Cipher Key (Riddle of the Sphinx)

The **Cipher Key** is an artifact that features in the SyFy 2008 movie Riddle of the Sphinx.

## History

In the 21st century, the head of Sentinel Thomas Parr uncovered the two pieces of the Cipher Stone. He spent days translating the writings of the artifact with teams of researchers aiding him in the process. However, he was unaware that his work had been sabotaged and the primer that he used for translation was wrong which mistakenly led him to believe the Cipher Key was the means to gain entry into the Hall of Knowledge. Taking a small team with him along with his aide Jessica, he placed the Key into its slot but this act simply awakened the demonic sphinx that butchered all before it. Thomas Parr gave the Cipher Key to Jessica and told her to get the aid of his son Robert Parr after which Thomas sacrificed his life by distracting the Sphinx thus allowing Jessica to escape. Unknown to her, the demonic Sphinx was charged with a divine duty of hunting down the bearer of the Cipher Key and killing them for their wrongful actions. She later managed to get the reluctant aide of Robert when the Sphinx attacked forcing him and his daughter Karen Parr to flee to the safety of Sentinel.

Once there, they began getting the aid of Field Agent Ryder who gave them the resources they needed to solve the riddles of the Cipher Key as legend said that within three days of its wrong usage; the sphinx would bring forth the Plague of Isis that would wipe out mankind in order to safeguard the treasures of the Hall of Knowledge. This led them to first journey to Greece where they uncovered the first stone, than to Iraq after Ryder gained military cooperation by a direct line to the United States President where they acquired the second stone. The third stone they mistakenly searched for in Alexandria before they learnt that it was actually within the Egyptian Sphinx which they uncovered. The fourth stone was also discovered within the Egyptian Sphinx that represented the element of earth and with the crystals brought together they formed the Ankh of Destiny. Whilst observing it, a new riddle was present on it which Sentinel field agent Ryder deciphered by himself. This led to the revelation that it was he who was responsible for sabotaging Thomas Parr's primer translation because Ryder wanted access to the Hall of Knowledge. This was based on his frustrations of Thomas preventing him from acquiring many discoveries and thus he desired to learn the secrets of existence. After taking the Ankh of Destiny, Ryder was attacked by the Sphinx and tried to kill it but failed as he did not realize how to use the mystical artifact. Later, Robert Parr took the Ankh and learnt the true meaning of the riddle and stabbed himself with the Ankh of Destiny which killed the Sphinx. Robert was later taken to the Hall of Knowledge as a result and the Plague of Isis was stopped from wiping out mankind.

## Overview

The Cipher Key was a an ancient artifact greatly linked to the Egyptian civilization and specifically to the goddess Isis as it served as a means of gaining entry into the Hall of Knowledge that contained all the knowledge of the Heavens and the Earth. Around 100,500 BC, the Hall was located at a marker location at the Egyptian Sphinx by the Pyramids that divided two rival Egyptian clans. In order to promote cooperation between the two clans, a special key that became known as the Cipher Key was formed that consisted of two parts; each given to one of the clans. Only together, the Cipher Key was capable of giving the user access to the Hall of Knowledge which was located in an interdimensional chamber in a region of space based on diversified theory that there were numerous different planes of existence that interloped with one another. Part of the Hall of Knowledge included a demonic Guardian which was an actual sphinx that was a servant of Isis who placed it there to protect it from intruders unless they gained proper entry into the library.

Whilst the Key was essential into gaining entry, it was not the true means of access to the Hall of Knowledge. That was done through the use of the Radiant Stones; which were mystical crystals that when combined allowed one to gain access to the library. They were also essential in the acquisition of the Ankh of Destiny that was needed to pacify the demonic Sphinx that was a servant of Isis. Following the creation of the interdimensional chamber of the Hall of Knowledge, other such dimensional pockets were established in Ancient Greece, Babylon and Egypt located by the Seven Wonders of the world. These sites were chosen due to their famous nature around the Earth and it was here that hidden slots were present for the Cipher Key that was needed to open the interdimensional doorway into the hidden chambers where the radiant stones were located. Upon entry, the chambers were sealed and prevented any intruders from leaving until they successfully completed the trial after which they were returned to the mortal world. The extradimensional nature of these chambers meant that they remained undisturbed for thousands of years and with mankind unaware of their existence even into the modern age.

As such, there were four riddles each of which appeared on the surface of the Cipher Stone and changed languages upon gaining access to either one of the Stones or inserting the Key into the Sphinx doorway. These included:

* The First Riddle written in Ancient Greek: *"Mighty Thunderbolt, Wonder to Behold. One hand Victory and the other Gold"*; when deciphered the riddle meant that the marker for the first stone was in Greece at Olympia where Zeus was said to hold court. The stone itself radiated thunder in order to dissuade trespassers from stealing it unless they used intelligence and cunning to gain it.
* The Second Riddle written in Sumerian: *"A homesick heart bethrothed to a desert land, a hanging garden amongst the sand."*; when deciphered it indicated the Hanging Gardens of Babylon located in Iraq. This stone was seemingly harmless but when a person picked it up, a glass casing closed behind them and the chamber with the stone filled with water designed to drown anyone attempting to steal the crystal.
* The Third Riddle written in Egyptian: *"A Face of Stone looks to the Sky Chamber guarded by a watchful eye."*; when deciphered it can mistakenly make one believe that it represented the Lighthouse of Alexandria but in fact represented the Egyptian Sphinx itself. This stone was covered in constant flame which needed to be doused in order to take it away.
* The Fourth Riddle once again in Egyptian: *"Land, sky, ocean, sun; balance the Ether before combined will make one."*; the mention of the ether came from classical science that said it was the fifth element amongst the four of earth, fire, air and water as well as being the essence of the gods themselves. This last radiant stone represented earth and anyone that approached it fell into thick quicksand. The only means of access was by a human stripping down naked as they represented the ether and holding the other stones allowing them to walk on solid earth to gather the last stone.

When all four Radiant Stones were combined, the Cipher Stone went dark and the crystals formed together to make the **Ankh of Destiny**. This was a distinctive mystical Egyptian based object that served as the key to life and death as well as a means of not only slaying the demonic sphinx but serving as the true means of gaining entry into the Hall of Knowledge. An Egyptian inscription was present on the Ankh which said *"What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the mid-evening and on three legs in the evening."* This was said to be the oldest riddle in the world as it represented man himself. What was required that the user when facing the demonic sphinx kill themselves with the Ankh of Destiny with their death being felt by the sphinx itself. The death of the user led to the sphinx first dying and turning to stone whereupon it turned to dust. Whilst the death of the user of the Ankh transformed them into energy and led them into the gateway to the Hall of Knowledge.