Runestone Basalt

Runestone Basalt
Completed on 2023-01-20
Secret messages have been discovered in Old School RuneScape.
Type	Official
Creator	Jagex
Discovered	2022-01-19
Completed	2023-01-20

Main Page > List of Investigations > Runestone Basalt

This article uses material from the Runestone basalt article on the Oldschool RuneScape Wiki and is licensed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.

This wiki page documents an ongoing puzzle hunt in Old School RuneScape, which started on 19th January 2022 during the Leagues III: Shattered Relics update.

Runestone Basalts

Runestone basalts with a card on top have been found scattered across the Shattered Relics League worlds. Upon interacting with these stones they displayed a message to the player saying "You reach for the card but it fades before you can grab it... as if pulled into another realm..." and opened up a cryptic image in the player's browser. After interacting with the basalt, the card disappears and further searches of the basalt now display a message saying "A faint warm glow can be felt where the card once was... I wonder where it went?".

Initial Message

Originally upon interacting with a runestone basalt it would link to one of three images, all with a triple spiral patterned design. The first image was just the plain triple spiral pattern image. The second image contained a hidden phrase in the background with the message keep watching keep waiting for the moment in and out of time. The third image similarly contained another hidden phrase that said keep watching keep waiting for the moment in and out of time. Three unique basalts have been discovered near the Lighthouse, Harmony Island, and Great Kourend. The basalts originally linked to these three images, but later were all updated to have a unique puzzle for their location.

Lighthouse Puzzle

Lighthouse Puzzle - Contains hidden letters in the background

The first runestone basalt was found near the Lighthouse, north of the Barbarian Outpost. Interacting with the basalt opened up a cryptic image in the player's browser. Hidden in the background of the image were the letters FHXSPLZLOUCUGS. The file name of the image is jato5xu7a4. Converting the numbers in the file name to letters using A1Z26 (A=1, B=2, Z=26, etc), it becomes jatoexugad. Using this as a key in a Vigenere cipher with the string hidden in the image as the ciphertext, it decodes to WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

Harmony Island Puzzle

Harmony Island Puzzle - Contains hidden Chinese characters in the background

The second runestone basalt was found on Harmony Island, south of Mos Le'Harmless. Interacting with the basalt opened up a cryptic image in the player's browser. Hidden in the background of the image were the Chinese characters 暗輪鑰謎蠱籠間. By counting the amount of strokes in each character, and then converting the numbers to letters using the same technique as before, it produced the string MOYQWVL. Once again using this string as the ciphertext, and the file name thumbnaillarge as the key for the Vigenere cipher produced the phrase THE EVIL.

Great Kourend Puzzle

Great Kourend Puzzle - Contains hidden dark cyan pixels in the background

The third and currently final runestone basalt was found in Great Kourend, in the continent of Zeah. Interacting with the basalt opened up a cryptic image in the player's browser. Hidden throughout the image were seven dark cyan pixels. These pixels could be found in the image in the following X and Y coordinates (146, 85), (500, 100), (312, 301), (1271, 111), (1420, 500), (1122, 341), and (816, 522). Going from left to right, by adding all of the digits in the X and Y coordinates together, and once again converting these seven digits alphabetically from numbers to letters, produced the string XJFXNLN. The file's name 5c2s0xcwug could also be decoded using the same method (with '0' recursively becoming 'Z') to get the key ECBSZXCWUG. Finally, using the string hidden in the image as the ciphertext, and the converted file name as the key for the Vigenere cipher, produced the string THE FOOL.

Confirmation

After all of the Runestone basalt puzzles were solved by the community, the images found near the Lighthouse, Harmony Island, and Great Kourend, were updated to contain the decoded phrases. As shown in the photos, players are currently on standby for further messages. Additionally, hidden in the background of these updated images is the message seriously just wait.

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  The Lighthouse
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  Harmony Island
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  Great Kourend

Follow the Sound of the Flowing River

"follow the sound of the flowing river"

On the 8th of February 2022, an update was made to the image redirect for the Lighthouse Basalt. The new image contained the clue "follow the sound of the flowing river" alongside an unusual cyan border.

Within the cyan border, a series of hidden pixels held a secret message. By isolating the blue segment of the RGB values of the pixels in the border, it could be converted to audio and analysed using a Temporal Frequency Analysis tool which gave the following sequence of letters EQMKILDDGEUFYJBZ.

Additionally, playing the audio clip revealed the numbers 5490.

Decrypting each section of the border code with their respective spoken number as the key, using a Vigenere cipher, resulted in the string ZIRGDXJMTWHBZFKL. Shifting each character one space back and employing a Vigenere cipher with a previously solved puzzle's solution, WHEELOFFORTUNE, as the key, unveiled the location CAMBRIDGE ENGLAND.

A River Torn Apart yet Remaining as One

"a river torn apart yet remaining as one"

Alongside the previous clue, players were presented with another image featuring the phrase "a river torn apart yet remaining as one" and a cyan border resembling the previous image.

Despite initial challenges, players received a hint in their Discord voice channel via a series of Morse code signals that spelled out the word oscilloscope.

Following a similar approach to the previous puzzle, players extracted an audio file and this time fed it through an oscilloscope. This process revealed a sequence of plotted letters and musical notes. Taking the letters displayed on the screen as the ciphertext and using the musical notes played as a key for a Vigenere cipher, players decoded the following sequence of letters: qqqrewsnwsskafbkfwkuuhi. Once again, by shifting each letter in this sequence by one and decrypting it using the phrase THEEVIL as the key, the second location was unveiled as WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA.

Eroded by the Tooth of Time

"tæret av tidens tann, språket var. til den grad at oversettelsens dør forble låst"

Accompanying the previous two puzzles, players received a new image, featuring a clue in Norwegian that translated to "Eroded by the tooth of time, the language was. To the extent that the door of translation remained locked” along with a cyan border resembling the previous two images.

Once again, players found themselves stumbled by this puzzle. However, Mod Brow provided a hint, sharing the clue FIRSTMESSAGEOFEACHTRANSMISSION=🕭103. This hint indicated that the first message of each transmission should be considered, along with a bell and the number 103.

By converting the cyan border into audio once again and utilizing a program called minimodem to simulate a Bell 103 Modem, players received a series of numbers that decoded to LLSSPH YPREL ILPRJ UKWFM using the A1Z26 cipher.

Yet again faced with a roadblock, players were granted another clue, presented in the form of the below image:

Applying a Vigenere cipher to the aforementioned text with the key baud, players decrypted the message, revealing the following:

in each stream hides two transmissions
the first spoken by a bell rung one hundred times plus three
a machine used to speak a language forgotten
the second is the same but spoke at ten times the speed
the first will be numbers needed as a key
the second will present a vision of a lock

A grid of zodiac symbols

The previously decoded string represented the first transmission mentioned. By replaying the same audio track through the Bell 103 Modem, but at 10 times the speed, players decoded a PNG file displaying a grid of zodiac symbols.

Mapping each zodiac symbol to the corresponding letter in the Winding font (e.g., '♌︎' representing the letter 'b'), players decoded the message: beige ahead beach cache. Once again, using the values from the first transmission as a Vigeeère key, shifting each character by one place, and applying the Vigenère key THEFOOL, players uncovered their final location: WELLINGTON NEW ZEALAND.

Tarot Cards

Using the Wingding image from the previous puzzle and isolating each of the RGB channels, three distinct images emerged. Each of these images corresponded to real-life locations connected to the solutions of the previous puzzles.

The Compass

The first image contained an image of a stone compass. By searching for landmarks containing a compass around the three known locations, players eventually identified a match at Milton Country Park in Cambridge, England.

Looking around the general area of the compass, players stumbled upon a hidden cache housing a Wheel of Fortune tarot card, with an incomplete QR code on the back.

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  Image from Red RGB Channel
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  Compass Landmark in Cambridge
• 

  The Tarot Card Cache
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  Wheel of Fortune
• 

  Incomplete QR Code

The Sundial

The second image contained a picture of a traditional sundial that was found in Carolina Beach in North Carolina, US. Hidden in the surrounding area was another cache containing The Evil tarot card and the subsequent portion of the QR code.

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  Image from Green RGB Channel
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  Sundial Landmark in North Carolina
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  The Tarot Card Cache
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  The Evil
• 

  Incomplete QR Code

The Astrolabe

Finally, the third image contained a picture of a spherical astrolabe. Additionally, an accompanying image containing encrypted text was provided. By decoding the text using the vigenere key THEFOOL players were given the following message:

a gift from harmony island
the card waits to be found
near a tool used to count shadows
in the land of the long white cloud

In the background of the image were a set of coordinates to the astrolabe in the Wellington Botanic Garden, New Zealand. Hidden in a nearby bush, was the final tarot card, The Fool, along with the concluding portion of the QR code.

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  Image from Blue RGB Channel
• 

  Astrolabe Landmark in Wellington
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  The Tarot Card Cache
• 

  The Fool
• 

  Incomplete QR Code

Completing the QR Code

The completed QR code

Combining the QR code segments obtained from each of the three tarot cards, it led to the link: https://osrs.game/thewheel. Upon visiting the website, players were greeted with an image telling them to "Standby for further communication".

League Rewards

After the Leagues III: Shattered Relics event ended medals were sent out to players that had achieved certain goals throughout the event. Alongside each of these medals was one of the three tarot cards and a slip of paper containing an encrypted message. These messages could be decrypted with a vigenere cipher with the name of the tarot card as the key. A list of the tarot cards given and their respective message for each achievement can be found below.

Following the conclusion of the Leagues III: Shattered Relics event, participants who had achieved specific milestones were rewarded with medals. Accompanying each medal was one of the three tarot cards previously mentioned, as well as a small slip of paper bearing an encrypted message. Decrypting these messages involved using a vigenere cipher, with the name of the corresponding tarot card serving as the decryption key.

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  "The future isn’t yours to see"
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  "Eyes beyond our own"
• 

  "Three of a kind"

The table below provides a list of the tarot cards distributed and the decrypted messages associated with each achievement:

Achievement	Tarot Card	Message
1st in Most League Points & 1st in Most Tasks Completed	The Wheel	Who watches the watchers
2nd in Most League Points & 2nd in Most Tasks Completed	The Evil	The future isn’t yours to see
3rd in Most League Points & 3rd in Most Tasks Completed	The Wheel	Who watches the watchers
1st in Most Experience Gained	The Wheel	Three of a kind
3rd in Most Experience Gained	The Fool	Cards of power
1st to Max (99 in All Skills)	The Evil	The future isn’t yours to see
2nd to Max (99 in All Skills)	The Evil	Soon a puzzle will be revealed
3rd to Max (99 in All Skills)	The Fool	Cards of power
1st to Unlock all Skills	The Wheel	Three of a kind
1st to Unlock all Bosses	The Fool	Eyes beyond our own
1st to Reach Tier 7	The Evil	Soon a puzzle will be revealed
1st to Reach Tier 7 without Hitpoints	The Fool	Eyes beyond our own

The Final Performance

When players inquired about the completion status of the ARG, Mod Brown provided a cryptic response:

eighteen letters
six messages
three cards
two dead tongues
one final message
the horseman waits

The Eighteen Letters

On January 18th, 2023, a news post was published on the Old School RuneScape website, and certain sections of the text appeared to be affected by glitches. Adding to the intrigue, the name of Mod Sarnie, one of the in-game moderators, was rotated 180 degrees in the list of mods at the bottom of the page. Clicking on Mod Sarnie's name led users to [osrs.game/worB osrs.game/worB], containing the below image:

• 

  "you must speak a phrase to a horseman in an ancient tongue"

Hidden in the background of the image was the message thefinalperformance. Clicking on this message as a link ([osrs.game/thefinalperformance osrs.game/thefinalperformance]) redirected users to the image watching.png.

The image contained a repeating list of the English alphabet. Hidden in the background, at the top right, was a crescent moon. Notably, certain letters of the alphabet were missing from the image. By collecting these missing letters, players obtained their next link, [osrs.game/ripddw osrs.game/ripddw], which led to the image stars.png displayed below:

By adjusting the image, players revealed a series of constellations composed of stars. Overlaying these constellations onto the list of letters, with the crescent moon as a guide, unveiled a sequence of different letters: ztuobh, yvohjr, gyrxbs, and wyrotg. Notably, the second constellation in the image featured dashed lines increasing in quantity from 1 to 5. Combining the letters derived from this combination, players received the link [osrs.game/yvohjr osrs.game/yvohjr], which led to the image stories.png.

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  stars.png
• 

  Hidden constellations
• 

  Constellations revealing letters

In the text provided, there is an alternating switch between English and Latin. By translating each line to the opposite language, the following message is obtained:

legere luna lucrum ludum linum
Yawning yesterday the yellow yard of the young man
falsa fenestra est firma festinatio byb fortuna
Just kidding just joined the journey
mare, maritus in mensa magna
I am again, I am sometimes the sixth, what am I?

By identifying the letter used in the alliteration on each line, players obtained their next link, [osrs.game/lyfjmy osrs.game/lyfjmy], which led to the image closing.png:

your audience is pleased with your Efforts
your work is nearly done whiLst mine continues on
at the Intersection of the timeless moment
all that remains is for a horseman To hear the call
these Eighteen characters will be your final test
until we speak again, somewhere, nowhere, everywhere...

By extracting the capital letters from the text, players discovered the word ELITE. As indicated by the name of the image, this signifies the conclusion of the chain of links, with 'ELITE' not being a valid link or leading to further content.

The Dead Tongues

Simultaneously, Mod Sarnie's Twitter account was compromised, and a series of images containing glitched messages in Winding was posted.

The Wingding in the first message was decoded to Three steps, Eighteen characters, Two dead languages, Three codes. The second message revealed the decryption Warp the letters, Self contained, Destinations discovered. The third message disclosed I have enough left for one more set of clues they will surely help but first you must ask. Finally, the fourth message, written in Latin, translated to:

tempus, ventis, crepusculum
duodeviginti characteres
clavis, sem, electi

When translated from Latin to English, it reads as follows:

time, winds, twilight
eighteen characters
key, salad, elite

• 

  The first message (translated)
• 

  The second message (translated)
• 

  The third message (translated)

Using the 18 characters utilized in the chain of URLs from the previous stage, ripddwyvohjrlyfjmy, and decrypting it with a Vigenere cipher using the key eighteencharacters, and subsequently decrypting it with ROT18, resulted in the Latin phrase viresacquiriteundo. As mentioned in the previous clues, alongside Latin, another dead language was required to solve the puzzle. Converting the Latin phrase into Leetspeak yielded v1r354cqu1r173und0.

The Horseman

Finally, as stated in the clues, players needed to seek out The Horseman to finish the final puzzle.

By interacting with the in-game character Diango in Draynor Village, somewhat infamously known for selling toy horses, players were able to redeem the code and receive their very own set of Mystic Cards to wield as weapons within the game.

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