Thread: Back to Basics for Clue Three

I really just want to have the solve for clue three... so I will share my work to date.

I am fairly certain this is a combination type puzzle. Looking at the distribution of the letters in the 10 x 10 grid they seem to follow a fairly normal frequency pattern (actually fairly close to a scrabble board in many ways). This suggests that this uses perhaps some form of a transposition cipher.

The word "adventurer" I feel is the key word for the grid. There is a process in cryptography where you use a keyword to shift the order of a grid called columnar transposition. This process involves moving the columns according to the letters in a keyword, such as "adventurers". The best keyword would involve a word that had no repeating letters in it, so "adventurer" is not ideal (2 r and 2 e). However, there is a process to correct for this - simply order the letters by first come first serve. Here is how I ordered them - A (1) D(2) V(10) E(3) N (5) T ( U (9) R (6) E (4) R (7).

Now we need to rearrange the grid. Simply print out the grid and cut out rows and columns (2 printouts). Arrange the original rows and columns according to the new order (1,2,10,3,5,8,9,6,4,7). This is supposed to then allow you to read the text withing the grid using a variety of techniques - row by row, column by column, spiral, counter clockwise....
I got butkis for all of those.

But he also gave us the flower petals... Number the newly ordered columns and rows 0-9 as we have done in the past and then pull out the letters using the classic polybius technique. Here is what I found (first set uses vertical then horizontal; second set uses horizontal then vertical; start in the left upper corner):

Ordered Rows/
EPAYGDTYQAIESSVGERIY

STTETSLAQEMADENSENA

Ordered Rows/ Left to Right and Top to Bottom Flower Order
STTETASNLEASQNEDAME

EMADENQSAELNSATETTS

Ordered Coulmns/Clockwise Flower Order
VRPRGNUEQGTELRNSTSE

ATASELMOQHEENSTFENO

Ordered Rows/ Left to Right and Top to Bottom Flower Order
VRPRGENSTESQNRLETG

ATASEOLNEOFQTSNEEH

So...unfortunately I dont think any of these spells out anything meaningful. However, I may have the ordering and reading of the flowers not correct and that may make a difference. Rearranging the rows seems to give the most meaningful series of potential letters.

I do think this puzzle works with clue four, as it has been previously graphed out to form 18 lined segments or 19 columns and rows. Well- we get a series of 19 letters here based upon the flowers. It may be a dot code - meaning you line up the letters we derive in clue three above the picture in even intervals and the flowers position read top to bottom will correspond with a letter that can be put together in a sequence.


Just my two cents. I hope by sharing maybe I can get some feedback on this method.

Haf

hello have been thinking on the two 1-5 count on the petals
i think the 1-5 are markers,starting at the 1-5 on left side.
and going to the 1-5 to the right side, maybe should use the
odd # count or maybe just prime #s. so this would be from
left too bottom too right sides counter clock. then on the top
start at the 0-2 and go down right side to 2-7 clockwise and
use same, or some othe combo odd even, prime not prime, ect.
thinking this would unscrabble letters,so less poss of anagrams.
i tried left an bottom ccw. using the coords as they are and
got a u e s n e t a a c e q, anagrams to ana quest cee.
would do the other poss, just no time maybe everyone take a
poss and see what you come up with lol


benz if this is the way i think you can do it