Fortune favours the bold...

[Whirlzap]

Preface:

This is a typical "clue hunter" contest.
For those of you forumers old enough to still remember, one of our friends DanielRH (known as Daniel Reiss Harris) once posted a very convoluted message with a bunch of cryptograms. The prize was a then-incredibly rare and valuable holiday item.
Here's the link: http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?28501-Clue-Hunter-CONTEST!

Today, our friend Daniel is no longer active on the forums, but instead plays a remarkable role as the CEO/Founder of his own company and pursues a CS degree at one of America's top universities, Harvard.

When the holiday season started this month, I returned to the forums with the intention of reviving the Ambassadors of Alterra video I made a few years ago. It has become a sort of forum tradition to show this holidays video at the end of each year to all new and returning players...which I will post once we get closer to Christmas.

But I also wanted to recall our friend Daniel, and so, through the spirit of the holidays and some remembrances of a great friend, this competition of monstrous proportions was born...



I

Gtic icy yeq bk m zyma
Iamtpf mebicya lyafy bk m impy
Bk Cbptqmzf meq Kyfitlmpf.
Mefgya ny, icy ramly meq icy rbpq,
T jayfyei zbw gtic zyi mebicya atqqpy:
Icy qmz bk icy fwe tf ptoy icy qmz bk m oteh.
Oh om s efdnqrsjq or hvq ndfrori, s mohhori dr hvq hvfdrq sh rddr, s esiqsrh or hvq qkqrori.
S esiqsrh or hvq qkqrori.

109875

II

23-8-1-2023-1-1912-15-19-2023-8-15-19-523-1955-15-18-4-1923-9-12-1219-20-18-21-3-1119-15-141-12-124-5-1-20-820-8-519-16-5-1-1123-9-20-899-12-12-21-13-9-23-1-12-12-1-3-5-19-20-5-22-5-14-19-10-15-19-5-16-8-16-21-12-9-20-26-5-18-1955-14-1-20-5-1918-5-13-1-9-1423-1-255-24-3-12-21-4-5-423-8-15-19-523-1-1920-23-9-3-516-18-9-26-523-8-5-1423-15-1423-8-15-19-5

110024


I) Both parts are codes. The first one is not too hard. The second is of a much more complex nature.
II) This 'game' is played with two parts. Part II gives the answer, and Part I tells you what to do with it.
III) The screenshots are clues, and hints to the prize.

IV) "From the moment we are born, we begin to die."


You have until the 25th of December, 2014.
If you are successful, great things shall unfold.

Good luck,
-Whirlzap

[synfullmagic_23110]

I got
"A cigarette made of"

[Meggadon]

What the hell is this?

[Giazagilur]

Qjdkandjnxwkz :)

[Groaning]

Is that in a different language or what?

[GreenLord]

What?

[GreenLord]

This launguage is beyond my knowledge :(

[Groaning]

ah i googled it and it whirlzapnese

[Ruby!!!]

I decrypted the whole thing what now? I don't get what's next... :(

[HeyitsTubs]

yeah me too i got the solution? do i get a reward or what?

[Ruby!!!]

Guess something is gonna happen at that time of the day on the given date?

[Groaning]

guys halp i mindfoggled by this....

[Ruby!!!]

guys halp i mindfoggled by this....
Check PM for hints ;)

[Electrophiles]

Check PM for hints ;)
send me pm to?

i need halp

[Rescind]

Hao tu find da seacret missage

[Epw]

guys halp i mindfoggled by this....
same here

[:-(]

How did people decode this. I decoded the opening four lines but I can't crack the last two lines

[Whirlzap]

Here's some context...

What I've posted here is a pseudo-riddle type of 'game'.
There are multiple parts, and I will reveal more steps once a few people successfully solve the preceding step.
The 'game' should end by Christmas time, and prizes will be awarded over the following few weeks.

If a current step is too hard, or if no one shows any sign of progress over the period of 3 days, I will post another hint.

Good luck!

[Groaning]

yus, now the second part lol

[Groaning]

omg the numbers tell us the coordinates to the lost city of Atlantis therefore is we follow them and take a picture he'll give all them pinks :P

[DivineMoustache]

i didn't get very far, i will attempt this tomorrow or something

[Giazagilur]

i didn't get very far, i will attempt this tomorrow or something

I didn't get very far either...I can't even start lol

[HeyitsTubs]

lol... this is to hard lol... i thought i had it figured out, but when you added those numbers, then my head really got jumbled up.

[Ruby!!!]

Did the second part decrypted excluded. Still don't get what to do now :/

[Bazinga!]

I need a hint :(

[HeyitsTubs]

me too.

[HeyitsTubs]

well, first of all, before i get all worked up on this.... Can you state what the reward will be? So that you motivate us to take part?

[synfullmagic_23110]

well, first of all, before i get all worked up on this.... Can you state what the reward will be? So that you motivate us to take part?
Pretty sure its everything (besides the account) you see on the pic

[DivineMoustache]

sweeeet a worn bow!!!!111!

[DivineMoustache]

i gots da first part

[Ruby!!!]

Pretty sure its everything (besides the account) you see on the pic
Dibs on the worn bow!

[CAK Vader]

I'm too stupid to even BEGIN to understand the first word at all, but I really want that worn bow -.-

[Whirlzap]

I have posted another clue as well as a picture!

The clue is under the spoiler about hints:


IV) From the moment we are born, we begin to die.



Pretty sure its everything (besides the account) you see on the pic

But is that all...?



I've partially solved the second part, but it's got a lot of mumbo jumbo in it, and it's pretty grammatically incorrect, however it does match context of the clues...might work on it later.


Everything in there, assuming you solved correctly, should be there.

[synfullmagic_23110]

I have posted another clue!



But is that all...?
No cause u gatta scroll down am guessing

[DivineMoustache]

I've partially solved the second part, but it's got a lot of mumbo jumbo in it, and it's pretty grammatically incorrect, however it does match context of the clues...might work on it later.

[Vvriter]

2lazy4this

[DivineMoustache]

Not sure if this is allowed, but everyone interested in this thing...I ended up going to

http://rumkin.com/tools/cipher/numbers.php for the second part....

decoding and putting in spaces led me to get this mumbo jumbo

but before I get to the codes, let's look at the picture...in pic 1 of the bird, it's full dex, but in the next pic, the stats seem to be specifically placed to form 20-1-4, 2014...something in those pics is date? Idk


this wat i got from the number code and number cipher website

WHATWASLOSTWHOSE WS55-ORDSWILLSTRUCKSONALLDEATH THE SPEAKWITH I ILLUMIWALLACESTEVENSJOSEPHPULITZERS55-NATESREMAINWAYEXCLUDE42CHOSE WASTWICE PRIZE WHENWON WHOSE

I sort of fixed the spacing and stuff, leading me to the most sensible pattern

--- WHAT WAS LOST WHOSE WORDS (+1955) WILL STRUCKS ON ALL DEATH THE SPEAK WITH (I ILLUMI [???]) WALLACE STEVENS JOSEPH PULITZERS (+1955) NATES REMAIN WAY EXCLUDED WHOSE WAS TWICE PRIZE WHEN WON WHOSE

1955 appears quite a lot in the number code and interrupts the flow of a few words, so I'm assuming that 1955 is important. 1955 is also the year Wallace Stevens won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as the year he died. If anyone has any input or wants to randomly google key words, be my guess.


Googling I ILLUMI led me to the first link of I ILLUMINATE -- a NATES which is also interrupting the flow between JOSEPH PULITZERS and REMAIN...

apparently the second part suppose to give u a date too or something idk

those are just a few of my random thoughts

i just want to see this solved, a prize is just a good extra

thnx for taking the time to make something for me to immerse myself in

[TastyChickens]

I do not understand this one bit .

[CAK Vader]

I do not understand this one bit .

You and me both! Let's hire someone to do it for us, we can split the worn bow in 2 and share it.

[Nihiliste]

Hey, Whirlz. :)

[curvature]

I gave up :(
1st part can't be a letter substitution because there are more than two "one letter words" which the only 2 are "a" and "I".

[DivineMoustache]

first part is a letter substitution

--first part is separated into two different parts...last two lines, and everything before which both have different subs.

[Bazinga!]

I got it!
Its one direction isnt it?

[Bazinga!]

What did I just say

[DivineMoustache]

What did I just say

chikin fajita

[Chicken Fry]

First portion was quite enjoyable. Let us try and divulge the secrets of the second one. *Evil Laugh*

[nun]

I gut it!!!
Its arkane legunds rwight

[DivineMoustache]

i was certainly looking forward to the daily hints but it appears that this competition died down a bit

[HeyitsTubs]

same here.... is this competition still running or not>>?

[iRandom]

lul ive tried hex code, binary, pixelization and still

trenton logic has not been confirmed

[GiveMeWings]

I got the first part but second one is impossible

[DivineMoustache]

Not sure if this is allowed, but everyone interested in this thing...I ended up going to

http://rumkin.com/tools/cipher/numbers.php for the second part....

decoding and putting in spaces led me to get this mumbo jumbo

but before I get to the codes, let's look at the picture...in pic 1 of the bird, it's full dex, but in the next pic, the stats seem to be specifically placed to form 20-1-4, 2014...something in those pics is date? Idk


this wat i got from the number code and number cipher website

WHATWASLOSTWHOSE WS55-ORDSWILLSTRUCKSONALLDEATH THE SPEAKWITH I ILLUMIWALLACESTEVENSJOSEPHPULITZERS55-NATESREMAINWAYEXCLUDE42CHOSE WASTWICE PRIZE WHENWON WHOSE

I sort of fixed the spacing and stuff, leading me to the most sensible pattern

--- WHAT WAS LOST WHOSE WORDS (+1955) WILL STRUCKS ON ALL DEATH THE SPEAK WITH (I ILLUMI [???]) WALLACE STEVENS JOSEPH PULITZERS (+1955) NATES REMAIN WAY EXCLUDED WHOSE WAS TWICE PRIZE WHEN WON WHOSE

1955 appears quite a lot in the number code and interrupts the flow of a few words, so I'm assuming that 1955 is important. 1955 is also the year Wallace Stevens won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as the year he died. If anyone has any input or wants to randomly google key words, be my guess.


Googling I ILLUMI led me to the first link of I ILLUMINATE -- a NATES which is also interrupting the flow between JOSEPH PULITZERS and REMAIN...

apparently the second part suppose to give u a date too or something idk

those are just a few of my random thoughts

i just want to see this solved, a prize is just a good extra

thnx for taking the time to make something for me to immerse myself in

here's the relevant part for the second part:

WHATWASLOSTWHOSE WS55-ORDSWILLSTRUCKSONALLDEATH THE SPEAKWITH I ILLUMIWALLACESTEVENSJOSEPHPULITZERS55-NATESREMAINWAYEXCLUDE42CHOSE WASTWICE PRIZE WHENWON WHOSE

I sort of fixed the spacing and stuff, leading me to the most sensible pattern

--- WHAT WAS LOST WHOSE WORDS (+1955) WILL STRUCKS ON ALL DEATH THE SPEAK WITH (I ILLUMI [???]) WALLACE STEVENS JOSEPH PULITZERS (+1955) NATES REMAIN WAY EXCLUDED WHOSE WAS TWICE PRIZE WHEN WON WHOSE

Appears to be a nihilist sub, I ran it on a number to letter substitution and it came out all jumbled like that.

[GiveMeWings]

yeah I arrived to that,but dont know how that can give you the answer and what kind of answer it is

[iRandom]

Could be a book? The Clairvoyant's Eye (by Joseph N. Riddel)
Could be a quote?

or MUmbo JUmbo TIme> Wallace Stevens October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955 ( 10/2/1879 - 08/2/1955) = 74 years and 2 months: Winner of the 1955 Pulitzer Prize award for his Collected Poems... Joseph N. Riddel wrote The Clairvoyant's Eye about Wallace Stevens and his poems: written 1991 (?)

Part 1 answers What to do with it Part 2 What is it
All credit to Divine!

intro: 2-1-22
end: 20-1-4

EDIT: the intro and end is not a date?

[iRandom]

whirlzz dont leave us hanging like dis ;c

[Madfisho]

Well the items are HALLOWEEN and Christmas. Two main events


Sent from my pocket legends account MADFISHO,MAXGOLDMERCH,YOUTELL,UNMERCHIFUL,MERCHIFU L

[nun]

who won dis contest?

[iRandom]

who won dis contest?

Nobody.
He got it right in 5 weeks and sent it to whirlz

[DivineMoustache]

whirls told me someone already claimed the prize

[iRandom]

what did it mean then..

[nun]

yah wut it mean den. me is stooped

[DivineMoustache]

i can't remember it all, but it was another riddle and you were supposed to PM the answer to Pageant.

went like
"What was lost when ..blah blah blah"

and eventually the answer was "Nothing"

[iRandom]

i can't remember it all, but it was another riddle and you were supposed to PM the answer to Pageant.

went like
"What was lost when ..blah blah blah"

and eventually the answer was "Nothing"

I could of just guessed that