Clue 3 Cipher
From GoForth
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[edit] Clue 3 Cipher
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One of the sheets collected during the Clue 3 deaddrop in South Carolina contained the following cipher.
[edit] The Cipher
9.6.1 / 58.24.3 / 40.36.5 / 402.22.8 /
9.3.5 / 13.18.4 / 9.6.7 / 232.33.10 /
9.11.3 / 183.21.9 / 31.28.8 / 52.32.1 /
23.5.3 / 48.16.9 / 237.16.9 / 16.27.5 /
105.20.2 / 270.32.7 / 46.7.5 / 192.10.10 /
373.16.5 / 23.5.3 / 41.11.5 / 399.25.4 /
100.4.6 / 313.1.1 / 9.2.3 / 166.10.1 /
353.16.12 / 23.5.3 / 50.17.12 / 61.19.9 /
76.16.5 / 11.8.1 / 224.7.12 / 235.15.5 /
15.6.6 / 24.10.3 /
[edit] The Solution
The crescent waxes, shepherd to where I lay my burden down. Then a last skirmish to this obdurate Earth, our contest a three foot draw. From the riven rock a measure nine times that, my course yet clandestine."
During the Clue 4 pickup, Ashley C received the completed cipher, confirming the players' solution.
[edit] The Analysis
As with most of Grayson's messages, this cipher is extremely cryptic. However, some feel in-depth analysis is needed. This passage could be coordinates to the treasure, or to another buried object of some sorts. Below is a break down of the possible meaning.
- "The crescent waxes..."- This is a reference to the "waxing" moon. During this phase, it is visible in the afternoon and post-dusk[1]. This information could be useful for a future date.
- "...shepherd to where I lay my burden down."- The "burden" could be code for Grayson's treasure.
- "Then a last skirmish to this obdurate(stubborn)Earth..."- Here, the last "skirmish" alludes to the burying or digging into the stubborn Earth. A "skirmish" could be the strike of a pick or shovel.
- '"...our contest a three foot draw."'- This passage is open to interpretation. The three foot draw could stand for three feet from a certain object, such as the tree shown in the Introductory video, OR could mean a hole dug three feet into the ground. Either fit in this context. A draw is also a dry creek bed.
- "From the riven rock..."- riven stands for "split." So in this context, a "split rock."
- "...a measure nine times that..."- Pulling information from the previous line, we would get 27ft (3ft draw x 9).
- "...my course yet clandestine."- Clandestine is defined as "secret." In other terms "My course is yet a secret". Again, open to interpretation.
With all of this information put together, a layman's solution may look like this:
"Under the crescent moon I buried the treasure. I then dug a three foot hole 27 feet from the split rock, my path is (yet) a secret."
[edit] The Method
This book cipher may be solved using the 1884 edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (the same which Kristin G received as part of the Clue 1 deaddrop) as the key.
[edit] Other Ciphers
We saw this cipher in Clue 2, the letter from Nathan Strauss, which read Calamus 112.6 - translating to "Your comrade".
