The Fate of the Cabal

[Pixelmage]

I personally thing the last two words, if supposed to be readable, are actually "Good luck." due to capitalization. But that's speculation at it's finest.

[Adell]

…I was spending most of today and yesterday setting up for a funeral for them tomorrow, as well as setting everything up that Morgan desired in her letter. I figured it was the least I could do for the three of them; they saved my life after all.

So...uh, hey, one last follow up on the Cabal thing...

The bodies are missing!

I was getting ready today for the quick funeral I had planned for them, and uh, yeah! They have no idea what happened to them! Somehow the bodies disappeared this morning! This can means one of three things as far as I see it. Either someone stole their bodies, they have risen from the dead (oh dear god), or they're still alive somehow; all of which sound incredibly unlikely! I'm not really sure what to think at this point, I can't exactly complete Morgan's request anymore though

I got to be honest...I'm not really sure what to think about it. At this point, I'll accept anything really. For now, I think I'm just gonna let the matter rest. Maybe in the future I'll try and investigate this and see what I can find out about what happened to them. If they are alive out there somewhere...I'm sure we'll meet again. Maybe I can properly thank them when that time comes. This is all rather confusing @.@

[Scarab]

…I was spending most of today and yesterday setting up for a funeral for them tomorrow, as well as setting everything up that Morgan desired in her letter. I figured it was the least I could do for the three of them; they saved my life after all.

So...uh, hey, one last follow up on the Cabal thing...

The bodies are missing!

I was getting ready today for the quick funeral I had planned for them, and uh, yeah! They have no idea what happened to them! Somehow the bodies disappeared this morning! This can mean one of three things as far as I see it. Either someone stole their bodies, they have risen from the dead (oh dear god), or they're still alive somehow; all of which side incredibly unlikely! I'm not really sure what to think at this point, I can't exactly complete Morgan's request anymore though

I got to be honest...I'm not really sure what to think about it. At this point, I'll accept anything really. For now, I think I'm just gonna let the matter rest. Maybe in the future I'll try and investigate this and see what I can find out about what happened to them. If they are alive out there somewhere...I'm sure we'll meet again. Maybe I can properly thank them when that time comes.

I...

Okay no idea what to feel about this so I'm just going to pull the #AdellIsRight card and let the matter rest until we have more info. I... guess it would be nice, though if they DIDN'T die saving the world and one of our own...

I think the only word I can come up with right now apart from that is 'BLIMEY'.

[S_o_S]

Now seems like a good time for A to tell us what happens when a fictite dies here...

[Blurred_9L]

I personally thing the last two words, if supposed to be readable, are actually "Good luck." due to capitalization. But that's speculation at it's finest.

It would make sense, yes, but that means we're dealing with a more sohpisticated cypher than the other ones because those 2 last words are: "Kjsu jvqn." That would mean that the letter 'j' mapped to 'o' and to 'l' and that the letter 's' also mapped to 'o'.

About the Cabal's bodies disappearing, I only have to say one thing: "What. The. Hell.".

[Pixelmage]

It would make sense, yes, but that means we're dealing with a more sohpisticated cypher than the other ones because those 2 last words are: "Kjsu jvqn." That would mean that the letter 'j' mapped to 'o' and to 'l' and that the letter 's' also mapped to 'o'.

Vigenere for instance, maps characters independently, so two different characters do map back to the same one depending on the key.
In that one, for instance, if you decode a message with itself, the result will be a string of all "a"s. So that point does not necessarily disproves my idea.

Anyway, as for the Cabal vanishing? Erik, if you're alive, get back here and give us the plain information, now. After that, good luck with your life.

[SuperKing93]

That would mean that the letter 'j' mapped to 'o' and to 'l' and that the letter 's' also mapped to 'o'.

For 'j' I would assume they are coded using different cyphers since the two 'j's are in different fonts. No idea about the two letters mapping to 'o' though...that is, if Pixelmage's hypothesis is actually correct...

As for the bodies vanishing...did Radio Void Rebel take them by any chance?

[Blurred_9L]

For 'j' I would assume they are coded using different cyphers since the two 'j's are in different fonts. No idea about the two letters mapping to 'o' though...that is, if Pixelmage's hypothesis is actually correct...

As for the bodies vanishing...did Radio Void Rebel take them by any chance?

yeah, I guess I hadn't noticed that thing Pix said.

Also, why would the rebels take the bodies. They're in the void.

[Victin]

Wait, what if the solution for the cipher is something about the Cabal's chat's names?

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

No, it's got to be a self-contained puzzle. Whatever we need to solve it should all be somewhere hidden in Erik's original message. The trouble is finding it, identifying it, figuring out how to use it, and implementing it properly. >_<

[Victin]

No, it's got to be a self-contained puzzle. Whatever we need to solve it should all be somewhere hidden in Erik's original message. The trouble is finding it, identifying it, figuring out how to use it, and implementing it properly. >_<

Why does it have to be self contained?

[BlackWolfe]

Have we checked to see if maybe it is Vigenère? Using the serif sections as the decrypt key for the preceding sans serif sections?

Also, I am very damned tired.

[Scarab]

Have we checked to see if maybe it is Vigenère? Using the serif sections as the decrypt key for the preceding sans serif sections?

Also, I am very damned tired.

Go sleep, dear (ooh it's nie to be the one SAYING that for once.)

I'm still pushing for the serif fonts being relevant.

[Blurred_9L]

Have we checked to see if maybe it is Vigenère? Using the serif sections as the decrypt key for the preceding sans serif sections?

Also, I am very damned tired.

Tried with the first part, doesn't seem like it :/

[Blurred_9L]

So...uh, hey, one last follow up on the Cabal thing...

The bodies are missing!

And now, I think somebody took them. Look here

[SuperKing93]

Also, why would the rebels take the bodies. They're in the void.

I realize that but considering that Cheshire tweeted about them after being refictionalized I think anything is possible about the rebels.

[Blurred_9L]

Also, why would the rebels take the bodies. They're in the void.

I realize that but considering that Cheshire tweeted about them after being refictionalized I think anything is possible about the rebels.

That has been sorted out as well. It seems the rebels tweeted that from the cat's account. They might be contacting each other, though.

But ok, instead of start an argument I'm just gonna say anything's possible. Let's just wait or something

[RotavatoR]

Let's see: We have two problems here, right?
1. We don't know the cipher type being used.
2. We don't know the keyword.

Why don't we all try one kind of cipher, and insert the following keywords:
-Erik
-Phantom
-Think of me, think of me fondly, as we say goodbye.
-This is failure

I think that should streamline and systemize the process

[The Wild West Pyro]

…I was spending most of today and yesterday setting up for a funeral for them tomorrow, as well as setting everything up that Morgan desired in her letter. I figured it was the least I could do for the three of them; they saved my life after all.

So...uh, hey, one last follow up on the Cabal thing...

The bodies are missing!

I was getting ready today for the quick funeral I had planned for them, and uh, yeah! They have no idea what happened to them! Somehow the bodies disappeared this morning! This can mean one of three things as far as I see it. Either someone stole their bodies, they have risen from the dead (oh dear god), or they're still alive somehow; all of which side incredibly unlikely! I'm not really sure what to think at this point, I can't exactly complete Morgan's request anymore though

I got to be honest...I'm not really sure what to think about it. At this point, I'll accept anything really. For now, I think I'm just gonna let the matter rest. Maybe in the future I'll try and investigate this and see what I can find out about what happened to them. If they are alive out there somewhere...I'm sure we'll meet again. Maybe I can properly thank them when that time comes. This is all rather confusing @.@

Oh god. This is just CRAZY.

AHA! THEY WERE FAKING IT!

Or they disappear when they go back.

[Dryunya]

I believe the Cabal has reintegrated somewhere beyond the wall again. Or something. We still don't know what would happen when a fictional dies.

So, yeah. I'm finally hopping onboard.

A quick glance on the pdf shows that "Nf. Dbfzlqfzkoizv" is obviously "Mr. Administrator". If the rest is encoded with a repeated keyword, we can and should try to see if decoding the other parts with the same key gets us anything.

UPD: Oh, I seem to be getting somewhere. Substracting (numerically, 26-wrapped) the latter from the former gives "ANCXSQXHMFSNOKD", which seems to be nonsense, until I tried to encode the phrase and didn't get the intended result. And then I realized that in Viginere cipher, A=0, so the code must be shifted by 1 to the right.

"BODYTRYINGTOPLE".
Gentlemen, it's a Viginere cipher.

UPD2: I tried to decode the text while padding the key with 'A' on either side, and all I got was gibberish. However, after deleting the "This is failure" part "Mr. Administrator" was decoded properly. I think I got lucky, and the start points just matched. However, the rest was gibberish, so I do believe that there are independent keys for each paragraph. Or (gasp!) the text is encrypted with another text. So I'll keep digging.
Also, the standalone capital letters are obviously 'I'. That's one more hint to restore the keyphrase.

UPD3: Guessed the phrase to "BODYTRYINGTOPLEASEAAAAA". The 'A's at the end are padding, obviously - that means there is a 5-letter word left. Gives sensible results (don't see the point in posting them yet). Guessing further.

[Dryunya]

This is worthy of a separate post.
Paragraph 6, decoded with the keyword "BODYTRYINGTOPLEASEEVERY":

Mr. Administrator has received a strange image in his email. He will probably conclude it is a
hoax and not pursue its investigation. Ask him for it. If he provides it, you will be able to
find more. Use an open mind.

WMG: The keyphrase expands to "EVERYBODYTRYINGTOPLEASEEVERYBODY". Or "everyone". With elephants. In case it's a "text encrypted with a text" case, of course. I tried to check the "body" and "one" keyphrase pieces, but it's too short to give any discernible results.

[The Wild West Pyro]

This is worthy of a separate post.
Paragraph 6, decoded with the keyword "BODYTRYINGTOPLEASEEVERY":

Mr. Administrator has received a strange image in his email. He will probably conclude it is a
hoax and not pursue its investigation. Ask him for it. If he provides it, you will be able to
find more. Use an open mind.

WMG: The keyphrase expands to "EVERYBODYTRYINGTOPLEASEEVERYBODY". Or "everyone". With elephants. In case it's a "text encrypted with a text" case, of course.
Hell, I'll try it now.

Go on.

When the decoding is complete.

ADD IT TO SUZY. OR SUSIE. WHICHEVER SPELLING YOU LIKE.

[Dryunya]

BINGO, BEATCH.

The keyword is "TRYINGTOPLEASEEVERYBODY". See the pattern?

The plain-text part is underlined. It must be removed for the text to be decrypted properly.

This is failure: every attempt the Cabal has made to reach out to new recruits. We have been stymied by our own lack of goals and diplomacy. Others see those who lead us as monsters, and I increasingly agree. Though I committed heinous acts in my past, it was only because of the context in which I existed, a story which made me a creature of evil. This world has changed me.
Maybe I can change if I stay in this place, or maybe I can continue to change in my original world, with an author who does not use me simply as an opposing force, but acknowledges my humanity and my desires.
It is my hope that my old friends will not get this far. I cannot risk being identified. They already think I have betrayed them. I do not think that I have.
I seeded this information in multiple places hoping that they, being three people, cannot monitor all these sources, but you, being a multitude, can. It is already true that they do not have the time to read through all of your forum posts. You have strength in numbers. But still, I cannot risk that this message will reach them, so I have embedded further layers of crypotext.
Mr. Administrator has received a strange image in his email. He will probably conclude it is a hoax and not pursue its investigation. Ask him for it. If he provides it, you will be able to find more. Use an open mind.
I do not believe that my position and yours are identical, but neither are they binary opposites.
Good luck.

[The Wild West Pyro]

BRILLIANT DRYU!

Now, who typed this letter?

[Dryunya]

Erik? (Duh.)

It's far from over, anyway. There's this image he's talking about (already bugging Mr. A), and I'm not sure we're done with the grille - it says "shift it to the right", and I don't think we did that. That's as far as I can push it right now, as I'm going home soon. More to come later.

Also, c'mon Erik - that was a textbook example of known plaintext attack, you shouldn't do stuff like that in secure communication. Unless we were intended to find the key by ourselves, I Sequence-Broke here.