Difference between revisions of "Teragon"
From Game Detectives Wiki
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=== A Mysterious Entity === | === A Mysterious Entity === | ||
| − | * Other Reddit users posting in the thread noticed every title screen & description of every video linked to the | + | * Other Reddit users posting in the thread noticed every title screen & description of every video linked to the channel's sponser, teragongroup.com, a strange website which describes itself as "Shaping the World of Tomorrow" and promotes "Services" such as "Consulting", "Intelligence Analysis", and "Surveillance". A filename, "areyouworthy.txt", was also discovered at the very bottom of the webpage. |
| − | * By | + | * By adding areyouworthy.txt to the end of the website's URL, the following text was discovered: |
Alone on the river bank, Peter counted his money. | Alone on the river bank, Peter counted his money. | ||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
===The Second Message=== | ===The Second Message=== | ||
| − | * Another Reddit user, /u/TonyWan, pointed out that the letters at the start of each line are "APSHSAANSTSOIMN", which is an anagram of "Phantom Assassin", a Dota 2 character. Following the precedent of adding to the end of the website's URL, | + | * Another Reddit user, /u/TonyWan, pointed out that the letters at the start of each line are "APSHSAANSTSOIMN", which is an anagram of "Phantom Assassin", a Dota 2 character. Following the precedent of adding to the end of the website's URL, phantomassassin.txt was attempted, and another text was discovered, reading: |
Teragon Group is currently looking for a M/F field asset: | Teragon Group is currently looking for a M/F field asset: | ||
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| − | * Yet another Reddit user, /u/Anon49, [https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/43lyu3/the_average_eternalenvy_fan/czjlume figured out how to decrypt the ROT11], which, once decrypted, reads "we will reshape the world". Another URL, | + | * Yet another Reddit user, /u/Anon49, [https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/43lyu3/the_average_eternalenvy_fan/czjlume figured out how to decrypt the ROT11], which, once decrypted, reads "we will reshape the world". Another URL, wewillreshapetheworld.txt, was then discovered, reading: |
On June 20th 1307, just before dawn, three men entered the private offices of the King in the Palace of Fontainebleau. | On June 20th 1307, just before dawn, three men entered the private offices of the King in the Palace of Fontainebleau. | ||
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Thus was Teragon born | Thus was Teragon born | ||
ulnjwysearstspfgjnkf | ulnjwysearstspfgjnkf | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==February 1st, 2016 - Call and Return== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===A New URL=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Reddit user /u/Ayakura came across a new URL, /betrayalwasnecessary.tx], which reads: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Not a txt. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * By changing the .txt extension to .png, she discovered an image of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet Baphomet]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===More Information=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Another Reddit user, /u/eltrov, managed to decypt wewillreshapetheworld.txt using [http://rumkin.com/tools/cipher/vigenere.php an online decryption tool] and the passphrase "This was Teragon born". Decrypted, the text reads: | ||
| + | |||
| + | betrayalwasnecessary | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Since /u/Ayakura had already found that URL, the .png that it led to was focused on. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Reddit user /u/BIG_THECAT pointed out that the depiction of Baphomet found with the betrayalwasnecessary.png URL is known as "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie" (English: Dogma and Ritual of High Magic), and it derived from two books by French occult author & ceremonial magician [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi Eliphas Levi], namely "Dogme" and "Rituel". | ||
| + | |||
| + | * /u/eltrov ran betrayalwasnecessary.png through a [http://imagesteganography.codeplex.com/ steganography tool] and revealed the following text hidden within: | ||
| + | |||
| + | The old order had become weak and corrupt. | ||
| + | It needed to be cleansed. | ||
| + | From one point of view, a betrayal. From another, a salvation. | ||
| + | joinus | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===A Message is Sent=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * With the search for new "joinus" URL failing, participants began to speculate that the phrase might be directing them to "apply" to the Teragon Group. This led a number of participants to emails "applications" to the email listed on the bottom of the webpage, [email protected] | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Several hours later, two participants who had sent applications, /u/eltrov and /u/thatguy01001010, received identical email responses, which both read: | ||
| + | |||
| + | We are sorry to inform you that, based on the information found in our files regarding your education and professional backgrounds, we will not be able to take your application into consideration. | ||
| + | Kind regards, | ||
| + | JM, | ||
| + | Teragon Group, | ||
| + | Human Resources Department | ||
| + | Sous son règne, la France était grande et les Français malheureux. | ||
| + | `******|||||||||**||***||****|****||||***||******||**||||||` | ||
| + | |||
| + | * The French within the message, in English, was translates to read: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Under his reign, France was great and the French unfortunate. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Reddit user /u/HerrMyth [https://www.reddit.com/r/ARG/comments/43rwd4/yesterday_an_arg_was_discovered_on_rdota2/czks7go) pointed out] that "JM" is very likely "Jacque de Molay". He also noted that the French signature is a quote from the book [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accursed_Kings#Le_Roi_de_fer_.281955.29 Le Roi de fer] (English: The Iron King), which is the first in a series of books about the French monarchy known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accursed_Kings Les Rois Maudits] (English: The Accursed Kings), penned by French author Maurice Druon starting in 1955. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * The particular excerpt in question, "Sous son règne, la France était grande et les Français malheureux.", comes from the first page of the prologue of "Le Roi de fer", and refers to the state of the French kingdom under the rule of Phillipe (le Bel) IV. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Accursed_Kings Wikipedia]: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Set during the reigns of the last five kings of the Capetian dynasty and the first two kings of the House of Valois, the series begins as the French King Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar. The succession of monarchs that follows leads France and England to the Hundred Years' War. | ||
Revision as of 23:40, 17 June 2016
Contents
January 31st, 2016 - Beginnings
The 4chan Post
- An anonymous 4chan user posted a message to the Dota 2 General thread of /vg/ (/d2g/), which read:
what the hell? There's something very weird going on here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChbNByMTjZnnqJAMPkvD_vg/videos? sort=dd&view=0&shelf_id=0
The YouTube channel contains 40+ short, cut-and-looped videos of professional Dota 2 player EternaLEnVy (aka EE) being interviewed, each featuring a one-word title as well as a title screen before the looped clip.
- Reddit user /u/GottaGoFats, seeing the youtube link while browsing /d2g/, posted a thread to /r/dota2 about it.
A Mysterious Entity
- Other Reddit users posting in the thread noticed every title screen & description of every video linked to the channel's sponser, teragongroup.com, a strange website which describes itself as "Shaping the World of Tomorrow" and promotes "Services" such as "Consulting", "Intelligence Analysis", and "Surveillance". A filename, "areyouworthy.txt", was also discovered at the very bottom of the webpage.
- By adding areyouworthy.txt to the end of the website's URL, the following text was discovered:
Alone on the river bank, Peter counted his money. Somehow, only 12 gold coins were left. How was it possible? Surely, he couldn't have spent that much money. A duck and two rabbits were the only items Peter had bought that week. After subtracting the price of those three items from Peter's weekly pay, at least 30 gold coins should have remained in his pocket. Now, what should Peter do? His 12 gold coins won't be enough to live on for the rest of the month. Should he weep, should he beg or should he steal? The day was nearly over. Sulking, Peter decided to go home. On the road, an old man came to him. Incredibly, that old man had found Peter's missing money on the side of the road earlier in the day and wanted to hand it back to him! Moving swiftly, Peter grabbed the knife hidden in his satchel and stabbed the old man in the heart. Now, with his missing coins and the old man's savings in his pockets, Peter walks back home with a contented smile on his face. What is Peter's favorite Dota2 hero?
The Second Message
- Another Reddit user, /u/TonyWan, pointed out that the letters at the start of each line are "APSHSAANSTSOIMN", which is an anagram of "Phantom Assassin", a Dota 2 character. Following the precedent of adding to the end of the website's URL, phantomassassin.txt was attempted, and another text was discovered, reading:
Teragon Group is currently looking for a M/F field asset: JOB DESCRIPTION Field assets are responsible for conducting surveillance and clandestine operations throughout the world, at the sole request of the Teragon Group board members. REQUIREMENTS Applicants should: - Be at least 18 years of age. - Be in excellent physical and mental health. - Not be members or descendants of members of occult societies, incl.: The Freemasonry, the Rosicrucian Order or the Society of Jesus. hp htww cpdslap esp hzcwo XI
- Yet another Reddit user, /u/Anon49, figured out how to decrypt the ROT11, which, once decrypted, reads "we will reshape the world". Another URL, wewillreshapetheworld.txt, was then discovered, reading:
On June 20th 1307, just before dawn, three men entered the private offices of the King in the Palace of Fontainebleau. They gave Philip IV everything he needed to take down the only group of people with both the military and financial means to threaten his reign. In exchange for the betrayal of their brothers, the three men were awarded a tenth of the considerable fortune of the soon-to-be-eradicated order. Thus was Teragon born ulnjwysearstspfgjnkf
February 1st, 2016 - Call and Return
A New URL
- Reddit user /u/Ayakura came across a new URL, /betrayalwasnecessary.tx], which reads:
Not a txt.
- By changing the .txt extension to .png, she discovered an image of Baphomet.
More Information
- Another Reddit user, /u/eltrov, managed to decypt wewillreshapetheworld.txt using an online decryption tool and the passphrase "This was Teragon born". Decrypted, the text reads:
betrayalwasnecessary
- Since /u/Ayakura had already found that URL, the .png that it led to was focused on.
- Reddit user /u/BIG_THECAT pointed out that the depiction of Baphomet found with the betrayalwasnecessary.png URL is known as "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie" (English: Dogma and Ritual of High Magic), and it derived from two books by French occult author & ceremonial magician Eliphas Levi, namely "Dogme" and "Rituel".
- /u/eltrov ran betrayalwasnecessary.png through a steganography tool and revealed the following text hidden within:
The old order had become weak and corrupt. It needed to be cleansed. From one point of view, a betrayal. From another, a salvation. joinus
A Message is Sent
- With the search for new "joinus" URL failing, participants began to speculate that the phrase might be directing them to "apply" to the Teragon Group. This led a number of participants to emails "applications" to the email listed on the bottom of the webpage, [email protected]
- Several hours later, two participants who had sent applications, /u/eltrov and /u/thatguy01001010, received identical email responses, which both read:
We are sorry to inform you that, based on the information found in our files regarding your education and professional backgrounds, we will not be able to take your application into consideration. Kind regards, JM, Teragon Group, Human Resources Department Sous son règne, la France était grande et les Français malheureux. `******|||||||||**||***||****|****||||***||******||**||||||`
- The French within the message, in English, was translates to read:
Under his reign, France was great and the French unfortunate.
- Reddit user /u/HerrMyth pointed out that "JM" is very likely "Jacque de Molay". He also noted that the French signature is a quote from the book Le Roi de fer (English: The Iron King), which is the first in a series of books about the French monarchy known as Les Rois Maudits (English: The Accursed Kings), penned by French author Maurice Druon starting in 1955.
- The particular excerpt in question, "Sous son règne, la France était grande et les Français malheureux.", comes from the first page of the prologue of "Le Roi de fer", and refers to the state of the French kingdom under the rule of Phillipe (le Bel) IV. From Wikipedia:
Set during the reigns of the last five kings of the Capetian dynasty and the first two kings of the House of Valois, the series begins as the French King Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar. The succession of monarchs that follows leads France and England to the Hundred Years' War.
