Oddworld: Soulstorm
| Oddworld: Soulstorm ARG | |
|---|---|
| Oddworld: Soulstorm - An ARG centered around lore from the Oddworld universe linked to the currently unreleased game Oddworld: Soulstorm | |
| Type | Official |
| Creator | Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc |
| Discovered | 12-22-2016 |
| Reopened | 05-30-2018 |
Main Page > List of Investigations > Oddworld: Soulstorm
The Oddworld: Soulstorm ARG was an ARG centered around lore from the currently unreleased Oddworld game, Oddworld: Soulstorm. The official home page for the ARG, containing puzzles, hints, and clues, can be found here. The ARG was divided into 5 distinct stages, each of which began with a "transmission": an image clue that led to a series of puzzles.
Contents
- 1 Prelude
- 2 The First Transmission
- 3 The Second Transmission
- 3.1 Morseception
- 3.2 Braille & Upside-down Pigpen
- 3.3 Directional Arrows Puzzle
- 3.4 Interlaced Barcodes & Second Hidden URL
- 3.5 Source Code Mysteries
- 3.6 Stuck In The Mud & Third Hidden URL
- 3.7 Creepy Scenes From Within
- 3.8 From The Ashes, Asset 99 (Hidden URL 3.5)
- 3.9 Second Unlocked Image & Grid Solution
- 4 The Third Transmission
- 5 The Horror Is Shown In Full
- 6 The Fourth Transmission
- 7 The Fifth Transmission
- 8 The Third Phase
- 9 Loose Ends
Prelude
Early in 2016, Twitter account @edmudokon began posting cryptic messages that seemed to be related to the Oddworld universe. The account appeared to be run by an average Mudokon named Ed who claimed to have information he wanted to share, but he seemed to be in constant danger and could only access the outside world via a faint connection. Beginning around March 2016, @edmudokon engaged users with an elaborate series of puzzles and challenges, releasing information both on twitter and via the official Oddworld website. These puzzles eventually led to the revelation of a website, http://1029.io, as well as a message: "now you know. you can help. join us. together we can rise."
The 1029 webpage featured glitchy effects and another rendition of the ASCII-art logo, but with the numbers 8291 replacing some characters. At the bottom of the page was an e-mail signup form, above which was a message:
THE FALL OF RF1029 WAS THE SPARK TO IGNITE A REVOLUTION. FOR TOO LONG, THEY HAVE CONTROLLED THEIR GIANT INDUSTRIAL MACHINES, GRINDING THE BONES OF OUR KIND INTO DUST IN THEIR ENDLESS PURSUIT OF POWER AND WEALTH. WE WERE TAUGHT THAT THIS IS ALL THERE WAS: OBEY. THE TRUTH WAS HIDDEN FROM US. OUR HISTORY WAS HIDDEN FROM US. WE WERE BRED TO WORK, RAISED TO OBEY AND FORCED TO COMPLY. OUR NATURAL CONNECTION TO MOTHER PLANET WAS ERASED FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR PEOPLE. LOST WAS OUR KNOWING. LOST WAS OUR UNITY, OUR CONNECTION, OUR POWER AND OUR PURPOSE. ALL THAT WE WERE WAS A COMMODITY TO BE TRADED AND EXPLOITED IN THE ONGOING RACE FOR MORE WEALTH. WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED, WE WERE TRICKED INTO KILLING. WHAT WAS WORST FOR US, WE WERE TOLD WAS BEST. WE WERE TAUGHT TO TRUST THOSE WHO WOULD DECEIVE US THE MOST. THAT HAS ALL CHANGED. THE HERO HAS SHOWN ALL OF US THAT OUR OPPRESSORS CAN BE TOPPLED. HE HAS FOUND OUR WILD AND KNOWING BROTHERS. HE HAS RECONNECTED THE FACTORY-BORN TO OUR NATURAL WORLD AND ANCIENT WAYS. HE HAS LIT A FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THAT CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED. WE WILL GIVE HELP TO THOSE WHO ARE HELPLESS. WE WILL LEND STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO ARE WEAK. WE WILL FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEFEATED. OUR MOVEMENT WILL SPREAD LIKE A RAGING INFERNO AND WE WILL TAKE BACK THE POWER FROM THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED IT. WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY THE MEDIA CIRCUS. WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED. WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT OBEY. WE WILL RISE AND WE WILL RISE AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE BURNED THROUGH OUR TATTERED BONDS AND RAZED THE MACHINE TO THE GROUND. WE WILL RISE. JOIN US. THERE’S A STORM COMING.
In the source code for the page, only the letters E and D of the message remain capitalized.
Later that day, the Twitter account @SPIRITOF1029 revealed themselves as a "Clandestine organization dedicated to doing good on behalf of the Mudokons and revealing information about a new horror being perpetrated against their species." They also tweeted their first message, parroting the 1029 URL and adding their own message: "There is a storm coming. Join us."
Social media feeds went dark until December, 2016, posting only reiterations of the URL with messages like "Rise up" and "We are the storm. Join us". Then, in January of 2017, activity on the accounts surged once again and the first hints of an ARG began to appear.
Smells Like Mudokon Spirit
The flurry of new activity in January mainly consisted of @edmudokon and @spiritof1029 conversing about about whether or not Ed would be able to help the organization's cause. At this point, the Spirit of 1029 made their message very clear, stating "Oddworld has been blind to the plight of the noble Mudokons for too long. We will rise. Join us! http://1029.io". More notable activity includes the organization's quip "We recommend knowledge of many different codes and ciphers - you never know who is listening. #learnyournameinmorsecodeday", hinting that the coming information would be encrypted in some way..
Oddworld Inhabitants (Oddworld developers, @OddworldInc on Twitter) was contacted by the organization at this time, being told by Spirit of 1029 "We will help @edmudokon but we can't send anything unencrypted. You'll have to break our code. We'll be in touch." Very shortly thereafter, on January 19th, 2017, Spirit of 1029 tweeted: "We have received a transmission. We will pass it on as soon as we can verify. We need your help." and the Oddworld Webpage was updated with a download for two files.
The First Transmission
The Spirit of 1029's first transmission came in the form of an image and an audio file. The image, pictured on the right as it looked upon transmission, appeared to show a tattered and burned document bearing the Spirit of 1029's logo with the slogan "We Will Rise," with many portions of text redacted. The text on the document, where it was legible and not redacted, reads:
Date: Period: XXXXXXXXXXX Specification Details: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -Observe XXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX changes in test subjects -Assess long term XXXXXXXX on XXXXXXX -Determine product safety Authorization: XXXXXXXXXXX Tests requested: -XXXXXXXX Pronostics - ?Access whenever? product XXXXXXX -Acidity Levels - ????? XXXXXXXXX -Product safety Expected results: XXXXXXXXXX make XXXXXXXXX interesting Test results: -XXXXXXX highly XXXXXX -XXXXXXX this XXXXXX ?? XXXXXX ?nice? XXXXXXXX -Highly XXXXXXX -Subjects: XXXXXX - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Conclusion: Product (ready) for consumption -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ??? : XXXXXXXX there is XXXXXX here but it will XXXX ???? XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As progress was made on the puzzles, the official Oddworld webpage was updated to provide hints. This practice continued throughout the ARG.
Directional Arrows, Pigpen, & Anglo-Saxon Runes
In addition to the text in the photo, there were several areas featuring symbols and runes. Along the top of the document, Anglo-Saxon runes spelled out ED. Along the bottom, the text YOU ARE THE KEY YOU KNOW IT IF YOU WERE LISTENING is spelled out in the font, BabelStone Club Penguin pigpen. Running along the right side of the image, arrows can be seen pointing in a number of different vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions. Players discovered that the arrows could be decoded by taking their angle measurement and deducing an "alphanumeric" equivalent, or a number between 0-25 where each number represents a letter of the alphabet. It just so happened that each arrow had an angle which ended in a zero, and thus, the first "arrow cipher" decoded to:
12 15 15 11 6 15 18 15 21 18 13 5 19 19 1 7 5 8 5 1 18 15 21 18 22 15 9 3 5 L O O K F O R O U R M E S S A G E H E A R O U R V O I C E
The message decodes to LOOK FOR OUR MESSAGE HEAR OUR VOICE.
First Audio Clip
The second part of the Spirit of 1029's first transmission consisted of an audio clip lasting 1:40. Hidden in the audio clip was reversed Morse code, which proved difficult to decode by ear due to the added white noise. Eventually, the code was cracked by using a spectrogram of the audio.
Although rough in some spots, the decoded Morse read:
qmiqwmiqyidimrjqdjijilmxmnrjqdjajmpmnrprspkesmkjpdqjnyajnwsnrpgspcsppmqidimqymdbcqajnwsnrpgspcdhbzmnjajanadumjimrpq
In addition, players also discovered that, using portions of the Morse already decoded accurately by ear, it was actually to be used as ciphertext in a shift cipher, and that the key to be used was "storm," which was taken from tweets made by Spirit of 1029 declaring themselves to be "the storm". The pigpen from earlier served as a hint to look back at previous communications in order decrypt the morse. With the newly-complete Morse code now in their possession, the community was finally able to accurately decipher the ciphertext they had obtained from the reversed Morse code. It read:
tentwentyninedotiononqexerdotiofoeserdsdaspjaepositoryforwardslashassetninetyeightforwardslashimgzerofofrfiueonedst
ten twenty nine dot io nonqexer dot io foeserdsdaspjaepository forwardslash asset ninety eight forward slash img zero fofrfiueonedst
Although not entirely accurate, through trial and error the community was able to locate a new URL branch of http://1029.io, http://1029.io/repository/asset98/imgzerofourfiveone/.
First Hidden URL
The solution for the previous puzzle led players to a hidden page on the 1029 site. Each time the page was reloaded, it displayed one of 8 different images, and a string of text for each:
7676-AL
3786-IC
9455-UM
9394-AL
7393-AN
5574-PH
2384-ER
1029-LY
Players quickly realized that the images appeared to be fragments of a larger puzzle. The Oddworld Inhabitants page updated to read "Once you've got everything together - show us!". The completed image was tweeted out to @OddworldInc on January 19th, 2017, and the next day, instructed players to wait while they cleaned up the complete image.
First Unlocked Photo
While waiting, players began to decode the second transmission. The prevalent writing was later verified to read "Who?", "Where?", "So Tired", and a set of numbers likely to be "8291".
After three days, @OddworldInc tweeted out a scrambled image, pictured left, stating "We received something and there's one last thing we need you to do. Share it. Spread the word.". The next day, after the tweet gained 100 shares, they tweeted the image again, pictured left, this time unscrambled. They then stated While you shared our message 100 times we worked away to bring you this. We're clearing it up even more, we'll share what we find Thursday, while the webpage was updated with the message "Update 5: Thanks to you guys sharing the previous images online, we've managed to decode the photo further and have updated the thumbnail here. We'll return on Thursday with the finished, fully decrypted image - but until then, please do let us know what you think!" When Thursday came @OddworldInc tweeted out a final picture of a render from the upcoming Oddworld: Soulstorm, pictured right, in all its unscrambled un-cropped glory. The release of this image signaled the end of the first of five phases of content release Oddworld Inhabitants have planned.
The Second Transmission
On Feburary 2nd, 2017, the Spirit of 1029 again reached out to players, saying via Twitter that "Our agent has delivered another transmission. We will verify its origins and pass it on." Several hours later, @OddworldInc tweeted the message "We were just contacted again. Don't go anywhere, we might need your help with this...", and the Official Oddworld Site was updated with a message as well as an image, pictured left. In addition to the image, a newsletter was sent out to everyone who signed up to the 1029 email list. The newsletter featured basic info about the ARG so far, as well as a barcode at the very bottom, which, when scanned, reveals a code:
Ivzw gsv mfnyvih pmld gsv gifgs
When passed through a cryptogram solver, the message read:
READ THE NUMBERS KNOW THE TRUTH
An "in-progress" image, pictured on the right, highlighted the hidden details found at the time and outlined their currently known solutions.
Morseception
The Morse code in the image turned out to be fragments of a larger single code, seen below pieced back together:
When decrypted, the morse resulted in the following message:
DASHDOTDOTDOT DOT DASH DOTDOTDOTDOT DOT DOTDOTDOT DASH DASHDASHDASHDASH DOTDASHDOT DASHDASH
This was found to yet again be morse code, which decoded to:
-... . - .... . ... - --- .-. --
BETHESTORM
Braille & Upside-down Pigpen
A message in Braille, pictured right, in the bottom-left of the image read Spread our message. The Babelstone pigpen code, when flipped upside down:
decoded to:
KNOW YOUR CODES
KEEP THEM CLOSE
YOU WILL NEED THEM
Directional Arrows Puzzle
Using the [1], these arrows decoded to:
7 14 9 8 20 25 18 5 22 5 5 4 15 3 5 4 H O J I U Z S F W F F E P D F E
Players found the above ciphertext to be encrypted with a Caesar cipher set to a shift of 25, and revealed the message: GNIHTYREVEEDOCED, which is DECODE EVERYTHING backwards.
Interlaced Barcodes & Second Hidden URL
The community speculated that the strange box in the bottom-right of the image sent by the Spirit of 1029, pictured left, was a fragmented barcode. After a massive amount of tinkering, the two barcodes were correctly assembled and, when scanned, led to the discovery of two messages:
http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/
and
findawayshowthetruth
Combining these messages into a single URL led players to another hidden page on the 1029 website, which displayed a distorted version of the Spirit of 1029 logo, pictured right.
Source Code Mysteries
Players discovered an extensive message containing several presently-unsolved puzzles is written hidden in the source code of the second hidden page. It read:
!-- Can’t reach any.. Listening anyon… there? Can hear us anymore- need to… can’t fnd We will never give… what they… from us A9539 \\ B2919 /\\ C4882 /\ D4627 \ E6758 \ F???? //// /\//\\//5,1:4.1,2:8.1,3:2.3,3:2.4,3:3.7,3:3.1,5:3.4,5:9.5,5:2.7,5:4.7,6:6.3,7:3. Does… care? Freedom isn’t gi… will take… We have never…. Given… deserve. We… take… our righ… \\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE Stand up and fi… Don’t be afr…. \////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR E=5OUEHRA? \\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4. 7777338883366899984477733 33 They want to… kill- don’t- Stop them from…. Hurting- they… think We are no less- they think… aside Don’t believe what… told- liars… A5989 \\ B5176 \ C2863 \ D2558 //\ E3413 \ F???? //// Can’ fnd anymo- We wil silnced Killin- they are dy.. \\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH Hurting the.. Back down unt… resist. Intercep… our messa… we will fight ///\\/JQEABTVKNUCSEYCMBILDKOSCYSITECPAGFAXHKETJNZURWCIE We will ri… Cannot… silenced when ther… who need… now We won’t ba… we have beat…. Before… Must not- \///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. Spent so long…. Afraid… never let- again ...Storm… find it’s way- end Why are … here? Only...profit- nothing more… importnt as- - lies they… will tel- Believe- nothing… terribl- things… \\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2. -->
At the time, only a few portions of this message have been successfully solved.
The ABCDEF puzzles was solved using the rules of Mastermind, a popular board game. Players assumed that a backslash ( \ ) indicated a partial match and a forward slash ( / ) indicated a full match, as shown below:
A9539 \\ B2919 /\\ C4882 /\ D4627 \ E6758 \ F???? ////
Had a solution of F8992, and:
A5989 \\ B5176 \ C2863 \ D2558 //\ E3413 \ F???? ////
Had a solution of F8554. The purpose of these solutions was unknown.
Players found the numbers 7777338883366899984477733 33 to be encoded with a multi-tap cipher (cellphone numberpad), and can be decoded to SEVENTYTHREE. the purpose of this solution was also unknown.
The E=5OUEHRA? portion was partially solved. Players found that the letters O U E H R A were all the second letters from each day of the week, I.E. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. This indicated a solution of U for the question mark, as in Sunday, making the full string E=5OUEHRAU. The E=5 portion of the text remains unsolved.
Also remaining unsolved are the coordinates found in the code, as well as the letter strings:
Coordinates /\//\\//5,1:4.1,2:8.1,3:2.3,3:2.4,3:3.7,3:3.1,5:3.4,5:9.5,5:2.7,5:4.7,6:6.3,7:3. \\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4. \///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. \\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2.
Letter Strings \\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE \////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR \\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH ///\\/JQEABTVKNUCSEYCMBILDKOSCYSITECPAGFAXHKETJNZURWCIE
Stuck In The Mud & Third Hidden URL
After many failed attempts by players to decode the contents of the message using the hints of Spirit of 1029, a player found something unusual about one of the account's most recent tweets, which said:
When you have the key, you need the correct lock. hgehgeoeregpineechqnhgeevtipcvreovxgvge Shake loose the bonds that hold you. #wewillrise
Players noted that the text hgehgeoeregpineechqnhgeevtipcvreovxgvge could be decoded via a keyword cipher with the key subjectivism, and reveals the message:
oneoneseventhreefouroneeightfivesixnine
Using this solution, players quickly found another secret page on the 1029 hub.
Creepy Scenes From Within
Much like the first hidden page, this hidden page displayed a different image each time the page is reloaded. In total, 13 scrambled images appear frequently (file prefix WB) and up to 13 CLEAR immages appear only very rarely (file prefix CWB). All the files are below, with their respective names:
WB1_HEND8243
WB2_BSJG2456
WB3_INFG2861
WB4_HBQD2962
WB5_SJKW4167
WB6_OWUI2056
WB7_MNCH1101
WB8_RDHRHAHA
WB9_D34DM337
WB10_BDJW8411
WB11_WHAT8291
WB12_PADAPADA
WB13_VLAP3662
CWB1_0BE01647
CWB2_0DG02966
CWB4_WHATISTHIS
CWB5_NEEDLEINAHAYSTACK
CWB6_ARG-H
CWB7_82918291829182918291
CWB8_0GE03866
CWB9_0IE02565
CWB10_AbeAndNEEDLESFunAdventures
CWB11_02500356
CWB12_02323hjfhfhfhfhASDF
CWB13_insertcodehere
While it wasn't entirely clear, players believed that this was yet again another form of a jigsaw puzzle.
After a series of interesting updates, the new hidden page went dark, with the header reading ASSET98: TERMINATED. and a new comment in the source code which read: !-- see ya around, 1029... -->. The @Edmudokon Twitter account, after a long period of silence, also tweeted out a new message:
what happened? what did you do? who? No! no... aaaaaAaaaaarrrRrrrgggggGgghhh!
And with this message, Ed appears to have passed away. At that point, it was not clear if it was due to bruteforcing attempts by players or whether his death was intended all along.
From The Ashes, Asset 99 (Hidden URL 3.5)
After the Asset98 page was "destroyed," a new page, called "Asset99," was revealed, and appeared to be a clone of the Asset98 page. However, when refreshed, the page failed to reveal some of the "rarer" fragments from the Asset98 page. This page also came with an intimidating message: "We will not be stopped. We may have lost Asset 98, but we will continue strong. Together. Against the machines. Help us to expose this latest crime against Mudokonkind." The Official Oddworld Webpage also updated at this time, and requested help putting the pieces together.
However, in the midst of the image-related updates, the @Spiritof1029 Twitter account posted:
We can't reach Asset 98 but we do still have his clear transmissions. Prove you're worthy. Show us that you're able. Send us the grid. You found the grid, the letters and the numbers. Tell us how they fit together. Prove you're no longer slaves to the machines.
Players found that this tweet referred back to the source code grid challenge.
The assembled image was then tweeted at OWI and they replied, stating "You've given us enough for us to get to work cleaning up the image, we'll have something by tomorrow. Don't stop looking for the truth!" So, players waited patiently for the unscrambled image whilst solving the grid.
Second Unlocked Image & Grid Solution
The next day, OWI tweeted out a cleaned-up image, pictured on the left, which seemed to depict quite a gruesome scene, featuring a wide-eyed Mudkon strapped to an operating table facing an onslaught of needles and next to a vat which read "SS Brew". Players also learned via @Edmudokon on Twitter that Ed made it out alive, but his friend: "...never came back. I could hear him screaming all night... helpless. they took him... he was my friend. how did they know?"
Shortly after players received the cleaned-up image, partial progress was finally made on the grid, which up until then remained unsolved. One player discovered that the coordinates could be applied to the grid using the rules of the Japanese puzzle game Shikaku (#'s after the colons in the coordinates represent box sizes, which are the lines drawn in red). Another player was then able to successfully apply a letter string to the sliced-up cube, pictured right, from which the word subjectivism can be derived. The only strings that were used to find the solutions were ones that had a forward slash. This word was the key previously used to decode the third hidden Asset98 page. However, whether the key was intended to remain hidden until the grid was solved or intentionally encoded in such a way as to allow for bruteforcing is unknown.
The Third Transmission
After some waiting, on Feburary 23rd, 2017, OWI sent out a tweet indicting they had again been contacted by the Spirit of 1029. A new, password-protected zip file named 89928554_Eequals5.zip was found on the main Oddworld website. Players then realized that the name of the ZIP contained one of the solutions of the puzzles in the source code of the first hidden page. Within the .ZIP file were six files, four of which were .JPGs, one of which was a .PNG, and the last of which is a .TXT. Their filenames were:
flyer1.jpg, flyer2.jpg, flyer3.jpg, Oddworld_Soulstorm_002_HD.jpg, toollist.txt, & vital.png
The name of the zip suggested that players should use letter equivalencies to their alphabetic indexes as the password. This gave players the password HIIBHEED but in fact, the password was actually HIIDHEED for unknown reasons.
Steganograpy Blitz & toollist.txt
The file toollist.txt contained a repeating string consisting of names of moons in Earth's solar system, and are occasionally interrupted by forward slashes. Players found that the letters after each slash formed the string: useSsuitePicselSecuritySaveus. Players found this to refer to Ssuite Picsel Security, which is a specific steganography program.
When the file Oddworld_Soulstorm_002_HD.jpg was set as the original and vital.png was set as the target using Ssuite Picsel Security, the output was:
BmzPmbtzueMfxmeBdayqftqgeBmzpadmQbuyqftqgeVmzgeMqsmqazYuymeYqftazqMzftqBmxxqzqQzoqxmpgeFqftkeFqxqefaOmxkbeaPuazqTqxqzqBaxkpqgoqeDtqmFufmzTkbqduazUmbqfgeWuhugcUvudmcBtaqnqBmmxumcEwmftuMxnuadujNqntuazzQddumbaEwaxxEumdzmcFmdcqcSdqubTkddawwuzVmdzemjmFmdhaeYgzpuxrmduNqdsqxyudZmdhuEgffgzsdTmfuRmdnmgfuFtdkydMqsudNqefxmEgdfgdWmduKyudXasqRadzvaf
When deciphered using a Caesar cipher with N=14, the following cleartext can be obtained:
PanDaphnisAtlasPrometheusPandoraEpimetheusJanusAegaeonMimasMethoneAnthePalleneEnceladusTethysTelestoCalypsoDioneHelenePolydeucesRheaTitanHyperionIapetusKiviuqIjiraqPhoebePaaliaqSkathiAlbiorixBebhionnErriapoSkollSiarnaqTarqeqGreipHyrrokkinJarnsaxaTarvosMundilfariBergelmirNarviSuttungrHatiFarbautiThrymrAegirBestlaSurturKariYmirLogeFornjot
All of the names above are the named moons of Saturn. However, Erriapus and Fenrir were missing. Erriapus was replaced by Erriapo, which was the original name of the moon.
Cleaned-Up Flyers
The images that players received of the Sligs' flyers were corrupted, and were quickly cleaned up by players.
A cleaned up version of flyer1.jpg
A cleaned up version of flyer2.jpg
A cleaned up version of flyer3.jpg
One player found that the pigpen cipher on the left side of flyer1.jpg gave the stringAOCXY SIO, which when shifted by 6 using a Caesar cipher yielded GUIDE YOU.
The cipher on flyer2.jpg gave the string FYNNBYNBCHANBUNM which, when shifted in the same manner as before, yielded LETTHETHINGTHATS.
The final one on flyer3.jpg gave the string GCMMCHA which was again shifted in the same manner as before to yield MISSING.
All three of the pigpen strings can be combined to form a message: LET THE THING THAT'S MISSING GUIDE YOU
Additionally, sequences of x and o characters are seen. One player noticed that this could be interpreted as morse code in the following format (with x as dash, o as dot):
x oooo o xoxx ox oxo o oxx ox x xoxo oooo oo xo xxo xooo o x oooo o ooo x xxx oxo xx oxx o oxx oo oxoo oxoo oxo oo ooo o
became:
/- .... . -.--/.- .-. ./.-- .- - -.-. .... .. -. --./ /-... ./- .... ./... - --- .-. --/ /.-- ./.-- .. .-.. .-../.-. .. ... ./
which decoded to: THEY ARE WATCHING BE THE STORM WE WILL RISE
In addition, each of the flyers contained a set of strange symbols and numbers. The symbols were found to be the Malachim alphabet, as seen on the right.
Fourth & Fifth Hidden URLs
Using the hint to determine what was “missing,” players shifted their focus to the moon of Erriapo, as it was in the steganography text, but not in toollist.txt. Using the Malachim alphabet symbols and numbers, players translated Erriapo into 12 36 28 31 52 22 12. The validity of this method was confirmed with a tweet from Spirit of 1029, and the image in the tweet was decoded to contain P=22. This led players to the discovery of a new page on the 1029 website. The header, ASSET9X / [REDACTED] / 333333333333, appeared to be a corrupted link to another page. In addition, the page yet again displayed a different image upon each refresh, all of which can be seen below.
YOU.jpg
WHA.jpg
WET.jpg
The page also contained a message:
We can't hold much longer. It's dark, and cold. So cold. They don't seem to [REDACTED]. They. Them. It's hard to know how we'll [REDACTED], but we'll try. This can't last forever. We won't last forever. Look what they're doing to us. Just look. There is spirit, but it's waining. We need you, [REDACTED]. Help us.
In addition, players also discovered another page on the 1029 site, using the same method as before but with the moon Fenrir instead. The page contained the same obscured header, and displayed one of three images upon each refresh, which can be seen below.
OLD.jpg
TIF.jpg
TOO.jpg
When the names of the files on both pages were put together, players found the string:
WHATIFWETOLDYOUTOO WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU TOO
The Horror Is Shown In Full
After a long period of tinkering, players found a new directory on the 1029 site, called "whatifwetoldyoutoo."
The source code of the page contained a few, interesting comments: BDBDBDBDBDBDBDBBDBDBDBDBDBD, ###BELIKEDET### and doYOUsee? think of a number, any number.
Through unknown means, players then found the next page
by adding 8291 to the end. This link leads to the 4 second video of the previous photo, depicting the severe torture the mudokons had to endure.
Three different codes pop up during the video, but these were found to have no relevance to the ARG.
The Fourth Transmission
Shortly after the release of the third transmission, the fourth transmission was released, and appeared to consist of the last three transmissions fused together. Written on the image is the text USE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE. There were two, somewhat hidden codes on the image.The Morse code, which decoded to USE A DIFFERENT CODE. THIS IS NOT RELEVANT DATA. DO NOT COMPLY. DO NOT OBEY. THEY LIE.
The Runes on the left hand side and the ones partially cut off at the top and bottom(as previously seen in the video) were decoded by using file data in a hex editor, which would say:
<code><rdf:li photoshop:LayerText="WE WERE TAUGHT THAT THIS IS ALL THERE WAS: WORK, OBEY, COMPLY. THE TRUTH WAS HIDDEN FROM US. OUR HISTORY WAS HIDDEN FROM US. WE WERE BRED TO WORK, RAISED TO OBEY AND FORCED TO COMPLY. OUR NATURAL CONNECTION TO MOTHER PLANET WAS ERASED FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR PEOPLE. LOST WAS OUR KNOWING. LOST WAS OUR UNITY, OUR CONNECTION, OUR POWER AND OUR PURPOSE. ALL THAT WE WERE WAS A COMMODITY TO BE TRADED AND EXPLOITED IN THE ONGOING RACE FOR MORE WEALTH. WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED, WE WERE TRICKED INTO KILLING. WHAT WAS WORST FOR US, WE WERE TOLD WAS BEST. WE WERE TAUGHT TO TRUST THOSE WHO WOULD DECEIVE US THE MOST. THAT HAS ALL CHANGED. THE HERO HAS SHOWN ALL OF US THAT OUR OPPRESSORS CAN BE TOPPLED. HE HAS FOUND OUR WILD AND KNOWING BROTHERS. HE HAS RECONNECTED THE FACTORY-BORN TO OUR NATURAL WORLD AND ANCIENT WAYS. HE HAS LIT A FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THAT CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED. WE WILL GIVE HELP TO THOSE WHO ARE HELPLESS. WE WILL LEND STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO ARE WEAK. WE WILL FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEFEATED. OUR MOVEMENT WILL SPREAD LIKE A RAGING INFERNO AND WE WILL TAKE BACK THE POWER FROM THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED IT. WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY THE MEDIA CIRCUS. WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED. WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT OBEY. WE WILL RISE AND WE WILL RISE AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE BURNED THROUGH OUR TATTERED BONDS AND RAZED THE MACHINE TO THE GROUND. WE WILL RISE. JOIN US. THERE'S A STORM COMING."/> <rdf:li photoshop:LayerName="gas liquid solid" photoshop:LayerText="gas liquid solid"/> <rdf:li photoshop:LayerName="fire air water earth" photoshop:LayerText="fire air water earth"/></code>
This was found to be an exact copy of the speech on the main page of the 1029 site. Because players were told to "USE WHAT [THEY] CAN'T SEE," they realized that several states of matter and classical elements were missing from the source code. Most notably, "plasma," which is a state of matter after gas, and the 5th classical element, "void," or "aether." These all led players to a new page, called "electricity."
Take a Deep Breath...
On the "electricity" page simple "HELP" which, when clicked on, downloaded a ZIP. The ZIP contained two files: an image with the text BREATH in binary, and a binary text file, which contained the message:
why do you just watch can you not see us can you not hear the utighdbfn why is this happening wny its too cold to th can you hear us is there anybody there will you help us or rihjsudhgheusodj never are go find pn lose into ital chem we are cold we are lost we are forgotten and its e cant gmds pneuma tigd why are they taking cant stop cold so cold so cold we will rise we will not obey we will not comply j end n we will rise we will rise we will rise we will not die is abe dead here we will not die here we will not die here we cannot die here we cannot die here we cannot die here we cannot survive gheufh help this is not what we wanted we cannot dont cant see speak stop we need to save someone save us pneuma we need to be stop ightne vital energy source of this stop to think breath breathe cant breathe cant always watching we can never eyes stop find rest go now share loose top find think or too last day light never why to away stp give this is ever not no find things first or the ghtuenthdaytjgitlet last now or out get in or art test never stop we will find a way to gain our freedom e why it lost gone now stop taken from us and from there st we cant stop too much now too pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain dont believe the things they tell you they lie they know no truth its lost long lost now ghwkfnhjsk what happened to them they are lost ghwufnfasjntiwpldfmwbwietpr stop it greed greed greed greed greed greed greed the expense is us we are tired our spark is fading do not let them extinguish all that we are we cannot snwownfnf see the end save us save us save us we cannot fight help us why is this happening for their proghe jwnfiw this nf we why forget us let us go we dont deserve no one deserves its not dont believe dont believe they will lie they lie they lie heugnpngjifsk lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies eieslseiselslsl is abe dead we dont want to die
Both of these clues led players to "pneuma," the Greek word for breath, which led players to z new page.
Not Another One!
Initially, the "pneuma" page merely displayed the ASCII logo of Spiritof29. As time went on, however, certain letters in the logo and the title of the page itself shifted into various cries for help. The logo contained words like "help," "stop," and "mask." The titles the page cycled through are below:
? /\--/\--/\--/\ it's so hard to breathe please make it stop around how many times we will all die b.r.e.a.t.h.e b..r..e..a..t..h..e b r e a t h e (page title was only a single letter) ..........
After the death of another Mudokon, another image was revealed.
When cleaned up, it was revealed to be an image of a Mudokon wearing a gas mask. OWI uploaded this cleaned up version very shortly afterwards.
The Fifth Transmission
Before the next transmission was made, Minor changes were made to the main 1029 site, which included a new comment in the source code that read:
<!-- heh, that was easy. let's see... -->
The highlight color on the logo changing from red to green, and some of the characters in the logo changing to spell out "Magog."
This led players to The Magog Cartel, an in-universe company well known for its abuse of Mudokons.
The Magog Cartel
Shortly after these discoveries, peculiar things occurred on the then new Oddworld Discord server..
1. A new emote with the Magog Cartel logo was added with the name :staywealthy:
2. For a while, all messages containing the :staywealthy: emote or the 8291 code (:_e_: :_t_: :_n_: :_o_:) were automatically removed.
3. The Oddworld Inhabitants employees (OWI_Alex, OWI_Pete & OWI_Bernice) stated posting gibberish and messages coming from an other entity, which included:
Òǚř ʂе¢цгіẗу ẁᾅș πŏţ ḃӷӫǟċḥễđ Ọսȑ šѐсưȑіƫỵ ẅἂѕ ᾒṑե ƃŗӫᾶϲɦẻđ ⍬ṳř şĕсǜӷɩȶӱ ẁấṣ ʼnόՒ þȑѐẩƈȟεժ Ỡùȓ șєϛụґɪŧӱ ẅᾲş բóȶ ḃŗḛąḉℏӫď Ơǔѓ ṡễćṻȓĩťÿ ẇẳŝ ἧὅṱ ḇґèḁčիề₫
W& //€q117 PHø|? +/-/∂† +() }{∂|²|2€11.
Ḿ̧̪̻̻͇̟̹̭̼͊̈́̍̎̿͐̎͝͞o̧̤̗̠͚̟͒̐͗͆͜͢͡͞C̠̯̳̙̠̳̹͒̽̇̈̽̚͜r̶͕̗̜̲͕̘̒͗̆̄̎̐̓t̛̛̯̠̼͎̭̻̯̜̿͂̑̃͌͂̔ļ̴͙̩̠̯̐̊̆̐̂̿c̢̳͎̱ ̺̮͎͖̟̐̓̐́͋͞ó̧̡̻͙̳͇̼̯̹̄͒̐͗
These all led players to the Magog Cartel website and Twitter account. Players found interesting comments in the source code of the Magog website:
1.
DB_PP_PRODUCTTEXT: We’re sourciest, juiciest Parami__from closer to their nests, for our bes___________________________________________________________aramite Pies ever! Made with all natural ingredients[1] and baked in our traditional ovens to a recipe that’s be............ aster bakers, our pXXXes are packed with Para-meat[2] oooooooooooo00OOoozing [1] at least one natural ingredient in every 12-pack of pie_________8** [2] not necessarily made with Paramites. PLEASE REVIEW AS APPROPRIATE
2.
APPROV__tch this space for more information about our exciti________________ everage that’s so delicious, you’ll be craving another on33__________--333333333333 before you even finish it!!!_____________________________________________!!!:D:D:D
3.
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 INSERT ANECDOTE ABOUT THE ApMpApZING VIEW just left of here across Mudos AND who could possibly be the EMPLOYEE OF THE DAY AND THE NEW i mean, how hard can it be? every aspect of every aspect of every as-------------f every aspect of EVERY SIN--E ASPECT of every aspect of every asp--_--------------------ct of every aspect of every as_--ct of every aspect of FOLLOW ME follow US
4.
01102911011101100101011102910111011102901001011011000110110001110011010291110100011011110102911100000111100101101111011101011029011110011029011011110111010101110111011010010291011011010290011011000110291001100110000101101100011029101100
By removing the multiple occurrences of "1029" from the message above, players discovered decryptable morse:
0111011101100101011101110110100101101100011011000111001101110100011011110111000001111001011011110111 01010111100101101111011101010111011101101001011011000110110001100110011000010110110001101100
Which gave players wewillstopyouyouwillfall
5.
9JzrxKKv5z0829jLV8wF32KpA6I0nEQDqzmbpRYzUUE===
Blowfish
On the 11th of August, 2017, the Magog Cartel sent a series of tweets with some misplaced capital letters spelling WE KNOW.
@spiritof1029 we see you. We can see what you are doing with your fake reports. you will not prospEr.
we are proud of the strong linKs between each of our facilities. our operations are by far the most efficieNt on oddworld.
we are aware of some terrible fake repOrts being leaked. please ignore them. our very successful Workers know the truth is very different.
This lead players to believe the SPIRIT OF 1029 was interfering with the tweets to damage the Cartel. This was solidified when the code "8291" was found split between the first two tweets of the account, as seen below:
We know every time an employee falls into a grinder it takes 82 minutes of Mudokon time to clean up. Be safe, for productivity’s sake!
We know that an average of 91 eager new employees start their careers with us every day. Help them be the best workers they can be.
We know that our facilities are a picture of perfect productivity. Your hard work helps us to show that picture to the world.
We know what you’re looking for in a rewarding, productive career. Magog Cartel can help you find it. Discover your options with us today!
About an hour later, Spiritof1029 sent a series of tweets, one of which contained an encrypted message:
your help is invaluable to us, together we will blow this latest Magog scandal wide open. together #wewillrise
the watchers can fish around the communication channels all they like, we will always be one step ahead of them.
-1-4,-2-10
the story of mudokonkind is about history. now they treat us just like numbers. they will not succeed.
we have given you the tools you need. the ones we can trust will prove themselves capable. leaders will rise as the storm closes in.
The last tweet indicated that players had all they needed to continue, and that they needed to connect it to the Twitter history of the 1029 account.
Players realized that the -1-4, -2-10 tweet indicated that they needed to remove the 4th word of the last tweet, and the 10th word of the tweet before that, which gave players the message blowfish. Players discovered that the blowfish encryption method was what they needed to decrypt the Base64 ciphertext in comment 3, as seen below:
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
Using a blowfish decryption script in CBC mode and the code 8291 as a key, players received the following text:
^_^U_VDXisistrueorfalseallforprofitinterestsindustrialagriculturalMudosprovidehighestpossiblereturninvestmentsoverheadsdreamslimitedpowergiganticbadgeleadersproductMeechMotorstravelexpertlytrainedSligSecurityForcessuccessfulundertakingemploymentvastsentientsecurespecialisthabitationzonesbenefitfactoriesfoundriesfarmlandsstabilitymillionsundertakingsCartelmanagementselflesslyrepresentativesresponsiblemunicipalvastidyllicsettlementsunderconstructionpleasesubscribeandlinkandfollowandlikeandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyatmagogcartel
When cleaned up, the message read:
^_^ U_V DX is is true or false all for profit interests industrial agricultural Mudos provide highest possible return investments overheads dreams limited power gigantic badge leaders product Meech Motors travel expertly trained Slig Security Forces successful undertaking employment vast sentient secure specialist habitation zones benefit factories foundries farmlands stability millions undertakings Cartel management selflessly representatives responsible municipal vast idyllic settlements under construction please subscribe and link and follow and like and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy at magog cartel
The part with "please subscribe" led players to the Magog Cartel YouTube channel. At the time, it was unclear whether or not it was an official part of the ARG, as the account had no uploaded videos.
weknow
The last two tweets of August 14th from the Magog Cartel were hinting at a picture on the MagogCartel.com website (Magog Cartel can help you find it):
We know that our facilities are a picture of perfect productivity. Your hard work helps us to show that picture to the world.
We know what you’re looking for in a rewarding, productive career. Magog Cartel can help you find it. Discover your options with us today!
This led players to a new magogcartel.com/weknow.jpg file on the Magog website, called "weknow," which contained a large variety of messages:
- The
62466640222 2777833555sequence in the upper-left corner.
Decoded to Magog Cartel via a multi-tap cipher.
- The morse code in the middle.
.-- . / -.- -. --- .-- / .... --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- / .-- --- .-. -.- / -. --- .-- .-.-.- / .-- . / -.- -. --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -.-. --- -.. . ... .-.-.- / .-- . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ... - --- .--. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -. --- - / .. -. - .. -- .. -.. .- - . / ..- ... .-.-.- / --- ..- .-. / .-- .- -.-- / --- ..-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / -- ..- ... - / -... . / .--. .-. . ... . .-. ...- . -.. .-.-.-
Decoded to:
WE KNOW HOW YOU WORK NOW. WE KNOW YOUR CODES. WE WILL STOP YOU. YOU WILL NOT INTIMIDATE US. OUR WAY OF LIFE MUST BE PRESERVED.
- The
e,d, andxwas morse as well, where e = ., d = -, and X = /, as seen below:
.-.. --- --- -.- --..-- / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -- .- -.- . / ... . -.-. .-. . - / -.-. --- -.. . ... / - --- --- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -. --- - / .- ... / ... -- .- .-. - / .- ... / -.-- --- ..- / - .... .. -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . .-.-.- / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - .... . / .-. . ... --- ..- .-. -.-. . ... / .- -. -.. / - .... . / .--. . .-. ... --- -. -. . .-.. / - --- / ... .. -- .--. .-.. -.-- / ... .-- .- -- .--. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. - .... / .-- --- .-. -.- .-.-.- / .... --- .-- / -- ..- -.-. .... / - .. -- . / -.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- ... - . / - .-. -.-- .. -. --. / - --- / -.. . -.-. .. .--. .... . .-. / - .... .. ... / -.-. --- -.. . ..--.. / .- .-.. .-.. / - .... . / - .. -- . --..-- / .-- . / .-- . .-. . / --. . - - .. -. --. / -.-. .-.. --- ... . .-. / - --- / ..-. .. -. -.. .. -. --. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / .- .-.. -- --- ... - / - .... . .-. . .-.-.- / -- .- -.-- -... . / .-- . / .- .-. . / --- ..- - ... .. -.. . / .-. .. --. .... - / -. --- .-- --..-- / .-- .- .. - .. -. --. .-.-.- / .-- .- - -.-. .... .. -. --. .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / .... .. -.. . / ..-. --- .-. . ...- . .-. --..-- / - . .-. .-. --- .-. .. ... - .-.-.- / .-- . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .. -. -.-. .. -. . .-. .- - . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... .. .-.. .-.. -.-- / .-.. .. - - .-.. . / --. .-. --- ..- .--. / .- -. -.. / ... -.-. .- - - . .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .- ... .... . ... / - --- / . ...- . .-. -.-- / -.-. --- .-. -. . .-. / --- ..-. / --- ..- .-. / . -- .--. .. .-. . / ... --- / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / . - . .-. -. .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / -... . .- .-. / .-- .. - -. . ... ... / - --- / --- ..- .-. / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... . ... --..-- / .- -. -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -.- .. -. -.. ... / ..- -. . -. -.. .. -. --. / ... . .-. ...- .. - ..- -.. . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- .-.. .-. . .- -.. -.-- / .-.. --- ... - .-.-.-
Decoded to:
LOOK, WE CAN MAKE SECRET CODES TOO. YOU ARE NOT AS SMART AS YOU THINK YOU ARE. WE HAVE THE RESOURCES AND THE PERSONNEL TO SIMPLY SWAMP YOU WITH WORK. HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU WASTE TRYING TO DECIPHER THIS CODE? ALL THE TIME, WE WERE GETTING CLOSER TO FINDING YOU. WE ARE ALMOST THERE. MAYBE WE ARE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW, WAITING. WATCHING. YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER, TERRORIST. WE WILL INCINERATE YOUR SILLY LITTLE GROUP AND SCATTER YOUR ASHES TO EVERY CORNER OF OUR EMPIRE SO THAT YOU WILL ETERNALLY BEAR WITNESS TO OUR SUCCESSES, AND YOUR KINDS UNENDING SERVITUDE. YOU HAVE ALREADY LOST.
- The Pigpen cipher text in the lower-right corner decoded to:
WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN TO TERRORISTS. YOU WILL NEVER WIN. YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT OUR SPIRIT. WE WILL FIND YOU AND WE WILL WIPE YOU OUT. WE IGNITE THE FLAME THAT LIGHTS THE DARKNESS. THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW SUCCESS
- The horizonally mirrored black text in the middle:
you are a resource. you are expendable. we will replace you when you fall. you will work. you will obey. you will comply. or you will perish. we have the prestige. we have the power. we will profit. always. always. always.
- The white text on the top:
Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply.
- The braille at the bottom:
RuptureFarms1029 will rise from the ashes. we will rebuild it bigger, better and more profitable than before. it will be the greatest, most efficient factory that Oddworld has ever seen. it will be a towering symbol of Glukkon strength that cannot be ignored. one terrorist will not deter us.
All of these messages appeared to be red herrings left by the Magog Cartel to distract players. However, the 9JzrxKKv5z0829jLV8wF32KpA6I0nEQDqzmbpRYzUUE=== was never decrypted.
The main page of the Magog Cartel website has since changed, but the first (hacked) version of the site has been archived here
On the 4th of September, 2017, the MagogCartel.com was updated to display the following:
*** UNDER CONSTRUKTION ***
This version of the site has also been archived here On the 5th of September, 2017, the Magog Cartel posted a video through the OWI account, seen below:
w̸̨̠͓͍̯̺͉͞e̯̝͖̫̺̯͉̻͘͡ ̗̭̕͢s̴̮̭̫̱ͅe̢̠̮̫̦̼̪̘͠ͅę̠̥̯͔̣̼̻̕ͅ ̻̘̼̣͓̩͚͘͢͠y̴̭̯̪̺͙͚͚̪͞o̬̞͜͢͝u̮̤͖̩̗̰ͅͅ.̴̲̣̪̮̼̱.̡̰̭̗͍̝͉̯͢.̡̡̼͇̙̜̮̦̪̞ͅ pic.twitter.com/UoQ3xRAhDU
We continue to demonstrate our exceptional technological progress to an ever growing number of customers. Everyone loves Magog products!
When Magog was asked if they were behind the OWI attack, they replied:
Attack? We don’t need to attack, we’re already in a dominant position in every market we deem profitable. We just demonstrate our dominance.
There were multiple messages within the video:
8 ? 2 2 9 1 / 8291 829/ 229/ 22/9 EVERYONE WANTS TO EAT YOU
Note that 22/9 was the date of the Oddworld presentation at the EGX:
We're going to be at EGX for an on-stage presentation on Friday 22nd Sept! Grab your tickets now! @EGX pic.twitter.com/rDQiDIApa9
On the 7th of September, 2017, the MagogCartel site got updated again, and randomly displayed one of three different images of the informant. At the same time the Magog Cartel sent a series of tweets with containing other pictures of The Informant:
We stopped reading the Daily Deception’s fake reports. The latest issue of The Informant is a really great read, very honest. The greatest!
It’s great to finally have an honest newspaper to read, and such good quality, too! pic.twitter.com/MHuC6jdtNC
We’re always happy to see some balanced reporting on our business from The Informant. Refreshing, when there are so many fake reports! pic.twitter.com/DmkV4GbVYw
We’ve just been told that The Informant is printed on machines made at a Magog facility! That explains the quality! pic.twitter.com/Bvz29ZrBvk
Some of the letters were bolded, but the relevance of this was unknown.
Part of The Informant was transcribed [http://oddworldlibrary.net/oddenc/index.php?title=Soulstorm_ARG_-_The_Informant
here]:
This itaration of the Magog Cartel site also contained the HTML comment:
<!-- seriously, are you guys seeing this?! -->
The Third Phase
The Origins Diversion
On the 15 of March 2018 the SPIRIT OF 1029 posted the following tweets:
Our future depends on us understanding our past. We must know where we come from.
We know you can hear us. We know you are ready to help. We will show you more when the time is right. Keep watching.
Following this a couple of changes were found on the 1029.io page.
- The logo has now even more letters appearing in it randomly: S, I, N, O, R. Adding to the previous letters that were spelling "MAGOG".
- The page contains a new HTML comment:
<!-- too obvious? i dunno. it's soon though. i can't wait. -->
Changes were also observed on the 404 page:
- The logo on the 404 page now contains the following letters: N, I, G, I, O, R, S. Those letters can be used to spell the word "ORIGINS"
- The page contains a new HTML comment:
<!-- me neither. it's going to be great. -->
Shortly after a new channel called "origins" appeared on the official Oddworld Discord with a cryptic video as first message.
It was revealed a few days later that this was a built up to announcement of the "Oddworld: Abe's Origins - Book & Game Collection" kickstarter campaign. Note that the book & game collection is still available for preorder on Crowdox.
Intro
Around the 12th of January 2018 Lorne Lanning changed his twitter header picture to the following one:
While it was hinted repeatedly in the official Oddworld Discord that this image was hiding something, it wasn't until much later that it was found how to use it when @edmudokon tweeted the following message:
alive… pic.twitter.com/j0FE2Qgdu1
The embedded picture contains the number 15156. This is a reference to a number in the URL of Lorne's header picture: 1515636880.
This number led us to a new page:
This page contains the following text in UTF-8
ɦểɫр. гẹẳčℏɪṅǧ óúƫ ῒԑ ģӫԷṱіᾗĝ ḥǡṛⅾềɽ. էիȅỷ ķῆοԝ. ẁẹ'ṝϵ ṙṵɴᾑıпʛ ộևȽ ờẛ ɩḋϵᾂš, ὅрՒῑổпş, ăұҿἧµϱṣ. ẅϵ ǹêȩḋ ỳờǚґ ḣҽľῥ. ẇể ῂёϱḋ ѕờṃēƅȯƌý ţó ṧṕȑểǻժ Ƚħẹ ẁổṝḓ. եḫϊṥ ƫɦ¡ƞɡ ῐʂ ḸỄƮḨǠĻ. Ƚḣěȳ ḓõᾔ'Ƚ ĉὰгє Ƚḣổṻɕḫ. ţհểӯ ɗṍἧ'ţ. ṣởṁḗɒὀժỵ ňěөƌş ṱὃ ȶěḻɫ իḭɱ. †ɛŀļ ẖĩ₥. ḃḕẛṍɼę îȽ'ṧ Էȭô ḷǎťϱ. ṯĥềŗȇ ḧąș Էố ƃϱ ᾅ ṣọṁȇþöḏỳ ẉíļłȋդǥ եό ȶαҝě ṯẖё јǒŭӷṋёỷ. şõ₥ęƀὁḓẏ ṅểềⅾԑ ƫծ ġềŧ ţհϵ ṃệṣśᾇǵε ộվե. ẁë'ṝе ìη ṭӷơữþŀɛ. аɬł ṑƒ սʂ. ẁё դȅễɖ ĥẹĺρ. թłȩᾂʂĕ ɦȇɫṕ կѕ.</
and the following HTML comments
<!-- it's only going to get harder. we don't have the keys anymore to the usual channels. if you hear anything from them, it's THEM. -->
<!-- our options are limited. you can help though. you have to help. if we can be sure it's you, then maybe we can talk. prove it. -->
It's currently unknown what the next steps are
Loose Ends
This section documents various puzzles throughout the ARG which have not yet been used or solved.
Main Website Source Code Comment Numbers Puzzles
These numerical puzzles were found in the source code for the official Oddworld website as early as the date of the Spirit of 1029's first transmission. Their solutions have been found, but the intended use of the solutions remains unknown.
!--
72 99
\ /
27 45
\ /
18 39
\ /
21 36
\ /
?? 28
\ /
13 21
\ /
7
-->
SOLUTION: 12 7+2+9+9 = 27, 2+7+4+5 = 18, thus 2+1+3+6 = 12
&
!-- 16 _ 37 _ 58 _ 89 _ 145 _ 42 _ ?? _ 4 |_________________<_________________| -->
SOLUTION: 20 1^2 + 6^2 = 37, 3^2 + 7^2 = 58, thus 4^2 + 2^2 = 20
Other Source Code Comments
On http://1029.io, the following comments could or can be found in the page's source code:
!-- we'll be here, waiting. -->
&
!-- Well, I //--/ED Mudokon/. But who// _____ r///u/ //?
Third Hidden Asset98 URL Source Code Solutions
Certain code strings & puzzle solutions found within the source code for the third hidden Asset98 URL were not ultimately used in the course of arriving at the image locked behind them. These strings & solutions in include:
The solution for the numbers 7777338883366899984477733 33, which decode to SEVENTYTHREE via multi-tap cipher, was never applied.
The following letter strings were never applied:
\\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE \////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR \\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH
The following coordinate strings were never applied:
\\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4. \///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. \\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2.
The community speculates that these strings were not intended to be used but rather existed as "red herrings" in order to stall attempts to solve the grid. The only strings which were used were the ones which began with a forward slash ( / )
Written Text on "Puzzle Pieces" Image
Writing which was noticed written over the image on the puzzle pieces, but which is absent from the final released image. The significance of the writing remains unknown.
1029-LY "WHERE"
7393-AN "SO TIRED"
3786-IC "WHO?"
Complete Image "8291"
Anomalies In First Released Image
Hidden against the background of the first released image are several text strings, pictured below. Their significance is unknown.
1101110BC 100000BD or 100000BC 010100BD
