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Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Acheron

Summary of game since restart :Dec. 8-16

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rose
...and then Magic happens

Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Posts: 4117

Summary of game since restart :Dec. 8-16

SUMMARY: December 8 – 16

For anyone new who wants to catch up, this is a narrative summary of the game since it restarted.

Brief Background

Catalina, Arizona, home of New River University (www.nru.com), its’ own on-line newspaper The Coyote Dispatch (www.coyotedispatch.com),
and the First National Bank of Catalina (www.firstcatalina.com) is the main location. NRU turns out to be a major research facility funded
and run by the government. A top-secret project involving time-travel is being developed. The research continues work done in Russia
on a Project called Spectrum. Spectrum was dismantled. The Coyote Digest is an important source of information about things happening
in Catalina, as well as a source of puzzles. (which we have solved, but don’t know if there are hidden messages somewhere in them.)

Caretaker, a retired CIA agent, is the link among several of the main characters.

1. Dr. Zeladzny- The scientist behind the research project at NRU defected from Russia, where he had worked on project Spectrum, with Caretaker’s help. He defected from a conference held in Espoo, Finland in May 1983. Formerly Dr. Turgenev

2. Jake Starkey - Dr. Z’s best graduate student who’s disappearance started the game, was brought home at Caretaker’s behest. Jake returned on October 7, only to be arrested on false charges of stealing government secrets. Jake was released on a $1 million bond and is attending classes but not working in the lab.

3. John Baxter – Known to us by many names- Reggie, Marcus, etc, which may be confusing! Caretaker had taken John to a psychiatric hospital for safety. We think John may have multiple personality disorder.

Other characters: Meg Starkey – Jake’s wife; Kat Zeladzny – Dr. K’s neice who defected with him; Craig Becker – head of Security at NRU

As the story begins, Caretaker is waiting for us to solve a puzzle based on crossword clues given to him by John Baxter. Solving the puzzle should trigger something in John’s memory that will lead us to more information. Our best guess is that the crossword refers to Bible verses and we want Caretaker to read them to John.

Summary of Events

December 8
The Coyote Dispatch updates (as it was doing every Monday.) A classified ad, which was a pre-arranged signal, says Single, retired guy, set in his ways looking for a wild ride. Tue 9pm, you know where. Meet for fun times! This is for us to chat at: irc.thegamebox.net 6667, channel #caretaker on your favorite IRC client.

This update is discussed in:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3394

December 9

1. Chat at 11:00pm (Caretaker is using Mountain Time?) We give our suggestion. He gives info that John Baxter is being given drugs that affect his personality. He mentions “black ops” as a possibility. We agree to meet again tomorrow.

Chatlog is here:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/download.php?id=1523

2. Also, a new entry on Meg's blog http://www.geocities.com/meghanstarkey/

Meg is Jake’s wife who is now pregnant and upset that she and her husband don’t spend any quality time. Jake is unhappy and talking in his sleep.

In the meantime
Some sites update and additional sites are found.

a. http://www.nru.us/ (updates)

b. http:// www.acheron.us/ (updates and leads to http://www.cypher-systems.com/ )

c. http://www.catalinafirst.com/index.html (the bank site goes live)

d. http://www.nru.us/_private/result.htm leads to

http://research.nru.us/ (which has a log-in page)

December 10

1. Chat at 11:00pm. Reading the verses worked. John gave Caretaker another puzzle, which was solved almost instantaneously.

This leads to a page listing of login names and passwords. We are to see what we can find and email Caretaker.

Caretaker has removed John from the hospital and they are together. John wrote the Acheron System and is a brilliant, sane guy.

Links to thechatlog, puzzle and stuff is discussed on this thread:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3409

2. Meg’s blog updates with more information about the characters. Jake is away a lot even if he isn’t working, etc.

December 11

Passwords are found which lead to files and logs (see thread under December 10 chat above).

Both Jake and Dr. Z kept logs about the research project. A combined version of the logs is here:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/download.php?id=1533

The main ideas: the machine works, there are power logs and “hop” logs, Kat is dating Craig Becker and that Jake is concerned about something before he disappears.

The files found include:

1. Dr. Z’s letter accepting employment at NRU addressed to the Historical Criminal Research Department of the Department of Homeland Security.

2. A word file from a page from the Espoo conference (when Dr. Z –hen Turgenev defected) that has updated photos of some of the participants.
A previous pdf file of this same document had been found earlier.

3. A copy of a letter Craig Becker, the Head of Security at NRU, to Jake threatening him and telling him to stop his research into government conspiracy.

4. A copy of the Missing persons report filed when Jake disappeared.

December 14

1. Coyote Digest updates see:

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3445

It’s puzzle:
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/download.php?id=1546

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3438

2. More documents are found on the research pages. See

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3430

This includes an important document that summarizes the success of sending of an agent back in time and recovering him. And a draft letter from Jake that shows his concern of the power consumption of the project as well as a chat log between Jake and Dr. Z where Jake expresses his concern that others are using the machine.

Several people email caretaker about finding new information.

December 16

Several people get emails forwarded to them. This contains a message to Jake from Caretaker and john Baxter that includes a picture that has a hidden message, which had been solved.

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3440

And, that is where we are right now, generally speaking

_________________
I love this site for being free, in every sense of the word~Spacebass

Mankind was my business, the common good was my business.~ Dickens

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 8:24 pm

MageSteff
Pretty talky there aintcha, Talky?

Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 2716
Location: State of Denial

Error correction Coyote Dispatch

One minor mention: We have not come across anything that points to Coyote Dispatch as a "campus" newspaper. It is more like the local community/small town weekly paper.

_________________
Magesteff
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:24 pm

Trhyne
Greenhorn

Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 6

thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou (etc...)

I too busy and ADHD to go read every forum on everything right now,
but I was really wanting to help out as I can. This is such a helpful summary.

I'm still a bit lost as to what each puzzle, site, etc. means in the "grand scheme of things"...

Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 11:04 am

MageSteff
Pretty talky there aintcha, Talky?

Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 2716
Location: State of Denial

Re: thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou (etc...)

Trhyne wrote:

Some of the info is background, so we know why we are doing what we are doing, i.e. info on SPECTRUM, Info on what happens when things so up where they are not supposed to (earthquake in Tabas), and what people will do to coverup/hide/obscure information (anthrax outbreak at the same lab where SPECTRUM was doing research), what has been discussed between characters (the chat log Jake has for conversation with Professor Z).

Some of the things are to give us possible contact points (Cypher-systems, CFRG, Coyote Dispatch, Meg's log, L3).

Still others for reasons as yet undiscovered (the link to the photo of "Is this the John Baxter Family?" could be a "maker's mark, could be more).

A few sites are there to move the story forward (NRU, Coyote Dispatch, Cypher-systems, others as yet undiscovered).

A few sites are still waiting to become active (First Bank of Catalina), because they were found by reverse lookup and not through in game info.

A few are possible "not-in-game" (HiddenAlliance, HCRD).

Trhyne, you are not the only one still trying to figure out where everything fits, I've been involved with this since September (Start of game but not the pre-game), and there are still too many blank areas that we don't have pieces for yet that I'm having trouble figuring out where in the larger picture they fit.

_________________
Magesteff
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 11:38 am

Trhyne
Greenhorn

Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 6

reassuring to hear, honestly... Now that I've read a lot (got the flu, which gave a surprising lot of free time...) it's beginning to fall into place a bit...

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 6:47 am

mysteryjones
Veteran

Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 89
Location: London

thanks

Thanks a heap for this - all of us lurkers who've been swamped over the holidays really needed this leg up!

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:12 pm

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