Enter a world of cryptids

There seems to be a wordplay riddle on the back of the photo of the cave. Look at the first couplet. Can you come up with something that is both “the dictionary’s leader” and can be found in “East” but not in “West”?

The first two lines provide the letter “A”. Try moving onto the second couplet. Is there “one letter” that you could add to the letter A that would create an “exclamation that’s short” and is a “response to jest”?

Add an “H” and you get “HA”, a short exclamation that can be a response to someone making a joke.

The third couplet mentions a “three letter verb”. The fourth couplet mentions that an “added vowel creates a final word”. At this point are you noticing a pattern of what these couplets are creating, and how they are doing it?

Each couplet is adding a letter to the letter(s) from the previous couplet to create additional words. The third couplet adds a “D” to create “HAD” (a three letter, past-tense verb that denotes possession of something). The fourth couplet adds an “E” to create “HEAD”. Try continuing to create words with the following couplets.

“Bilaterally symmetrical” means that if you drew a vertical line down the center, it would be a mirror reflection on the right and left. What letter did you get at this “test’s beginning”? Could it meet this criteria? Try thinking of capital letters.

“A” meets the previous couplet's criteria.

Conjunctions are words that join sentences together. How might you translate the numbers fourteen, and also four, into letters? How could adding two letters create a conjunction?

“N” is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet and “D” is the fourth. If you add these to “A”, you get the conjunction “AND”.

What is a substance that has a “gritty” texture and meets the sea at the shore (is a “companion”)? It can be found by adding one letter to “AND”.

“SAND” is both gritty and a companion of the sea.

Your last inclusion was an “S”. What “neighbor” of “S” would create a verb that denotes some action (verb) where someone is “vertical”?

“T” is a neighbor of “S” in the alphabet and can create the vertical verb “STAND”.

What is another way of saying “Me” that only uses one letter?

“I” is another way of saying “Me” and there are nine within the couplet. This is how your final word starts.

The most rarely used letters in the alphabet are: X, Z, J, and Q. Can you add any of these to create a word that fits the description? You can also try to discover the next couplet word if you’re stumped.

“Qi” is Chinese mystic energy.

This couplet notes that you are close to the conclusion and the word is something you should not do. Can you fill in the blanks by adding the second and fourth letters? Q_I _

You should not “Quit”!

The vertical verb you found was “STAND”. The first and fourth letters are “S” and “N”. The use of “see” is also a hint here.

Old people are prone to “SQUINT”. The poem yields the phrase “HEAD” “STAND” “SQUINT”.

In Herbert Hughes’ notes, he mentions that the troll lives in a cave and creates devious wordplay riddles. He also said that the troll noted the “passcode is plainly visible before me”. Can you use the decoded words from the poem to discern a word from the photo?

If you did a headstand in front of the cave, you’d be looking at it upside down. If you look carefully - maybe squint a bit - can you see anything? Pay attention to the moss!

The word “EUREKA” can be found hidden in the moss on the troll cave. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

Your game should include the following two sheets:

If you are missing either of these pieces, please click here. To complete the puzzle, you will need to pull the four pieces in the second piece apart.

Your uncle’s notes about fairies mention stone pillars with etchings on them. These notes will be necessary to decode the puzzle. Ensure you’ve also looked on the front and back of all pieces to make sure you have all the information you need.

From your Uncle's notes you know:

• The fairies have been attempting to communicate with you and the translation of their language seems to rely on the symbols etched on the stone pillars.
• The stone pillars change position each day and can vary in number from day to day as well.
• The notes contain a small diagram that shows what letters a few symbols have translated to on four separate days. For example, on day 1, the circular symbol translates to “A”.

Can you assemble the five stone pillar pieces in four different arrangements? Do the number and position of the pillars change? How might the symbols translate to letters given the diagram?

The five stone pillar pieces can be arranged in the following ways:

For the translation, try counting the number of symbols. Do you notice anything? Try identifying where in the arrangements the “A” and “Z” are.

There are 26 different symbols on the pillars. This is the same as the number of letters in the alphabet. Each symbol in each arrangement corresponds to a single letter.

You may notice that for each pillar configuration, there is one day where the symbol for “A” is on the top of the left-most pillar, and the symbol for “Z” is on the bottom of the right-most pillar.

How might the other symbols translate to the rest of the alphabet? You can check your hypothesis with the “D” and “J” symbol translations in your Uncle’s diagram.

The symbols can be translated to the English alphabet by reading from the top of each pillar down, moving from the leftmost pillar to the rightmost.

Given what you’ve discovered, you should also be able to define which arrangement of pillars corresponds to which day (1, 2, 3, or 4). You’ll notice the symbols on the back of the largest pillar sheet are each associated with a number (also 1, 2, 3, or 4). Can you now translate the symbols?

Each arrangement with alphabet translation and day it corresponds to is shown below:

The sequence of symbols on the back of the largest pillar sheet translates to: “WHIMSICAL”. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

On the back of the magazine article there is a crossword with the instructions “Complete my crossword using the words discovered within”.

On the front of the article, several words are underlined or circled in various colors. How might these identified words help you complete the crossword? Try grouping these words in various ways (color, type (underlined vs circled)) and see if you notice anything in relation to the crossword.

There are sixteen words needed for the crossword puzzle, and there are sixteen circled words, four of each color. Can you use these sixteen words to complete the crossword? The underlined words may help guide you.

Your uncle’s tip to use words discovered within will be helpful.

Each circled word contains a word within itself that corresponds to the underlined word’s theme. For example, “numbers” is underlined in blue, and the blue circled word “Braininess” contains the word “nine” within it. Can you find all the words that are hidden within?

The numbers hidden within the blue circled words are: nine, eight, two, and one.

The body parts hidden within the yellow circled words are: arm, lung, nose, and ear.

The animals hidden within the red circled words are: cat, lion, ape, and hen.

The food hidden within the green circled words are: lime, pie, corn, and ham

Note: A few of the words could also be plural (i.e. Lion vs. Lions). The singular version can be identified as the correct word by looking at the lengths of words needed in the crossword, however. For example, there is only one space for a five letter word in the crossword. Therefore only “Eight” can fit, and “Lions” needs to instead be “Lion”.

Now that you have your sixteen words, can you put them into the crossword on the back? Start with things you know, for example, “Eight” is the only five-letter word. There is only one arrangement of the words that will fit.

Tip: It can be very helpful to first write down all sixteen words so you can clearly keep track of which has been used and which hasn’t!

The completed crossword can be found below:

Can you now fill in the blanks at the bottom?

Taking each numbered letter from the crossword and placing it in the corresponding blank, the word “CLUELESS” is revealed. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

To complete this puzzle, pop out the nine square tiles and throw away the frame - only the tiles are needed.

Your Uncle’s notes about the Cyclogremus Minimus say that they assembled small square tiles to communicate. Are you able to assemble the tiles, similar to a jigsaw puzzle?

Start by identifying the edge and corner pieces. These pieces have blank spaces on one or two edges (one blank edge is a side piece, two is a corner).

The correct assembly of the tiles is shown below. In his notes, your Uncle noted that he needed to see the tiles from the perspective of the Cyclogremus to understand them. Can you figure out how to decipher a message that’s on these these tiles?

Your Uncle noted specifically that the Cyclogremus has one eye and stands at one inch tall. Try bringing your head down close to the table and closing one eye. Do you see anything? If not, try backing up a bit.

From one orientation, the tiles say “EYEWEAR FOR A” and from another angle they say “CYCLOGREMUS”. What would eyewear for a cyclogremus be?

The Cyclogremus have one eye and would therefore use a monocle. “MONOCLE” is the answer. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

This puzzle requires the large sheet that includes numerous cryptid and their descriptions, as well as three different newspaper articles. If you are missing any of these components, click here

Start by examining the back of the cryptid description sheet. Your Uncle notes that across the three articles, three errors in total were made in regard to the physical cryptid descriptions. This means one of three scenarios is true:

• All articles contain one error in regard to the physical cryptid descriptions.
• One article contains no errors, one contains one error, and the other contains two errors.
• Two articles contain no errors and one contains three.

He also notes that each account of events was accurate in terms of the final culprit. As a theoretical example, if it was recounted that a stolen item flew off into the sky, you would know that cryptids that could not fly are not possible culprits. This is in contrast to a specific physical description, like that the cryptid had red eyes, which could be either true or false.

To determine the culprit in each news story, first try eliminating suspects that aren’t possible. To do so, you may want to look at the pictures in the stories, read and examine all text in the clippings, and compare descriptions of events to cryptid descriptions and behavioral patterns.

The picture shows that the campsite is located in a forest. You will therefore be looking for a cryptid whose habitat is in the forest. Given this photo is there any forest-dwelling cryptid you can eliminate?

Look at the rest of the newspaper clipping. Is there another cryptid that you can eliminate as well?

Given that the Yeti lives in “environments where snow is present year-round”, and there is no snow in the picture, you can eliminate it.

The bottom of the article notes that there have been 14 days straight of rain (starting well before the incident, and continuing through it). The Wampus Cat stays in a cave when it’s raining, so it couldn’t have been the culprit.

The other two cryptids seem like possibilities, but how many errors are there in terms of physical descriptions for each?

The culprit is described as being 8 feet tall, completely hairless, and having 6 appendages (legs, arms, wings etc.). The Giant Mole has 1 error (it only has 4 legs, not six). Bigfoot has 2 errors (it has hair, and also has only 4 appendages - it’s ‘humanoid’ and therefore has two arms and two legs).

You will need to narrow down the other culprits to make a final decision!

The picture shows that the crater is located in the middle of a grassy plain. You will therefore be looking for a cryptid whose habitat is in the grassy plains. Given this photo, is there any grassy plains-dwelling cryptid you can eliminate?

The picture shows a round crater, but the Thunderbird creates “jagged fissures”, which doesn’t match. The Thunderbird can be eliminated. The others seem like possibilities, but how many errors are there in terms of physical descriptions for each?

The culprit is described as being grey in color, as having no visible eyes, and was at least 15 ft. wide. The Etherweb has 3 errors (black, 5-6 ft., eight purple eyes).The Death Worm has 2 errors (red, pocked with tiny eyes). The Terra Golum has 0 errors.

You will need to narrow down the other culprits to make a final decision!

The picture shows that the Estate is located in the mountains. You will therefore be looking for a cryptid whose habitat is in the mountains. Given the description of events, are there any suspects that can be eliminated?

All members of the party described an orange or red glow speeding away about 8 feet above the ground. This means that the Cryptid must have been flying at a low altitude, or have been at least close to 8 feet tall. The Chupacabra is only 4-5ft tall, and also runs “close to the ground on all fours”. It couldn’t have been the culprit.

The Triclops is allergic to alcohol and “sneezes violently” when it is around it. It was noted that there was wine on the table, however, and the guests all remarked how silent the thief was. The Triclops can therefore be eliminated.

The others seem like possibilities, but how many errors are there in terms of physical descriptions for each?

The culprit is described as being at least 7 feet tall, with scales and sharp fangs. The Bramblewisp has 3 errors (2-3ft. tall, leathery skin, blunt teeth). The Pyronex has 1 error (3 ft. tall).

You will need to narrow down the other culprits to make a final decision!

You now have all your culprits and the number of errors for each. You also know that there are 3 errors in total, so who did what?

Camper Held Captive:

• The Giant Mole has 1 error
• Bigfoot has 2 errors

Strange Weather:

• The Etherweb has 3 errors
• The Death Worm has 2 errors
• The Terra Golum has 0 errors

Family Heirloom:

• The Bramblewisp has 3 errors
• The Pyronex has 1 error

The set of 3 culprits that results in 3 total errors is Bigfoot (2 errors), Terra Golum (0 errors), and Pyronex (1 error)

Now look at the back of the description sheet. Can you use the hint “CRATERTHIEFKIDNAPPER” and numbers to find a word?

If you arrange the culprits in the order noted, you get: “TERRAGOLUMPYRONEXBIGFOOT”. Then, taking the 24th, 5th, 17th etc. letters from this sequence, you get “TAXONOMY”. This is the solution to the puzzle. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

Your Uncle’s encounter with the shapeshifter noted a hedgehog and bird, both of which seem to be on this poster (as well as parts of other of the things the shapeshifter turned into). Can you use his notes to help you solve the puzzle? You may want to note that the word “Eight”, connected by brown lines, is present next to the hedgehog.

Your Uncle noted first seeing a hedgehog, then a bird. Your poster has a dotted line that says “fold” in small letters to the right. Try folding over this line. Is there another fold you can make that might transform the hedgehog into a bird?

You might notice that the hedgehog is sitting under a log, and the bird is perched atop a log. If you fold the top of the page down, the top of the hedgehog becomes the underbelly of the bird, and two cracks in the log it was hiding under become the bird’s legs. Note also that this fold seems to connect some brown lines and letters. What do they spell?

What did the shapeshifter transform into next? Can you fold the paper again to make the bird transform into something else?

The brown lines in the previous fold connect the letters “L-E-T-T-E-R-S”. The bird transformed into a wildflower next. The following two folds turn the bird into a wildflower (the bird’s tail becomes petals in the flower).Also note that the letters “F-R-O-M” are now connected.

The following fold turns the flower into a trail sign. The letters “D-A-R-K” are now connected.

The following fold turns the trail sign into a tent. The letters “T H I N G S” are the only ones now showing.

You have discovered the phrase “EIGHT LETTERS FROM DARK THINGS”. You may notice that most of the items are mostly white, outlined in brown, but there are several that are the inverse of this (are “dark”). How might these items encode a word? You may want to try counting the items and see if you notice anything.

Observing the poster from top left down to bottom right, you find: 5 clouds, 2 lighters, 1 snake, 1 guitar, 2 mushrooms, 3 sticks, 1 spoon, and 3 trees.

You might have noticed that there are 8 types of things, and you are looking for 8 letters. Is there a way to get one letter from each type of thing? If you want an extra nudge before the solution, check out the puzzling tips on page 4 of your Read Me pamphlet!

Indexing (counting) into each word by the number of items yields a single letter. Reading again from top left of the poster to bottom right, you get the letters “D”, “I”, “S”, “G”, “U”, “I”, “S”, “E”. The solution to the puzzle is “DISGUISE”. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

You will only be able to solve the contents of this envelope once you have discovered all six words from the other six puzzles.

This envelope should include a single page letter, six different printed cards with static-y images, and one transparency sheet. If you are missing any of these components, please click here

Your Uncle’s letter notes that the pictures can be viewed through a “sliding transparency of a particular design”. Try putting the transparency sheet on top of one of the pictures and sliding it in various ways. Do any of your tests yield anything coherent?

Line up the transparency sheet with one of the pictures. Then, slowly slide it to the right, keeping the top and bottom aligned with the picture. If you’re struggling to see anything, try:

• Looking from a bit further back (don’t have your face super close).
• Making sure there isn’t too much glare from a nearby light on the transparency sheet.
• Hold the transparency sheet flat, and horizontal.
• Try out another image - some may be harder to see than others.

As you slide the transparency sheet, you should see an animation come to life. Videos of the animations you should see are below. Do any remind you of Cryptid you’ve come across in the previous puzzles?

You should be seeing animations of:

• A creature flapping its wings.
• A figure walking in a forest.
• A shifting shape, changing from a circle to a triangle.
• A rock being thrown directly at you from the mouth of a cave.
• A singular eye opening and closing as it turns.
• A creature with a long neck raising its head out of a lake.

Which puzzle does each pair with?

The animations pair with the following:

• A creature flapping its wings. (Fairy Pillars - the image is of a fairy flapping its wings between two pillars)
• A figure walking in a forest. (Cryptid Descriptions - the image is of Bigfoot walking in a forest. Bigfoot was one of the culprits)
• A shifting shape, changing from a circle to a triangle. (Shapeshifter puzzle - the image references how the shapeshifter transformed “into a blur of rapidly changing geometric shapes” as it fled)
• A rock being thrown directly at you from the mouth of a cave. (Troll cave - the image references how your Uncle noted that the Troll threw a rock at him before he solved the riddle)
• A singular eye opening and closing as it turns. (Cyclogremus tiles puzzle - the image references the single eye of the Cyclogremus)
• A creature with a long neck raising its head out of a lake. (This is an image of the Loch Ness monster. The magazine article noted that your Uncle had set out to “investigate a large creature rumored to live in a freshwater loch in the Scotland Highlands”.)

Is there a way to use the answers you got from these puzzles to find a final word or phrase to unlock the briefcase (part II envelope)?

As a refresher, these are your answers from the previous puzzles:

• Fairy pillars: WHIMSICAL
• Cryptid Descriptions: TAXONOMY
• Shapeshifter: DISGUISE
• Troll cave: EUREKA
• Cyclogremus tiles: MONOCLE
• Magazine article: CLUELESS

Look at the back of each image card, and try taking the letters from the associated answer to create a new word or phrase. For example, on the back of the Cyclogremus eye image it says “Sixth becomes third, second becomes sixth”. The sixth letter of “MONOCLE” is “L” and the second letter is “O” try using “L” as the third letter in your answer, and “O” as the sixth.

Decoding all the instructions yields the phrase “WELL DONE”. Congratulations, you have completed Part I! Next, it’s time to unlock the briefcase…

Do not throw away any of the components from Part I! They may be needed in Part II…

This puzzle includes a large sheet with geometric shapes that have blue pathways on them, as well as a “Bridges” sheet that includes 3 pieces to pop out. If you are missing either of these components, click here

To complete the puzzle, pop the 3 bridge pieces out and dispose of the frame they were in.

Try to use the three bridge pieces to create a solid blue line from the yellow door to each of the others. First, go from yellow to orange, then yellow to pink, then yellow to purple. Bridge pieces must align with the grid and not touch each other (from the poem). The diagram in the top right provides guidance for which bridge(s) is/are needed to complete each path, and the order in which they need to be used (but not necessarily the orientation!).

The second bridge in the path can be placed to connect the following two blue paths.

For the first bridge in the path, your Uncle was a bit nice, but tricky! There are two equally valid positions the bridge can be placed. (you only need to find one to solve the puzzle, but bonus points if you find both!)

The first bridge in the pathway is placed here.

The second bridge in the pathway is placed here.

Now that you have discovered the three blue pathways, can you determine how to translate these positions into a word? Are there any identifying features on the bridge pieces? How might you use the word grid in the bottom right of the poster?

There is a large star (or two) on each of the bridge pieces. When you place the bridge pieces on the grid, these stars align with a specific location on the grid. You can find a corresponding letter in the grid in the bottom right. For example, the first bridge solution identifies the letter “G”.

The letters identified by the bridge pieces are “G”, “E” and “O”, “M”, “E”, “T”, “R” and “Y”. The solution is “GEOMETRY”.

This puzzle includes a large sheet with colorful crystals on the right side, as well as a small rectangular mirror. If you are missing either of these components, click here

Ensure that you have removed the protective film from the front of the mirror for the best experience.

Your Uncle’s note mentions that a bent mirror is needed to make sense of the visual field. “Bent mirror” is underlined in red. Why might it be underlined in red? Is there something on the colored crystals diagram that this might be referencing?

Try bending and placing the rectangular mirror on the red line on the diagram, with the reflective part facing outwards. When you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a similar shape elsewhere on the sheet?

The mirror revealed a crystal that is the same shape as one of the crystals on the right side of the sheet.

The colors are different though… Is there another warped image that has the same colors? Or is the difference in colors significant in some way?

After examining the other shapes on the sheet, you will have noticed that each crystal on the right has a crystal with the same shape within the warped mandala - but only one. The pairings are shown below. Do you notice anything about the colors?

Each warped crystal has exactly one color that is the same as the crystal of the same shape. With this fact, each crystal pair can yield one letter, revealing a six letter final word.

The crystals reveal the letters (from top to bottom): “O”, “P”, “T”, “I”, “C”, “S”. The solution is: “OPTICS”. Take note of this answer, you might need it later!

This puzzle includes a large sheet with icons and names of locations on it, as well as an envelope that includes 4 different transparency squares. If you are missing any of these components, please click here

Ensure that you have removed the protective film from the transparency squares for the best experience.

You are instructed to “Discover the Pathway” at the top center of the map. Are there any unique features of this map that might provide a clue for where to start? Try looking at the border of the map.

The border of the map exits and enters the page on the left side. It starts by going up to a blue/black circle (following the arrow), then goes to a purple, dark orange… etc. until it again exits on the left side. Do these colors look familiar? Your Uncle noted that he visited a “territory where landmarks reveal themselves only through precise alignment of colored lenses”. This provides a clue as well.

The colors around the map correspond to the colors of the transparency squares: black, blue, pink, yellow, green (a blending of yellow and blue), orange (a blending of pink and yellow), and purple (a blending of pink and blue).

The first circle on the path around the exterior of the map is black/blue. If you overlay the black transparency over the blue, do you see any icons from the map? Note that there are multiple possible orientations. Laying the transparencies over the square in the top right is not necessary, but may make it easier to see.

A blue house that matches the house next to “Whisper Forest” can be found by overlaying the black transparency on the blue. Can you find the other icons?

A purple elephant can be found by overlaying the pink and blue.

An orange stone archway can be found by overlaying the yellow and pink.

A yellow cactus can be found by overlaying the black and yellow.

A green teepee can be found by overlaying the yellow and blue.

A pink signpost can be found by overlaying the black and pink.

Can you now discover the pathway? And a word that can be derived from following it?

The following path goes by each of the six icons in the same order as the border around the map. What locations do you pass through on this path? Is there a way to get a letter from each location?

The diamonds under each location name point to a single letter. Your path travels through Whisper Forest, Hunting Village, Golden Savanna, Granite Gorge, Foggy Marsh, and Monoliths. These letters spell “FUSION”, which is the solution to the puzzle.

This puzzle includes a large sheet with a black and white front, and a grid of circles and squares on the back with numbers. Does the image on the front look familiar? You will also need the transparency sheet with black bars from part I. If you are missing either of these components, click here

Remember how you animated the cards from part I. Take the transparency sheet with black bars and place it on the sheet. Then, slide it slowly from left to right.

You might notice that if you start to tilt the sheet the animation gets crazy/warped. Though this can be fun to play around with, you’ll need to keep the transparency horizontal to see the correct hidden animation. You can use the faint grid on the sheet to help keep the sheet horizontal.

If you’re having trouble seeing the animation, remember the tips from part I: View the animation from a bit further back. Make sure there isn’t too much glare from surrounding light sources. Hold the transparency sheet flat, and horizontal.

You should see a series of black orbs being transported on conveyor belts and other mechanisms. Examine the full mechanism. You know where the machine starts and ends - can you determine where the balls go in between? Be sure to always move the transparency from left to right (you know this from the arrows at the Start and End).

You should see the orbs falling into and out of several rotating shapes around the scene. Do you notice anything about the number of each of these shapes? Could this help you trace the full path of the orbs?

There are four different shapes (triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon), and two of each shape. For each shape, one has orbs going into it, and the other has orbs going out of it. Assume that the orbs going into the first triangle, emerge from the second triangle. Can you trace the full path?

The full path is shown. The orbs go from the entrance, to the triangle, to the square, to the pentagon, to the hexagon, to the exit. How might this pathway relate to the back? Does the circular shape on the back remind you of anything on the front? Do you notice anything about the sequence of bold circles?

The circular shape with numbers on the back has notches that match with the notches in the central rotating gear on the other side.

The bold circles in the diagram below the numbered circle progress from triangle, to square, to pentagon, to hexagon, just like the orbs on the other side. Can you use these pieces of information to fill in the empty bold circles with numbers from the circular shape?

The orbs on the front are always carried by the central gear between shapes. For example, going from the triangle to the square, the orbs travel through the following three positions. Place these three numbers in the empty three slots in the diagram. Can you complete the rest?

The following image shows the complete top line of the diagram. Using the rules you glean from the mini example diagram in the top right, can you fill in the rest of the diagram?

First fill in the squares you know (they are only equal to one number, not an equation). Take a look at the section below. You know that all three of these squares have to be equal. So you know something, plus itself, must = 4. The only solution to this is 2. Try filling in as much as you can from left to right in the diagram. If you get stuck, try going from right to left.

The following diagram shows a partially completed bracket.

This section is tricky: Looking at the equal signs as we did in the last hint, this section can also be written as: x + 4 = x + x . Can you figure out the solution and complete the diagram?

X = 4, and the completed diagram looks like this:

How might the final numbers at the bottom be translated to a word? If you need another hint before the solution, check out the Puzzling Tips on pg. 4 of the Read Me!

The numbers denote the letter’s position in the alphabet. For example, “A” is the first letter in the alphabet, so 1 = A. By this logic, the word “ANIMATE” is revealed.

Start by attempting the colored maze on the left side of the sheet. You can pass through the colored fields, but you must pass through them in the sequence shown. Remember, you only have 7 total cycles to make it to the end.

If you’re getting stuck going from the start to the end, you can also try going in reverse - just remember you also have to reverse the order in which you go through the fields!

You will notice that there are some areas in the map where you will get stuck cycling endlessly. These are the equivalent of dead ends, try another path. Marking off dead ends can be helpful so you remember where you’ve been that hasn’t worked.

Once you’ve made some progress from either the start, or the end, or both, try counting the number of cycles you’ve used. How many cycles do you have left to complete your path? If you take more than that on a potential path, try another!

Here is a partially completed maze, using pathways from both the start and end. These segments use 4 cycles. Start from the end of the path that begins at “Entry” - can you connect it to the other path in fewer than 3 cycles?

The completed path can be found below. Now take a look at the grid on the right. What could it mean to find words that “attract” to the words listed? The description below the energy maze may offer a small clue.

The description below the energy maze mentions “attractive opposite fields”. In electromagnetic fields, opposites attract (“opposites attract” is also a common phrase). How might this yield words to fill in the grid on the right side?

Try inputting words that could be construed as “opposites” of those listed in the grid above. For example, the opposite of "False" would be "True".

The completed grid is shown below. How might the pathway you found in the energy grid, and the letters in the crossword grid yield a word?

Notice that the grids for the energy maze and the crossword are exactly the same size and shape. Try tracing the pathway from the energy maze onto the crossword puzzle.

The image below shows the path. Are there any symbols that might identify specific letters to use?

The letters that are both earmarked with a triangle in the corner, and are passed through by the maze path create the word “WAVELENGTH” (follow the maze path from entry to exit to get the order of the letters). This is the solution to the puzzle.

Take a look at the “Decoded Words” section. Do the symbols on the left remind you of anything? How might you fill in the blanks?

Each symbol represents one of the puzzles you completed, and the blanks can be filled in with the solutions you found. The blanks can be filled in as follows:

Look next at the doorways of entry and exit section. 1. Says “Start” coordinates = 78. What could this correspond to? And how does “Start” result in the number 78?

Looking at the map, you can see that there is a doorway located at the coordinates 7 (across the top), 8 (down the right side). You can also note that if you sum up the letters in “Start” using the Sum Chart, the answer is 78.

The other numbered doorways of entry and exit don’t explicitly provide a word or number - you’ll need to discover those. You may need to consult materials in both Part I and Part II to discover all the words.

“Dr. Pembroke” was the man your Uncle beat out for the Nobel Prize. You may need to consult Part I for this one.

There was a tragic article about a Granny losing something special in a storm in Part I…

Part I included a component with a large variety of cryptid listed. Did one of them have an allergy? What was it?

Which component did you blend colors to look for specific icons? Is there a lost treasure associated with someone on this component?

Which puzzle included pathways with strange perspective and gravity? They may have been blue… Is there any area of this map that would give you 4 letters by looking at 4 corners?

What company made the delivery of this chest to you? Try taking a look at the “Part I” envelope.

Take a look at the Part I or II envelopes.

Doorway #2: In the magazine article in Part I, Dr. Pembroke said your Uncle’s work was “Baloney”, both an insult and a sandwich filling. “Baloney” sums to 74.

Doorway #3: Granny Giselle lost her prized pig “Hamlet”, which also happens to be six letters. “Hamlet” sums to 59.

Doorway #4: Triclops are allergic to alcohol. “Alcohol” sums to 66.

Doorway #5: There is a treasure chest labeled “Liam’s Lost Treasure” on the bottom right of the map you used the colored transparency squares for. “Liam” sums to 35.

Doorway #6: If you look at the four corners of the letter grid in the bottom right of the blue pathways puzzle, you find the word “Ahoy”. This sums to 49.

Doorway #7: “Afterlife” enterprises made the delivery. “Afterlife” sums to 82.

Doorway #8: There is a fiery bird embossed on the flap of both the Part I and II envelopes. A Phoenix is a fiery bird that burns itself out and is reborn, living this cycle forever. “Phoenix” sums to 91.

Now that you have all the doorway coordinates, how might you navigate the map? How could navigating the map yield a word or phrase?

Enter the map at doorway 1, located at the coordinates 7.8, then travel to the #2 “exit” doorway at 7.4. Next, pop out at the #3 doorway of entry at 5.9. Continue on like this until you reach the #8 exit doorway at 9.1.

Along the way, which symbols do you pass? What letters do those correspond to in the “Decoded Words” section?

The final path is shown below. The symbols you pass spell the phrase “WARP IMAGE IN CORNER”. Examine the map carefully, both front and back. Is there a corner where you can use your rectangular mirror to warp an image?

Place your bent mirror in the top right corner on the back of the final map. You will see an image of a fountain with the words “The Fountain of Youth”. If you’re having trouble seeing the image, try closing one eye, bending the mirror more or less, or adjusting the position. This was your Uncle’s final destination. The acronym for “The Fountain of Youth” is “TFOY”. This is the 4 letter code to open the final envelope that contains your Uncle’s proof of his achievement. Be sure to enter these solutions into the “Check Solutions & Unlock the Story” section of the Companion Guide!