The Near Future...

[CoyoteCreed]

*sputter* *choke* *spit*

Ok, I knew you'd be able to solve that one fairly easily. I didn't expect it to be that easy! Morse is just a simple substitution, but columnizing it makes it pretty wierd looking. I'm guessing the filler 3's away the layout? Here I thought it would be too mean to fractionate it - guess I was wrong! Good job, and nice quick work.

Well, perhaps I glossed over how much time I spent trying to treat the previous cipher as a Pollux, but suffice it to say that I have Morse code on the brain at the moment. I cracked your cipher when I noticed that the 3's were very regularly spaced down the columns. I decoded S-I-X and knew for sure. The filler 3's at the end were just confirmation.

Anyway, the final hint list:

Part 1: EAGLES UMBER'D QUAKE NORWAY O ZEAL
Part 2: GEM FOUR PESTILENCE ZERO DOMAIN BAKERS
Part 3: MIKE YANKEE CHARLIE EIGHT THREE LIMA
Part 4: RUNWAY KICKOFF WALLABY VASSALS IGUANA FARMING
Part 5: ALABAMA SIX FIVE XAVIER SEVEN JUILLIARD
Part 6: S T TWO NINE H ONE

Given how this cipher treated the alphabetic words as mere letters and emphasized order, I suspect we'll need the hints in this form:

E U Q N O Z G 4 P 0 D B M Y C 8 3 L R K W V I F A 6 5 X 7 J S T 2 9 H 1

[Boss Llama]

AAVAAG FXVAAD GDVFXD VVDVAF AVAGGA AVAVAA AXVVAA VAVFDA
GFVAXA GVVVAD VVGAAA GGDVVG AAVVAG DFDXDX VVVVDV GAAVXD
VAFVXV AVVXAX VGAFVV DAVDVX AAADAV XFAAFF VVAAVV XAAVVV
DADAAX DAAGAA AGFGGV AAVAAD XGAAGV GAVAVX VAAAAX AGVADD
VVVXDF DVDGFV AFVAVF XGAVAV ADAADG AAAVAF VVGAAG AGAAVV
GXFAAV ADDXAD XDVXVD FXDXVD FDAXAA DVAAAA XAVDVV XAFAGD
AAXXVA DDVAVV AAAFGG VDGFDD ADAAAV DADGVV AVDAVV AAGVFV
FAGVVX FAVAAV VADGXF AGAAVA AXAFVX DAVAAX XDAVAG GAAVGV
AAXAVA AAAAAV XGFFAV DXGAAG DAAVXA AVXAAA GAADDA AADDFA
VAADAA AAVDAV FADXVA XFAGAD VFAADA XDAVVV AAAGDA AAVDVD
DAAAAV DVXDXG VXGGAG VVDFGG GAGXGG GXXFXG GGGGFG FXAVAF
XVGDGG GAFDGA VGFVGX GAGGVA GDFVGV XVGGVD XDDGFF XDXFAV
GVXGGA VGVXGF FXVAXG XFGFGG AAGXFV VFVFGX GXVXFX ADFAVV
AGGVVD DGXGXD FVGAVX GGVVGG AGGGGX VGXGAV FGGAGG GXGFGA
GDDXVG XXFVGG GFVAXV XGXAXF AXVFVG VAVGGF VGXGXG VGAAVG
GVDGGG GFGGVF AAVGVX XVDGFX GAVXFV GFGGVX DADGGA GDXGAD
VXGXFG AVGXVV FFAAXX GGGAGV DFGGGX GAXXGX XFAVFG XGGGDG
GDGGXX GXAVFG GGXFAX VVDGGD XVFAXG XVVGXF FFVFXD XGDAAX
FGGGGD XGGGXV VGVXXG XGDXAG FADAXF GAGGXX DXFGGG VDVGGV
FXFFDX FVAXGG FXGVVV GXDVAG XFGFFX XGVXAF GGGDVX DVVGXG
XGXXFA VFAXXA GVFVFV FFXGVX VFGGAA FXFXDG GFGAXX GGFVGD
VGDXXG XGDXFX XAXVAD GVGGAA DGXVFV GXAVGV GDGGXF VVAXXX
AVGGGX XGGXXA GGGGFF VGFVXX VFXXFX VGGVGV XXDVFA XVDFVG
XFGVGX FXADFF VAVXGX AGFXDV AFDGVG GXVGDV XVXXFV GAGGVG
GGVFGG XXGFFX GGGXVD DDFFGG GVFDVV AAGAFF GDDDDD FVAGXF
GVAGXV GXFVVA DAVXDV XGFFFG DVAVVV XXAFXX AAVAXA DGXDDA
DDGVAF VXAAGV DADFVA VVFVAA VDVFFA DDFXAV DAFVVV AAGVFV
XVDFVV FDGVAA GGVDAA AGAADA ADVDAV DDAXVV AAVDXD AAGXFA
DADAAA XAVAAA DAVAXD AAVADF GXDAXV FAAVVV DVVAVA GDVDAV
VAGADG DGAAVV AAAADA AVDAAA DGAAVV AFAVXD VGDFAA AAAAAD
AVVVFV XXDDVD VFVXVA AVVAXA AXAFVG

[CoyoteCreed]

Colonel Nebel? Is that you?

[Boss Llama]

Colonel Nebel? Is that you?

Lieutenant Painvin, I presume?

[Flaming Cheese Wheel]

Five individual letters?

[CoyoteCreed]

There are six letters. ADFGVX.

You can see that the hint words from the previous six ciphers form the Polybius square.

Code: Select all

E U Q N O Z
G 4 P 0 D B
M Y C 8 3 L
R K W V I F
A 6 5 X 7 J
S T 2 9 H 1

What is unclear is the keyword used for the columnar transposition. I'm considering writing a program to brute-force it. In the meantime, there is an online tool here if anyone has any good guesses. Just paste

EUQNOZG4P0DBMYC83LRKWVIFA65X7JST29H1

into the Polybius importing field. The grouping of the ciphertext may suggest that the keyword is six letters long, but don't hold yourself to that.

EDIT: Alizee says he's hidden the keyword somewhere.

[Flash]

Very cool tool Coyote! I've been trying but can't come up with the keyword...

[MateoTheBold!]

I've tried IHAVEAMANCRUSHONMATEO but that wasn't it. Silly, as Alizee probably has a typo in there and that is probably what he meant to put. Try replacing a letter or two, and that is probably it. I think....

[arfy4]

This thread hasn't been posted in for a while... I'll just bump so it's not forgotten before we get this puzzle solved

[Flaming Cheese Wheel]

"Rubber hose cryptanalysis."

[CoyoteCreed]

Yeah, working on it. Not ready to ask for a hint yet. Still features I can add to the code I've written.

[Boss Llama]

Since you're going the coding route, I do feel inclined to give you the following hint, which may save you a lot of frustration and lost time.

VIEW CONTENT:

As you gathered from the last clue-giving puzzle, order within each hint is important. Where else might order matter?

[CoyoteCreed]

Since you're going the coding route, I do feel inclined to give you the following hint, which may save you a lot of frustration and lost time.

Too late for that.

Sigh.

The rows of the Polybius square can be rearranged thusly:

Code: Select all

G 4 P 0 D B
A 6 5 X 7 J
M Y C 8 3 L
E U Q N O Z
R K W V I F
S T 2 9 H 1

Notice the first column spells "GAMERS", which, when also tried as the keyword, gives

"So here it is: the final puzzle. It probably isn't much of a puzzle to you now, but that's because you've done an awesome job smashing through all the ciphers and other wordplay leading up to it. People around the world are counting down to an important event this coming Friday the 27th, and now you can, too. Just as London is hosting the opening ceremony for the Olympics this Friday, so, too, shall The Ville open sign-ups for this year's Villympics. Like last year, there shall be 2 big teams competing in 7 games looking for a share of the points. Last year's feedback has been incorporated into planning, so events this year should be even more fun and run even more smoothly. Some games may take 1 person. Others may take 6, or 8, or more. Look to participate in TF2, L4DoD, SMNC, L4D2, CSS, Minecraft, and arcade. Are you ready for the action? If so, be sure to sign up this coming Friday and get in the game for some Villympic glory. X"

Thanks for adding that kiss at the end there, Alizee. I'm going to go sit in a closet and either cry or drink myself into oblivion.

[Flash]

Nicely done Coyote! Villympics, huzzah!

[The Domer]

How exciting!