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Post by efanton on Nov 20, 2019 19:25:42 GMT -5
I suppose I was reading this stanza differently - more as some sort of "transformation" of the first key (found in stanzas 3, 4, and 5) is needed to find the second key... With that approach in mind, I came across someone that sounded interesting and could possibly give us "assistance": Anton Stager"You need assistance from a man":I'm wondering if it's not a "man" we need assistance from, but rather a cipher that a man created... During the Civil War, Stager was responsible for all of the telegraph lines in the Ohio district. He was also asked to develop an encryption scheme to protect state government communications, "...creating the first telegraphic cipher used for military purposes. When the cipher came to the attention of General George B. McClellan, he asked Stager to prepare a cipher for use in the field, which was later adopted as the official cipher of the War Department." His cipher was known as a "route" cipher "Whose fortune came as a surprise While clearing wood upon the land":Stager was a co-founder of Western Union, setting up telegraph lines alongside railroad lines that were being built (i.e. while "clearing wood upon the land" / clearing trees for the tracks?). [In 1854,] as an agent of the Western Union Telegraph Company, Wade, along with Anson Stager, entered the field of railroad relationships with striking success. [...] It was these railroad contracts, entered into during the 1850s and 1860s, which in later years made the position of Western Union almost unassailable. [...] ( www.myinsulators.com/acw/bookref/telegraph/index.html). I would imagine that this resulted in quite a payday / fortune for Stager. So...if this stanza means we need to use a cipher to decrypt the first key found (i.e. the route cipher), does it change how we are looking for the first key? Are we looking for a first key composed of numbers? Or letters that can be rearranged with the route cipher? Or, does the first key lead us to a list of letters / words that can be rearranged? If this approach is correct, stanza 7 may be asking up to once again transform the second key into the final "answer" somehow. Just thought I'd share my thoughts with everyone who have been sharing their own. I just started this puzzle a few weeks ago and wanted to share a different perspective, right or wrong... Flash Certainly something to consider. Its a different way of thinking of what we need to do with our solutions and I can see some value in this approach. Its worth chasing. The question I would ask though is if there is some sort of transformation what clue is in the stanza's to lead us to using the correct transformation?
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Post by flash911 on Nov 20, 2019 20:47:26 GMT -5
Good question, efanton...I'm not sure of what, in the stanza, would corroborate the correct transformation. My initial thoughts along these lines were:
1. The word "assistance" instead of something simpler, like "help" drew my attention; could this be the key to decrypt the first key? 2. Test Key #2 tester would verify correct or not 3. That's as far as I've gone on verification thoughts!
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Post by keladry12 on Nov 21, 2019 19:09:58 GMT -5
Great to see some new ideas here, flash! I was wondering about this part and wanted to make sure you knew October's hint. Are we looking for a first key composed of numbers? Or letters that can be rearranged with the route cipher? Or, does the first key lead us to a list of letters / words that can be rearranged? If this approach is correct, stanza 7 may be asking up to once again transform the second key into the final "answer" somehow. The hint from October was Efanton asking "Does the first key appear to consist of a ten digit number?" and Lukas answered yes. Are you suggesting that, for example there might be a list of words that we're supposed to get first and then *that* leads to digits, or did you miss that hint? I just want to make sure you aren't wasting effort on something when we already know that the final answer for the key has digits in it. I really like this idea about route ciphers, though. I'll have to research them. I had been thinking that this stanza gave us part of key 2 and the next a cipher to use on it, but perhaps I'll have to switch my thinking!
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Post by flash911 on Nov 22, 2019 16:25:44 GMT -5
Hi Keladry - I was actually thinking that the 10-number key might either be a phone number or IP address. Upon calling / visiting the site, we are given an encrypted set of letters that need to be decrypted.
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Post by fishmini on Feb 5, 2020 20:26:37 GMT -5
Ali Baba and "Open Sesame" seem like such an obvious fit for this stanza but all the different variations and translations of "Open Sesame" I've tried (along with changing punctuation and capitalization) have not resulted in anything. Anyone have a different interpretation of this stanza?
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Post by keladry12 on Feb 5, 2020 20:36:52 GMT -5
Ali Baba and "Open Sesame" seem like such an obvious fit for this stanza but all the different variations and translations of "Open Sesame" I've tried (along with changing punctuation and capitalization) have not resulted in anything. Anyone have a different interpretation of this stanza? I've done a mirror cipher and straight up reversed it as well, because of the next stanza...
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Post by fishmini on Feb 6, 2020 14:36:30 GMT -5
I know he said the riddle can be solved completely by itself but I'm thinking there may be a hint to this stanza in the books in the video. I've just spent another hour trying all kinds of things in the key tester, including reversing and using the mirror cipher for each. In the video Lukas is holding the 12th book in a series. Maybe that is a hint?
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Post by fishmini on Feb 6, 2020 18:35:00 GMT -5
Out of the collection of books from which Lukas has chosen one in the video, there are 16 volumes. Richard Burton's translation of 1001 nights has 16 volumes. I also found a version of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves that was illustrated by someone with the last name Dearborn.
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luna
New Member
Posts: 32
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Post by luna on Feb 8, 2020 18:35:37 GMT -5
I’m curious as to what everyone’s thoughts are regarding whether this stanza stands alone? I’ve been under the impression that this stanza is the only one needed to solve key 2, and stanza seven separately alludes to the location where the keys are used. However, with all variations of “open sesame” being incorrect, I’m rethinking my initial assumption.
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Post by JFletcher on Feb 8, 2020 18:55:54 GMT -5
I’m curious as to what everyone’s thoughts are regarding whether this stanza stands alone? I’ve been under the impression that this stanza is the only one needed to solve key 2, and stanza seven separately alludes to the location where the keys are used. However, with all variations of “open sesame” being incorrect, I’m rethinking my initial assumption. So far I suspect this stanza stands alone. We might get a clue for the next one. I assume the next stanza won't reveal the location where the key is used, but stanza 8 or 9 will do.
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Post by fishmini on Feb 8, 2020 19:33:38 GMT -5
I’m curious as to what everyone’s thoughts are regarding whether this stanza stands alone? I’ve been under the impression that this stanza is the only one needed to solve key 2, and stanza seven separately alludes to the location where the keys are used. However, with all variations of “open sesame” being incorrect, I’m rethinking my initial assumption. I've been taking all my guesses (all variations of "open sesame" I can find and all the different ways to punctuate and capitalize them) and mirroring them, spelling backwards, and putting them through a mirror cipher. According to my word document I've tried 986 different passwords today lol. No luck!! Will start trying to come up with alternative theories for this stanza.
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Post by efanton on Feb 8, 2020 21:40:19 GMT -5
Here's a thought
What does Florida have in spades?
Keys?
Maybe the clue points to one of the Florida Keys and this is what we are supposed to enter
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Post by keladry12 on Feb 9, 2020 12:48:00 GMT -5
I’m curious as to what everyone’s thoughts are regarding whether this stanza stands alone? I’ve been under the impression that this stanza is the only one needed to solve key 2, and stanza seven separately alludes to the location where the keys are used. However, with all variations of “open sesame” being incorrect, I’m rethinking my initial assumption. I do not think that this is all you need for key two. I think we also need to use the next stanza to do some sort of deciphering "with the knowledge we've gained [from the man we needed help from]". I know you could also see this as suggesting a location to enter the two keys, but I just feel like stanza six is not enough info. I think that we can get the location of where keys go from other stanzas.
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Post by susb8383 on Feb 9, 2020 15:36:04 GMT -5
I started looking at Key 2 from a totally different angle.
One of the comments and replies on the video page was this:
Q: ...is it possible to know for sure (100%) that you have found the first key before you have found the second key? In other words, is this riddle divided into two parts where you will know that you have solved the first part correctly before you move on?
A: There are built in feedback mechanisms that will let you know you have found a key
Notice that Lukas says "are," "mechanisms," and "a key."
I keep asking myself, what type of format could Key 2 possibly be in that would allow for a feedback mechanism which tells us that we have it right? The only thing I can think of is another 10-digit phone number.
What does everyone think? Is that possible?
If the answer were something like "open sesame" I don't see how there could possibly be a feedback mechanism for that. Remember that he answered that question before he had created a key tester.
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Post by fishmini on Feb 9, 2020 17:08:56 GMT -5
I started looking at Key 2 from a totally different angle. One of the comments and replies on the video page was this: Q: ...is it possible to know for sure (100%) that you have found the first key before you have found the second key? In other words, is this riddle divided into two parts where you will know that you have solved the first part correctly before you move on? A: There are built in feedback mechanisms that will let you know you have found a key Notice that Lukas says "are," "mechanisms," and "a key." I keep asking myself, what type of format could Key 2 possibly be in that would allow for a feedback mechanism which tells us that we have it right? The only thing I can think of is another 10-digit phone number. What does everyone think? Is that possible? If the answer were something like "open sesame" I don't see how there could possibly be a feedback mechanism for that. Remember that he answered that question before he had created a key tester. This is a great point. Phone number or maybe a website?
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