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[Gupfee]

NEW HINT!!

[Gupfee]

SOLVED

[villard]

And this leads us..where?

[Shelina]

I've just tried this:

@ is in the same key as "2" (at least in my keyboard...) -> 2 is letter B
% is in the same key as "5" -> letter E

No result yet, maybe because ^ and * aren't in a number key...

[konamouse]

[Shelina]

@ -> 2 -> b
# -> 3 -> c
$ -> 4 -> d
% -> 5 -> e
^ -> 6 -> f
& -> 7 -> g
* -> 8 -> h

I've tried this sustitution and then rotating the code without luck

I'm thinking on simple substitution, but... if every group of characters is a word, I can't imagine what word begins with a double letter (xx, the second word in the second line)

[bigdave]

Aaron and eerie and ooze were suggested at Yahoo by Ozark and Sally.

dave

[Caterpillar]

"Words" is bolded in the poem.

I noticed this:
A %@dw v%g %$z *rcmz@ ,
Vx xx@gz pxv sa ^&y^b,
W&t sa zb%l w*cc
X v@w rds^g #du-r.

Not sure how but maybe a starting point?

~cem

[Valas]

Words mentioned twice and in bold text.
The letter T in bold.

Two words, mayhaps??

Also, that second e-mail they sent the whites. Wyatt??
Another one?? Hmm..

[moa-Night]

I haven't had much free time lately, but I'd thought I'd throw this out for the rest of you:

What's to say the symbols represent their numeric-equivalent letters in base 10?

I noticed there are nine letters not used in the message. Maybe the symbols are used to replace them in a substitution or vignere cypher or such?

[bigdave]

Konamouse wrote

[grumpyboy]

From my post over at CD:

Trying to find inspiration to solve the "step by step" email, so I've been looking at the past puzzles for each group. Hope this brings inspiration...

------------------------------------------------------------------
BLUE:
1. "one step forward, two back" - uffw bpf ric gmskfpt...
Solve method: ROT 1st character by -1, 2nd by +2, 3rd by -1, 4th by +2, etc.

2. "You cannot attain the peace of balance without the knowledge of what lies upon either side of the scale."
Solve method: ROT each character by amount specified by the 2 strings of numbers (not shown here)

RED:
1. "the sum of two" - gfkpebhabaedpcmgddadnmqafnficcbatg....
Solve method: Add each pair or letters, mod 26. (i.e. ROT 1st letter in each pair by the amount indicated by the 2nd)

2. "Within the act of creation resides..."
Solve method: Shift each letter in the quote by the amount indicated by the corresponding letter in the "wacky string". Shift is negative if letter in wacky string is lowercase, positive if uppercase.

WHITE:
1. "To Light The Path" - aqwt lqwtpga ku da cpqvjgt rcvj...
Solve method: ROT each line separately

2. "step by step" - A %@dw v%g %$z *rcmz@...
UNSOLVED

2a. "one step behind?" - djsdbsfhobupobu
Solve method: ROT25 or as I see it, ROT -1 (negative 1)

------------------------------------------------------------------

Observations:
- In ALL instances, the solve method involves ROTing/shifting characters
- For BLUE(1), RED(1) and WHITE(2a), the subjects of the emails were the recipes to the solve

Relevant clues to the unsolved WHITE(2):
- "words" in bold twice on the wyatt page
- solution to the email was in latin (circa regna tonat)
- "step by step"
- if "one step behind" = ROT -1, what does "step by step" mean?

We must be missing something obvious here (don't we always?). My feeling is that the solve method to WHITE(2), in terms of difficulty, will not be that different from BLUE(2) or RED(2). Just look at BLUE(1), RED(1) and WHITE(1), they're about the same level of difficulty. AND there were no great leaps in difficulty or method going from BLUE(1) to BLUE(2) or from RED(1) to RED(2). So WHITE(2) is not going to be RSA or some other superduper encryption method, I think it'll be some sort
of ROT/shift.

Anyone?

[AbuAmaal]

Spec White puzzle

[Myssfitz]

[Caterpillar]

Not that we don't already know that something is hidden in this passage, but just for those who may not know "To Dissemble" means to disguise or conceal behind a false appearance.

So although a real poem, it's a purposeful choice.