[OVER] Riddles - Second edition - Solve them and harvest the loot!

[Kouye]

I think I've got #1 and 2, but 3 is really throwing me:

Do we need to worry about zero-indexing with the poem?
Is there some sort of targeted search needed for the user?

Fun puzzles so far!

Read the previous hints about that riddle. It comes into 3 parts:
- Find the material
- Follow the instructions to get a word from this material
- Find a way to use that word

G'luck!

[1713858689]

1713858689

[1713858689]

1713858689

[1713858689]

1713858689

[1713858689]

1713858689

[1713858689]

1713858689

[Kouye]

I realised the 4th key might be a little violent to acquire for BookLover, so I added an alternative way to get it. Check edit history in first post.

[NewLiberty]

You don't HAVE to be in the NSA to solve this, but it helps.

[12648430]

I, 12648430, am the riddlemaster =)
G9f5eNimxeYzJLVpkqFR5GyApCbrKJEdU44nu5cAs0jpGJsx+2h36VyYC8PBrp345/v1H2pjluISx1/5vO6XLwM=

[Kouye]

I, 12648430, am the riddlemaster =)
G9f5eNimxeYzJLVpkqFR5GyApCbrKJEdU44nu5cAs0jpGJsx+2h36VyYC8PBrp345/v1H2pjluISx1/5vO6XLwM=

Ok, the loot has been claimed, this message signature appears to be valid.

Congratulations!

I'll post the whole solution this weekend.

In the meantime, could you please share a bit more details about how you found it?
Was it brute force or did you figure out all the riddles?
Or did you hack into my computer and/or account? 

[12648430]

I didn't solve all the riddles, but I didn't really do anything like brute-forcing either.

- I solved #2.
- meta.p02 posted the solution to #5, although I'm familiar with Caesar cyphers and don't think that one would have stumped me

#2 and #5 game two names that fit into your meta-puzzle (second[] = "mates"), leaving the letters "m", "t", and "s" to be matched to usernames. "m" would not fit many users and a single well-known name came to mind; "t" went the same way. That left "s". I couldn't think of any names I knew that'd fit "s" so I went to the members list, sorted it by post count, compiled a list of the first several pages, and regex searched it for usernames matching "s"; I was honestly kind of shocked that my strategy worked so well when the second passphrase I tried produced the keys.

[Kouye]

I didn't solve all the riddles, but I didn't really do anything like brute-forcing either.

- I solved #2.
- meta.p02 posted the solution to #5, although I'm familiar with Caesar cyphers and don't think that one would have stumped me

#2 and #5 game two names that fit into your meta-puzzle (second[] = "mates"), leaving the letters "m", "t", and "s" to be matched to usernames. "m" would not fit many users and a single well-known name came to mind; "t" went the same way. That left "s". I couldn't think of any names I knew that'd fit "s" so I went to the members list, sorted it by post count, compiled a list of the first several pages, and regex searched it for usernames matching "s"; I was honestly kind of shocked that my strategy worked so well when the second passphrase I tried produced the keys.

Thanks for the report and congratulations
I'll make sure in the next set that you can't deduce the whole solution with just 2/5 riddles solved, I guess... Still improving!

For the record, the "s" one was escrow.ms, which I promised to include in this set as he was really kind and rewarded the "sherlocks who didn't make it" from the first set.

[MoonShadow]

Okay, so what was the solution?

[bitcoinpsftp]

I wish there were puzzles for people who were not learned about super complex puzzle solving.  But I guess making that kind of puzzle would be too easy.  Wish I was part of the niche of people that could solve this.  It looks super interesting.  Wouldn't know where to start though (probably first step is to take a programing language course)...

[Kouye]

Okay, so what was the solution?

I'm on it, not sure if I'll have time to finish tonight, but I'll try my best.

In the meantime, I can tease and tell you the brainwallet passphrase was:
gmaxwellGavinAndresenStephenGornickMeniRosenfeldescrow.ms

[Voodah]

Congrats to the winner !

I was so close

I had gmaxwell, MeniRosenfeld and GavinAndresen.

I think my biggest downfall was the fact that I don't even remember having seen a post by StephenGornick. My guess is we just don't use the same sub-forums.

#2 was the easiest imo.

Good job 12648430 & Kouye , fun times !!

[Kouye]

I wish there were puzzles for people who were not learned about super complex puzzle solving.  But I guess making that kind of puzzle would be too easy.  Wish I was part of the niche of people that could solve this.  It looks super interesting.  Wouldn't know where to start though (probably first step is to take a programing language course)...

No programing skill was required to crack those, apart maybe for the meta-riddle that just helped to reorder in the end.
I thought it might be understable by anyone, sorry if it was not, but we'll discuss that after I post the whole solution, if you don't mind.

This chunk of code was also a confirmation because apart from escrow.ms (which I promised would be part of it), I tried to pick users involved in bitcoin dev, to pay my respects in my own way.

[Kouye]

Here's a first draft of the solutions!
Might be edited for clarity later, but it should be enough for a start.

[Kouye]

#1

This happens in a shady pub, somewhere in the future.
Two guys are discussing, both of which hold one part of the solution.
One also holds the "ke (an)y ______".

- You're drunk, you dont make any sense bud, we'll just go home now, ok?
- Wait... Say, should we really be
exterminating
the
metagalaxy xenogamy?
What's the point in
axiomatizing mindexpanding sexagesima
then ? Why not just keep
exclaiming exogamic hexagrams
instead ?
- WHAT'S... COME ON?!! Quit drinking for now, we'll head out now and have a walk, right?
- Bartender! One more round, on me!
- Oh we'll... I'm going, do whatever you want.

=================================================================================

Case was important, here.
Bad ears helped, too.

The idea, as hinted just a bit later, was to reply to the question.
WHAT'S... COME ON?!

Which, I hoped, with bad ears, could transform in "what's common?"
But apparently that failed miserably.

Then all you had to do was to notice some words from one of the guys were in italic (the fact they were really weird words was supposed to help notice them).

Code:

exterminating
metagalaxy
xenogamy
axiomatizing
mindexpanding
sexagesima
exclaiming
exogamic
hexagrams

I was hoping the repetition of the letters in those words would hint to take a closer look at the letters they had in common, too.

if you keep only the letters they have in common, you end up with
m, g, a ,x

Which I, at some point, thought would be sufficient.
On a second thought, I added the rest in the first guy replies, in the form of an obvious typo, which I warned in initial post was probably here because I wanted it to.

Maybe I should not have, but we'll discuss this after I posted all the solutions.

==> gmaxwell

The key for next one was not too hard, most people found it.

ke (an)y _____

So this tells the key is 5 chars (I won't ever reply to a riddle thread while drunk, sorry again, Voodah)
Also tells it's after "ke any"
(The "an" was smaller to let just key appear, for elegance.)

==> Key = sense

[Kouye]

#2

Oooh, a key!
Replace that unique one with the mark Mary Read left on the map.
Consider the mark as a mirror, and fix the reflection.
Ooooh, exciting!

Now, open the book.
The 1883 one.
No, not Zarathustra... You know, the one about... The mirror thing...

- Preface, last paragraph, unfortunately wrecked ?
- the china ?
- Preface, (First word)[1]
- In the paragraph after the Solution of riddles, whoever ? to repeat

.... ....'.'......

Haha. Funny shit. Wait. How do you pronounce that?

Hey, don't forget the key!
Think she hid it in the inn, Arrrrrr!
Just keep the number.

=================================================================================

Mary Read was a pirate, so the mark she could have left on a map was an "X"
This was consistent with the whole "treasure hunt", too.

The unique one in "sense" is 'n'.
So if you replace it with the mark, you get "sexse".
Fix the relection : "sexes"

Open the book. The 1883 one.
This needed just a bit of culture to deduce "kama sutra", and a little google work, to find an online version of first 1883 kama sutra english translation. (public domain... I think)
http://www.classicly.com/download-the-kama-sutra-of-vatsayayana-pdf


Nietzsche's Zarathustra was published the same year, the "tra" ending was the same, and was supposed to be a hint, echoing from first riddle.

Then you just had to look into the book the required extracts:

- Preface, last paragraph, unfortunately wrecked ? ==> many
- the china => rose
- Preface, (First word)[1] (that's "get the second character from first word of the preface) => n
- In the paragraph after the Solution of riddles, whoever ? to repeat (was glad about a riddles being mentioned, so used it) => failed

Ended up after you put all this in
.... ....'.'......

many rose'n'failed

which was a self-confirmed (although a "mature" joke, I guess) result.

Use the bad ears again, and...

==> MeniRosenfeld

For the key, just google "Mary Read Inn".
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/Pirates/p/Biography-Of-Mary-Read.htm
This comes up, just keep the "number"
so key => 3 or three

[Kouye]

#3

s When the frigate lands like poetry, strictly focus on the key.
: Space does not matter. Ignore it.
/ Stuff all that remain in the shaker(*), then enjoy your meal.
/ He's hiding somewhere around... Think out of in the box. That /index/ isn't helping.

(*)This guy holds the next key. And key has a tail!(**)
(**)For a tail-less confirmation, see riddle #2

=================================================================================

The poem was just a google search away.
When the frigate lands like poetry = http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19730

If you strictly focus on the key (3), keeping only 3rd char from each line and discard spaces, you get:
"eritwa"

Which, if you're good at anagrams or just stuff it in any anagram solver, turns out to be:
http://anagram-solver.net/eritwa

The only word related to an incoming meal seems to be waiter.

s://
He's hiding somewhere around... Think out of in the box. That /index/ isn't helping.

That was a hint to think both "out of the box" and in the current context.
The index, followed by the php hint, was supposed to make you curious and try:
https://bitcointalk.org/waiter/

Which, thanks to theymos help, held the answer for this one.

Many, many thanks again for that, theymos.
Please let it live for a couple more weeks until most people are done reading this.
Just for the record, I asked theymos for a 2 weeks clearance to have this url showing the answer.
It took several months, after all, because I underestimated the difficulty. He still kept it alive even after the couldflare-hack&rollback.

For late people, this url was just showing :

==> escrow.ms

Key was pretty straightforward.
Shaker holds the key
==> Cocktail
With added confirmation : "And key has a tail!" (I won't go through the confirmation of the confirmation for PG rated reasons).

[Kouye]

#4

Ewww. Are you really going to swallow that key?



Looks pointy and dangerous to me...
Yuck. Cheers, I guess.
Let's play hangman with that fruit!

_ 5 1 2 4 _ _ _





Wow,
this
is
S....ICK!

Want the next key?

This is for grownups only! I'll come up with an alternative way by tomorrow for younger people, sorry.

Look for the previous one on the dictionary holding Inaba definition.
5th definition.
Just keep the timestamp. Not the timestamp. (*)

(*)For a dizzy confirmation, see riddle #2

This is for solid kids, same result, softer way.

Look for the fruit on the dictionary holding Inaba definition.
(01) 00-04-72-80-WHY
Just keep that as the timestamp.


=================================================================================

Picture was showing (the key?) a hammer. A tool.
But description did not fit.

"Looks pointy and dangerous to me..." was a hint to find the right tool.
"Ewww. Are you really going to swallow that key?" was a confirmation you were looking for a cocktail.

Tool, pointy, cocktail
was supposed to lead you to "Screwdriver"

Let's play hangman with that fruit!
The only fruit in screwdriver recipe is "orange".

playing hangman with "orange" and this:
_ 5 1 2 4 _ _ _

was supposed to lead you to:
_ G O R N _ _ _

with letter 3 and 6 excluded, and thus building up the gallows.

result, combined with:

Wow,
this
is
S....ICK!

was giving SGORNICK. A quick google search on that:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/User:Sgornick

Again, was pleased with the "SICK" result here.

Bitcoin related, all you had to do then is to find his nick on btctalk.

==> StephenGornick

For the key, you needed to use the urban dictionary, which has the best definition for Inaba I could find.

Searching for "orange", you found

The colour which vain assholes turn after a session in the tanning salon; Often confused with Hepatitis.

apply (01) 00-04-72-80-WHY
(01) = first definition

Then



==> today

I won't go through the initial key hint, but it required looking for the timestamp on the 5th (initially 4th) screwdriver definition of the same dictionary.
That was supposed to be a self-confirmation (which I was again pleased with), too, but I understand we have some youngsters, and will be softer in the future.
Sorry about that.

[Kouye]

#5

Yaaawn. What time is it?
*looks around*
Whatever. Carpe diem.

Code:

JDWLQ DQCHTUHQ

Come on, shawshankinmate37927, try to chew on this one.
Clock says it's "<date>bcef".
When are we? WHEN?

============================================================================

Last was very easy, and a tribute to shawshankinmate37927 for this:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=270332.msg2907723#msg2907723

Just the usual Caesar shift, with the following correspondance:

TODAYBCEFGHIJKLMNPQRSUVWXZ
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

[Kouye]

I'm eager to have any feedback, even if very negative/trollish.

Some things I learnt during this set:
- Never reply when drunk.
- Make sure people have to crack all 5 riddles to find the treasure
- Posting both riddles and solutions to an admin to fix typos/ language mistakes prior to going live might be a good idea.

Overall, I'm still pretty happy with those riddles, apart from the first one, and the fact they were not suited for underaged members.
But consistency was mostly acheived, in my eyes, at least.

And again, many thanks to theymos, who I have had my share of disagreement with, and who still accepted to include a part of the solution "somewhere around".

EDIT : Thanks to tysat, too, for letting me post here.

[theymos]

Many, many thanks again for that, theymos.

No problem. Thanks for setting this up. The riddles were really difficult! If brute-force attacks weren't possible, they probably would have never been solved without hints or a lot of community cooperation.