Chaos Cat
Well-Known Member
Barnum's American Museum?
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Dark PerGron’s Manor of Mysteries [Teaser Thread]
- Thread starter PerGron
- Start date
Warmer...
A second correct answer from @Chaos Cat though @AceAstro and @Disney Warrior were both on the right trail.
The answer for Puzzle #2 could be found by journeying into the New Imagineer Introduction Thread and taking note of the account @Feejee Mermaid where reading their signature would reveal:
With that, you have unlocked the box. Congratulations and tune in tomorrow for the next puzzle!
“Mastodon,” you say to yourself. Like the extinct animal, but why would this be the code? You start to scroll, punching in each letter individually and as you finish the word, a faint *click* can be heard as the lock flings open, its top scattering across the floor of your boss’s office. They look at you, curious as to what is inside this mystery box, and you, curious as well, oblige them, cautiously lifting the ornate lid, which is heavier than it appears, the wood used is dense and firm, a well-crafted box indeed.
Inside the box, you find an orange felt lining, one softer than you’ve ever touched before. It slides through your fingers smooth like butter, the touch pleasant. At the bottom of the box, there sits a compartment with a handle carved from cherry wood. The bright red paint on the handle seems odd given the treatment of the wood on the exterior of the box so kind and pristine that painting seems like a strange choice, but ignoring your thoughts, you carefully tug at the handle, lifting the lid off and revealing the secret compartment at the bottom. Once the lid has been lifted, at the bottom sits a large tome.
You carefully reach in, ready to grab the book, but the first puzzle’s answer springs back into your head and you quickly recoil. Nervously, your boss checks to see if you’re okay, but you reveal to them the first clue’s answer which gets a somewhat disgusted yet intrigued look from them. Reaching into their desk, they find a pair of latex gloves and pull them out, offering them to you as you slide them onto your hands. Once your gloves are applied, you reach down into the box and retrieve the large tome.
Its cover is beautifully crafted, not the patchwork gruesome amalgamation of skin you expected, but rather similar to a fine leather-bound book. It almost makes the prospect more uneasy. As you set the book on the desk in front of you, marveling at the hand-stitched binder and burned-in epigraph, a beautifully etched set of words and an image, one of a serpent coiled around what appears to be a human skull as roses adorn the area around it. The title is in Latin, and the cover reads “Miracula et Curiositates terrae” or “Wonders and Curiosities of Earth” in English.
Carefully, so as to not tear or damage the tome in any way, you peel back the cover and examine the countless pages within. Hand-drawn sketches of animals, plants, magic spells, and terrifying monsters all fill the pages of this treatise with thorough detail both in imagery and writing, though translating Latin is something you don’t feel strongly enough to do. Plus, you’ve wasted so much of your workday on this as is. In fact, the whole timeline of events today has been dictated by this strange otherworldliness since receiving that strange invitation, and now you are in possession of a strange, obviously ancient, and possibly cursed piece of human skin-bound text.
Weirded out, you close the book, lifting it to place it back from whence it came, but before placing it within, a silvery glimmer catches your eye. Another roll of parchment can be found lying within the base of the box, underneath where the tome was. Your boss glances at it, then up at you, and nods encouragingly, you unfurl the scroll, this time wrapped in a silver ribbon, as the words appear, this time added with a picture, a picture of a mastodon, the code to the box.
The note reads “Within a tome of ancient words, among the mighty mastodon herds, where mysteries and science fact all come together in one artifact. Yet all these pictures are not the same, which brought the authors so much shame. Your puzzle now is to use these references, see both pictures and find six differences.”
You unfurl the two nearly identical pictures, studying them for changes that may stand out. Now is your chance to find the six differences. Do your best, for only successfully doing so will reveal the next puzzle.
Inside the box, you find an orange felt lining, one softer than you’ve ever touched before. It slides through your fingers smooth like butter, the touch pleasant. At the bottom of the box, there sits a compartment with a handle carved from cherry wood. The bright red paint on the handle seems odd given the treatment of the wood on the exterior of the box so kind and pristine that painting seems like a strange choice, but ignoring your thoughts, you carefully tug at the handle, lifting the lid off and revealing the secret compartment at the bottom. Once the lid has been lifted, at the bottom sits a large tome.
You carefully reach in, ready to grab the book, but the first puzzle’s answer springs back into your head and you quickly recoil. Nervously, your boss checks to see if you’re okay, but you reveal to them the first clue’s answer which gets a somewhat disgusted yet intrigued look from them. Reaching into their desk, they find a pair of latex gloves and pull them out, offering them to you as you slide them onto your hands. Once your gloves are applied, you reach down into the box and retrieve the large tome.
Its cover is beautifully crafted, not the patchwork gruesome amalgamation of skin you expected, but rather similar to a fine leather-bound book. It almost makes the prospect more uneasy. As you set the book on the desk in front of you, marveling at the hand-stitched binder and burned-in epigraph, a beautifully etched set of words and an image, one of a serpent coiled around what appears to be a human skull as roses adorn the area around it. The title is in Latin, and the cover reads “Miracula et Curiositates terrae” or “Wonders and Curiosities of Earth” in English.
Carefully, so as to not tear or damage the tome in any way, you peel back the cover and examine the countless pages within. Hand-drawn sketches of animals, plants, magic spells, and terrifying monsters all fill the pages of this treatise with thorough detail both in imagery and writing, though translating Latin is something you don’t feel strongly enough to do. Plus, you’ve wasted so much of your workday on this as is. In fact, the whole timeline of events today has been dictated by this strange otherworldliness since receiving that strange invitation, and now you are in possession of a strange, obviously ancient, and possibly cursed piece of human skin-bound text.
Weirded out, you close the book, lifting it to place it back from whence it came, but before placing it within, a silvery glimmer catches your eye. Another roll of parchment can be found lying within the base of the box, underneath where the tome was. Your boss glances at it, then up at you, and nods encouragingly, you unfurl the scroll, this time wrapped in a silver ribbon, as the words appear, this time added with a picture, a picture of a mastodon, the code to the box.
The note reads “Within a tome of ancient words, among the mighty mastodon herds, where mysteries and science fact all come together in one artifact. Yet all these pictures are not the same, which brought the authors so much shame. Your puzzle now is to use these references, see both pictures and find six differences.”
You unfurl the two nearly identical pictures, studying them for changes that may stand out. Now is your chance to find the six differences. Do your best, for only successfully doing so will reveal the next puzzle.
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Only @Dark PerGron can rhyme "references" and "differences" and sell it well.
Very excited to see what this turns into.
Very excited to see what this turns into.
ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
I feel like I'm in a real version of Clue or an online escape room! Very cool so far!
Chaos Cat
Well-Known Member
Hey, @Dark PerGron. Not to sound impatient or anything, but when am I getting feedback for my answer? Please, the cops are right outside so it would nice if you were to hurry it up oh god-
Once again, @Chaos Cat solves the puzzle. Congratulations.
Now, because tomorrow is renovations day at the Manor of Mysteries and the WiFi will be out (I'm at work all day and no computer). Your puzzle will be delivered swiftly
Upon solving the differences between the images, you set them into the box, close it, and look to your boss who tells you to get to work and they’ll let you know if anything has changed. You glance at the clock on the wall, wondering how much time has passed, but strangely, it’s been only a handful of minutes. Concerned now, you return to your job, the rest of your day not offering any other strange occurrences. You eat lunch with your coworkers, explaining the strange goings-on, but they brush it off, laughing at your concern. You laugh it off as well, but inside, your confusion holds on.
Your drive home is also uneventful, despite the strange box in your passenger seat, oh, and the nagging in your head questioning everything that has happened. Where is the time going? What are the meanings of these puzzles? All of this and more continue to haunt you as you drive.
Pulling into your driveway, you notice something strange about your dwelling. Despite it being winter, the plant life is blossoming and blooming, vibrant greens and reds and pinks of various flowers and trees you now know for a fact were not there this morning fill the premises. The color splash is strange, compared to the still-dead or dormant plants and trees surrounding your house in any of the neighboring yards.
You make your way through the new dense jungle of foliage that is your yard, and as you walk, despite the cool winter air, you feel hot, sweltering even, and you notice you’re wearing your winter coat but now, in the confines of your yard, it is almost like a tropical paradise. The sky remains gray, yet you feel as if you’ve stepped into the equator itself. Fresh fruit hangs from trees, a large and plump peach falling by your feet and rolling until gently bumping into your shoe. An impulsive and uncontrollable urge to grab the peach and take a bite consumes you and as you lift the fuzzy fruit to your mouth and place a perfect bite into it, the sweetness and juiciness of the fruit seem to wash your troubles away.
You continue to eat the peach, moving forward to your door, which seems to be farther and farther away with each bite that you take. Noticing this, you spit out the bite you’re chewing and cast the peach aside, startling something in the bush which flies out and over your head, landing on the pathway in front of you. It is a gorgeous peacock, with full and vibrant plumage that stares you down and lets out a honk. Upon its landing, you notice that around its neck is a piece of parchment, rolled up and tied tight with a red ribbon. The peacock stands still, cocking its head at you as you slowly approach so as to not startle it. You’re able to approach the bird and quickly grasp the parchment, sliding it over the bird’s head. The peacock lets out another loud honk and flies off back into the dense garden.
You unfurl the parchment, revealing another note, this one reading “Within these gardens we find life, with calls that sound of flute and fife. With lots of fruit and towering palms, each garden sings its sacred psalms. To solve this puzzle and find the clue, you first have found the peacock blue, but now in this here garden of birds, you must find these 39 words.”
You see that on the backside of the parchment, there is a jumble of letters with an answer key of words to find. Now is your chance, find these words and solve this puzzle to advance farther and return to your home.
Your drive home is also uneventful, despite the strange box in your passenger seat, oh, and the nagging in your head questioning everything that has happened. Where is the time going? What are the meanings of these puzzles? All of this and more continue to haunt you as you drive.
Pulling into your driveway, you notice something strange about your dwelling. Despite it being winter, the plant life is blossoming and blooming, vibrant greens and reds and pinks of various flowers and trees you now know for a fact were not there this morning fill the premises. The color splash is strange, compared to the still-dead or dormant plants and trees surrounding your house in any of the neighboring yards.
You make your way through the new dense jungle of foliage that is your yard, and as you walk, despite the cool winter air, you feel hot, sweltering even, and you notice you’re wearing your winter coat but now, in the confines of your yard, it is almost like a tropical paradise. The sky remains gray, yet you feel as if you’ve stepped into the equator itself. Fresh fruit hangs from trees, a large and plump peach falling by your feet and rolling until gently bumping into your shoe. An impulsive and uncontrollable urge to grab the peach and take a bite consumes you and as you lift the fuzzy fruit to your mouth and place a perfect bite into it, the sweetness and juiciness of the fruit seem to wash your troubles away.
You continue to eat the peach, moving forward to your door, which seems to be farther and farther away with each bite that you take. Noticing this, you spit out the bite you’re chewing and cast the peach aside, startling something in the bush which flies out and over your head, landing on the pathway in front of you. It is a gorgeous peacock, with full and vibrant plumage that stares you down and lets out a honk. Upon its landing, you notice that around its neck is a piece of parchment, rolled up and tied tight with a red ribbon. The peacock stands still, cocking its head at you as you slowly approach so as to not startle it. You’re able to approach the bird and quickly grasp the parchment, sliding it over the bird’s head. The peacock lets out another loud honk and flies off back into the dense garden.
You unfurl the parchment, revealing another note, this one reading “Within these gardens we find life, with calls that sound of flute and fife. With lots of fruit and towering palms, each garden sings its sacred psalms. To solve this puzzle and find the clue, you first have found the peacock blue, but now in this here garden of birds, you must find these 39 words.”
You see that on the backside of the parchment, there is a jumble of letters with an answer key of words to find. Now is your chance, find these words and solve this puzzle to advance farther and return to your home.
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Maybe you’re right! My half blind eyes (One seeing, one blind) agree with your assessment of the two images!
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
CURSES!! MY HALF BLINDNESS CANNOT HANDLE THIS!!
The Lochness Monsta
Well-Known Member
Whoa this thread is different!
There's some pretty messed up stuff in this one though, like making things with human skin and baby elephants getting offed.
There's some pretty messed up stuff in this one though, like making things with human skin and baby elephants getting offed.
montydysquith-navarro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Me, looking at this: Yeah, this is going to be easy.
(Me then encountering a word spelled in reverse and immediately realizing that there's going to be more of that)
Me: Son of a...
(Me then encountering a word spelled in reverse and immediately realizing that there's going to be more of that)
Me: Son of a...
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Me:Me, looking at this: Yeah, this is going to be easy.
(Me then encountering a word spelled in reverse and immediately realizing that there's going to be more of that)
Me: Son of a...
️️
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Not all puzzles are made equally. Yesterday was easy, today is a challenge hahaMe, looking at this: Yeah, this is going to be easy.
(Me then encountering a word spelled in reverse and immediately realizing that there's going to be more of that)
Me: Son of a...
ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
Carambola was my final one. I think I know better know how a computer creates them. Ha!
The puzzle here remains incomplete, to finish it a superhuman feat. Though this fact brings me much sorrow, this puzzle will continue into the morrow.
And with another update here, to give more time to shout and cheer, the reveal date for this little thread has been moved a few days ahead. For the 28th has been laid a claim, to finish off a favorite game. This new date is set and sturdy, join us for the reveal on March 30.
And with another update here, to give more time to shout and cheer, the reveal date for this little thread has been moved a few days ahead. For the 28th has been laid a claim, to finish off a favorite game. This new date is set and sturdy, join us for the reveal on March 30.
We’ll nevermind then, the puzzle has been solved by @ThemeParkPriest
A new puzzle will drop tomorrow