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katbee · Greenhorn Joined: 05 Mar 2015 Posts: 6

Just wanted to say great work you guys on the solves so far - unfortunately I haven't got anything new to add and I'm at a bit of loss.

I was a bit confused as to why 'mythology' was the keyword for the cipher solution? It keeps making me go back to the whole minotaur/theseus labyrinth myth, but I don't think that's getting me anywhere.

A very tenuous link with regard to 'mushroom' - John M Allegro wrote a controversial book called 'The sacred mushroom and the cross'. Allegro was a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar and according to Wiki it was his recommendation that the Copper Scroll be cut into sections.

**Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2015 3:00 am

booba · Unfictologist Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 1433

Non viderem quid esset in conspectu meo.

**Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:34 am

janetbreenjamfestival · Greenhorn Joined: 14 Mar 2015 Posts: 9 Location: UK

Ah! In that case (combining both cipher answers) are we looking for something hidden in a labyrinth?

- Minotaur comes to mind but I can't find a related url.
- Apparently there is a labyrinth under the ground in Egypt where some believe is the fabled 'Hall of Records' which holds artefacts from and knowledge of ancient cultures.
- I was reading more about the Bolshoi Zayatsky labyrinths I mentioned before and I noticed a similarity between the idea of travel between this world and the next within labyrinths, and the sort of portals Alexa has been dealing with.

**Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:54 am

janetbreenjamfestival · Greenhorn Joined: 14 Mar 2015 Posts: 9 Location: UK

New email from Alexa and two new posts from Daphne!

Haven't been able to work out the cipher in the second post down yet, but the answer to the Type post is

**Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:29 am

Billy Brown · Decorated Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 196

We seem to have stalled a little! Apologies for not pitching in much recently; I've been away with work a few times in quick succession.

I've been taking a look at 'oxnyjcwpfblbqn' from the title of Daphne's most recent blog post but I haven't got anywhere. As janetbreenjamfestival mentions, I assume the 1975 mention is relevant (to something, not necessarily the title cipher).

I also noticed that the title of Alexa's last email was 'forwards and backwards' so maybe that's a further clue? I'm not sure; I'm pretty stumped at this point. Maybe I'll try dropping one or both of them a line to see if I can get some further information or at least a healthy nudge in the right direction.

**Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:52 am

booba · Unfictologist Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 1433

New word search up! Might shed so light on that little text cipher.
https://streeturchinrainflower.wordpress.com/

Knight and king pop out, sort of a chess flavor...

Edit to add:
Rook
pawn
bishop

So a "win for white" would be "checkmate" ? No help on oxnyjcwpfblbqn so far....

**Posted:** Tue Apr 21, 2015 4:31 pm

amandel

Booba:Bril ciphering & google-fu! Also, there are multiple updates incl. findme with a msg relating to and/or intended for those who chose the "finance" expertize.

ETA: Daphne's UPDATE ends with the french phrase "m'aidez" which is the origin of the international word Mayday. Cyas...

**Posted:** Sun Apr 26, 2015 6:21 am

_________________
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"Can you hook up with a Snow Person? Can't tell you or I'd have to marry you."

CCS · Boot Joined: 07 Apr 2008 Posts: 69

Hello everyone. I have been following, lurking, puzzling on this, but not posting until now. I am "Ethan" on the roster.

I have the feeling that we are not moving forward quickly enough. Specifically, it seems that we are getting many clues, and not solving very much lately. That might be intentional ... The game may be slow to get started. But now, it's "our move."

I don't have any answers. I just want to be sure we know what we're trying to solve.

1. The encryption key. If I understand correctly, according to Daphne, we are still working on "training" puzzles, and don't yet have enough information to solve the encryption key. But as the game seems to have progressed to a "Alexa in peril" phase, is that still true?

2. Labyrinth. I think there's still some question whether we have solved all of the labyrinth clues. For example "oxnyjcwpfblbqn" ... And the clue that we know the end, the end truly is. I tried using the "type" diagram to draw a labyrinth over the letter grid, got nothing.

3. Chess. There are numerous references and clues to chess. I'm not a chess guy, but I've tried various approaches and come up with nothing. The wordsearch is chess related, but I have only found the pieces. I tried thinking about the puzzle as a board, words/letters arranged as chess moves, etc. there is the clue that the copper scroll has 64 locations (like a chess board). Win for white suggests that we start the game ... And now we have been told to make the first move. (Win for white also can be annotated as "(1-0)", I'm not sure how that fits anywhere.)

The correct first move for white is e4 ... Not sure how that helps, though.

4. What next? Should we be sending more email to Daphne or Alexa? (Are people doing that? Do they respond?) has anyone received a "training packet" from Daphne, as promised? What about that comm screen under the finance icon on the new page? Can we communicate with it? Can the finance searchers communicate? I would vote for e4 as an opening move.

Sorry for going on so long. Anyone else have an idea for where to go from here?

Edit: I hope my tone didn't offend. I did not mean to suggest that anyone is less than diligent. I also did not mean to suggest that I know anything more about chess than I learned from googling "white wins." I just wanted to know whether there is something more we can do. It seems, for example, that there is an active twitter component of this game that I was missing completely. Anyway, please don't assume I was being critical -- I have the highest regard and respect for the people on this board and their amazing abilities. Thanks.

amandel

**Posted:** Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:55 am

_________________
"I could write a hell of a paper on a grown man who dresses like a flying rodent."
"Can you hook up with a Snow Person? Can't tell you or I'd have to marry you."

ads123 · Veteran Joined: 12 Nov 2012 Posts: 85

**Posted:** Sun Apr 26, 2015 11:11 am

booba · Unfictologist Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 1433

New post with the second half of the word/search cipher challenge:
https://streeturchinrainflower.wordpress.com/

dprulrridwszrmtgwmvydwxovtgnosvtq

qnsrrfimrgoiyqnoijjrhuriksbertuijuhuyrw

kvsbfcysjghbfbuoihvkehvoswgrfdcbbbwqyhoxuvocrbwxksfojhwxxvwckcfi

cqyhdemmtpgwpx

dumqubqubsvoovaaunchirhfyaoioxcfxolvof

xncvhojynalnln

Edit to add a solve:

**Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2015 11:20 am

that generic ginger · Kilroy Joined: 31 Mar 2015 Posts: 2

Daphne's Strategy Post

**Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2015 4:48 pm

Billy Brown · Decorated Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 196

We seem to be at something of an impasse, with Daphne trying to nudge us along as best she can. I thought it might be useful to go over some recent posts and see what might be of significance that we haven't necessarily used or solved yet. I've started with the recent posts at Street Urchin Rainflower and will do the same for Alexa's emails and the updates at The Searchers.

Apologies for the length of this but I thought it might help us get back on track or spark a new idea or two among one/some of us.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Daphne's recent posts:

Hidden: https://streeturchinrainflower.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/hidden/
This includes some flavour for the game, plus it gave us a nudge towards the key for one of the labyrynth-related text strings. What I don't know the significance of, though, is the single 'A' after Daphne's sign-off. This, combined with the title of the blog post ('Hidden'), makes me think there might be more to find in this post.

oxnyjcwpfblbqn: https://streeturchinrainflower.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/oxnyjcwpfblbqn/
1. We haven't solved the code in the title of the blog post -- I've had a look at it but am stumped.
2. This passage:

**Posted:** Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:26 am

Billy Brown · Decorated Joined: 18 Dec 2004 Posts: 196

Alexa's latest tweets are asking where she should head next, presumably within New York with the purpose of finding one of the 'pieces'.

I've suggested St Patrick's Cathedral off the back of the 'big apple bishop' line. An earlier tweet also said that her coffee cup had 'follow the money' written on it, so I've also followed my leap of faith with the 1975/Microsoft connection and suggested the Microsoft offices on Times Square.

I'm not overly confident in either suggestion! Any better ideas?

**Posted:** Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:17 am

amandel

Not a beter idea per se yet I just saw Alexa's "follow the money" tweet & tweeted that she shd try Grant's Tomb on Riverside Dr. b/c he is the face on the USD 50.

ETA: Maybe "ing is only a pawn" isn't exactly inconsequential when thinking about this game, the mysteries surrounding Ing and about Pawn Promotion?

**Posted:** Thu Apr 30, 2015 9:21 am

_________________
"I could write a hell of a paper on a grown man who dresses like a flying rodent."
"Can you hook up with a Snow Person? Can't tell you or I'd have to marry you."