[harder]

TUNOARLTBAIWITCBCRQVUROEZNZTNIYNLZTH
ZGZOHICIBIAEVRCLIFTMENAIRBACYGTQMOBAU
EAHVRIFTIQDCGZCCGCLIFTMNOTEUNGYVTDV

Wheatstone was much possessed by death and saw the key beneath the skull

[easier]

B LDPBRU SDBS DBR AUUJ ATPJEJC IY SDKTCDSR REJNU E DBVU AUCTJ SK PUNKHHUNS SDU UVUJSR KO HBRS RTJQBY ER IBPGUQ KJ B LBCU YKT NBJ OEJQ AY LTSSEJC SDU GUYWKPQ KO SDER RTARSESTSEKJ BOSUP RJELTPH QKS NKI SDU LDPBRU OEJERDUR BS SDU SKL KO SDU RUNKJQ NKHTIJ UIBEH IU SDU HBRS WKPQ KO SDBS RUJSUJNU BR SDU BJRWUP SK SDER UBREUP LTZZHU

The second set of the New Year

One is easier, one is harder. The easier works much the same as my favourite modus operandi, the harder is a new touch. For both, the deadline is midnight on Sunday 3 February.

The first set of the New Year

Two puzzles. You'll need to solve both to find what you need. The only instruction I really need to say is that if you're unsure how to start, look to previous puzzles I've set for possible inroads. I think this is quite easy - although I've been wrong on that before - but let's say you have 8 days, till midnight on Thursday 24 January, to solve this. Winning entrants gain Hunters' Club and the opportunity of entering Masque Of The Red Death. Good luck!

1.
XAS EYECK SBA FAXVLQH SL SBCR RTPRSCSTSCLK ICMBAQ CR VBES XLT KAAH SL MGEIA ENSAQ RKCMTQG HLS ILJ RGERB CK LQHAQ SL NCKH VBES XLT KAAH KAWS AUAKSTEGGX XLT VCGG NCKH EK EKRVAQ EKH JTRS MGEIA SBES ENSAQ RKCMTQG HLS ILJ RGERB SL NCKH SBA GASSAQ LN JLQEX AJECG JA SBA NCQRS VLQH LN SBES GASSAQ SL VCK

2.

The third easy conundrum

This is the third easy conundrum.
You’ll discover along the way what you have to do
to gain the chance of a pair of tickets.
But it starts simply with:

BDISJTUNBTDJQIFS.XPSEQSFTT.DPN




for the next step, remind me to remind you how to crack
a key substitution cipher :)

The second (easier) conundrum

Decipher the code and email me as instructed for the chance of tickets for MOTRD.

The deadline is noon on next Thursday 20 December.

Enter this only if you have not already been a puzzle winner... if you have, then you should tackle the harder set.

This code is another keyword substitution cipher :)


SCN DKRWNQ YLT KNNI SCER SEJN ER UTQENI WESCEK SCN IERPLVNQENR DHQNDIY JDIN DKI MTUHERCNI LK SCER WNURESN EA YLT HLLG SCQLTBC NESCNQ SCN ALQTJR LQ SCN TKNDQSCNI RL ADQ RNPSELK SCNK YLT RCLTHI AEKI NVNQYSCEKB SCDS YLT KNNI SL UN DUHN SL DKRWNQ SCN ALHHLWEKB OTNRSELK VNQY REJMHY WCDS KDSELKDHESY WDR WEHHEDJ JLQDY

The fourth (harder) set of puzzles

The first puzzle leads you to a code, the second puzzle to its key.

You will then be able to read some speculation I've made about William Moray. And find the word you need to email me for the chance of tickets for MOTRD and to enter the Hunters' Club. The deadline being noon on next Thursday 20 December.

I don’t *think* these ones are as hard as the last ones so do have a go, you may be surprised… :)


The first puzzle




The second puzzle

Extending the third set of puzzles and announcing the first easier puzzle!

I fear that my puzzle-setting has gotten a bit too cryptic with the third set here. I’ve had some part-entries but no one’s found the person - although I suspect some of you are close. I think I will extend the deadline to next Monday 10 December and I will also drop a few clues here in the next couple of days. The same instructions apply as before.

I am also going to start setting a regular easier puzzle. Each of these will be a code and I will tell you which one it is. Half the tickets for MOTRD will be made available to those I select at random from correct solutions sent to me. The tickets will only be for those who have not yet gotten entry via me and my mysterious accomplice. But I’ll try to sew some interesting tidbits into them to make solving them worth everyone’s while. To see the easier puzzle, look at the next post here.

The first easier puzzle

What follows is what I’ve learnt is a keyword substitution cipher (I am learning a lot about codes and ciphers from this job). You can see some info about this type of cipher and how to solve it here and here.

When you’ve deciphered all of it, it will tell you how to find the answer I’m looking for. It’s one word, email it to me at sonia at makemode dot co dot uk by noon on Monday 10 December. Tickets will be made available to those I draw from the correct entrants (those who haven’t gotten tickets from me yet). Here goes and good luck!

KJU RCDJB D PCKTHQ CMVU IUJRDKJUQ DP MHOUMQY DP CKW ITSC RCDP OUIDJQP IU KE RCU AUMHU SDLCUOP YKT PCKTHQ BKKBHU RCMR DE YKT QKJ R MHOUMQY GJKW RCU PRKOY KJU IKPR STODKTP RCUKOY DP RCMR RCU AUMHU LMLUOP WUOU WODRRUJ AY LKU CDIPUHE LUOCMLP CU CMQ AUUJ DJEHTUJSUQ AY RCU PRKOY WDHHDMI IKOMY RKHQ CDI DJ RCU AMO DE CMH KPBKKQ DP ODBCR MAKTR RCMR IUURDJB DE RCMR DP ROTU RCUJ D WKJQUO MAKTR RCU LTOLKPU KE RCU ROMDH KE SKQUP RCMR IKOMY PUR RKWMOQP RCU ROUMPTOU WUHH RCU MJPWUO YKT PUUG CUOU DP RCKIMP AUMHUP MHHUBUQ IDQQHU JMIU PUJQ RCMR RK IU MJQ BKKQ HTSG

The Third Set of Puzzles

Mr Grandison has discovered another letter in his grandfather's effects, a letter forwarded by Dupin that appears to be to Dupin from a personage - who, it is reported, has become curiously manifest inside Masque Of The Red Death.

I have 'placed' this personage online. Find and befriend him, email and 'he' will respond with the letter. And here are three puzzles each with equivalent answers. Combine the answers in order to discover what you need to find him.

Email me the first word of the letter and the three puzzle answers to gain the opportunity of entrance into Masque Of The Red Death. The deadline is noon next Monday 3 December - send as much as you can by then, when new puzzles will be set. Good luck!


First puzzle

AVAR PHORF NAQ GJRYIR


Second puzzle

collectively counting like it is initially


Third puzzle

Solution to the second set of puzzles...

...can be found here.

The second set

Mr Grandison has discovered a Letter within his grandfather's effects, correspondence of four sheets. To discover each sheet, follow the same snipurl mechanism I used in the first wave (see this post below) with the following three puzzles I've set for you.

Send to me here the first word on each sheet of correspondence as your answer.

The first and fullest answers received will garner the opportunity of entering 66 Theatre Street and Masque Of The Red Death. My mystery help has been busy and we can now sneak in four pairs per week (we'll tell you how you buy and acquire tickets if you win). And anyone who gets inside and reports fully on their experience will gain the rank of Hunter and a stake in whatever treasure we find.

Happy cracking!

The first sheet

Poe's manor house now gives forth ex freedom

The second sheet

Where in our world?

The third (and fourth) sheet

O KHES MLC QELRDEQ EJ KMVTZM IZ LMV
LZSL YV MXE BPCN O LRNE IUFT EZTW YP KANJCQ
NWCVL KLHAO OT QNKJ QEC KHUH HKPF MJGF .......

Solutions to the first set of puzzles...

...can be found here

The First Set Of Six

If you have found your way here, it is likely you have seen this line of cipher on a scrap of parchment.

We know that this was written by William Moray and given to an intermediary who then found Rupert Grandison the elder. However, the intermediary discovered six other lines of a similar cipher which were forwarded to the elder, which Mr Grandison, my employer, inherited.

Now. I have scanned these lines and hidden them online. Here's how you can find them:

I pose six puzzles in the following posts - solving each of them leads you to a line.

Enter the ANSWER as follows into
www.snipurl.com/ANSWER (ignoring any spaces)

For example, suppose the question is 'what is my name?'
If you enter the answer at the end of www.snipurl.com/
you'll find makemode where I've been working recently (thanks for the tip on this, Gav.)

Send me whatever you can by midnight on 14 October to here
(goldbugpuzzleanswers splat googlemail dot com).

Scoring
One point for each piece you send me.
Another point for each piece you decipher.

Those with the most points by the end of this week will have the chance of entrance to the Masque of the Red Death a fortnight hence, the week beginning 22 October 2007.

And the first few to get maximum points will attain the rank of Hunter (see here to see what this means).

Good luck and get cracking.

Towards the second line

The pirate whose gold we seek and hope to find.

Towards the third line

Alone outside the Temple of Luxor, its twin shivers where?

Towards the fourth line

Towards the fifth line

A pioneer in microscopy, as Moray noted.

Towards the sixth line

A wise man walks from Lhasa into China: to Kunming then to Guangzhou and Fuzhou before reaching Shanghai then Nanjing and Xi'an before returning to Lhasa.. but no time to rest before travelling into India: to Varanasi, Indore and Ahmedabad, crossing into Pakistan to Karachi, heading north towards Kabul but instead veering toward Peshawar and Islamabad before returning once more to Lhasa. When he returns to cheering crowds, he is asked what his journey might symbolise to the people.. his answer?

Towards the seventh line