

Hurricanes don't stop "eating" at the earth until they die.

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

"Rain" - also hurricanes cover massive areas.

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

Eye of the storm.

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

Hurricanes destroy and spin. And also "pour"

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Hurricanes kill

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly, Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

Hurricanes just keep coming back. Also "hail."

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  • $\begingroup$ Even closer than Sneftel's answer. But it's still not the answer I was looking for. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 23, 2020 at 19:35
  • $\begingroup$ @JS1 drat. I was hopeful. Do you know when/if a hint will drop? $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Jan 23, 2020 at 19:37
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    $\begingroup$ See the comment I wrote on Sneftel's answer. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 23, 2020 at 19:38
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Are you a

Storm?

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

Wind can cool you down and the sun warms.

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

heir -> air

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

Storms can be voracious and stop for nothing. Whet -> wet

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

Until the day comes for the storm to be born rein-> rain

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

Eye of the storm.

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

Hurricanes. Rain pours and weather can be destructive

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Weathermen giving a forecast can sell a storm short.

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly, Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

Hale => hail. Storms come and go and in a way are reborn.

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  • $\begingroup$ I think this is probably it. Just to tidy up line seven, I think r13(fryy -> pryy. Nf va n Fgbez Pryy.) $\endgroup$
    – Johnson
    Jan 23, 2020 at 20:21
  • $\begingroup$ This is the answer I was going for, but lines 7-8 were not explained correctly. See comments on Sneftel's answer maybe. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Jan 23, 2020 at 21:31
  • $\begingroup$ I see what you mean after looking at the checkmark answer. I would have gotten 8. 7 I didn't know that was a thing. How do you uncypher the r13? $\endgroup$
    – node943034835
    Jan 27, 2020 at 19:41
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I think you are

Gravity

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

Planets rotate around the sun by means of gravity

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

It's a scientific law or natural phenomena

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

Everything is affected by it, nothing can stop it

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

Mass attracts mass

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

Things with mass have a center of gravity...?

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

You can simulate gravity by spinning...?

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

You don't have to fall from a great height to die from it

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

You can keep standing or lie down, it's omnipresent and won't stop

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time

Grativy is timeless

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1
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A shot in the dark - Partial

Are you

Mother Nature / Weather

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son

Battle against son (Humans) to stop the destruction of the planet

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent

Humans think we own the planet but does it really belong to Mother nature

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite

Natural disasters

Until the day comes to reign over the masses

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer

does not distinguish between people

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly

you can fight against the weather or succumb to it

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time

If left alone Nature will flourish - Look at Chernobyl

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You might be

a tornado

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

stop the sunshine or sunlight

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

air apparent, or wind

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

eats everything in its path

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

rains from large clouds over land masses

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

calm eye of the tornado

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

spinning, destruction

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

smaller than its hurricane cousin, but still a killer

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

you're screwed if you fight, you're screwed if you don't

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

creates hail, tornadoes happen every year

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I'm going to go with:

Magma

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

Magma in the mantle 'birthed' the tectonic plates (its son) and constantly works against them

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

Magma also becomes the new tectonic plates as old bits are subsumed

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

Magma destroys mostly everything and just keeps on rolling

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

A volcanic eruption rains magma (lava) over the masses

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

It is within the Earth and moves slowly but destroys almost everything

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

The Earth's mantle rotates

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Magma can look rather peaceful and slow but is highly dangerous (just look at Hawaii)

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly,

Tectonic plates upthrusting or being subsumed

Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

Magma and tectonic plates are in a constant cycle of birth and death

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You are

Mother Nature

"Locked in an eternal struggle, to impede the son"

Dust storm

"By natural law, I'm the true heir apparent"

Cyclone/strong winds

"I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite"

Tsunami

"Until the day comes to reign over the masses"

Hail storm

"From the very center I watch, calm but deadly"

Earthquake

"Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction"

Downpour

"Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer"

Flash floods

"But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly"

Avalanche

"Hale and hearty I remain, time after time"

Planet Earth

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0
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You are

Satan, AKA the Devil (in the Christian sense)

Locked in an eternal struggle to impede the son,

To be taken literally - you fight the Son, ever since he came to Earth

By natural law, I am the true heir apparent,

You certainly think so, ever since you rebelled against the Creator

I am voracious, but nothing will whet my appetite,

Obvious - all that damned souls you keep getting and you still want more. Greed is a capital sin for a reason.

Until the day comes to reign over the masses,

the Apocalypse

From the very center I watch, calm but deadly,

From the very center of Hell, as described by Dante

Spinning my thoughts, poring over my plans of destruction,

sure...

Do not sell me short, I'm a remorseless killer,

Exactly what we can expect from you

But whether you fight against me or succumb meekly, Hale and hearty I remain, reborn time after time,

Fallen once, but not resigning, until the battle at the end of time

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-1
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Something to do with

a clock, the hands of time?

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2
  • $\begingroup$ Could you explain in more detail each of the lines of the riddle? $\endgroup$
    – ZanyG
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:21
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    $\begingroup$ ahhh, at work now, dont have time, maybe this eve $\endgroup$
    – Paulus
    Jan 23, 2020 at 10:22

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