Treasure Hunt

[Freddy Jacobi]

Hiyall.

So some of you may have noticed I posted a picture the other day.



It contains a clue. This clue will lead you on a treasure hunt over the next few months. I hope you want to participate! I promise, the end result will be pretty rewarding.

How legit am I? Well, the image with James was not photoshopped. How's that for legit.

[noxon]

I have been given word that this is legit.

[The Walrus]

Show me a map, ye scallawag!

[w_marano]

Let's go! Cool!

[AngelBack]

Well, shiver me timbres!

[bosk1]

Well, shiver me timbres!

  I'd love to.  Meet me out back after you get off work.

[AngelBack]

Well, shiver me timbres!

  I'd love to.  Meet me out back after you get off work.

#metooIhope

[bosk1]

[cramx3]

Is there just one winner for who solves this first?  Sounds cool.

[Ben_Jamin]

Ooo...now the fun begins.

[Freddy Jacobi]

Is there just one winner for who solves this first?  Sounds cool.

Well, that depends on the person who solves it first, doesn't it. If he/she wants to share what he finds, it's his prerogative...

[cramx3]

Is there just one winner for who solves this first?  Sounds cool.

Well, that depends on the person who solves it first, doesn't it. If he/she wants to share what he finds, it's his prerogative...

Ah, wasn't sure if it was a community treasure hunt or meant for an individual to figure out on their own.  But I guess maybe it doesn't matter.  Makes me think it's some sort of media like a video from the studio or something.  Would be cool if we or someone here figured it out.

[commanderbob]

Never mind.

[robwebster]

Quick note since it's not been mentioned - the URL is clearly a rot13 cipher - uggcf:// looks a lot like https://, which tipped me off.

uggcf://vf.tq/jbfrur becomes https://is.gd/wosehe if you put it through the cipher... which just links to Freddy Jacobi's twitter account!

https://twitter.com/FreddyJacobi

He only has 13 followers (14 now, sup), so this is early days.

The URL on his Twitter account is https://vailrenovations84552723.wordpress.com/, which looks to be a renovations company (but is probably a spoof - not least because the area it covers is "Albany / Utica" which is a steamed hams reference!)

There's a phone number - "Contact us for a free estimate! (518) 519-0756." Anyone with a US phone fancy giving them a ring (and possibly accidentally getting your kitchen renovated)?

Other thoughts: Numbers in the URL are also suspicious (84552723) but if you turn them into letters you get hdeebgbc which is clearly nonsense and doesn't look like it's going to rot13 either. Vail is a funny name for a renovations company too (funny spelling anyway!) but not sure if there's anything in it.

[Skeever]

I called the number, I didn't take notes but it said "the password you seek is the name of the person who did the most Dream Theater album covers, and the year that Dream Theater reached their highest position on the billboard charts"

[jonny108]

Hugh Syme (5 albums), 2009 (BC&SL at Number 6).  Password for what though?

[Skeever]

I just tried to log into Freddy's account with that password and it didn't work 

[Skeever]

Oh and I think the voicemail said "last name" now that I think about it.

[lucasembarbosa]

Other thoughts: Numbers in the URL are also suspicious (84552723) but if you turn them into letters you get hdeebgbc which is clearly nonsense and doesn't look like it's going to rot13 either.

Maybe the album will have 8 songs (we have confirmed at least 8 songs, as says the flip chart pic) and each letter of "HDEEBGBC"might correspond to the key of each one of these songs. Considering that in old german/european music notation B can also be written as "H", the songs would be actually in the B-D-E-E-B-G-B-C keys.

[robwebster]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OQgTXiOmPeEUT6U_TwRdW2g8Ye3Nq0lP

Worth a shot right?

[Podaar]

I'm trying to run through anagrams for Vail Renovations but it's taking a while. Like Rob says, the spelling "Vail" is quite suspicious.

[robwebster]

Other thoughts: Numbers in the URL are also suspicious (84552723) but if you turn them into letters you get hdeebgbc which is clearly nonsense and doesn't look like it's going to rot13 either.

Maybe the album will have 8 songs (we have confirmed at least 8 songs, as says the flip chart pic) and each letter of "HDEEBGBC"might correspond to the key of each one of these songs. Considering that in old german/european music notation B can also be written as "H", the songs would be actually in the B-D-E-E-B-G-B-C keys.

Maybe - but I can't think why they wouldn't just say "B."

Trying a different tack, I'm thinking about numbers on phone keypads. So you've got...



8 - TUV
4 - GHI
5 - JKL
5 - JKL
2 - ABC
7 - PQRS
2 - ABC
3 - DEF

VILLARBD.
TILJARCE.
UHKKBSAD.

...Not getting anything out of that!

I'm trying to run through anagrams for Vail Renovations but it's taking a while. Like Rob says, the spelling "Vail" is quite suspicious.

I was thinking a similar thing - "renovate" suggests anagram, maybe, in a cryptic crossword kind of way. Maybe vail PLUS the numbers? Or - perhaps the numbers in the URL refer to the letters in Vail Renovations?

VAILRENO
84552723
OLRRANAI

...nope!

I think it's the kind of thing where, when we get it, it'll be really obvious that we've got it.

[robwebster]

Update - Vail Renovations responded to my email!

Good news: they have given me a very reasonable quote for my bathroom.

Better news: "Thank you for your request. I'm sure you're excited for the future endeavours of a certain group. I will have more secrets to share soon! It will be a long road, and it will only be available to those with cunning intellect and patience! Can’t make it TOO easy for you, you have to earn your way into the information I have to give to you!

"Rest assured, in a few days time I will reach out to you again with a link to a secret webpage where you’ll find the first piece of the puzzle. But you can only enter if you have the password. Have you found the password yet?

"Please tell all your fellow fans about this little game I’m going to be playing with you in the coming weeks.

"Freddy Jacobi
Renovator and undercover studio spy!"

[cramx3]

That's awesome, you guys are good 

[pg1067]

I was thinking that 84552723 looks like when you use a calculator upside down to spell words with numbers (e.g., 5318008 = BOOBIES).

If that's right, then 84552723 converts to EZLZSSHB....

Maybe???

By the way, Vail is a ski resort in Colorado, but I doubt that has anything to do with anything.

[MirrorMask]

This is awesome. I don't know if the band or someone from the management came up with this but this is yet another nice way to engage fans and keep up the hype for the new album!

[robwebster]

I like your BOOBIES method, pg1067. It's very scientific and it has a great name.

New email from Freddy! Just contains his secret link -

https://vailrenovations84552723.wordpress.com/dream-theater-working-in-studio/

...and the password works!!

[robwebster]

I'm not going to copy and paste all the text from the secret website (cos I get too much joy out of typing in the password each time like a SUPER SPY) but this is our first clue:



It took me a few minutes to notice the T in the corner, which shows how great I'm not at picture clues.

[bosk1]

Hmm...Rob surfaces mysteriously after a long absence just as this mysterious Freddy Jacobi person also appears and starts dropping clues.  And Rob happens to be the first person to solve the first puzzle and get the game rolling, which may be viewed as sort of showing us how it's done.  The only logical conclusion is:  Rob is Freddy.  And Freddy is James LaBrie. 

[The Walrus]

I'm already lost. Ya'll blow my mind.

[the keyboard wizard]

It took me a few minutes to notice the T in the corner, which shows how great I'm not at picture clues.

There's "superstar" written on the Coke Zero can. Another clue?
Seriously, I'm loving that treasure hunt!

[TAC]

Hmm...Rob surfaces mysteriously after a long absence just as this mysterious Freddy Jacobi person also appears and starts dropping clues.  And Rob happens to be the first person to solve the first puzzle and get the game rolling, which may be viewed as sort of showing us how it's done.  The only logical conclusion is:  Rob is Freddy.  And Freddy is James LaBrie. 

And just like the old Rob, I didn't understand a single word he said..

[mikeyd23]

This. Is. Awesome.

Great fan engagement idea 

[DreamerTV]

This is beyond awesome.
And that's just the beginning.

[robwebster]

The other thing that stands out as a clue: Freddy signed the post "IHTHTB; Your obedient servant, Freddy Jacobi."

As far as I am aware, IHTHTB stands for nothing at all.

It doesn't appear on Urban Dictionary, or Abbrevations.com, and it has no anagrams on The Word Finder.com.

If I rot13 it, it says "VUGUGO," which also means nothing.

Combining it with the T from the picture gets "TIHTHTB" which doesn't seem to mean anything, either. And if it's an abbreviation for a DT song it's a new one on me!

Hmm...Rob surfaces mysteriously after a long absence just as this mysterious Freddy Jacobi person also appears and starts dropping clues.  And Rob happens to be the first person to solve the first puzzle and get the game rolling, which may be viewed as sort of showing us how it's done.  The only logical conclusion is:  Rob is Freddy.  And Freddy is James LaBrie. 

If I were James LaBrie, why would I be wasting time on some puzzle when I could be out there hitting F#s and digging holes?