Decoding Davinci – Hints

 
  • Are you on Rupertus Lane that leads to the Amphitheatre? If you’re at the Amphitheatre front gate entrance, you’ve gone too far.  Walk down Rupertus Lane. Look at your feet. Do you see bricks with words on them? What word should you be looking for?

  • Find the word “REVOLUTION” on the pavement and count 17 of them. Is there anything in the middle?

  • There are 17 bricks with the word REVOLUTION on them. In the middle of those bricks, you’ll find a sentence that says: “The EARTH was below my feet.” The answer is EARTH.

 
  • Go to Falling Star. It's a piece from the Stuart Art Collection. More specifically, it is a blue house on top of Jacob’s Hall. Look for a sculpture on the ground directly below. The eye symbol is telling you how to use the artwork on the ground.

  • Have you found the blue house on top of Jacobs Hall? Stand directly below and look for a sculpture that matches the image on the puzzle card. What does the eye mean on the puzzle card? What do you do with your eye?

  • Have you found the blue house on top of Jacobs Hall? Stand directly below and look for a sculpture that matches the image on the puzzle card. If you look directly ahead of you, through the sculpture opening, you will see a  poster in the window with a legend that decodes the symbols on the sculpture. It spells the word spell KEY.

 
 
  • On Library walk, you will see many different cement blocks with years on each one. Find the years listed on the puzzle card.

  • Each cement block that coincides with the years on the puzzle has something different than the others. Look down below. Can you see through the holes on the bottom? Not all of them? Why?

  • The red disc on each cement block gives you a single digit for the four digit code:
    2010, the fourth circle below is red, so the number for 2010 is 4.  2000 = 2; 1997 = 5; 2004 = 1.  The code to unlock the lockbox is 4251. Open it to find the word HOPE.

 
 
  • “Fire,” “sum,” and “years” are the important words. What can you do with those words?

  • “Fire,” “sum,” and “years” are the important words. Look closely at each NPHC plaque. Find each plaque that has FIRE on them, and then use SUM and YEARS accordingly.

  • Find each plaque with fire on them. Then take the YEAR for each of the plaques with FIRE and add them together. (1913 + 1920 + 1922 + 1963 + 1906 = 9624). Then using a keypad from a phone, convert those numbers to letters. The four-digit phone code leads you to the word ZOCH.

 

PART ONE: The Wooden Plaque

  • Go to the middle of the Old Student Center. Look for THE COOP and THE HUB. You’ll see a courtyard in between. In this courtyard there are wooden columns (with slats) that might be useful.

  •  Can you see The Hub and The Coop? Did you find the wooden columns? Maybe put the wooden slat inside the column and place it behind the wooden slats.

  • Find the wooden columns outside The Coop and the Hub, place the wooden plaque behind the wooden slats. It should cover up some of the gibberish, giving you a clear set of numbers.  A phone number: 424-371-8562. Call It!

 

PART TWO: THE FUTON AD

  • Behind you is a bulletin board. Go there and find the ad for the Futon for sale. Lift up the ad! 

  • Go to the bulletin board behind you and lift up the futon ad.

  • Behind the futon ad there is a letter from the Oracle, telling you to return to The Badger and say “But the oranges of Soda Springs can’t be beat.” Do so!

 

PART THREE: BACK TO THE BADGER

  • Remember what the professor told you about the claw? Does this look familiar?

  • Play close attention to The Badger!! Are they wearing the Claw Insignia? What must you do when confronted with The Claw?

  • The Badger is wearing The Claw Insignia! They are the enemy. You must do the opposite of what they tell you. If they say the answer is UP, then the answer is clearly DOWN!

 
  • Using The 7 Pillars insignia, can you identify all the symbols within? There is a moon, a sun, a triangle, an arrow, etc. Now look at each of the eight billboards in Graffiti Park. Is there an extra symbol on one of the billboards that is NOT in The 7 Pillars insignia?

  • Find the billboard with the symbol that is NOT on The 7 Pillars insignia. Is there something nearby (or attached) that could help?

  •  Find the billboard with the symbol that is NOT on The 7 Pillars insignia. There is a magnet chained to the post below. Place it on the X on the billboard. Does it connect to something? Lead the magnet to the opening in the side of the billboard to find the word: WELL.

 
  • You’re looking for two trees that behave differently from the others. One plays music and one talks. They are not always constantly playing, so look for the tree that is not made of wood, but of a metal substance.

  • Please see image…

  • Look directly between the singing tree and talking tree. There is a street light. The answer is LIGHT.

 

FINALE PUZZLE:

I’m at the finale, but I don’t know what to do!

Step One: Did you take a number? Wait for your number to be called.  But while you wait….

  • Take a newspaper and look for an ad for the Dudah Data Translator

  • Find the ad for the Dudah Data Translator and click that QR Code. Use the translator to translate the seven words you collected throughout the game.

  •  The words you should have found were: EARTH, KEY, HOPE, ZOCH, DOWN, WELL, LIGHT. If you put each word into the translator, you will have the words: ONE, STANDS, FOR, ALL, OR, FOR, NONE. Give that phrase to The Judge once your number is called.

 

If you are no longer on the hunt and are finishing on your own time, congratulations, you have found The 7 Pillars mantra: One stands for all or for none. You have done a tremendous job. But unfortunately, since you did not stand before The Judge, we cannot give you your final challenge. However, if you’d like to be considered for future placement in The 7 Pillars please send us your full name, address, social security number, bank details, birthdate, your favorite teacher and the name of your first pet. (We’re kidding! Do not do that!! But please go forward with merriment, hope and courage, echoing whenever you can the words that we at The 7 Pillars stand for “ONE STANDS FOR ALL OR FOR NONE.”