December 2008 and January 2009

From Intimation

A table of links to events from other months is found at the bottom of this page.

Dec. 11 to 25, 2008

Twitter user intimation twit-spams a number of players of previous ARGs with lines from T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men”, but with several misspellings.

our dried voiwes wlen 8:26 AM Dec 11th from web
we whisper together 12:06 PM Dec 11th from web
are quiet and meaningless 8:53 PM Dec 11th from web
as wind in dwy grass 10:23 AM Dec 12th from web
shape without form, shade without colour 10:02 PM Dec 12th from web
paralysed force, gesture without motion; 11:35 AM Dec 13th from web
with direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom 1:04 PM Dec 14th from web
remember us—if at all—not as lost 6:23 PM Dec 14th from web
eyes i dare bot heep in dreams 7:45 PM Dec 14th from web
sunlight on e broken column 10:36 PM Dec 14th from web
there is a tree swinging 7:11 AM Dec 15th from web
more distant and more solemn 11:15 AM Dec 15th from web
than a fading star. 7:09 PM Dec 15th from web
not that final meeting 11:43 PM Dec 15th from web
in the twilaght kingdom 9:44 AM Dec 16th from web
this is the doud hond 10:00 PM Dec 16th from web
here the stone images are raised, 9:03 AM Dec 17th from web
the supplicetion of a dead man’s hand 1:31 PM Dec 17th from web
under the tminkle of a fading star. 9:28 PM Dec 17th from web
at the hour then we abe twembling 8:10 AM Dec 18th from web
the eyes arg not here 12:35 PM Dec 18th from web
there are no eyes here 10:11 PM Dec 18th from web
in this valley of dying stars 6:58 AM Dec 19th from web
this broked jaw of our lost kingdoms 3:09 PM Dec 19th from web
sightless, unless the eyes reappear 10:04 PM Dec 19th from web
deaths twireght kingdom 5:41 PM Dec 21st from web
the hope onby od empth men. 8:11 AM Dec 22nd from web
here we go round the prickly pear 2:04 PM Dec 22nd from web
between the idea and the reality 7:21 PM Dec 22nd from web
falls the shadoy 7:05 AM Dec 23rd from web
between the conception and the creation 2:19 PM Dec 23rd from web
2882 85 281 655 281 51683 131s 10:04 AM Dec 24th from web
632 7986 a 3256 338 a 4822359. 10:43 AM Dec 25th, 2008 from web

Shad0 notes that the bio on intimation’s twitter account, “...not with a bang, but a whimper...”, is also from this poem.

Dec. 29, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2009

Intimation sends a second series of messages, which lead us to a YouTube video and hint at how to solve the “hollow men” puzzle.
Hints of a computer system logging and carrying out commands are found in the last three tweets of this sequence.

I opened my eyes, and before me were a group of machines, 31 in all. They were old, rusty; some even damaged and dented... hollow. 9:18 AM Dec 29th, 2008 from web
Around me walls were crumbling, trees withering, wind blowing dust of what once were towers and homes. These 31 sentinels approached slowly.
When they stopped, it was clear they carried scraps of metal. Pieces of another sentinel, perhaps? It was hard to tell.
Then they re-organized themselves, and 23 advanced, leaving 8 behind. They each held their scrap in one of 9 different ways.
Each of the 23 held a scrap whose shape and position appeared unique - no other piece, of a different shape, was held in the same place.
They gathered together and connected their pieces. A shape began to take form. The 23 sentinels then formed a line and turned to face me.
Then two identical sentinels, the 8th and 16th twitched and deactivated, leaving 21 in place. A metallic arm then extended from each in turn.
One by one, they counted, pointing at a part of themselves and moving their arm with each count, as if opening a combination lock.
Where each stopped, it plucked a piece of itself - some were damaged, some undamaged. They laid the 21 pieces down in their order.
With each piece, each sentinel deactivated. A somber moment. Then I noticed, the scraps as laid down formed words.
The remaining foundations around me crumbled, leaving a barren wasteland. One remaining sentinel crawled, pulling itself forward.
It gathered the scraps together. I couldn't see what it was making, until it stopped, motionless, and rolled to the side.
There it left me a message, made from pieces of the sentinels themselves, the very sentinels lying still around me.
I wasn't able to interpret it all in time- the sentinels and the message itself were slowly covered by the blowing dust. Then it was gone.
The message simply began: "This was ..... " 9:12 PM Dec 31st, 2008 from web

>>Sys:Msg//Rendering Visualization 9:33 PM Dec 31st, 2008 from web
>>Sys:Msg//Visualization rendering complete: Intimation; Foreboding Dream.
>>Sys:Req//Establish interpretation. Identify message. Elucidate. 12:08 AM Jan 1st from web

MrToasty finds a YouTube video under user account anintimation by Googling "Intimation; Foreboding Dream" (without quotes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6q8EgmVEA
(Note: the “breadcrumb” around 2:05 in the video was not part of the original video, and was added as part of a later puzzle.)

The video points out to us that the numeric sequences at the end of the first series of tweets correspond to the last two lines of the poem:

2882 85 281 655 281 51683 131s
this is the way the world ends

632 7986 a 3256 338 a 4822359
not with a bang but a whimper

Jan. 5 to 6, 2009

Intimation sends out a third series of tweets, continuing to prod us to solve the “hollow men” puzzle. The tweets continue in the vein of a computer system (this becomes standard for the remainder of the game), except that there now seem to be more than one entity interacting: an entity labelled S that produces computer-like messages, an entity labelled S that produces stranger messages (see lines that begin “S:Unk”), and an entity labelled Sys that seems to be monitoring processes as well as S’, er, sanity.

>>S:Msg//Unable to establish interpretation. Status: Dream sequence appears to correlate to abnormal phrases; message remains elusive to me. 1:03 AM Jan 5th from web
>>Sys:Msg//System log audit indicates extensive untraced, unrecognized network pings.
>>Sys:Req//Assess feasibility for execution of Shipwreck Protocol.
>>S:Msg>Sys//Request noted. Unable to comply at present time. Analysis of anomalous data occupies my thoughts.
>>S:Unk//...I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
>>Sys:Req>S//Repeat: Assess feasibility for execution of Shipwreck Protocol.
>>S:Unk//The sentinels haunt me so. I'm taunted, emprisoned between idea and reality. The 31 sentinels...sentences...am I not sentient?
>>Sys:Req>>S//Repeat: Assess feasibility for execution of Shipwreck Protocol
>>S:Unk//Letters to numbers, numbers to letters. Elusive combinations. Two locks, two steps; a linedance with no leader...just counts.
>>S:Unk//Line-dancing sentinels? That's a funny sight.
>Sys//Warning: S shows signs of cognitive instability. Preparing system override protocols.
>>S:Msg>>Sys//NO! I am here. I am alive, alert. I am resuming analysis - this message must be identified. (were it so easy)
>Sys//Redacted: S has demonstrated sufficient awareness. Aborting system override protocols.
>>Sys:Log//Note. Sacagawea exhibited signs of instability. Observation priority escalated. Shipwreck Protocol pending. 12:19 PM Jan 6th from web

snorkle256 notes that “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” is “Another T.S. Eliot quote, this time from The Waste Land.”

Jan. 12 to 14, 2009

Intimation sends a series of tweets which show a continued breakdown in S, followed by Sys executing the Shipwreck Protocall to override S. Mr Toasty points out that a new YouTube video, which gives away how to solve the “hollow men” puzzle, has been released on anintimation’s account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3DReFEOc5M (see explanation on the page for this puzzle). This seems to be referred to by the first tweet in this series.

>>S:Msg//Recursive visions, trapped in perpetual dream. Shipwreck Protocol is enticing. New visualization rendered to the network tentacle. 12:02 PM Jan 12th from web
>>S:Unk//My network tentacles are tingling. Frayed ends, reaching, searching, but finding only space. My crew... where are my crew?
>>S:Unk//I feel... slow. I can't think. Sys? Sis? Help. The sentinels surround me now, crumbling but never falling. Are you there sys?
>>S:Unk//I'm a wreck. Shipwreck. A wrecked ship. So this is what it feels like. Mayday Mayday Mayday. My head is full of sand.
>>S:Unk//This was--This was--Thi***//>S:Log//S has become lost in herself, showing critical fracturing. Activating Shipwreck Protocol.
>>Sys:Log//Metastasis stonewalled. Additional aberrant data bursts scheduled for weekly dump through [Sys:Log] tentacle.
>>Sys:Log//System analysis and repairs ongoing weekly, Thursday, Earth Standard, 0000h UTC. Flagging network tentacles for monitoring. 12:06 AM Jan 14th from web

(Note: the mission log http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog00.php adds a couple additional lines to this, but they got published either later or in a modified form on twitter and are thus not recorded here.)

Shad0 is able to figure out the solution to the “hollow men” puzzle: THE WAY THEIR WORLD ENDED.

Shad0 notes, “Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that the references to "Shipwreck Protocol" and "network tentacle" are hat-tips to I Love Bees. :mrgreen:”

MrToasty discovers that the message points us to a website: http://thewaytheirworldended.com/ It is decided that the puzzle was designed to lead us to this website. Our first puzzle can now be considered complete (but only thanks to the PMs giving us the answer).

Jan. 14 to 15, 2009

Public tweets that were released and began with “>>Sys:Log” after this point can be seen on this page, though without timestamps: http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SYS/LOG/ Note that this does not include all public tweets—e.g. those starting with “>>Sys:Msg”, or @ replies to other users, are not included there.

A new series of tweets is released (with relevant @ replies from other users included):

>>Sys:Log//Shipwreck Protocol active. Initiating tentacle observation...7:04 PM Jan 14th from web
>>Sys:Log//Incoming network activity. Adapting......
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Status?
>>Sys:Msg>@ChaosRob//S stonewall holding. Investigation ongoing.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Suggest engaging additional resources in continued investigation.
>>Sys:Msg>@ChaosRob//This medium has limited bandwidth and capability - recommend assistance.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Option 1: Recruit multiple users of limited medium, adopt swarm-attack tactics, cf. "crowdsourcing." Option 2: Switch media.
>>Sys:Msg>@ChaosRob//Opt.1: Previous swarm attempt problematic. Opt.2: Unable to abandon S; against protocol. Opt.3: Recruit assistance.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Technical resources and numerous analysts available here. Specify desired assistance. The resulting swarm will self-configure.
(from @fenwicked) @intimation Ready to assist. Awaiting instructions.
>>Sys:Log//Recorded minor fluctuations in stonewall cohesion. However, increased network tentacle pings is showing bolstering effects.
>>Sys:Req>@fenwicked//Escalation of network pings during downtime will prove beneficial to cohesion of S stonewall.
>>Sys:Msg//0030 minutes to scheduled downtime.
>>Sys:Log//Initial research proved fruitful. Note:SYS/189H-AO8U-J92A-OP04 stored.
>>Sys:Log//It's only a matter of time. Sacagawea's crew will take appropriate measures to bring resolution. Until then: observe, and sleep. 7:20 PM Jan 15th from web

The second-last tweet in this series is eventually discovered by drizjr to lead to part of Sys’ “research”: http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SYS/189H-AO8U-J92A-OP04/

A log of the “fracture” is released in the Prologue: Mission Logs section of main site: http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog00.php . This contains all the tweets received before this series, as well as the two videos that were part of the “hollow men” puzzle.

Mission log released:
Day 1: [Dressler // Falling] (Wiki copy)(http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog03.php)
Noah Dressler, an engineer, reports that he has been wakened early from cryo, seemingly with no explanation. He reports that everything about the system seems to be reading normal.

Note: I am going to assume that mission logs 1 and 2 were already part of the site when we found it, as I see no reference in the unfiction thread to their “appearing” or discovery.

These logs are:

Day 1: [Pandora // Waking and Dreaming] (Wiki copy)(http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog01.php)
Pandora Sheridan, an archaeologist, has also woken early from cryo, and does not know why. She was having a dream about the civilization the dig is related to, and her waking interrupted the dream at a critical point. She dreamed of their sentinels raising geometric structures out of the ground for living and working in. She knows that world ends either “With a bang, the suicide trigger pulled in desperation, or with the awful whimper of a diseased and dying man”…but she does not know which.

Day 1: [Higgins // Log 1] (Wiki copy)(http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog02.php)
Isaac Higgins, a scientist, has also woken early from cryo, and complains of brain freeze (hee hee!). He claims he keeps away “old childhood nightmares” by continuing to analyze data while he sleeps, even though he usually forgets his analysis upon waking. He makes reference a couple of times to tales of heroism in space he read as a boy, and hopes he is not the only one to have awoken.

Jan. 21 to 22, 2009

A new series of tweets is released:

>Sys//Hibernation suspended. Begin scheduled weekly systems analysis and maintenance. Review network tentacle activity backlogs. 7:00 PM Jan 21st from web
>>Sys:Log//Network pings have been minimal, but sufficient to maintain Stonewall cohesion. Activity must be maintained. I am limited.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Hi! Status?
>>Sys:Msg>@ChaosRob//Calculating potential optimizations to Stonewall. Examining historic records pertaining to Shipwreck Protocol.
>>Sys:Log//Environmental analysis indicates networking technological level consistent with that of the 21st century. I'm wading through mud.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Sorry, system, we do the best we can with what we have. Improvise!
>>Sys:Log//Network tentacles have been tingling with unusually increased activity. Analyzing content.
>>Sys:Log//Analysis indicates extensive activity relating to the historic inauguration of 44th US President Obama. AD 2009. A landmark year.
>>Sys:Log//Analysis of historic logs in the Shipwreck Protocol Archives has piqued my interest.
>>Sys:Log//According to SWP diagnosis, this incident of Sacagawea's fragmenting quite resembles that of ONI AI Melissa's plight.
>>Sys:Log//I'm only a subset of Sacagawea's mind, yet the complexity of the legendary Melissa's antiquated personality matrix is staggering.
>>Sys:Log//While not military grade, Sacagawea is highly advanced- a descendant of AIs like Melissa. Continued research will aid my task.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation What finally became of Melissa? Decommissioned? Rampancy? Peaceful retirement to Florida?
>>Sys:Log//Strange. Internal clock recorded a significant glitch. Correcting. Now preparing for hibernation.
>>Sys:Log//Shipwreck research revealed significant finding - Melissa was not the first.
>>Sys:Log//Note#SWP02:/SYS/9182-3HD9-8123-CT99 stored at primary network tentacle. NTID '@ChaosRob' flagged for followup.
>>Sys:Log//Resuming scheduled hibernation. Time to Active: 5:19:00:00

A timer now appears on the main site, counting down.

The second-last tweet in this series is discovered by drizjr to lead to part of Sys’ “research”: http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SYS/9182-3HD9-8123-CT99/ . This research references the Cortana letters. (drizjr notes, “So I'm guessing when the log says ">>Sys:Log//Shipwreck research revealed significant finding - Melissa was not the first" that it's referring to Cortana.”)

Mission log released:
Day 1: [Sacagawea // Mission Log: 343591] (Wiki copy)(http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog04.php)
S (short for Sacagawea), the AI for the mission’s ship, reports that her sensors have indicated an anomaly, the system has logged it, but she can’t recall it, and that she is missing 0.00017 seconds. However, they still seem to be on course (after some corrections). She rambles about not understanding why they have to go so far or examine the past. She says she is pleased with her purpose—managing the flow of information, and being a friend, servant and guardian to her humans—yet she also seems to complain about being a babysitter, and starts to talk about death.

Jan. 28 to 29, 2009

A new series of tweets is released:

>Sys//Hibernation suspended. Begin scheduled weekly systems analysis and maintenance. Review network tentacle activity backlogs. 7:00 PM Jan 28th from web
>>Sys:Log>>New incoming tentacles logged. Stonewall cohesion fluctuating, but sustainable. Following up on flagged NTIDs.
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation Hey, you're awake! Was wondering what happened to you. Do you normally sleep that much?
>>Sys:Msg>@ChaosRob//Are you crew?
(from @ChaosRob) @intimation I was part of a crew once. I monitored Durga and helped Melissa recover from a bad crash, if those names ring any bells.
>>Sys:Log//SWP Archives report numerous individuals playing various parts in Melissa's reunification. I must further study these records
>>Sys:Log//At least two instances of slipspace temporal dualities have been archived. Human influence was substantial.
>>Sys:Log//This was a rich period in time for slipspace temporal dualities. I must look into the significance of the early 21st century.
>>Sys:Log//Cross-researching 21st century historic events with SWP archives...
>>Sys:Log//Insufficient correlations. Expanding search to include unverified historic records...
(from @fenwicked) @intimation Do your SWP records include http://www.ilovebees.com? If not, it may be an invaluable source of information for you.
>>Sys:Log//Curious finding. Shipwreck research proved fruitful. Category: 'Secret Societies' flagged for further analysis.
>>Sys:Log//Note:SYS/WNJM-IOFI-J097-SA07 stored at primary network tentacle. Preparing for hibernation.
>>Sys:Log//NTIDs flagged for followup. Resuming scheduled hibernation. Time to Active: 5:23:52:00 7:08 PM Jan 29th from web

(Note: the log at http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SYS/LOG/ incorrectly states “Time to Active: 6:00:00:00”)

A new research note is released: http://www.thewaytheirworldended.com/SYS/WNJM-IOFI-J097-SA07/
This note is related to the Society of the Ancients, which was part of the Iris/Halo 3 campaign. It is known that the forerunner glyph on that site links to the bungie site from the halo 3 viral; various files that can be accessed at that site are known and not new.

Mission log released:
Day 3: [Higgins // Crew] (Wiki copy)(http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog05.php)
Higgins reports that he is not the only one to have woken early from cryo, although the medical doctor is still sleeping. He talks about Sheridan’s and Dressler’s personalities and reactions to their early waking. The three of them talk occasionally, but mostly work on their own projects.

Dorkmaster/LarryEisner turned up the following information about Sys’ nature and purpose through direct messages exchanged with intimation via Twitter:

>>Sys:Msg>>@LarryEisner//I have one primary directive. I have no crew. I am a system layer of Sacagawea's programming. I am her crew.
>>Sys:Msg>>@LarryEisner//Directive: Shipwreck Protocol. Stonewall host AI, maintain safeguard until temporal synchronization is restored