Too Many Secrets
Marleen's 40th birthday puzzle hunt
My sister made me this amazing birthday gift - least I could do was to write a report on it and make it look kinda of awesome to do the experience justice. So that's what I did. I didn't have time, however, to create a version that displays beautifully on small screens. So this report is only available on tablets, laptops, desktop PCs and TVs.
You can try turning your mobile device sideways (for landscape mode) - or otherwise, find a slightly larger screen and then come back!
Thank you.
- Marleen
Tool Kit
The Map
The Notebook
Jeff gave me my birthday presents - his own, as well as a book that he’d been instructed by Isabell to buy for me. He had picked out a really beautiful, leather-bound notebook, the front embroidered with a compass like the one on the treasure map.
However! The day after he bought the notebook, Jeff heard me complain about how all commercially available notebooks in Canada are always lined and how it’s my least favourite type of paper. (If you know me, you know I have opinions about office supplies...) Obviously I would have loved this notebook no matter what! But Jeff decided that a lined notebook was unacceptable, and instead of exchanging it for a different one, he took it apart and professionally rebound it with blank paper - in secret, in the room next door, while I was sleeping.
I had already glued and written some material into my regular puzzle notebook, but Isabell and Jeff both correctly insisted I use the new notebook for the rest of the puzzle hunt!
When I copied my notes over, I noticed that the notebook had page 3 already filled in. Mysterious!
I didn't know what S, E and L could refer to, but since the numbers conveniently ranged from 1 to 26, I thought they might related to letters, and played around with various decryption and transformation mechanisms for a while. This led to... absolutely nothing - again! So I moved on to the URL instead.
