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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors
[Trailhead] Snow Town, USA
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly

 		[Trailhead] Snow Town, USA
diszaster got a few overdue book notices from the Snow Town Public Library (images posted on ARGNet): a comment on the guestbook points to an additional website, for Snow Town U.S.A.

Nothing overt going on so far (unless you count the red x's on a few days of the Snow Town Library's Events Calendar and some guy named Fred hearing bells and going walkabout) but I'm getting a distinct Twin Peaks-ish vibe from what's out so far that's moderately creepy.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:27 am
Last edited by notgordian on Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:32 am; edited 1 time in total
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AnonymousOtter
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Joined: 05 Feb 2011
Posts: 80
Location: UC, CA

 		Those women look like they could give Dracula a run for his money...

... I'm thinking of whether to sign the guest book or e-mail... or even call...

And what to say... Hmmm...
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:31 am
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Lightning257
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Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 70

 		Apparently the overdue notices led to this page -

http://snowtownlibrary.org/howl.html

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:35 am
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notgordian
Unfictologist


Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1383
Location: Philly
Lightning257 wrote:
Apparently the overdue notices led to this page -

http://snowtownlibrary.org/howl.html


OK, I'm apparently incredibly dense -- how did the four books give the letters HOWL?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:40 am
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AnonymousOtter
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Joined: 05 Feb 2011
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Lightning257 wrote:
Apparently the overdue notices led to this page -

http://snowtownlibrary.org/howl.html


... Led how? Steno?

Will send e-mail... Sent.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:41 am
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Lightning257
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Joined: 05 Oct 2009
Posts: 70
AnonymousOtter wrote:
Lightning257 wrote:
Apparently the overdue notices led to this page -

http://snowtownlibrary.org/howl.html


... Led how? Steno?

Will send e-mail...


How, I don't know. That page came up in a general google search for the library noted.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:00 am
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AnonymousOtter
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Joined: 05 Feb 2011
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Lightning257 wrote:
AnonymousOtter wrote:
Lightning257 wrote:
Apparently the overdue notices led to this page -

http://snowtownlibrary.org/howl.html


... Led how? Steno?

Will send e-mail...


How, I don't know. That page came up in a general google search for the library noted.


Hahaha... Nice... use the site: function.. it's more precise....
_________________
Fool me once... die with a vengeance...

If I wanted to play head games, I would have downloaded Sudoku for my iPhone...

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:06 am
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395

 		From the Howl page...the bold text is mine just to point out the mention of the NY Times. The article she's referencing can be found here.

Quote:
Howl


The Bells Ring Every Night
As I Shake With My Fright
Scratch Scratch Scratch At The Pane
'Til I Run Down The Lane
They're Coming
They're Coming
They're Coming Home


Louise Hoskins
January 30, 1911





Thank you for finding your way here. I will assume that you, or someone in your community, received a series of Snow Town Library Late Notices and the Notices led you to me. We can thank the New York Times for bringing us together. Before I further explain the path that led to you, allow me to back up and attempt to convey what is happening here in Snow Town. To do that we must rewind to late last summer. Every August I seize the opportunity to escape the heat and volunteer to take on the annual cleaning of the Snow Town Library vault. The vault contains historical documents, old maps and a collection of books. After ten years of cleaning the vault, I've become quite familiar with the items it contains. Last summer I found a pristine copy of "The Lady of The Lake" by Sir Walter Scott. Upon opening the book, I discovered a strange slip of paper. On one side was a spiral of dots and on the reverse was a series of letters. The spiral, exactly like the one that brought you here, was marked with red on the same four dots. The series of letters appeared to be nothing more than gibberish to me. Still, curious, I scribbled down the dots and letters and returned the slip of paper to the book. This curiosity quickly became a secret obsession. Nearly three months of cipher and steganography research finally translated the gibberish into the poem, Howl, by Louise Hoskins. After I cracked the hidden message, I put it away. The contents were haunting, but soon the holidays arrived and the little mystery was nearly forgotten. Forgotten until the evening of February 2nd, 2011. It was the night of this winter's most violent snowstorm. The wind alone frightened me as I curled up in my bed. Unable to sleep, I walked around the house and secured the windows and doors. When I reached the cellar door, I heard a bell ringing. I looked around and quickly realized the bell sound was coming from the cellar. The bell rang three times and stopped. I nearly fainted and immediately Louise's poem echoed through my mind. I wanted to scream but no sound would come out. Panic set in and I ran to call the State Police. When I picked up the phone, it was dead. It was then that I noticed the power was out. I searched the dark house for my cell phone, but could not find it. Half out of my mind, I ran back to bed and hid under the covers. At some point, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until sunrise. My first instinct was to tell everyone about the frightening experience, but then I decided it might be best to keep it to myself. What if my mind was playing tricks on me? This is not a town that is comfortable with eccentrics. It was my secret. As soon as I arrived at the Library that morning, I discreetly went down to the vault. I don't know what I hoped to find. Maybe there was another message somewhere from Louise Hoskins that would put my mind to rest. I found nothing. But, after a long search, I did discover that the pristine copy of "The Lady of the Lake" was missing. I locked the vault and rifled through the Library's Check Out Box. The book had not been checked out. One of my Snow Town Library Associates noticed my sense of urgency. When faced with the inquiry, my guard went up and I lied. My instinct was, and still is, to keep this to myself. Although I half expected nightly visits, things quieted down immediately after that day. A week went by and I began to blame the entire incident on my active imagination. As the weekend approached, I felt relaxed and looked forward to Sunday's Church Supper. I attended the Church Supper with friends. We had a very good time. As we made our way to my car, I noticed dots on the windshield's frost. When I stepped closer, I could see these were not random dots. They were in the shape of a spiral. It was exactly like the spiral I found on the slip of paper. Before anyone else spotted it, I turned on my windshield wipers and the spiral was soon gone. That was last Sunday. On Monday morning I decided to contact you. I know, from my research, which includes various Gaming websites, Blogs and a New York Times archive from 2003, that your expertise might help me shake some sense into this increasingly strange situation. If you have any thoughts about what has happened, I would like to hear from you. It is best if you use privatesnowtownSPLATgmail.com to correspond with me. Please be discreet with your communications. This is a small town and I would prefer to keep this as quiet as possible.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:59 am
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malevolentNeon
Boot


Joined: 02 Feb 2011
Posts: 21
Location: Australia

 		The Howl pages seems to assume we've already seen the spiral that is mentioned. Something about the late notices? I think I'll email privatesnowtown
and ask for a reproduction of the paper they found.

Maybe we can start off by sending an email to Ruthie requesting some information on Louise Hoskins, perhaps under the pretense of a research assignment or some such?

I'm also curious as to the automated phone message you get when you ring the provided number. Anyone able to give it a ring for us?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:02 am
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morbus
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Joined: 24 Jul 2004
Posts: 202
Location: Concord, NH

 		Peg mentions "Howl" on http://www.snowtown.me/?p=26, as a reference to the new moon…, which is visually represented by the white on black posting on the Howl page. We'll likely need to check YouTube soon, Peg mentions she's gonna upload a video of their New Moon walk in http://www.snowtown.me/?p=56. So far, Peg, Fred, and the [Howl page writer] have all heard ringing. The spaces on http://www.snowtown.me/?p=160 are a bit odd - five spaces (though, at first, I only noticed four). Four dots that made up the spiral for the [Howl page writer], four overdue cards diszaster got. Maybe they'll be a fourth person to hear the ringing soon? More spaces on http://www.snowtown.me/?p=200 and 209 too. Is the stuff Fred is writing on the pieces of paper at http://www.snowtown.me/?p=209 the overdue cards we've received?

"Uh oh…" wise, this all started "last summer" when the [Howl page writer] opened the vault; the latest post on the Guestbook suggests that the vault will be opened again: "Charles Gulliffer said, February 18th, 2011 2:18 pm: The Snow Town Historical Society would like to submit a request for the downstairs reading room for next Tuesday evening."
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:15 am
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395

 		Very late last night, I sent an email to privatesnowtown, offering my help and asking if she/he could share a drawing or picture of the spiral dots and letters. I asked if she/he was able to find any information about Louise Hoskins, in the historical documents stored in the vault. I also called the library number and left a message asking if they had a copy of "Lady of The Lake". I left a callback number, but realized I didn't leave my name.

This morning I had this in my inbox...

Ruthie wrote:
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 4:33 AM
subject Snow Town Library Late Notice
hide details 4:33 AM (4 hours ago)
This Electronic-Mail is being sent to you because you possess an item that
is OVERDUE. Please print the attached Snow Town Library
Late Notice and present it with your current library card.

Thank You

SNOW TOWN LIBRARY CIRCULATING DEPARTMENT


Attached was the same notice Diszaster received for "Winter of Our Discontent". *Not sure if my email to privatesnowtown generated this email response, or if I was randomly receiving the rabbithole.
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The world is a much dimmer place.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:30 pm
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Nighthawk
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Miami, Florida, USA, Earth
enaxor wrote:
From the Howl page...the bold text is mine just to point out the mention of the NY Times. The article she's referencing can be found here.


Wow, that's the subtlest "Hey, if you haven't figured it out this is an ARG!!!" I've ever seen. Wink
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:43 pm
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395

 		From the guestbook...

Quote:
Natasha Triplet said: February 17th, 2011 6:09 am
Clare is showing me around the new digs. I must tell you it is very pleasing to the eye, Ruthie and Molly. The Snow Town Library has its own website! If someone told me 102 years ago that I would someday visit the library without leaving my house, I would have said "Nuts!"


102 years ago! Shocked I'm having vivid memories of watching "Let's Scare Jessica to Death".
_________________
10/05/2007, 04/23/2009, 07/02/2015
The world is a much dimmer place.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:57 pm
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395

 		Sorry for the double post, but I received a reply from privatesnowtown. I'm attaching a copy of four overdue notices. *Edited Cracking the number code will lead to the Spiral image. I got it.

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
I noticed there were no 1's or 0's in the numbers, so I figured it might be a phone pad cipher, and it is. "Please help they're coming", which leads to http://snowtownlibrary.org/pleasehelptheyrecoming.html If you start at the center of the spiral, making the first dot A, you'll see the dots solve to "howl.


*ETA - For anyone interested, I've registered a mIRC channel #snowtown


privateperson wrote:
Dear Roxanne,

Thank you for your help. As each days passes, I feel something very strange is happening here in Snow Town. I'm relieved to have others at my side.

I have attached the 4 Late Notices to this Electronic Mail. You will find my first secret number code on these Notices. This will take you to the image of the Spiral.

Ruthie Randolph controls any information about her Aunt. She would be the only Louise Hoskins' source at this point. Be careful. She can be difficult and terribly suspicious of strangers. It might be best if you claimed to be a new citizen of Snow Town.

Best of luck cracking my secret code.

SNOWTOWN.jpg
 Description   Overdue Notices
 Filesize   915.63KB
    432 Time(s)

Unfortunately, this file is no longer in our archives.
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10/05/2007, 04/23/2009, 07/02/2015
The world is a much dimmer place.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:44 pm
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OCTAF1SH
Boot

Joined: 20 Feb 2011
Posts: 25

 		Hi guys,

Please excuse me if I do/say anything stoopid...'tis the first ARG I've ever played (apart from syst3m, a loooong time ago), and therefore, don't really know how these things evolve.

amazingly, managed to crack the number code (seem to remember summit similar in syst3m, and odd punctuation) and am currently awaiting a response from whoever wrote the HOWL page.

sent library an email requesting a copy of LotL, dunno what'll happen there.

anyone had a response to a phone call? I'm in uk and reluctant to shell out on phone calls if others will share info if they get a call back?

Anyway I'm no further, just thought I'd introduce myself, and preempt the calls of trout when i inevitably say something pointless/stupid!!

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:21 pm
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