Petroglyph

When travelling in West of Loathing, whether with a defined destination in mind or just wandering, you may encounter a puzzle with petroglyphs that need solving: there is one in each of the regions A-H. All of them are Mysticality tests, requiring a certain value to translate.

When translated, they read as follows:


 * Region A (requires 5 myst): "My first is the first of a burning coal."
 * Region B (requires 10 myst): "My second is the second of a conscious soul."
 * Region C (requires 15 myst): "My third is the third of a clever rhyme."
 * Region D (requires 20 myst): "My fourth is the fourth of nothing but time."
 * Region E (requires 25 myst): "My fifth is the fifth of a burning eye closing."
 * Region F (requires 30 myst): "My sixth is the sixth of a demonic opposing."
 * Region G (requires 35 myst): "My seventh is the seventh of a guardian stone."
 * Region H (requires 40 myst): "My last are ES; speak to the one that's alone"

The first seven, of course, are riddles, giving a particular letter. The last gives two final letters (of a nine-letter word): the mystery here hinted at, is where to speak the word, and to what...


 * Region A: answer -> FIRE, first letter - F
 * Region B: answer -> LIFE, second letter - I
 * Region C: answer -> NEVER, third letter - V
 * Region D: answer -> FOREVER, fourth letter - E (this also works if you think of the word as simply TIME)
 * Region E: answer -> ECLIPSE, fifth letter - P
 * Region F: answer -> ANGELIC, sixth letter - I
 * Region G: answer -> GARGOYLE, seventh letter - L
 * Region H: letters 8-9 are ES, the "one that's alone" is the single stone at the West Pole that isn't part of one of the five larger piles.

Rather appropriately, therefore, the phrase to be whispered is "fivepiles" (without a space), to the lone rock. Doing so gives the ancient ring as reward.