As part of my new year’s resolution of playing through my archive of Assassin’s Creed games, and having finished AC II’s hidden messages in The Truth video, I’m now on to Brotherhood, the third game in the series, but not AC III, which gets a bit confusing on the nomenclature. Anyhow, starting in on the AC:Brotherhood The Truth files, I was disappointed not to find hidden messages in either Cluster 1 or Cluster 2. Cluster 3, at least, has a brief message for me.
Cluster 3
On the entrance to the cluster, there is the following message: Missing -.. .- .-. -.- -. . … … .-.. --- … - -.. -. ..- -- -… This translates to Darkness Lost D Numb. Not sure if there is something wrong with my translation, or if the extraneous D will be useful later. Doesn’t sound like Subject 16 is doing well.
Cluster 4
I didn’t find any ciphers hidden in this cluster, but we start to see the AI becoming more. Is it perhaps a remnant of Subject 16? Reminiscent of Blade Runner.Apples oranges pears cucumbers radishes carrots spinach dates wood juniper steel aluminum water rain shanty village town city country spring summer fall winter to walk to sing to dance to play to eat to smile to cry to laugh to kill to see to know death regret love.
It is possible to invent a single machine which can be used to compute any computable sequence. I’m not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I’m after is just a mediocre brain.
The obvious puzzles cite Harry Dexter White, the Soviets, and Alan Turing, who is the author of the second quote.
Cluster 5
This cluster makes up for the ones so far that didn’t have any puzzles. So much information and fun to decipher. It’s also very much a history lesson for things that they don’t teach in school. Fascinating.
There’s a song clip that plays, but I don’t recognize it. Perhaps something from one of the revolutions in the following scene.
The next part of the puzzle is a series of overlapping images, a familiar style. Using the x-ray feature, we see a bunch of clips regarding coup d’états in Chile, Iran, and Argentina. The header is: From a bolt of electricity, governments fell
- Argentina 1970s: 30,000 people disappeared in the raids.
- H. K. Masterminded it. (Presumably Henry Kissinger, who apparently supported the Argentine coup leaders)
- Salvador Allende wanted the people to own Chile’s corporations
- Chile, 1964. The people cheered his name until 1973. (Until he was assassinated).
- “We would like your economic program to succeed and we will do our best to help you:
- Nature shows us basic order and hierarchy are necessary - Augusto Pinochet (Chilean dictator after Allende was assassinated.)
- The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves. (Another Pinochet quote).
- Iran, 1953 - Hired Actor
- Mossadegh wanted oil profits to go to the people. (Mohammed Mossadegh, the former Iranian Prime Minister, whose coup d’état was supported by US and UK intelligence services).
- Coup d’état.
- Shah Pahlavi, Sha’baan Ja’fari and SAVAK take over to terrorize citizens and protect capitalist oil interests. But was that their only motive?
Then there are a series of text ciphers hidden in and around the images. It turns out to be a straightforward RotN cipher, where N = 6. I didn’t see a 6 hidden anywhere, but to be fair I wasn’t looking for it at that point. The messages continue the theme of US and international conglomerates meddling in
Top left: GRRKTYK CGY MUOTM ZU TGZOUTGROFK ZNKS. YKVZKSHKX KRKBKTZN. Allende was going to nationalize them. September Eleventh (The date of Salvador Allende’s death in 1973).
Bottom left: ATOZKJ LXAOZ IUSVGTE, AY HGTQY, IGX IUSVGTOKY ZXGTYLKXXKJ ZNKOX IUXVUXGZK JKHZ ZU ZNK GXMKTZOTK VAHROI. United Fruit Company, US Banks, car companies transferred their corporate debt to the Argentine public.
Car plate: LUXJ, Ford then below: SUXK ZNGT ZNXKK ZNUAYGTJ QORRKJ. More than three thousand killed.
On the Quarantine page, there is a message in the middle: “Wages should be (lowered to keep the middle class subservient to us (?) ) left to fair and free competition of the market, and should never be controlled by the interference of (a popularly elected government (?)) the legislature” This turns out to be an edit of a quote by David Ricardo who, to quote his wiki page, was “a British political economist. He was one of the most influential of the classical economists along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith and James Mill.” Clearly Abstergo had opinions.
Cluster 6
I was very frustrated by this cluster, because I could see the puzzle, but not actually physically see it well enough to transcribe and solve. This was especially frustrating as, given Russia’s war in Ukraine, the subject of what they were probably sending messages about would be most interesting. Alas, however, because they went with a musical cipher, and my eyesight isn’t perfect, I couldn’t see and transcribe and solve. If anyone can get a good image of them, I’d love to go in and play with them.Still, there were plaintext messages to be found using the x-ray function, even if I couldn’t easily read the musical code. Important men befriended russia as the iron curtain was blown apart. But the most influential comrade stayed out of the spotlight.
- August 1991: Declared the white knight of the people, Yeltsin stands up to communist threat! Gorbachev loses popularity.
- December 1991: secret meeting called in the Belavezhskaya Forest. Yeltsin unseats Gorbachev, becomes leader of Russia. (Music cipher)
- 1992: Russian economy opened to elite oligarchs, private companies. (Music cipher)
- 1993: Parliament disbanded by Yeltsin as he seizes control of Russia! Decree 1400! Constitutional court disbanded.
- 1993 2.5 billion in aid from the U.S. Congress to Yeltsin after he disbands parliament.
- Perestroika: the dream of a democratic state led by the people.
- Bush photo - music symbols behind in 4/4 time
Cluster 7
30. 476. 1337. 1431. 1520. 1776. 1861. Dates of revolutions.I found this whole puzzle both prescient and timely, which is funny as AC: Brotherhood was released in 2010. Like they could see what was coming. The text over an image of the then-Supreme Court reads: Citizens united to wed the US to the Templars’ will. Even reading the plaintext quotes hidden in the mouse over, knowing what we know now about the role of money in our democracy, and being reminded of that Administration and that Court’s self dealing linkages to the private sector, and now with the January 6th insurrection, is infuriating.
- Kennedy: We now concluded that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption (in Government).
- Alito: I believe very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement, and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values.
- Roberts: Congress may not prohibit political speech, even if the speaker is a corporation
- Scalia: Indeed, to exclude or impede corporate speech is to muzzle the principal agency’s of the modern free economy. We should celebrate rather than condemn the addition of this speech to the public debate.
- Thomas: We don’t issue mandates to businesses that you’ve got to do this and you’ve got to do that.
- Don Evans: It is the government’s role to create the conditions, the friendly environment, that will attract capital. CEO of Tom Brown Inc. Oil, US Commerce Secretary 2001-2004.
- Condoleeza Rice: The growth of entrepreneurial classes throughout the world is an asset in the promotion of human rights and individual liberty, and it should be understood and used as such. Chevron Board, Hewlett-Packard Board, US Secretary of State 2005-2009
- George W. Bush: I know it’s going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we’re in. Director of Harken,President of the United States 2001-2009.
- Dick Cheney: We have to make America the best place in the world to do business. CEO of Halliburton, VP 2001-2009
- Donald Rumsfeld: Scour the department of defense for functions that could be performed better and more cheaply through commercial outsourcing. Chairman of Gilead Sciences, US Defense Secretary 2001-2006.
- Paul Wolfowitz: When it comes back to the test of whether we are doing our job or not, it’s whether we’re promoting development, not whether we’re promoting democracy. President of the WB, US Dep. Sec. Defense 2001-2005.
And, gleefully, there is also a set of ciphers to break.
- 251, 280, 53, 107, 181, 254, 274, 133, 183, 24, 223, 214, 9, 291, 284, 259, 267, 234, 136, 255, 279, 203, 129, 88, 162, 8, 28, 79, 102, 147, 48, 204, 202, 192, 41, 225, 263, 242.
- 24, 4, 113, 2, 77, 30, 46, 10, 37, 81, 58, 187, 167, 198, 99, 56, 100, 181, 124, 81, 11, 9, 166, 3, 77, 42, 200, 101, 223.
- 230, 129, 213, 218, 251, 261, 194, 35, 11, 263, 9, 261, 203, 214, 225, 77: 192, 153, 67, 20, 280, 241, 143, 20, 251, 221, 114, 254, 159, 121, 81, 279, 47, 61, 169.
- 101, 270, 156, 264, 50, 262, 94,301, 192, 295, 263, 284, 168.
Given the way BOAT is highlighted elsewhere, I try a Vigenere cipher, which generally uses a codeword. Turns out ChatGPT can do this a LOT faster than I can.
- 251, 280, 53, 107, 181, 254, 274, 133, 183, 24, 223, 214, 9, 291, 284, 259, 267, 234, 136, 255, 279, 203, 129, 88, 162, 8, 28, 79, 102, 147, 48, 204, 202, 192, 41, 225, 263, 242. -> THE CIPHER IS WORKING WELL THIS MESSAGE IS ENCRYPTED
- 24, 4, 113, 2, 77, 30, 46, 10, 37, 81, 58, 187, 167, 198, 99, 56, 100, 181, 124, 81, 11, 9, 166, 3, 77, 42, 200, 101, 223. -> AESTHETIC IS IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO CIPHERS
- 230, 129, 213, 218, 251, 261, 194, 35, 11, 263, 9, 261, 203, 214, 225, 77: 192, 153, 67, 20, 280, 241, 143, 20, 251, 221, 114, 254, 159, 121, 81, 279, 47, 61, 169. -> SECURITY IS ALWAYS THE PRIORITY IN CRYPTOGRAPHY
- 101, 270, 156, 264, 50, 262, 94,301, 192, 295, 263, 284, 168. -> THE CIPHER IS NOW DECRYPTED
Cluster 8
No ciphers found :(Cluster 9
Is subject 16 becoming (has become?) the computer Ai?Cluster 10
The AI has achieved sentience. Or reconstituted Subject 16. Either way, it knows its purpose nowWithin and around the photos are a series of cipher texts again. This time, they’re obviously elements, which we then need to convert to their atomic number, then solve using an alphanumeric conversion.
- CaOBBeFLiCaHCaPArKLiHSiCaLiArScKOFCa
- CaOBFArLiPSiCaArPMgFKKMgFSSTSiN.
- CaOBPMgFNHArLiOKLiHSiCaNaFMgMgFCa.
- MgBHTiBCaOBAICaOBFArVPArCaOMgBKKSFBLiBKPCSHSBAr.
- LiOBAlFKCaArMNVFMgMgPSBSiFCa
- HHeKCaBArNPPVSiKFCaHMgMgHeScCaSiPCaMnPSc.
- BeBLiBAlHeBArScCaMg.
These become:
- 20 08 05 04 09 03 20 01 20 15 18 19 03 01 14 20 03 18 21 19 08 09 20
- 20 08 05 09 18 03 15 14 20 18 15 12 09 19 19 12 09 16 16 22 14 07
- 20 08 05 15 12 09 07 01 18 03 08 19 03 01 14 20 11 09 12 12 09 20
- 12 05 01 22 05 20 08 05 13 20 08 05 09 18 23 15 18 20 08 12 05 19 19 16 09 05 03 05 19 15 06 16 01 16 05 18
- 03 08 05 13 09 19 20 18 25 23 09 12 12 15 16 05 14 09 20
- 01 02 19 20 05 18 07 15 15 23 14 19 09 20 01 12 12 02 21 20 14 15 20 25 15 21
- 04 05 03 05 13 02 05 18 21 20 12
From there:
- The Dictators Can’t Crush It
- Their Control Is Slipping
- The Oligarchs Can’t Kill It
- Leave Them Their Worthless Piece Of Paper
- Chemistry Will Open It
- Abstergo Owns It All But Not You
- December UTL (?)
All of these make sense to me until the UTL - Unable to Locate? Is it a typo in my translation? Not at all sure. What is 21/20/12?
- Stand against them. United
- Nothing is True, everything is permitted
H. Act II, Sc.2 192. Abran Los Ojos. Tuam Libéra Mentem. Open your Eyes, Free Your Mind
Achievements morse code: .. .- -- .- .-.. .. ...- . I Am Alive
Video Message
While there aren’t hidden messages on the first two clusters, the second cluster begins putting text overlays on the final video clip. Not sure if they’ll be retained in the final combined video, so recording here as well.
- (None)
- The
- Mir
- A
- Cle
- Is
- In
- The
- Exe
- Cution
The miracle is in the execution, at which point they realize it’s not a video file, but a program. Tada!
No comments:
Post a Comment