"The Quest for William Penn's Pen"
Philadelphia – Aug 18th
Another Review
By
Rassilon
Our gathering place for the teams was to be 2 PM at Penn's Landing down by the Philadelphia River front, next to a sign that showed the "Ships of the Delaware."
For myself, I arrived about forty minutes earlier to familiarized myself with the area again. The last time I was at Penn's Landing, was when I held a younger man's dream in my heart of becoming an actor. One of my first paying film jobs was down here at Penns Landing, working as an extra on the Brian De Palma film, "Blow Out."
I never rose as an actor and remained forever poor, but I have a wealth of memories about Penns Landing. How many people can say they were personally knocked down six times by John Travolta, during the shooting of one scene, and kissed on both cheeks by Nancy Allen and her stand-in Deborah Everton. The kisses were in gratitude for the Roses I presented to each of them. Both of these Ladies remain close and dear to my heart to this day.
The Rob and Kristine Jenner arrived at about a quarter of two. Rob in possession of the famous Ravenchase Treasure Chest, containing our clues for the day. Had them safely lock away, until the rest of the teams arrived.
The weather that day was fantastic. Bright and clear, a high about seventy-six degrees. The air clean, was filled with sound of music from a local open air concert being given on the Landing that day. Kristine informed me that at least twelve people had signed up for the hunt that day, breaking down into four teams.
The first of these teams to arrive, not counting myself, Team Rassilon, was Team ClubEdventures.com. Lead by Ed and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan. --- I would love to say I have a fantastic memory for these women's names, but I only recalled their names, after seeing their picture posted on Ed's website.
If I remember correctly, Ed said he worked for living at, The Franklin Institute Museum, and in his off hours ran local Rallies and Hunts similar to Ravenchase in their nature. ( I wondered suspiciously, if he was there to take notes that day? Ravenchase's fame was growing.)
Next to arrive, and all in "Pink," was Team Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess. This outing for the six men and women and was a personal birthday present for one of their members. That's why they all were wearing the matching pink T-shirts with the Teams name on them.
( Here I will admit to being a little more than jealous of this team. As my own friends, a "Thoroughly Rotten Lot," barely can manage wearing matching socks on any given day, and always completely ignore my own birthday.)
The last Team to arrive, Team RudyKip, came literally in over our heads. They call the Jenners from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge above us, saying they could see us and that they were running behind. Asking us please, not start the race without them.
If I recall the story correctly, the young man had driven up from Richmond, to play and he had to stop off along the way to pick up his girlfriend. But fifteen minutes later they stood by our sides, filling out the usual wavers and releases for their first born children and we were finally ready to begin the hunt!
The race planned that day was a good one. If you are a true follower of the Ravenchase Forum, then you know from the boards that Kristine Jenner, since my last review, has decided to become, "Evil." It was that, or take up Knitting, Evil sounded more fun and less work.
Kristine has been taking notes and suggestions from the creative talents of other Ravenchase Franchises around the country. Ordered several new Code books from Amazon.com, and carries by her side at all times, just for inspiration, an unabridged edition of the autobiography, of the "Marquise de Sade."
All these changes in her, culminating in the forcing of her husband, Robert, to take her to see the Broadway production of "Wicked" so many times; that she now has the entire musical score for the part of Elphaba memorized.
The Philadelphia hunt was to prove she and Robert were well on their way to getting their desired wish, beginning with their first challenge. When the Ravenchase Treasure Chest opened, what came out of it was a surprising curiosity.
We were not immediately handed our clue scrolls and maps. But instead, we were handed a single sheet tied up with a yellow ribbon, and a small cardboard box, that looked like the type you would find at a Chinese take-away for side order of Moo-goo-gai-pan. I briefly wondered, if with Six Clues… do we get, Egg Roll???.
Kristine and Rob smiled and looked wily at us in our confusion. We were told that we would have to earn our clue scrolls and maps. We were to answer what was on the sheet and solved the puzzle in the box. To do so, we would have to decipher the question and answer it in only three tries, or lose five minutes, for each wrong answer there after.
My left eyebrow arched upward, as I open the box. For inside, there inside was a greater mystery. The box contained a four items. A brand new dollar bill. Two shinny Quarters and a Bright New Penny. Opening the attached sheet, I found a message entirely written in Maritime Signal Flags, and I leapt into action.
Having arrive early that day, I had seen another public sign. One showing all the meanings of the Maritime Signal Flags. Unfortunately for me, I was not the only one that had taken note of this sign.
Team Happy Ferry Mushroom Princess, or Team HFMP for short, had also spotted the sign, as they arrived from that direction. They were a half-step ahead of me in getting to the sign. So, I had to translate the code message while looking over a few shoulders, between two heads, under an elbow and between two "very" shapely female thighs, as their team crowded tightly around the board. But I did get my translation. What did the message say??? That, I am afraid, I am forbidden to tell you.
Part of my "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Ravenchase Adventures, is that in order to write about them, I am allowed to give you all the flavor and fun of the hunt. But never actual reveal there true locations, nor too much details about the clues themselves. The locations might be use again someday for Corporate clients. Also Ravenchase lives for the befuddlement of their would-be copy cat organizations attempting to duplicate their hunts.
What I can reveal, is that the message involved the brand new Dollar Bill found in the box and a question that was more of a "Bar Bet" than a puzzle.
I am purposefully leaving this clue intact, for the simple reason that it is a "Real Groaner" when the answer was finally discovered, plus I suspect that Rob and Kristine shall, in their new capacity for "Evil," wish to continue torturing future teams with this puzzle from here to Timbuktu .
It took about ten minutes, and all of our three guesses, to get it, but at last we all had our clue scrolls and the race was truly on its way.
The intriguing thing about Ravenchase Adventures is, that despite of the fact the clues are numbered, you do not have to solve the clues in any straightforward pattern to win. Using the map, it can be an advantage sometimes to recognize all the clue locations that are tightly grouped together and attack them first.
Reversely, it can also be an advantage to attack the clue furthest away, removing that single obstacle quickly. These were my thoughts, as I headed for what I will only describe to you, as the House of Stars.
Philadelphia, has many historic offerings. Sometimes too many. But I recognized the House of Stars by its description alone and arrived ahead of the other teams by about twelve minutes. What I needed appeared to be inside of the building, but the clue sheet held one more clue in the form of a box code. Arrange six groups of scrambled letters into a new pattern and you could uncover what you were to do, or say, inside the building.
Perhaps by instinct, or perhaps by shear blind luck, I arranged the letters in a pattern and on my first try, saw enough of the message to understand what I needed to do.
I needed to obtain a souvenir coin at that location, at the exact cost of two quarters and one Penny. All that remained at the bottom of my Chinese Take-Away box. I almost laughed at it's devilish simplicity. I was off again in a shot with my token safely in my pocket I now only needed to find a very small house, where nobody lived anymore.
Time and Timelines Wait For No Man
Blocks away from the House of Stars, is a park. And apart of this park is a monument dedicated to one of Philadelphia's founding fathers. Or rather, just to where he lived at one point. For the monument was really nothing more than a very small replica of what historians believe his house once looked like. This was the house I sought. All twelve inches of it in bronze.
I have to confess that in all the time I have lived in and around Philadelphia, I had know idea this park even existed, or was even there. I found the house via the Internet, more by accident, then design, the previous night as I was boning up for the hunt.
I mentioned in my last report that I like to gage the minds of the people that build these hunts and compare their actions to other well known games. Such as, Josh Czarda, being a Chess player, Chris Dove and Lisa Duty, being Poker players and lastly, the Jenners being purveyors of misdirection in the oldest of games, the Shell Game.
With this mind set, I can sometimes take educated guesses, as to what Historic features of the area might come into play during a hunt, based on the region surroundings of the Start Location. This Park and its exact address, happen to be apart of my notes and it was the only way I would have found it without outside help. You can never win a Ravenchase hunt by this method I employ, but it does lay excellent ground work.
Once inside the park, the clue guided me to a timeline of Philadelphia's history. Somewhere in the timeline lay an answer to the clue and the "Password" I was to collect for the game. But, the "Question" to that "Answer," lay buried in the clue page.
Kristine was not only being Wicked & Clever, but she was being a bit Childish as well. She hide the question in an old fashion Word Search Game Square.
The main reason, I should mention, I am so terrible at Anagrams, is for a single reason. I-can-not-spell-to-save-my-life. Throughout the greater part of my life, I have personally defeated every attempt to teach me proper spelling. Which only makes the strange quirkiness of my mind more intriguing in that, while I can not spell, I can fathom and crack most Cryptograms given enough time. ---- Go figure???
This particular Word Search was proving elusive to me. Many of the straight forward words I could find, even the ones on a diagonal. A number of words appeared to be set up as red herrings and useless to the whole of the puzzle. It would take me even longer to figure out that Kristine was again being particularly wicked and even cheating a bit, by reversing words and even creating words that broke and over leaped other words already discovered.
Fifteen minutes later, I had most of the question, but I was missing the last two and most important words. I decided to think about it and return to the Timeline later, I made a few more notes. Time, again was not on my side and I needed to move on.
( Note to myself: -- Invest in a set of multi-color Hi-liter pens for the Indiana Jones Bag. Might prove helpful if any future word search games are discovered.)
The House of Prometheus, or Clue #1, according to Robert Jenner's Treasure map, lay somewhere about five blocks away, as the Raven flies. I felt a good walk might reorganize my thoughts and perhaps give me new eyes which to see what I was missing within the Word Search. This trick worked well for me during the Lexington Hunt.
When I arrived at Prometheus, I was confronted with a plethora of "Pink People." All of them with their little faces pressed against the glass windows of the building. It was Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" who were once again a half-step ahead of me in arriving on the scene.
If there were any unfortunate glitches during that entire day; it was to be found here. The Prometheus clue was a Polybius Square. We were all required to find a certain historical plaque within the building.
From the plaque, we were to locate one paragraph to fill in the missing squares of our grid. The deciphering of the numeric code after that, should be a simple matter. What was not so simple, was the fact that the exhibit was closed, locked down and bolted that afternoon.
In honesty, no blame can be attached to either Robert, or Kristine. All the guide books clearly state that the building should have been open to the public until 6 PM. So finding it locked at 2:45 PM on a Saturday afternoon was as unfortunate, as it was unexpected.
Here in true sportsmanship among the Ravenchase Teams came into play. Pooling our ideas and resources, we put in a call to Kristine and told her of our dilemma. With every team locked out, Kristine ruled, that no penalties would be taken off for this clue, or the phone calls.
Then with one of Team HFMP's phones on speaker, Kristine read us all exactly what we needed from the Plaque, before calling all the rest of the teams with the same information. The "Pink" team was on the move again, and I was close on their heels for two reasons.
One, I needed a quiet place to sit down and decipher the Prometheus Clue, as well as rework the rest of the Word Search Puzzle. And Two, I overheard Team HFMS saying, that they was off in search of the Bronze House clue. ---- As the Chinese wisely noted in one of their many ideograms… "In Confusion, there is Opportunity!"
Having just come from that location, I offered to act as native porter and guide, showing them the way. My help was gratefully accepted. As we strolled along, the teams chatted about the hunt so far and I learned by their conversation that our teams were about evenly placed in the numbers of locations that they have visited and clues solved. So, the race was still open, as to who was in the lead.
About two blocks from the Bronze House, we ran into yet another of our group, Team ClubEdventures.com. Ed and his bevy of beauties, apparently having just left the park appeared to be heading in the opposite direction for the House of the Stars.
One disturbing note, that caught hold of my ears, was hearing Ed mention that they had "accidentally" found one of the hidden clue scrolls at one of the future location, and were now backtracking. This was disturbing news, since this definitely could mean his team was now in the lead.
Arriving at Bronze House park, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" were a wonder in action to see, proving that "Six Heads" are better than one. As a team, they broke apart. Several attacked and read the Timeline, One, like me, sat down at a bench and worked on the Prometheus Clue. While others worked on the Word Search Clue.
I filled in my Polybius Square and set to work on deciphering the Numeric Code, all the while keeping a sharp ear open on the group near by, for sounds of any words in the Words Search I had overlooked. ( Yes, this is what I meant by, "In Confusion, there is Opportunity!" … I was being both dastardly and sneaky. )
The Polybius Square released its secret in about six minutes, and I discovered that backtracking was going to be the flavor of the day for everyone. I was to go next in search of one of the oldest sections of Philadelphia and another location I had no idea existed. I was to find "The Courtyard Beneath The Stars."
As I glanced up from my decoding, I noted that the men and women in "Pink," were all trying to slip quietly out of the Park. Not an easy task to do, when your entire team is dressed up like a Neon sign. I knew they had solved the Word Search puzzle and were now heading back in search of the Courtyard Beneath the Stars. I slipped into my own stealthy mode and followed.
Just a stone's throw from the House of Prometheus was the Courtyard Beneath the Stars. But the Courtyard was not an easy find. First you had to travel down an alley, and partially obscuring the entrance were low overhung vines. It's a place that could be easily over looked. My own locating of the Courtyard came with a little help from a new and unexpected quarter; Team RudyKip.
During my search process, I stepped into an open doorway of a gift shop; only to find myself standing directly behind Team RudyKip. They were at that precise moment, quizzing the shop owner as to the location of any courtyards in the area. My serendipitous arrival was timed perfectly with the gentleman's reply.
Barely had the man finished speaking, then I slipped from the doorway again and was gone. All before Team RudyKip had a chance to turn around and see who had been standing behind them. Being stealthy, sometimes has both its own virtues and its rewards.
The Courtyard Beneath the Stars, draws its name from an ornamental feature of its walls. Iron Stars embedded into the stone work of the surrounding walls of the courtyard. The stars were used by builders in the past, to strengthen construction of the buildings. Our location clue stated that beneath two of these stars, a Gem was waiting for us to find. But Where??? The stars were everywhere and all the teams, except one, were converging on this spot.
Team HFMP were wandering about the yard a bit lost, Team RudyKip was checking out a wooden box with a Star carved in it and I, for once, discovered that my oldest nemesis, Green Ivy, could at last be a friend to me.
For behind a tree and hidden beneath the ivy, I found our clue scrolls. --- Taking two of the scrolls, I knew it was time to do a little Horse Trading with Team HFMP. They had something I wanted, I now had something they wanted.
What we traded was clues, I asked for the last two words of the Word Search and in return they received the scroll. Some may view this as cheating, but I view it as simply "Making Use Of All Available Resources…" This is something not totally unheard of in Ravenchase Hunt circles.
I suppose that Team HFMP considered it an excellent deal, since they may have thought I would be delayed by having to return to the Timeline in the park. But, I neglected to mention after the trade, was that the password asked for by the missing question, was already apart of my notes in my bag.
( Note to Would-be-Adventures: It also sometimes pays to write down random thoughts and information at clue locations. You never know when they will come in handy)
Opening my own clue scroll, I saw that we were all heading towards the "Future" location that Team ClubEdventures.com had mentioned they had stumbled across, more by accident, then design. The race was now beginning to look grim. It meant that Ed and his bevy of beauties, were definitely in the lead.
Before leaving the courtyard, I did perform one last service. I tapped Team RudyKip on the shoulder and pointed out the location of the hidden scrolls. --- ( I may be a bit dastardly and sneaky at times, but I am at least first and foremost, a great believer in a "Clean & Level" Playing Field. The balance in the Universe must be maintained. )
The "Future" location was Statue not too far from where we all began this race. The Bronze statue immortalized one of the first Landlords to hold official title in Philadelphia. Parts of the original contract he made, were inscribed upon the base of the statue. This was what all the teams now sought, as it was a basis of a substitution code.
When I left the Courtyard Beneath the Stars, I made what I thought was a direct beeline for the Statue, only to arrive once again a half step behind Team HFMP. It was a classic case of, they took the Low Road and I took the High road, and they arrived in Scotland and the Statue before me. For a flock of Pink Flamingos, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" moves rather well together.
( Mental Note to Self: Next time, check the road map closer, for shortcuts..)
Team HFMP were already hard at work copying down the passage, when I arrived at the base of the Statue. The instructions for the code seemed straight forward enough, when I wrote down the passage and started my translation. Soon the word "Look" appeared beneath my pencil but after that single word, the rest disintegrated into gibberish.
Fearing I had made a mistake, I reworked the code and again after the first word appeared and the translation fell apart into nothing. Looking up from this problem, I saw that Team RudyKip was arriving on site and Team HFMP was slowly departing from the scene. Once again, proving that six heads are indeed better than one. Time had become a desperate commodity, and demanded of me desperate measures. It demanded a phone call to Kristine for clarification.
All day, up to now, I was quite proud of myself, in that I had not needed to use my Cell Phone. This is one of my personal Bench marks for the marking a Perfect Hunt. The Hunt that day, aside from the locked exhibit, was near perfect in all its aspects and worthy of standing next to hunts created by the more experienced hands of Lisa Duty, Chris Dove and Josh Czarda. So it did fill me with a deep regret having to resort to using my cell phone that day.
When Kristine answered, I explained my dilemma with the code and she explained my mistake. I had followed a "little too Literally" the instructions on how to use the passage. By removing a few extra recurring letters from the passage, the code broke freely. Within five minutes, barring a few mistakes on my part, I had the hiding place of the next clue scroll and my next destination.
Packing up my bag again, I gave a glance towards Team RudyKip and realized that they were having the same problem I had had with the code. Following the clue's instructions too literally.
I had already helped them at the courtyard before, pointing out the location of the clue scroll, but that was my way of balancing the universe, for the Faustian deal I had made with Team HFMP. I felt I was still in Team Rudykip's debt for snagging the location of the Courtyard literally from behind their unsuspecting backs.
So, as a final act of kindness and to restore the Universe, I took a moment and passed along the information that Kristine had given me over the phone. As Oscar Wilde, was once said, "When given the gift of Good Advice, The only thing to do is to pass it on "Immediately"… it is never of any use to oneself."
I left Team RudyKip happily decoding, while I went in search of a Greek Tragedy and Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" I was now seven minutes behind them, because of this fiasco with the Future code.
The final location lay directly ahead of me, still along the waterfront. The City of Philadelphia many years ago under went a beautification project down by Penns Landing.
Using the wide meridians between the major highways, the City created a series of parks and green areas for the people to enjoy. The Project soften the appearance of waterfront, and turned what could have been just concrete and asphalt, into a lush garden areas that were now enjoyable to visit.
Nestled among these areas of green, the City elected to build a series of tributes, testimonials and memorials to the courage of the Irish Emigrates, the Korean War, Christopher Columbus, Vietnam, along with the Public Art walk of Sculptures.
History and Culture were all about us that day, and at least one of this locations related directly to our final clue scroll. A location that the clue referred to only as the Greek Theater.
Using my Treasure map and my scroll together, I knew at once which of the monument areas I was to go to, and I picked up my walking pace. As I approached, I saw something that filled my heart with delight. A flock of Pink Flamingos were gathered off to my right searching one of the monuments.
What had filled my heart with utter delight about this scene was, not only had I caught up with Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", but I had also regained my seven lost minutes. The Team HFMP was searching the wrong Monument. The correct one was still one block further ahead.
Apparently, no one within their group had compared their clue to the clue map in the way I had done. The Fates had intervene on my behalf, and I still had a good chance to at least place in this race. As happy as I was, I was not overlooking Ed and his bevy of Beauties of "Team ClubEdventures.com." I was certain their team had to be somewhere ahead of me.
Though I was first on the scene, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", having spotted me passing them, were now close upon my heels, if not inside my shoes and socks. We all descended upon the Greek Theater in unison.
According to the clue, amid flags unfurled, near a southern wall a number we sought lay beneath an engraved object.
Reaching into my Indiana Jones Bag, I whipped-out my Trusty-Rusty Compass and check the Mall's relationship to the North and South coordinates, while Team HFMP simply broke up an scoured every wall.
Locating the southern wall, I was a bit confused. Of Flags, there were plenty. Both above and below. But, there was no engraved object, as described by the clue scroll. I considered the idea that the southern wall had two standing sides to it. Following the footpath around to the other side. I again came face to face with "Nothing."
It is said, that many centuries ago, Buda, sat in silence before a blank wall. And when he arose, he had become enlightened to the ways of the Universe. Perhaps something of this same enlightenment came to me, for in that moment of pondering and staring at the empty wall, I became enlightened to the ways of Ravenchase.
The engraved object I sought may not be a physical object. The word could also be interpreted as something incredibly simple. A person's last name. A name engraved upon the wall.
Returning to the heart of the Greek Theater, I looked again with new eyes at the Southern wall and found the name . And there directly beneath it lay… nothing. --- Nothing at all. --- Only Mulch and plant life, which I search and dug among in hopes for a last single clue scroll. The fates had intervened again. This time against me.
As I pondered this new found dilemma, I glanced up and saw Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", looking a bit knackered and tired, milling about on the eastern edge of the mall, with one of them apparently on the phone; presumably with Kristine discussing the problem. Returning my attentions to the wall, I continued to search the area in hopes of finding something I may have overlooked.
(Note to any would-be-adventurer and follower of Ravenchase: ) I will mention to you at this point, that there will come a time of desperation in every race. When instinct, primitive as it may be, will take over in place of Logic and Common Sense. --- It maybe to your advantage, or to your folly, to follow these gut instincts; but this was that moment for me.
I still do not fully understand why I did, but when I looked up again from my search, and saw the "HFMP" team moving off slowly together, every instinct in my body told me to abandon my Logical search and follow them.
What compelled me most was an old quote that sprang into my mind in that instance. One from the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in the time honored voice of Sherlock Holmes.
"When you have eliminated the impossible,
Whatever remains, however improbable,
Must be the truth."
Slipping into my stealth mode again, I followed discreetly and at a distance, keeping an eye on them, as they crossed the major highway and reentered the waterfront area.
As I walked along, I reexamined in my mind the final clue. I had found the final Location. I had found the engraved object and name. But, there was no number beneath it, as promised.
The Number was obviously and logically related to a phone number. Ravenchase had in the past used public phones and numbers to call into answering machines, for clues, instructions, or final location. But what was the number I needed to call???
Giving voice to these thoughts can sometimes inspire other thoughts. What this thought inspired, was a small inconsistency in the behavior of Kristine and Robert that day.
I had unconsciously noted at the beginning of the race. There was only one "call-in number" that day. I had the sudden thought to question, "WHY?"
On my previous Ravenchase Hunt with, Robert and Kristine Jenner. They had each made a point of giving out both their phone numbers, in case one of their phones were tied up with another team and you had to get through. But, Today, only one phone was in service, Kristine's phone. "Why? What was Roberts's phone being used for???" I had another sudden inspiration and theory.
Reaching the Dock, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" turned right and continued on, while I, instead of following, sat down on one of the park benches beneath the trees and began searching my "Indiana Jones" Bag.
There just may be a way to test out my theory. Somewhere in my bag I still had a small note pad, which I had use on my previous adventure. It may still have had Roberts's Cell phone written done on it.
Flipping through the pages, I found Kristine's number again; but Rob's phone number had been carelessly torn out, when I was typing up my notes of the last Hunt. My Theory being blown now; I dialed Kristine's number.
When Kristine answered, just at the first sounds of my voice, I could almost hear her teeth grinding in aggravation. "Two???" phone calls from me during the race, and both within the same half hour. How could this be? What happen to the "Infamous" Rassilon???.
Placating her, as best I could over the phone, I gave her the "Password," told her that I had the "Token" in hand, and then went on to described the final location and the exact spot in the Greek Theater, where the Number should have been hidden, but there was nothing there. This news did not fill Kristine's heart with joy.
Calling me in, she gave me the location of the restaurant, and said she would "Personally" investigate the situation. The last time I had heard such a voice was from my four grade teacher, and I can tell you, "there was no Joy in Mudville that Night!"
Despite this set back, I do have to shower endless compliments on both Robert and Kristine for finding the Restaurant. It was an inspired choice.
Our race that day had begun by the sign, "The Ships of the Delaware." The finish-line ended on a four masted Windjammer Sailing Ship and Restaurant called, the "Moshulu" (pronounced Mo-shoe'-loo) The Party was on her Afterdeck Bar called "BONGO" The Moshulu, was once made famous through the books of, Eric Newby.
As I approached the gangplank, I saw my fellow travelers on this adventure smiling down upon me and applauding my arrival. A Ravenchase tradition for all arriving teams. A tradition I whole heartedly approve of, as in the spirit of Ravenchase there are never any losers, "Ever," in this game. You are always a winner, just for finishing.
Team ClubEdventures.com. and his bevy of beauties had, as I suspected, been the first to arrive, the plethora of "Pink" hanging over the outer rails announced to me that Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" were already aboard ship, and only minutes ahead of me, since they all were still in the process of ordering their first drinks.
As I had been gathering myself off the bench in the Park, I noticed one straggler from Team HFMP heading down the walkway. Spotting me as well, the fellow picked up his pace and scurrying ahead to the ship before me. I had surmised by his pace, he had broken off from the main pack, on a personal quest for the restrooms. And, of course last, but not least, there were our hosts, Rob and Kristine Jenner waving down at me.
We were all still waiting on the arrival of Team RudyKip, who, I felt certain, should only be just minutes behind me, though I had not seen them at the Greek Theater. At this point, Kristine left Rob in charge of our rowdy group, as she went off to confirm the problem I had mentioned with the final marker.
After officially crossing the finish line and ordering my traditional large glass of white wine. An another Ravenchase tradition ensued; WAR STORIES!!!
The drinks flowed freely, as did the laughter and the tales of misadventures, as each team, with hands over their hearts, confessed their utter and total Brilliance during the day, as well as their most embarrassing moments of blatant mind numbing stupidity during the hunt.
It was during one of these tales, that the phone rang and Team RudyKip called in saying that they too were lost at the last marker. If Rob Jenner had not vocally mentioned what the last marker looked like, the mystery of the last Marker might have never been solved.
As he was describing it to our missing Team, one of the members of Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" suddenly lifted up her hand holding the missing Marker in it. The marker had been in their possession, ever since they found it.
In Team HFMP defence, their "Buggering" of the last marker was not done out of malice, or intent. There were a number of other markers in the Greek Theater that looked exactly alike. They had just falsely assumed, that they were like the clue scrolls, a Marker for each one of the teams. What they had not realized, was that only one of these Markers had the magic phone number taped on it.
Five Minutes later, both Kristine and Team Rudy Kip arrived aboard the "Moshulu" to a hero's welcome and all past ills of the hunt were forgotten, or left to drown at the bottom of a drinking Glass. The Party and the story telling was all that mattered now.
About twenty minutes later, after the much head scratching on the part of Robert and Kristine Jenner, the awards ceremony began.
First Place and the "Golden Well & Quill" Award, justifiably went to Team ClubEdventures.com. and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan.
Second Place the "Silver Leaf" Award went to Team RudyKip. Though last to arrive, their Team had "Zero" Penalties and "Zero" Phone calls for the day. The adjustment for the missing Marker placed them ahead.
Third Place the "Keys to the City" Award. A large set of Iron Keys on a key ring, went to Team Rassilon. With the one phone call penalty and the adjustment for the marker, I actually had tied with, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" but the deciding factor came down again to one single point. --- Before the beginning of the race, I was the one that had solved The near impossible Starter Clue first and was awarded the Ten extra minutes for doing so. These ten minutes broke the tie.
Now, I can imagine that at this moment, there is a lot of mass confusion out there. But what kind of storyteller would I be, if I did not save the "coup de grâce" until the last. Or hold back a detail, or two, for the sake of better story telling.
Backing up to the beginning of all these events. You will recall I had just cried "Uncle" to Rob and Kristine via my e-mail that morning. After which, in disgust, I climbed in the shower in an attempt to make myself look semi-human before going off to work. That is when it happen.
It is said, that the famous British Mystery writer, Agatha Christie, always claimed that her most delicious murders, or solutions to her most difficult story problems, always came to her while she was washing the dishes. For me, it is the shower.
Something about the white noise of the water running in the shower, cleared my thoughts and the solution became obvious. I knew that two of the lines in the puzzle had far too many Consonants in it, and not enough Vowels, to be an Anagram. This meant it could only be that a Vigenere cipher was hidden in the very heart of the puzzle.
I had, what I felt, were the key words necessary to decipher it, but the puzzle was not decoding no matter what variation, or arrangement of the words I was using. It was while I was in the shower, it finally came to me. There were not "Two" lines of code to translate but "four" lines of code. I had been working with only half the puzzle up to now.
Still dripping from my shower, I stood there in my towel like Archimedes, typing in the other lines of the code into the online Vigenere Solver. I typed in the key word, crossed my fingers and pressed enter. Eureka! The solution appeared before me.
I immediately Emailed Rob and Kristine plus "Joshua Czarda" in Hawaii with the correct answer, only ten minutes after I had cried "Uncle" I had won. I had beaten the Black Curse Cipher of the Great Kahuna.
There were two more awards given out that afternoon, but not to the teams. These awards occurred earlier in the day. The awards were personal gifts from me to, Kristine and Robert Jenner as a token of friendship and thanks for all they do to entertain petulant overgrown children like myself.
I had originally planned to present these gifts to them at the party, but as we has so much time on our hands before the other teams arrive. I gave them to them at the beginning of the day.
(This was also a subtle, but decisive move on my part to lighten my Indiana Jones Bag,, so I would not have to carry the extra weight during the race. )
To Robert, I presented a "Gold" plated set of "The Shell and Pea Game" I found at a Magic shop. It was a remembrance of his very first Philadelphia Race, where in my review, I had compared Rob and his wife's style of game play to the ancient Shell Game.
For Kristine, to help fulfill her desires to become ever more "Evil" in the Ravenchase Game. I presented to her with, at the on-line suggestion of Josh Czarda, a small "gold" embossed leather bound copy of Edgar Allen Poe's famous story of cryptography, "The Gold Bug," A wonderful printing from the 1920's, which I had discovered in an antique shop. Both Kristine and Rob were touched and a bit tickled by my gifts.
The other present I brought along to the party for the teams, that became very popular, was the full explanation chart showing of how the Starter clue worked. I have made several copies of the printout and all of these instantly vanished among the various teams, who were interesting in seeing what they had overlooked in their own solutions.
On a whole it was a near perfect race that day. A Great Race, New Friends, A Terrific Party afterwards on board a sailing ship. You could not ask for better.
With the setting of the sun over the "Moshulu's" outer rail, the party reluctantly began to break up around seven o'clock. Packing up my bag, and my prize, which I laughingly refer to as "The Keys to the Loo", since that was what I was looking for when my award announcement came. I made my own farewells and caught the 7:40 train home.
Arriving home, I did not wait for any requests from Ravenchase this time. I turned on my computer and sent in my early report card in to Josh Czarda, and Lisa Duty, before either of them had a chance to ask.. My report was simple, as it was clear. "A+ … The Jenners did you and Ravenchase proud that day!"
Until the next Hunt....
I remind, cryptically, whimsically, if not a bit strangely yours,
And to the winners, goes the soils ……
First place winners Team ClubEdventures.com. Ed and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan, all aboard the "Moshulu"
Philadelphia – Aug 18th
Another Review
By
Rassilon
Inspector: You know, there's a word for people who
think everyone is conspiring against them.
Woody Allen: Yes, I know… Perceptive!!!
--- Curse of the Jade Scorpion
think everyone is conspiring against them.
Woody Allen: Yes, I know… Perceptive!!!
--- Curse of the Jade Scorpion
A Conspiracy of Infamy against the "Infamous!"
Today, I must begin my report, strangely, with an apology to all my fellow travelers on this particular Ravenchase Hunt. Apologizing for the pain, suffering and their excessive trips to the medicine cabinet is quest of aspirin. All your torments at the beginning of this race were inadvertently my fault.
As Shakespeare might have described it, a sort of "Merry War of Words" has broken out between Robert & Kristine Jenner and myself. All of which caused the bar on the last race to be raised a little higher. Namely, the appearance of that "Unique Starter Clue" for "The Quest for William Penn's Pen" hunt held in Philadelphia, on August 18th.
The events are these. --- One week earlier, Robert Jenner, of Ravenchase's New Jersey branch, was trying his hand at his very first Starter Clue for the Princeton race, "Catch a Tiger by it's Toe."
Kristine, their usual resident Puzzle Master, was off gathering a few new grey hairs, as well as losing a few grey cells, over the puzzling out of four new and different hunts they were assembling for Corporate clients.
With her hands so full, she had left the creation of the starter clue for the Princeton Hunt in the capable and loving hands of her husband, Robert. Rob, welcomed the challenge, and diligently sat down at his own desk to pondered, plot and wax poetically over his Starter clue for days.
At its birth, like all Fathers, Robert was enormously proud of his "First Born Brain Child;" having poured much of himself into the project. It shone brightly in his eyes, and he beamed with Parental pride, as he sent it out to play among the children of the internet and everyone on Ravenchase's mailing list.
His dream, being of course, that a last minute group would discover it, solve it and would in the delight of their success, decide to sign up for the Princeton Hunt as well. This was how this particular Starter Clue came to disembarked itself upon my doorstep, via my e-mail.
Finding a good mental challenge always too irresistible to turn away; I opened the clue, and unfortunately, within seconds, recognized the path in which the clue was heading.
Swiftly downloading a chart from the internet, I translated the code; and within fifteen minutes, I had unscrambled the anagrams that formed its core and knew for certain the exact starting location in Princeton would be at the "Turning Basin Park."
What, callously, I did next sealed my own fate, as well as the fates of my innocent fellow adventures on the "William Penn Quest, in Philadelphia. And once again, I do ask all who attended to forgive me.
What I did was to send my answer back immediately, mentioning in my reply that, even though I was "absolutely terrible" at Anagrams, I had solved this clue in only fifteen minutes. Most of my time being taking up with the downloading of the chart I needed.
Horror, upon horror, what a unforgivable thing to say to a parent! And then to add final insult to injury; within twenty minutes, I came up with my own Intermediate Starter Clue for the location, based on codes I had seen Ravenchase use in the past. I callously sent this Changeling Child of my own, back to the Jenner's for comparison.
( For those adventurers still reading, or even remotely, or vaguely interested a this point, my starter clue is posted on the "Puzzles Haunt" section of the Ravenchase boards. )
For Robert Jenner, not only had I dismissed his first born brain child out of hand, but I had thrown down the gauntlet in the dust before him.
How could such arrogance go unchallenged, unpunished. The "Infamous" Rassilon had to be taken down a Peg or two, at all cost. He had to be taught a lesson in Humility!!!
There was only one thing to be done, Robert and his wife would have to invoke a power far greater then they themselves commanded. One, which they has secretly prayed in their souls they would never have to invoke, for such a power that could come at a heavy cost to them later.
But, for the wounds that "Infamous" Rassilon had inflicted, no sacrifice was now too dear to pay. There was only a single thirst in both their souls now. A thirst for Revenge!!!
So, the Jenners pulled from their bookshelves various books containing astrological time tables, and in particular, those pertaining to the hours of the Moon. They needed an appointed hour of greatest alignment; when the dark forces they intended to contact, were to be at their height.
Thus found, they waited. Waited until the deepest hour of the night. When the moon waxed heavily in their favor and the black powers would be exalted. An hour, when only sinister deeds, unwhispered of in the light of day, could be preformed.
They lit candles, open their laptop, made appropriate sacrifices to their own dignity. And then, with a laying-on of hands, they typed in a Dark and Terrible Invocation to a far away Spirit.
When the words of their invocation were finished, and carefully check, so that no fault in their true desires could be misinterpreted. Together the Jenners, with a single heart, and with a single hand, pressed the "Enter Key," sending forth their dark request for help into the "Ether," and into the night..
Their written supplication traveled outward into the darkness. Traveling beyond the hills and mountains, across rivers and valleys with the speed of lighting. It never even hesitated when it touched the sea. It leapt across the water, as if it born from the first to do so.
What the Jenners had unleashed upon the universe that night, was now unstoppable. The message voyaged beyond, beyond, to a place where sky, sea, fire and mountain meet as one. It sought out the secret dwelling of a infinitely Dark Spirit. A Spirit, known to possessed the heart of the blackest Raven. The heart of a Trickster.
A Trickster, who was first whispered of among the tribes of the North American Indian, almost before time itself began. A name still spoken with reverence among them today. But, only as being myth, something dreamt long ago. Yet at the same time, within their native hearts, they fear a greater truth. The truth that the Raven still walked among them in some foreign land; and may someday return to them. But such things are not often spoken of aloud.
The Jenners dark invocation and summoning for help, had called out to this Trickster Spirit by another name. Their call reached out to the "Great and Dark Kahuna." of the far Islands. The creator of all things Ravenchase, Joshua Czarda.
The Great Kahuna stirred at their summoning, and his eyes gleamed in the darkness, as he reached out and touched his monitoring screen. Within moments, he saw and took in all, and the mountains about him trembled in fear, for the dark spirit of his soul had laughed. And it was a terrible, merciless, laugh.
The "infamous" Rassilon had now aroused the displeasure of the Great Kahuna as well, and he would reap bitterly the rewards for his carelessness actions. This interloper would be brought to task for his offences to the followers of, The Raven, and suffering would be his only allotment.
The Great Kahuna stretch forth his hand and half a world away, the Jenner's printer awakened like a thing possessed; spitting forth black ink. Then it spat forth something even blacker. A curse. A terrifying curse, devised in the deepest darkest corners of the mind of the Great Kahuna himself.
This Curse that came in the form of a clue. A Starter Clue; one that would make even the Jenners shudder in disbelief over what they had wrought upon the earth, in their hast and thirst for revenge. But, they now didn't know what else to do.
They dare not send out anything less than this clue that lay before them. To do so might, might incur the anger and wrath of the Great Kahuna upon themselves. It was they who had invoked him. And once invoked… there was never any going back.. The Great Kahuna's "Will" must be done.
And so, as it was written… It was Done!!! …
The Starter Clue of the Great Kahuna was sent forth upon the land. And to all those both guilty, or innocent, who sought the Treasure of "William Penn's Pen." would have to suffer. And all, would be brought to share in same fate as the Interloper, Rassilon!
Thus far, all this sounds rather exciting, and very malevolent in it's darkness doesn't it??? A familiar tale at least worthy of the pen of August Derleth. --- Sadly, very little of it is true, because the "actual truth" was far more mundane.
Rob and Kristine Jenner wanted a Starter Clue that would "Stump" me personally, and so they e-mailed, Josh Czarda, in Hawaii for help. In short …"They Ganged-up On Me!!!"
Josh worked his Magic, and came up with a starter clue for Philadelphia almost entirely based on what I had mentioned in my e-mail, as being my greatest weakness in clue solving, ANAGRAMS.
The Starter clue was, to put it mildly…. was "A BEAR!" In fact the whole subspecies known as "Ursus Arrctos Middendorffi" The largest land animal in North America, in both its size and scope. The clue incorporated the use of Numerical Substitutions, Greek Alphabet, Anagrams and something hidden far deeper within the puzzle itself.
Two of my fellow adventures on the race, from Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" (No, really… that "was" their team's name) confessed to me, that for the last two days prior to the hunt, none of their office work was getting done.
Their obsession to crack this coded message, had displaced everything in their lives. They spent two entire days staring at their work assignments, but mentally thinking only of this clue. To the point, that they were running back and forth to each others cubical every other hour, hoping the one of them had found some crack in its makeup. Their team only solved it in the eleventh hour, and the eleventh minute, before the game started..
For myself, the Number Substitution and the Greek were easy enough, but the Anagrams… (yikes!!!) I set to work with my favorite on-line Anagram solver at WWW.Wordsmith.org /Anagrams. The results were to say the least, eye-opening in their crudity alone.
I don't know who to blame, the author of the puzzle, or the programmer at Wordsmith, but one of them either by accident, or design, is very preoccupied and excessively concern with dirty and suggestive words.
The words, Boob, or Boobs cropped up at least fifteen times, or more, within the page. As did that [size=4]"B"[/size=4] word that rhymes so wonderfully with Witches, along side of words, like Porn, Buns, Toga, Bra, Brats, Barhop, Gunboat and Thumbscrews.
The two most ominously sounding messages that appeared before my eyes, sounded like something placed there by, Josh Czarda, personally; just for me to find. "BE REVENGED I…" and a reference to my oldest Nemesis "GREEN IVY…" Twenty-two hours later, I woke with a splitting headache, from dreaming about the clue all night long, and I threw up my hands.
Stumbling out of my bed, un-washed, un-shaven, I went to my computer and typed in a short e-mail to Kristine and Rob, and cried…
"UNCLE!!!" As Shakespeare might have described it, a sort of "Merry War of Words" has broken out between Robert & Kristine Jenner and myself. All of which caused the bar on the last race to be raised a little higher. Namely, the appearance of that "Unique Starter Clue" for "The Quest for William Penn's Pen" hunt held in Philadelphia, on August 18th.
The events are these. --- One week earlier, Robert Jenner, of Ravenchase's New Jersey branch, was trying his hand at his very first Starter Clue for the Princeton race, "Catch a Tiger by it's Toe."
Kristine, their usual resident Puzzle Master, was off gathering a few new grey hairs, as well as losing a few grey cells, over the puzzling out of four new and different hunts they were assembling for Corporate clients.
With her hands so full, she had left the creation of the starter clue for the Princeton Hunt in the capable and loving hands of her husband, Robert. Rob, welcomed the challenge, and diligently sat down at his own desk to pondered, plot and wax poetically over his Starter clue for days.
At its birth, like all Fathers, Robert was enormously proud of his "First Born Brain Child;" having poured much of himself into the project. It shone brightly in his eyes, and he beamed with Parental pride, as he sent it out to play among the children of the internet and everyone on Ravenchase's mailing list.
His dream, being of course, that a last minute group would discover it, solve it and would in the delight of their success, decide to sign up for the Princeton Hunt as well. This was how this particular Starter Clue came to disembarked itself upon my doorstep, via my e-mail.
Finding a good mental challenge always too irresistible to turn away; I opened the clue, and unfortunately, within seconds, recognized the path in which the clue was heading.
Swiftly downloading a chart from the internet, I translated the code; and within fifteen minutes, I had unscrambled the anagrams that formed its core and knew for certain the exact starting location in Princeton would be at the "Turning Basin Park."
What, callously, I did next sealed my own fate, as well as the fates of my innocent fellow adventures on the "William Penn Quest, in Philadelphia. And once again, I do ask all who attended to forgive me.
What I did was to send my answer back immediately, mentioning in my reply that, even though I was "absolutely terrible" at Anagrams, I had solved this clue in only fifteen minutes. Most of my time being taking up with the downloading of the chart I needed.
Horror, upon horror, what a unforgivable thing to say to a parent! And then to add final insult to injury; within twenty minutes, I came up with my own Intermediate Starter Clue for the location, based on codes I had seen Ravenchase use in the past. I callously sent this Changeling Child of my own, back to the Jenner's for comparison.
( For those adventurers still reading, or even remotely, or vaguely interested a this point, my starter clue is posted on the "Puzzles Haunt" section of the Ravenchase boards. )
For Robert Jenner, not only had I dismissed his first born brain child out of hand, but I had thrown down the gauntlet in the dust before him.
How could such arrogance go unchallenged, unpunished. The "Infamous" Rassilon had to be taken down a Peg or two, at all cost. He had to be taught a lesson in Humility!!!
There was only one thing to be done, Robert and his wife would have to invoke a power far greater then they themselves commanded. One, which they has secretly prayed in their souls they would never have to invoke, for such a power that could come at a heavy cost to them later.
But, for the wounds that "Infamous" Rassilon had inflicted, no sacrifice was now too dear to pay. There was only a single thirst in both their souls now. A thirst for Revenge!!!
So, the Jenners pulled from their bookshelves various books containing astrological time tables, and in particular, those pertaining to the hours of the Moon. They needed an appointed hour of greatest alignment; when the dark forces they intended to contact, were to be at their height.
Thus found, they waited. Waited until the deepest hour of the night. When the moon waxed heavily in their favor and the black powers would be exalted. An hour, when only sinister deeds, unwhispered of in the light of day, could be preformed.
They lit candles, open their laptop, made appropriate sacrifices to their own dignity. And then, with a laying-on of hands, they typed in a Dark and Terrible Invocation to a far away Spirit.
When the words of their invocation were finished, and carefully check, so that no fault in their true desires could be misinterpreted. Together the Jenners, with a single heart, and with a single hand, pressed the "Enter Key," sending forth their dark request for help into the "Ether," and into the night..
Their written supplication traveled outward into the darkness. Traveling beyond the hills and mountains, across rivers and valleys with the speed of lighting. It never even hesitated when it touched the sea. It leapt across the water, as if it born from the first to do so.
What the Jenners had unleashed upon the universe that night, was now unstoppable. The message voyaged beyond, beyond, to a place where sky, sea, fire and mountain meet as one. It sought out the secret dwelling of a infinitely Dark Spirit. A Spirit, known to possessed the heart of the blackest Raven. The heart of a Trickster.
A Trickster, who was first whispered of among the tribes of the North American Indian, almost before time itself began. A name still spoken with reverence among them today. But, only as being myth, something dreamt long ago. Yet at the same time, within their native hearts, they fear a greater truth. The truth that the Raven still walked among them in some foreign land; and may someday return to them. But such things are not often spoken of aloud.
The Jenners dark invocation and summoning for help, had called out to this Trickster Spirit by another name. Their call reached out to the "Great and Dark Kahuna." of the far Islands. The creator of all things Ravenchase, Joshua Czarda.
The Great Kahuna stirred at their summoning, and his eyes gleamed in the darkness, as he reached out and touched his monitoring screen. Within moments, he saw and took in all, and the mountains about him trembled in fear, for the dark spirit of his soul had laughed. And it was a terrible, merciless, laugh.
The "infamous" Rassilon had now aroused the displeasure of the Great Kahuna as well, and he would reap bitterly the rewards for his carelessness actions. This interloper would be brought to task for his offences to the followers of, The Raven, and suffering would be his only allotment.
The Great Kahuna stretch forth his hand and half a world away, the Jenner's printer awakened like a thing possessed; spitting forth black ink. Then it spat forth something even blacker. A curse. A terrifying curse, devised in the deepest darkest corners of the mind of the Great Kahuna himself.
This Curse that came in the form of a clue. A Starter Clue; one that would make even the Jenners shudder in disbelief over what they had wrought upon the earth, in their hast and thirst for revenge. But, they now didn't know what else to do.
They dare not send out anything less than this clue that lay before them. To do so might, might incur the anger and wrath of the Great Kahuna upon themselves. It was they who had invoked him. And once invoked… there was never any going back.. The Great Kahuna's "Will" must be done.
And so, as it was written… It was Done!!! …
The Starter Clue of the Great Kahuna was sent forth upon the land. And to all those both guilty, or innocent, who sought the Treasure of "William Penn's Pen." would have to suffer. And all, would be brought to share in same fate as the Interloper, Rassilon!
*** A Note to Our Intrepid Reader***
Thus far, all this sounds rather exciting, and very malevolent in it's darkness doesn't it??? A familiar tale at least worthy of the pen of August Derleth. --- Sadly, very little of it is true, because the "actual truth" was far more mundane.
Rob and Kristine Jenner wanted a Starter Clue that would "Stump" me personally, and so they e-mailed, Josh Czarda, in Hawaii for help. In short …"They Ganged-up On Me!!!"
Josh worked his Magic, and came up with a starter clue for Philadelphia almost entirely based on what I had mentioned in my e-mail, as being my greatest weakness in clue solving, ANAGRAMS.
The Starter clue was, to put it mildly…. was "A BEAR!" In fact the whole subspecies known as "Ursus Arrctos Middendorffi" The largest land animal in North America, in both its size and scope. The clue incorporated the use of Numerical Substitutions, Greek Alphabet, Anagrams and something hidden far deeper within the puzzle itself.
Two of my fellow adventures on the race, from Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" (No, really… that "was" their team's name) confessed to me, that for the last two days prior to the hunt, none of their office work was getting done.
Their obsession to crack this coded message, had displaced everything in their lives. They spent two entire days staring at their work assignments, but mentally thinking only of this clue. To the point, that they were running back and forth to each others cubical every other hour, hoping the one of them had found some crack in its makeup. Their team only solved it in the eleventh hour, and the eleventh minute, before the game started..
For myself, the Number Substitution and the Greek were easy enough, but the Anagrams… (yikes!!!) I set to work with my favorite on-line Anagram solver at WWW.Wordsmith.org /Anagrams. The results were to say the least, eye-opening in their crudity alone.
I don't know who to blame, the author of the puzzle, or the programmer at Wordsmith, but one of them either by accident, or design, is very preoccupied and excessively concern with dirty and suggestive words.
The words, Boob, or Boobs cropped up at least fifteen times, or more, within the page. As did that [size=4]"B"[/size=4] word that rhymes so wonderfully with Witches, along side of words, like Porn, Buns, Toga, Bra, Brats, Barhop, Gunboat and Thumbscrews.
The two most ominously sounding messages that appeared before my eyes, sounded like something placed there by, Josh Czarda, personally; just for me to find. "BE REVENGED I…" and a reference to my oldest Nemesis "GREEN IVY…" Twenty-two hours later, I woke with a splitting headache, from dreaming about the clue all night long, and I threw up my hands.
Stumbling out of my bed, un-washed, un-shaven, I went to my computer and typed in a short e-mail to Kristine and Rob, and cried…
*****
THE HUNT BEGINS
or
"With Six Clues… Do I get Egg Roll???"
Our gathering place for the teams was to be 2 PM at Penn's Landing down by the Philadelphia River front, next to a sign that showed the "Ships of the Delaware."
For myself, I arrived about forty minutes earlier to familiarized myself with the area again. The last time I was at Penn's Landing, was when I held a younger man's dream in my heart of becoming an actor. One of my first paying film jobs was down here at Penns Landing, working as an extra on the Brian De Palma film, "Blow Out."
I never rose as an actor and remained forever poor, but I have a wealth of memories about Penns Landing. How many people can say they were personally knocked down six times by John Travolta, during the shooting of one scene, and kissed on both cheeks by Nancy Allen and her stand-in Deborah Everton. The kisses were in gratitude for the Roses I presented to each of them. Both of these Ladies remain close and dear to my heart to this day.
The Rob and Kristine Jenner arrived at about a quarter of two. Rob in possession of the famous Ravenchase Treasure Chest, containing our clues for the day. Had them safely lock away, until the rest of the teams arrived.
The weather that day was fantastic. Bright and clear, a high about seventy-six degrees. The air clean, was filled with sound of music from a local open air concert being given on the Landing that day. Kristine informed me that at least twelve people had signed up for the hunt that day, breaking down into four teams.
The first of these teams to arrive, not counting myself, Team Rassilon, was Team ClubEdventures.com. Lead by Ed and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan. --- I would love to say I have a fantastic memory for these women's names, but I only recalled their names, after seeing their picture posted on Ed's website.
If I remember correctly, Ed said he worked for living at, The Franklin Institute Museum, and in his off hours ran local Rallies and Hunts similar to Ravenchase in their nature. ( I wondered suspiciously, if he was there to take notes that day? Ravenchase's fame was growing.)
Next to arrive, and all in "Pink," was Team Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess. This outing for the six men and women and was a personal birthday present for one of their members. That's why they all were wearing the matching pink T-shirts with the Teams name on them.
( Here I will admit to being a little more than jealous of this team. As my own friends, a "Thoroughly Rotten Lot," barely can manage wearing matching socks on any given day, and always completely ignore my own birthday.)
The last Team to arrive, Team RudyKip, came literally in over our heads. They call the Jenners from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge above us, saying they could see us and that they were running behind. Asking us please, not start the race without them.
If I recall the story correctly, the young man had driven up from Richmond, to play and he had to stop off along the way to pick up his girlfriend. But fifteen minutes later they stood by our sides, filling out the usual wavers and releases for their first born children and we were finally ready to begin the hunt!
The race planned that day was a good one. If you are a true follower of the Ravenchase Forum, then you know from the boards that Kristine Jenner, since my last review, has decided to become, "Evil." It was that, or take up Knitting, Evil sounded more fun and less work.
Kristine has been taking notes and suggestions from the creative talents of other Ravenchase Franchises around the country. Ordered several new Code books from Amazon.com, and carries by her side at all times, just for inspiration, an unabridged edition of the autobiography, of the "Marquise de Sade."
All these changes in her, culminating in the forcing of her husband, Robert, to take her to see the Broadway production of "Wicked" so many times; that she now has the entire musical score for the part of Elphaba memorized.
The Philadelphia hunt was to prove she and Robert were well on their way to getting their desired wish, beginning with their first challenge. When the Ravenchase Treasure Chest opened, what came out of it was a surprising curiosity.
We were not immediately handed our clue scrolls and maps. But instead, we were handed a single sheet tied up with a yellow ribbon, and a small cardboard box, that looked like the type you would find at a Chinese take-away for side order of Moo-goo-gai-pan. I briefly wondered, if with Six Clues… do we get, Egg Roll???.
Kristine and Rob smiled and looked wily at us in our confusion. We were told that we would have to earn our clue scrolls and maps. We were to answer what was on the sheet and solved the puzzle in the box. To do so, we would have to decipher the question and answer it in only three tries, or lose five minutes, for each wrong answer there after.
My left eyebrow arched upward, as I open the box. For inside, there inside was a greater mystery. The box contained a four items. A brand new dollar bill. Two shinny Quarters and a Bright New Penny. Opening the attached sheet, I found a message entirely written in Maritime Signal Flags, and I leapt into action.
Having arrive early that day, I had seen another public sign. One showing all the meanings of the Maritime Signal Flags. Unfortunately for me, I was not the only one that had taken note of this sign.
Team Happy Ferry Mushroom Princess, or Team HFMP for short, had also spotted the sign, as they arrived from that direction. They were a half-step ahead of me in getting to the sign. So, I had to translate the code message while looking over a few shoulders, between two heads, under an elbow and between two "very" shapely female thighs, as their team crowded tightly around the board. But I did get my translation. What did the message say??? That, I am afraid, I am forbidden to tell you.
Part of my "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Ravenchase Adventures, is that in order to write about them, I am allowed to give you all the flavor and fun of the hunt. But never actual reveal there true locations, nor too much details about the clues themselves. The locations might be use again someday for Corporate clients. Also Ravenchase lives for the befuddlement of their would-be copy cat organizations attempting to duplicate their hunts.
What I can reveal, is that the message involved the brand new Dollar Bill found in the box and a question that was more of a "Bar Bet" than a puzzle.
I am purposefully leaving this clue intact, for the simple reason that it is a "Real Groaner" when the answer was finally discovered, plus I suspect that Rob and Kristine shall, in their new capacity for "Evil," wish to continue torturing future teams with this puzzle from here to Timbuktu .
It took about ten minutes, and all of our three guesses, to get it, but at last we all had our clue scrolls and the race was truly on its way.
The House of Stars
The intriguing thing about Ravenchase Adventures is, that despite of the fact the clues are numbered, you do not have to solve the clues in any straightforward pattern to win. Using the map, it can be an advantage sometimes to recognize all the clue locations that are tightly grouped together and attack them first.
Reversely, it can also be an advantage to attack the clue furthest away, removing that single obstacle quickly. These were my thoughts, as I headed for what I will only describe to you, as the House of Stars.
Philadelphia, has many historic offerings. Sometimes too many. But I recognized the House of Stars by its description alone and arrived ahead of the other teams by about twelve minutes. What I needed appeared to be inside of the building, but the clue sheet held one more clue in the form of a box code. Arrange six groups of scrambled letters into a new pattern and you could uncover what you were to do, or say, inside the building.
Perhaps by instinct, or perhaps by shear blind luck, I arranged the letters in a pattern and on my first try, saw enough of the message to understand what I needed to do.
I needed to obtain a souvenir coin at that location, at the exact cost of two quarters and one Penny. All that remained at the bottom of my Chinese Take-Away box. I almost laughed at it's devilish simplicity. I was off again in a shot with my token safely in my pocket I now only needed to find a very small house, where nobody lived anymore.
Blocks away from the House of Stars, is a park. And apart of this park is a monument dedicated to one of Philadelphia's founding fathers. Or rather, just to where he lived at one point. For the monument was really nothing more than a very small replica of what historians believe his house once looked like. This was the house I sought. All twelve inches of it in bronze.
I have to confess that in all the time I have lived in and around Philadelphia, I had know idea this park even existed, or was even there. I found the house via the Internet, more by accident, then design, the previous night as I was boning up for the hunt.
I mentioned in my last report that I like to gage the minds of the people that build these hunts and compare their actions to other well known games. Such as, Josh Czarda, being a Chess player, Chris Dove and Lisa Duty, being Poker players and lastly, the Jenners being purveyors of misdirection in the oldest of games, the Shell Game.
With this mind set, I can sometimes take educated guesses, as to what Historic features of the area might come into play during a hunt, based on the region surroundings of the Start Location. This Park and its exact address, happen to be apart of my notes and it was the only way I would have found it without outside help. You can never win a Ravenchase hunt by this method I employ, but it does lay excellent ground work.
Once inside the park, the clue guided me to a timeline of Philadelphia's history. Somewhere in the timeline lay an answer to the clue and the "Password" I was to collect for the game. But, the "Question" to that "Answer," lay buried in the clue page.
Kristine was not only being Wicked & Clever, but she was being a bit Childish as well. She hide the question in an old fashion Word Search Game Square.
The main reason, I should mention, I am so terrible at Anagrams, is for a single reason. I-can-not-spell-to-save-my-life. Throughout the greater part of my life, I have personally defeated every attempt to teach me proper spelling. Which only makes the strange quirkiness of my mind more intriguing in that, while I can not spell, I can fathom and crack most Cryptograms given enough time. ---- Go figure???
This particular Word Search was proving elusive to me. Many of the straight forward words I could find, even the ones on a diagonal. A number of words appeared to be set up as red herrings and useless to the whole of the puzzle. It would take me even longer to figure out that Kristine was again being particularly wicked and even cheating a bit, by reversing words and even creating words that broke and over leaped other words already discovered.
Fifteen minutes later, I had most of the question, but I was missing the last two and most important words. I decided to think about it and return to the Timeline later, I made a few more notes. Time, again was not on my side and I needed to move on.
( Note to myself: -- Invest in a set of multi-color Hi-liter pens for the Indiana Jones Bag. Might prove helpful if any future word search games are discovered.)
Mommy, I see "Pink " People…
The House of Prometheus, or Clue #1, according to Robert Jenner's Treasure map, lay somewhere about five blocks away, as the Raven flies. I felt a good walk might reorganize my thoughts and perhaps give me new eyes which to see what I was missing within the Word Search. This trick worked well for me during the Lexington Hunt.
When I arrived at Prometheus, I was confronted with a plethora of "Pink People." All of them with their little faces pressed against the glass windows of the building. It was Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" who were once again a half-step ahead of me in arriving on the scene.
If there were any unfortunate glitches during that entire day; it was to be found here. The Prometheus clue was a Polybius Square. We were all required to find a certain historical plaque within the building.
From the plaque, we were to locate one paragraph to fill in the missing squares of our grid. The deciphering of the numeric code after that, should be a simple matter. What was not so simple, was the fact that the exhibit was closed, locked down and bolted that afternoon.
In honesty, no blame can be attached to either Robert, or Kristine. All the guide books clearly state that the building should have been open to the public until 6 PM. So finding it locked at 2:45 PM on a Saturday afternoon was as unfortunate, as it was unexpected.
Here in true sportsmanship among the Ravenchase Teams came into play. Pooling our ideas and resources, we put in a call to Kristine and told her of our dilemma. With every team locked out, Kristine ruled, that no penalties would be taken off for this clue, or the phone calls.
Then with one of Team HFMP's phones on speaker, Kristine read us all exactly what we needed from the Plaque, before calling all the rest of the teams with the same information. The "Pink" team was on the move again, and I was close on their heels for two reasons.
One, I needed a quiet place to sit down and decipher the Prometheus Clue, as well as rework the rest of the Word Search Puzzle. And Two, I overheard Team HFMS saying, that they was off in search of the Bronze House clue. ---- As the Chinese wisely noted in one of their many ideograms… "In Confusion, there is Opportunity!"
Having just come from that location, I offered to act as native porter and guide, showing them the way. My help was gratefully accepted. As we strolled along, the teams chatted about the hunt so far and I learned by their conversation that our teams were about evenly placed in the numbers of locations that they have visited and clues solved. So, the race was still open, as to who was in the lead.
About two blocks from the Bronze House, we ran into yet another of our group, Team ClubEdventures.com. Ed and his bevy of beauties, apparently having just left the park appeared to be heading in the opposite direction for the House of the Stars.
One disturbing note, that caught hold of my ears, was hearing Ed mention that they had "accidentally" found one of the hidden clue scrolls at one of the future location, and were now backtracking. This was disturbing news, since this definitely could mean his team was now in the lead.
Arriving at Bronze House park, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" were a wonder in action to see, proving that "Six Heads" are better than one. As a team, they broke apart. Several attacked and read the Timeline, One, like me, sat down at a bench and worked on the Prometheus Clue. While others worked on the Word Search Clue.
I filled in my Polybius Square and set to work on deciphering the Numeric Code, all the while keeping a sharp ear open on the group near by, for sounds of any words in the Words Search I had overlooked. ( Yes, this is what I meant by, "In Confusion, there is Opportunity!" … I was being both dastardly and sneaky. )
The Polybius Square released its secret in about six minutes, and I discovered that backtracking was going to be the flavor of the day for everyone. I was to go next in search of one of the oldest sections of Philadelphia and another location I had no idea existed. I was to find "The Courtyard Beneath The Stars."
As I glanced up from my decoding, I noted that the men and women in "Pink," were all trying to slip quietly out of the Park. Not an easy task to do, when your entire team is dressed up like a Neon sign. I knew they had solved the Word Search puzzle and were now heading back in search of the Courtyard Beneath the Stars. I slipped into my own stealthy mode and followed.
Just a stone's throw from the House of Prometheus was the Courtyard Beneath the Stars. But the Courtyard was not an easy find. First you had to travel down an alley, and partially obscuring the entrance were low overhung vines. It's a place that could be easily over looked. My own locating of the Courtyard came with a little help from a new and unexpected quarter; Team RudyKip.
During my search process, I stepped into an open doorway of a gift shop; only to find myself standing directly behind Team RudyKip. They were at that precise moment, quizzing the shop owner as to the location of any courtyards in the area. My serendipitous arrival was timed perfectly with the gentleman's reply.
Barely had the man finished speaking, then I slipped from the doorway again and was gone. All before Team RudyKip had a chance to turn around and see who had been standing behind them. Being stealthy, sometimes has both its own virtues and its rewards.
The Courtyard Beneath the Stars, draws its name from an ornamental feature of its walls. Iron Stars embedded into the stone work of the surrounding walls of the courtyard. The stars were used by builders in the past, to strengthen construction of the buildings. Our location clue stated that beneath two of these stars, a Gem was waiting for us to find. But Where??? The stars were everywhere and all the teams, except one, were converging on this spot.
Team HFMP were wandering about the yard a bit lost, Team RudyKip was checking out a wooden box with a Star carved in it and I, for once, discovered that my oldest nemesis, Green Ivy, could at last be a friend to me.
For behind a tree and hidden beneath the ivy, I found our clue scrolls. --- Taking two of the scrolls, I knew it was time to do a little Horse Trading with Team HFMP. They had something I wanted, I now had something they wanted.
What we traded was clues, I asked for the last two words of the Word Search and in return they received the scroll. Some may view this as cheating, but I view it as simply "Making Use Of All Available Resources…" This is something not totally unheard of in Ravenchase Hunt circles.
I suppose that Team HFMP considered it an excellent deal, since they may have thought I would be delayed by having to return to the Timeline in the park. But, I neglected to mention after the trade, was that the password asked for by the missing question, was already apart of my notes in my bag.
( Note to Would-be-Adventures: It also sometimes pays to write down random thoughts and information at clue locations. You never know when they will come in handy)
Opening my own clue scroll, I saw that we were all heading towards the "Future" location that Team ClubEdventures.com had mentioned they had stumbled across, more by accident, then design. The race was now beginning to look grim. It meant that Ed and his bevy of beauties, were definitely in the lead.
Before leaving the courtyard, I did perform one last service. I tapped Team RudyKip on the shoulder and pointed out the location of the hidden scrolls. --- ( I may be a bit dastardly and sneaky at times, but I am at least first and foremost, a great believer in a "Clean & Level" Playing Field. The balance in the Universe must be maintained. )
To the Future …And beyond!
The "Future" location was Statue not too far from where we all began this race. The Bronze statue immortalized one of the first Landlords to hold official title in Philadelphia. Parts of the original contract he made, were inscribed upon the base of the statue. This was what all the teams now sought, as it was a basis of a substitution code.
When I left the Courtyard Beneath the Stars, I made what I thought was a direct beeline for the Statue, only to arrive once again a half step behind Team HFMP. It was a classic case of, they took the Low Road and I took the High road, and they arrived in Scotland and the Statue before me. For a flock of Pink Flamingos, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" moves rather well together.
( Mental Note to Self: Next time, check the road map closer, for shortcuts..)
Team HFMP were already hard at work copying down the passage, when I arrived at the base of the Statue. The instructions for the code seemed straight forward enough, when I wrote down the passage and started my translation. Soon the word "Look" appeared beneath my pencil but after that single word, the rest disintegrated into gibberish.
Fearing I had made a mistake, I reworked the code and again after the first word appeared and the translation fell apart into nothing. Looking up from this problem, I saw that Team RudyKip was arriving on site and Team HFMP was slowly departing from the scene. Once again, proving that six heads are indeed better than one. Time had become a desperate commodity, and demanded of me desperate measures. It demanded a phone call to Kristine for clarification.
All day, up to now, I was quite proud of myself, in that I had not needed to use my Cell Phone. This is one of my personal Bench marks for the marking a Perfect Hunt. The Hunt that day, aside from the locked exhibit, was near perfect in all its aspects and worthy of standing next to hunts created by the more experienced hands of Lisa Duty, Chris Dove and Josh Czarda. So it did fill me with a deep regret having to resort to using my cell phone that day.
When Kristine answered, I explained my dilemma with the code and she explained my mistake. I had followed a "little too Literally" the instructions on how to use the passage. By removing a few extra recurring letters from the passage, the code broke freely. Within five minutes, barring a few mistakes on my part, I had the hiding place of the next clue scroll and my next destination.
Packing up my bag again, I gave a glance towards Team RudyKip and realized that they were having the same problem I had had with the code. Following the clue's instructions too literally.
I had already helped them at the courtyard before, pointing out the location of the clue scroll, but that was my way of balancing the universe, for the Faustian deal I had made with Team HFMP. I felt I was still in Team Rudykip's debt for snagging the location of the Courtyard literally from behind their unsuspecting backs.
So, as a final act of kindness and to restore the Universe, I took a moment and passed along the information that Kristine had given me over the phone. As Oscar Wilde, was once said, "When given the gift of Good Advice, The only thing to do is to pass it on "Immediately"… it is never of any use to oneself."
I left Team RudyKip happily decoding, while I went in search of a Greek Tragedy and Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" I was now seven minutes behind them, because of this fiasco with the Future code.
<>The Fates Intervene in the Greek Theater
The final location lay directly ahead of me, still along the waterfront. The City of Philadelphia many years ago under went a beautification project down by Penns Landing.
Using the wide meridians between the major highways, the City created a series of parks and green areas for the people to enjoy. The Project soften the appearance of waterfront, and turned what could have been just concrete and asphalt, into a lush garden areas that were now enjoyable to visit.
Nestled among these areas of green, the City elected to build a series of tributes, testimonials and memorials to the courage of the Irish Emigrates, the Korean War, Christopher Columbus, Vietnam, along with the Public Art walk of Sculptures.
History and Culture were all about us that day, and at least one of this locations related directly to our final clue scroll. A location that the clue referred to only as the Greek Theater.
Using my Treasure map and my scroll together, I knew at once which of the monument areas I was to go to, and I picked up my walking pace. As I approached, I saw something that filled my heart with delight. A flock of Pink Flamingos were gathered off to my right searching one of the monuments.
What had filled my heart with utter delight about this scene was, not only had I caught up with Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", but I had also regained my seven lost minutes. The Team HFMP was searching the wrong Monument. The correct one was still one block further ahead.
Apparently, no one within their group had compared their clue to the clue map in the way I had done. The Fates had intervene on my behalf, and I still had a good chance to at least place in this race. As happy as I was, I was not overlooking Ed and his bevy of Beauties of "Team ClubEdventures.com." I was certain their team had to be somewhere ahead of me.
Though I was first on the scene, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", having spotted me passing them, were now close upon my heels, if not inside my shoes and socks. We all descended upon the Greek Theater in unison.
According to the clue, amid flags unfurled, near a southern wall a number we sought lay beneath an engraved object.
Reaching into my Indiana Jones Bag, I whipped-out my Trusty-Rusty Compass and check the Mall's relationship to the North and South coordinates, while Team HFMP simply broke up an scoured every wall.
Locating the southern wall, I was a bit confused. Of Flags, there were plenty. Both above and below. But, there was no engraved object, as described by the clue scroll. I considered the idea that the southern wall had two standing sides to it. Following the footpath around to the other side. I again came face to face with "Nothing."
It is said, that many centuries ago, Buda, sat in silence before a blank wall. And when he arose, he had become enlightened to the ways of the Universe. Perhaps something of this same enlightenment came to me, for in that moment of pondering and staring at the empty wall, I became enlightened to the ways of Ravenchase.
The engraved object I sought may not be a physical object. The word could also be interpreted as something incredibly simple. A person's last name. A name engraved upon the wall.
Returning to the heart of the Greek Theater, I looked again with new eyes at the Southern wall and found the name . And there directly beneath it lay… nothing. --- Nothing at all. --- Only Mulch and plant life, which I search and dug among in hopes for a last single clue scroll. The fates had intervened again. This time against me.
As I pondered this new found dilemma, I glanced up and saw Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess", looking a bit knackered and tired, milling about on the eastern edge of the mall, with one of them apparently on the phone; presumably with Kristine discussing the problem. Returning my attentions to the wall, I continued to search the area in hopes of finding something I may have overlooked.
(Note to any would-be-adventurer and follower of Ravenchase: ) I will mention to you at this point, that there will come a time of desperation in every race. When instinct, primitive as it may be, will take over in place of Logic and Common Sense. --- It maybe to your advantage, or to your folly, to follow these gut instincts; but this was that moment for me.
I still do not fully understand why I did, but when I looked up again from my search, and saw the "HFMP" team moving off slowly together, every instinct in my body told me to abandon my Logical search and follow them.
What compelled me most was an old quote that sprang into my mind in that instance. One from the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in the time honored voice of Sherlock Holmes.
Whatever remains, however improbable,
Must be the truth."
The truth to my dilemma, seemed to lay in following Team HFMP.
Slipping into my stealth mode again, I followed discreetly and at a distance, keeping an eye on them, as they crossed the major highway and reentered the waterfront area.
As I walked along, I reexamined in my mind the final clue. I had found the final Location. I had found the engraved object and name. But, there was no number beneath it, as promised.
The Number was obviously and logically related to a phone number. Ravenchase had in the past used public phones and numbers to call into answering machines, for clues, instructions, or final location. But what was the number I needed to call???
Giving voice to these thoughts can sometimes inspire other thoughts. What this thought inspired, was a small inconsistency in the behavior of Kristine and Robert that day.
I had unconsciously noted at the beginning of the race. There was only one "call-in number" that day. I had the sudden thought to question, "WHY?"
On my previous Ravenchase Hunt with, Robert and Kristine Jenner. They had each made a point of giving out both their phone numbers, in case one of their phones were tied up with another team and you had to get through. But, Today, only one phone was in service, Kristine's phone. "Why? What was Roberts's phone being used for???" I had another sudden inspiration and theory.
Reaching the Dock, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" turned right and continued on, while I, instead of following, sat down on one of the park benches beneath the trees and began searching my "Indiana Jones" Bag.
There just may be a way to test out my theory. Somewhere in my bag I still had a small note pad, which I had use on my previous adventure. It may still have had Roberts's Cell phone written done on it.
Flipping through the pages, I found Kristine's number again; but Rob's phone number had been carelessly torn out, when I was typing up my notes of the last Hunt. My Theory being blown now; I dialed Kristine's number.
When Kristine answered, just at the first sounds of my voice, I could almost hear her teeth grinding in aggravation. "Two???" phone calls from me during the race, and both within the same half hour. How could this be? What happen to the "Infamous" Rassilon???.
Placating her, as best I could over the phone, I gave her the "Password," told her that I had the "Token" in hand, and then went on to described the final location and the exact spot in the Greek Theater, where the Number should have been hidden, but there was nothing there. This news did not fill Kristine's heart with joy.
Calling me in, she gave me the location of the restaurant, and said she would "Personally" investigate the situation. The last time I had heard such a voice was from my four grade teacher, and I can tell you, "there was no Joy in Mudville that Night!"
Despite this set back, I do have to shower endless compliments on both Robert and Kristine for finding the Restaurant. It was an inspired choice.
Our race that day had begun by the sign, "The Ships of the Delaware." The finish-line ended on a four masted Windjammer Sailing Ship and Restaurant called, the "Moshulu" (pronounced Mo-shoe'-loo) The Party was on her Afterdeck Bar called "BONGO" The Moshulu, was once made famous through the books of, Eric Newby.
As I approached the gangplank, I saw my fellow travelers on this adventure smiling down upon me and applauding my arrival. A Ravenchase tradition for all arriving teams. A tradition I whole heartedly approve of, as in the spirit of Ravenchase there are never any losers, "Ever," in this game. You are always a winner, just for finishing.
Team ClubEdventures.com. and his bevy of beauties had, as I suspected, been the first to arrive, the plethora of "Pink" hanging over the outer rails announced to me that Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" were already aboard ship, and only minutes ahead of me, since they all were still in the process of ordering their first drinks.
As I had been gathering myself off the bench in the Park, I noticed one straggler from Team HFMP heading down the walkway. Spotting me as well, the fellow picked up his pace and scurrying ahead to the ship before me. I had surmised by his pace, he had broken off from the main pack, on a personal quest for the restrooms. And, of course last, but not least, there were our hosts, Rob and Kristine Jenner waving down at me.
We were all still waiting on the arrival of Team RudyKip, who, I felt certain, should only be just minutes behind me, though I had not seen them at the Greek Theater. At this point, Kristine left Rob in charge of our rowdy group, as she went off to confirm the problem I had mentioned with the final marker.
After officially crossing the finish line and ordering my traditional large glass of white wine. An another Ravenchase tradition ensued; WAR STORIES!!!
The drinks flowed freely, as did the laughter and the tales of misadventures, as each team, with hands over their hearts, confessed their utter and total Brilliance during the day, as well as their most embarrassing moments of blatant mind numbing stupidity during the hunt.
It was during one of these tales, that the phone rang and Team RudyKip called in saying that they too were lost at the last marker. If Rob Jenner had not vocally mentioned what the last marker looked like, the mystery of the last Marker might have never been solved.
As he was describing it to our missing Team, one of the members of Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" suddenly lifted up her hand holding the missing Marker in it. The marker had been in their possession, ever since they found it.
In Team HFMP defence, their "Buggering" of the last marker was not done out of malice, or intent. There were a number of other markers in the Greek Theater that looked exactly alike. They had just falsely assumed, that they were like the clue scrolls, a Marker for each one of the teams. What they had not realized, was that only one of these Markers had the magic phone number taped on it.
Five Minutes later, both Kristine and Team Rudy Kip arrived aboard the "Moshulu" to a hero's welcome and all past ills of the hunt were forgotten, or left to drown at the bottom of a drinking Glass. The Party and the story telling was all that mattered now.
About twenty minutes later, after the much head scratching on the part of Robert and Kristine Jenner, the awards ceremony began.
First Place and the "Golden Well & Quill" Award, justifiably went to Team ClubEdventures.com. and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan.
Second Place the "Silver Leaf" Award went to Team RudyKip. Though last to arrive, their Team had "Zero" Penalties and "Zero" Phone calls for the day. The adjustment for the missing Marker placed them ahead.
Third Place the "Keys to the City" Award. A large set of Iron Keys on a key ring, went to Team Rassilon. With the one phone call penalty and the adjustment for the marker, I actually had tied with, Team "Happy Fairy Mushroom Princess" but the deciding factor came down again to one single point. --- Before the beginning of the race, I was the one that had solved The near impossible Starter Clue first and was awarded the Ten extra minutes for doing so. These ten minutes broke the tie.
WHAT THE…???
Now, I can imagine that at this moment, there is a lot of mass confusion out there. But what kind of storyteller would I be, if I did not save the "coup de grâce" until the last. Or hold back a detail, or two, for the sake of better story telling.
Backing up to the beginning of all these events. You will recall I had just cried "Uncle" to Rob and Kristine via my e-mail that morning. After which, in disgust, I climbed in the shower in an attempt to make myself look semi-human before going off to work. That is when it happen.
It is said, that the famous British Mystery writer, Agatha Christie, always claimed that her most delicious murders, or solutions to her most difficult story problems, always came to her while she was washing the dishes. For me, it is the shower.
Something about the white noise of the water running in the shower, cleared my thoughts and the solution became obvious. I knew that two of the lines in the puzzle had far too many Consonants in it, and not enough Vowels, to be an Anagram. This meant it could only be that a Vigenere cipher was hidden in the very heart of the puzzle.
I had, what I felt, were the key words necessary to decipher it, but the puzzle was not decoding no matter what variation, or arrangement of the words I was using. It was while I was in the shower, it finally came to me. There were not "Two" lines of code to translate but "four" lines of code. I had been working with only half the puzzle up to now.
Still dripping from my shower, I stood there in my towel like Archimedes, typing in the other lines of the code into the online Vigenere Solver. I typed in the key word, crossed my fingers and pressed enter. Eureka! The solution appeared before me.
I immediately Emailed Rob and Kristine plus "Joshua Czarda" in Hawaii with the correct answer, only ten minutes after I had cried "Uncle" I had won. I had beaten the Black Curse Cipher of the Great Kahuna.
There were two more awards given out that afternoon, but not to the teams. These awards occurred earlier in the day. The awards were personal gifts from me to, Kristine and Robert Jenner as a token of friendship and thanks for all they do to entertain petulant overgrown children like myself.
I had originally planned to present these gifts to them at the party, but as we has so much time on our hands before the other teams arrive. I gave them to them at the beginning of the day.
(This was also a subtle, but decisive move on my part to lighten my Indiana Jones Bag,, so I would not have to carry the extra weight during the race. )
To Robert, I presented a "Gold" plated set of "The Shell and Pea Game" I found at a Magic shop. It was a remembrance of his very first Philadelphia Race, where in my review, I had compared Rob and his wife's style of game play to the ancient Shell Game.
For Kristine, to help fulfill her desires to become ever more "Evil" in the Ravenchase Game. I presented to her with, at the on-line suggestion of Josh Czarda, a small "gold" embossed leather bound copy of Edgar Allen Poe's famous story of cryptography, "The Gold Bug," A wonderful printing from the 1920's, which I had discovered in an antique shop. Both Kristine and Rob were touched and a bit tickled by my gifts.
The other present I brought along to the party for the teams, that became very popular, was the full explanation chart showing of how the Starter clue worked. I have made several copies of the printout and all of these instantly vanished among the various teams, who were interesting in seeing what they had overlooked in their own solutions.
On a whole it was a near perfect race that day. A Great Race, New Friends, A Terrific Party afterwards on board a sailing ship. You could not ask for better.
With the setting of the sun over the "Moshulu's" outer rail, the party reluctantly began to break up around seven o'clock. Packing up my bag, and my prize, which I laughingly refer to as "The Keys to the Loo", since that was what I was looking for when my award announcement came. I made my own farewells and caught the 7:40 train home.
Arriving home, I did not wait for any requests from Ravenchase this time. I turned on my computer and sent in my early report card in to Josh Czarda, and Lisa Duty, before either of them had a chance to ask.. My report was simple, as it was clear. "A+ … The Jenners did you and Ravenchase proud that day!"
Until the next Hunt....
I remind, cryptically, whimsically, if not a bit strangely yours,
And to the winners, goes the soils ……
First place winners Team ClubEdventures.com. Ed and his bevy of tattooed beauties, Abny, Alana and Jordan, all aboard the "Moshulu"
