Okay, so a few days ago, the TF2 Newsbot began broadcasting several lines of seemingly nonsensical numbers and letters. Yesterday, a morse code message appeared on the SCG group page claiming these lines were actually a MD5 string.
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/southerncrossgaming/announcements/detail/1047343169241728820
The MD5 string can be decrypted three separate ways, each yielding a different result. One appears to be a political statement, one a list of what appear to be names and/or incomplete words, and a link to an image.
The three results are as follows:
i am pro skub.
Dimen Schizo Psycho Thano
http://i.imgur.com/iKgmQ.png (displayed below)
The QR code in the image, when scanned, yielded a message:
"Check the basement of the library, the switch opens the path but someone built over the door! Check the tables!"
At first, I was puzzled as to what this could mean, until I realized that there might be a library on one of the SCG Minecraft servers. So, I immediately logged onto Heraberry (ip: 206.217.133.230:25765), and sure enough, in the Heraberry Spawn Town I found a library.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/rmlq1.png[/img]
I immdiately went in and found the basement
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/Udnef.png[/img]
I found the tables, but they looked rather ordinary...
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/xpEga.png[/img]
I then looked for the lever the QR talked about. It wasn't hard to find.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/YRniG.png[/img]
I pulled it, and heard a noise under one of the tables...
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/Z2O4G.png[/img]
I pulled up part of the table to find none other than a suspicious hole in the ground, complete with ladder.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/XBkej.png[/img]
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/rFPpV.png[/img]
(Note: The door was actually closed by my pulling the lever. The last person to use it must have been in a hurry to leave...)
I descended the ladder, and was rather surprised by what I found...
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/u2YMP.png[/img]
In front of the giant stone slab, there was a sign with a message "Click Me"
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/vbrWC.png[/img]
Clicking on the sign produced this link:
http://www.furfortress.com/secret/xx/xx.html
The link was to a map of the Heraberry server, with lots of white markings on it designating seemingly trivial locations.
[img width=700 height=407]http://i.imgur.com/KvjB1.jpg[/img]
I was closest to the so-called "Lost Cross", so I went there first.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/fpVcu.png[/img]
At first, it seemed somewhat odd, but on closer inspection, I found this:
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/Ir9Q0.png[/img]
I, of course, removed the block, and found none other than another trap door.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/oQSJG.png[/img]
I descended the ladder, not knowing what would be waiting for me. What I found surprised me.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/kSbN2.png[/img]
It was someone's living quarters. It was rough, I doubt they stayed for long. On the far side of the room, there was another "Click Me" sign. When clicked, it revealed the link to this message:
http://www.furfortress.com/secret/xx/dayxiix.html
DAY XIIX
Greetings whomever may find this, my name is Sir Arthur Vandel. I'm writing this journal today to speak of an amazing discovery I've made in this world. I'm sure you've found my map at the XX Stone...
The XX Stone is actually the second stone...there are five of them ... I think ... according to the scriptures I've found anyway. These stones were said to be left here by the creator many many centuries ago. The stones themselves supposedly signify locations of ... events? It's hard to say.
But right now, that is all I know! I'm going to head over to that useless island! Perhaps you'll catch me before I try elsewhere!
You find a note, it appears to be clean as if it were just made yesterday. There is a message on it written in a semi legible hand writing, the note reads : 10/6/2012. The island. The basement.
I was rather surprised by this discovery, and I was curious as to the identity of this Sir Arthur Vandel. So, naturally, I ventured over to the "Useless Island", as labelled in the map. It looked rather ordinary, but...
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/l7UVN.png[/img]
There was a tree! There was no tree on the map, where the island was circled in white. So I of course investigated.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/AkYWc.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/ARhAb.png[/img]
Upon removing the tree, I found another trap door! I ventured down to find a much more decrepit looking living quarters, covered in cobwebs. I thought, this must be where Vandel was staying, at least at some point during his journey.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/xAsMt.png[/img]
But the note said to go to the basement. I noticed a hole at the far end of the room. I found that it was a ladder down to some sort of basement. I ventured down to find...nothing.
[img width=700 height=399]http://i.imgur.com/nRLk4.png[/img]
Whatever is going to happen, concerning these mysterious Stones and the elusive Sir Arthur Vandel, its going to happen on the sixth of October as far as I can tell. Perhaps there are more clues around the world, places on the map that lead to more pieces to this puzzle. But the one thing that is now clear, is that something is happening here on the sixth, and its going to be big.