Just the facts (revised) and a newbies guide.

[Cillus]

DISCLAIMER:
If you are new to the site and wish to attempt to solve the puzzles yourself do not read this thread.
Instead head to Darkstar's thread HERE.

For information on how the "They are coming back" puzzle was solved, go to Socrates thread here.

If you are looking for an F.A.Q. thread, regarding details on the game itself, see THIS THREAD.

Welcome, this thread will give you the background of The Secret World as we currently know it, including the many puzzles we have had to solve.
This thread is not a sticky. I'd appreciate a bump if you have read this thread and found it useful

NOTE: Due to letter count restrictions on the forum, the data is spread across many replies in this thread. Most will be contained to the first page of the thread, so make sure you scroll down for all the information.

This post is A WORK IN PROGRESS.

Thanks to all contributors.
Please bear with me while I catch up after a couple of days away from The Secret World.

This thread is a community project, please help me to collect the data we have.
The original Just the facts thread can be found HERE.

Omen has created a very nice fan video of the beginnings of the mystery.

[Cillus]

Greetings, fellow theorists.
This thread is intended to collect all the solid evidence and facts, that are available to us, the fans, of Cry Gaia/The Secret World.
It is also a repository for the history of the game so far, and how we found ourselves entangled in this mysterious, dark plot.

Please try to keep discussions and theories out of this thread and stick to posting proven facts regarding Funcoms conspiracy.

Community help with this thread is greatly appreciated.


Part 1. Where it began.

1. The trail begins.
On May 6th 2007, Funcom launched a series of websites and began to distribute strange hints through the gaming community.
The main clue came in the form of an Email sent to the offices of the popular internet games magazine Eurogamer.
For reference the original post on Eurogamer is HERE.
The text of the Email can be seen HERE

The original image on flickr can be viewed HERE.

Astute gamers managed to find their way to www.darkdaysarecoming.com.
The website confronts visitors with a relatively complex puzzle.

2. The puzzle, the symbols and the destroyed cities.

Depending on the IP address of visitors to the site, the site displayes one of three cities: London, new York, or Shanghai.
Hidden in the picture the visitor will find hidden buttons to reveal four sets of symbols, in groups of three variations of each symbol.

In this thread Nova points us in the direction of the origins of the symbols used to unlock the www.darkdaysarecoming.com puzzle.
Xuan, the spam queen, provides translation of the French meetings further down page 1 of the thread.

The symbols themselves can be seen here:
http://www.amaskedcryadoring.com/
http://www.agrimoddarcanesky.com/
http://www.anygodimarksacred.com/
http://www.adreamysickdragon.com/

Once the visitor arranged the correct four symbols, in the correct positions, around four points on the image of The Vitruvian Man the puzzle was unlocked.

Once the puzzle is solved the image of the city briefly transitions to an image of the same city destroyed, in ruins. London appears burned, Shanghai seems assailed by great tornadoes, New York is overgrown with monstrous vegetation.


The cities can be seen in both forms here:
London
London intact
London destroyed (by fire?)
New York
New York intact
New York Destroyed (By vegetation?)


Shang Hai
Shanghai intact
Shanghai destroyed (By tornadoes?)
Thanks to Emerald for the city pictures.

The image then returns to the city in its original state, and the visitor is rewarded with concept art for, what was then, an unknown game.

A compliation of all available concept art is available on THIS SITE
(I need someone to credit for this site, please).

The reward was also a link to these forums.
The original forum was entitled “The Dream of Fallen Earth”, and the original link was http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/fallenearth/forumdisplay.php?f=2

The first few travellers who found themselves here were greeted by a mysterious stranger, known only to us as A Friend.
A Friend points the way, he has other Friends. His messages hint at deeper meanings, and offer even more numbers.
The signature included in our Friend's posts include the number 20121221.
This adds to a numerology theory and repetition of the numbers 1 and 2.
The story of A Friend has since developed in a sinister manner. More about A Friend below.

Part 2. The theories and investigations begin.

Once we were here we began to discuss, debate and dissect the clues and information available to us.

The first discussions centred around the information found in original Letter to Eurogamer.

What follows is a brief recap of some of the early discussions:

1: Amundsden found it under the ice.

Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer 1872 - 1928
We do not know what he found. Theories include the Leviathan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan
Atlantis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis
The Great Old Ones At the Mountains of Madness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Mountains_of_Madness
NOTE: Phobos has pointed out that Amundsen's team consisted of 8 people. Possibly coincidence or a possible tie in with the numbers alluded to in "The Letter".
View more of Phobos’ posts for more information and postulation of Amundsen.

2: The Illuminati are clearly mentioned.

However, whoever wrote “The Letter”, or at least the note in the top left corner, clearly was as in the dark as to the involvement of the Illuminati as we are.
Information about the Illuminati can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati

3: The seal of the Knights Templar is prominently featured in “The Letter”.

This gives us no concrete leads, only more theories. Will the Templar be fighting whatever fate befalls the Earth/Gaia?
Who are the Knights Templar? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights...nights_Templar




The coordinates.

After solving the original website puzzle, the page that is displayed held another puzzle that was not evident to most visitors.
Our more intellectual community members soon realised that the symbols displayed to the right of the concept art was stylised Sanskrit.

In this thread: http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/fallenearth/showthread.php?t=42 the symbols that can be seen on the website, after the puzzle has been solved, have been resolved into numbers, and from their they have been extrapolated into grid reference coordinates that span the globe.
Noteworthy points located by the coordinates are: Easter Island, Ayer's rock, Tibet. Each have significant religious connotations.
A pentagram? A pointer to our destination? A warning? A mark on the face of Gaia, only visible in the cold, dark of the endless void?

UPDATE: In This thread a little more light may have been shed on the coordinates. Thanks to Alikar.

Numbers feature prominently, in the original letter, and in the Sanskrit translations.

The number 8 is hinted towards. The number 2012 is clearly marked on “The Letter”.
In the image of Shanghai, seen on the front page of the site for visitors in the East, one building has had its billboard replaced with the numbers 2112.
As has also been mentioned; A Friend includes numbers in his/her signature on the forum.

[Cillus]

A Friend, the email and the photo.

Thanks to Twee for collecting this data.
Visit Twee’s Dark Days blog for more information.


The facts about a friend:

The first mail was signed H.S.
Aveline Belmont refers to a friend as a male.

A collection of forum Posts, the Email, and the flickr site, from A Friend.

The first forum post:

"You've arrived. Thank the Gods"
Last edited by A friend : May 9, 2007 at 02:21 AM.

This forum might not live for long - in fact, the first people to make it here were prevented from posting. THEY do not want us to communicate with each other, and THEY have eyes and ears everywhere.

The code is not yet cracked. What do the symbols mean? How are the three cities linked? What do they not want us to know?

It may be a game to them, but it's not a game - it's real. Dark days are coming. We must band together now, we must be prepared, and we must protect HER from the evil that rises.

Gaia is under threat. Your help is desperately needed.

(A friend.)


A friend posted this message at the forum, and it was erased 5 minutes later..

Today, 05:50 PM
They've tried to shut me out, but I still have powerful friends amongst them.

The game has been announced, and it's too late for us to do anything about that.

All we can do now is wait for the secret world - the real world of secrets - to respond. Some of them will not be happy to see their secrets exposed. But they will deny everything. They always do.

There's something else, too... Don't be surprised if I call on some of you soon, as I said I would. I have been contacted by...well, it doesn't matter who. But I may soon be in possession of the final piece to this puzzle.

My post will not be here long, I suspect, so spread the word, keep vigilant, and don't trust them. They have no idea what they have just unleashed.

Why were the messages erased? Who are "They"?


E-Mails

This E-mail was sent to people registered at the official forums:

From: A friend - hideseek@gmail.com
I said I would call on you again. I had no idea it would be so soon. A trusted friend has sent me a scan of an old photograph thought lost that may hold clues to the true nature of the conspiracy. I need your help to decipher the clues and find its source. You were the ones, the chosen ones, who discovered the truth behind the numbers. You are needed once more. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehiddenplaces/493782881/ Your friend, HS

The photo and accompanying text was removed (By Them?) shortly after we found it.
We managed to save what was found at flickr.
The text:
”A.B. sent it to me. I don't yet know why - she refuses to say. What significance does it hold? I must gather the following information: When was it taken. Where - exactly - and by whom. Who is the man standing near the camera? And how will this information relate to the approaching darkness? (Quickly now...they are trying to make this all go away. I will have to move the photograph again soon.)”

The photo can be seen HERE

"The code has been cracked!"
Posted on this forum on the morning of May 10 by A friend:

The code has been cracked, the locations marked. My friends - you've been helpful beyond measure. I WILL call on you again.

Five sacred places point to an ancient secret buried by time - a Pandora's Box that was very nearly opened, less than a century ago.

Once more this secret is in danger of being exposed. That MUST NOT be allowed to happen!

I'm taking this information with me to people who can help. Powerful friends. Warriors. Protectors. They inhabit this world, and yet they live apart from it, in secret places, hidden places...in the dark places.

Be safe. Be vigilant. Be aware. We are approaching an end, and a new beginning. You will be called on again. And this time - the battle will be harder.

A friend.
20121221

Recent messages from A friend on this forum.

11th May
Default You are being misled!

They've tried to shut me out, but I still have powerful friends amongst them.

The game has been announced, and it's too late for us to do anything about that.

All we can do now is wait for the secret world - the real world of secrets - to respond. Some of them will not be happy to see their secrets exposed. But they will deny everything. They always do.

There's something else, too... Don't be surprised if I call on some of you soon, as I said I would. I have been contacted by...well, it doesn't matter who. But I may soon be in possession of the final piece to this puzzle.

My post will not be here long, I suspect, so spread the word, keep vigilant, and don't trust them. They have no idea what they have just unleashed.

A further message followed..
Friends - and enemies:

Together we are stronger than we are apart; once again that has been made abundantly clear to me. With your assistance

and diligence, I'm closer than ever to deciphering the cryptic clues on (and in) the photograph.

But we aren't there yet. I have been preoccupied with...other matters, and your assistance is still of the utmost

importance. I believe we only have a few days before time runs out. I may be wrong. But if I am right, we must work

harder to crack this infernal code.

As I told you yesterday, I know we need the following information:

When was the photograph taken - on the minute. Year, date, time.
Where was the photograph taken - exactly.
Who took the photograph - and who was his most trusted friend.

These things will point us through the dark days that are coming, and unlock a message from the past - a message that

will, hopefully, inspire us and guide us through the dark days ahead.

How do I know these things? I'm being led through the darkness by a guiding light, just as I lead you through the

falling dark. I don't know who she really is, who she answers to, or why she's chosen me - but she has, as I have

chosen you.

Please, as always, record my words carefully. This message will be deleted soon, I'm sure, and I don't have the

resources at this moment to send you another mail. I can't risk exposing trusted friends in precarious positions, and

will only ask them such favours when the circumstances warrant it.

Remember this: there may be other messages, hidden ones, that we have yet to find. I feel there's something missing.

But I KNOW that some of you - some of you - are on the right track. I believe we have the year, I believe we know

where it was taken, but we need all the information - as quickly as possible.

Be safe. Stay vigilant. I will return.

Message from "a friend" posted at roughly 6:15 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time 5/13

Friends.

We know now who took the photograph and who his most trusted friend is. I recognise the name and will dig deeper into the past for more information. Keep your findings safe, friends.

We still need to know when the photo was taken. Many of you have theories that I believe are very, very close to the truth. But a date and year is not enough. We need an hour. I, too, am searching, but you I am one and you are many - I believe you will find the answer before I do.

Where was it taken? The photographer's friend is surely the clue here. Remember the letter I sent you. Remember the answers you uncovered not long ago in these very forums. Do not get lost in the details.

How do these numbers apply to the dark days that are coming? I still do not know. I will keep looking.

Store this message in a safe place. Be well. Be vigilant.

A friend

Message posted Sunday 13th May 17:51

"You have found the precise date, I'm sure of it. It corresponds perfectly with my own research into the photograph, and with what A. B. has told me. Year, month, date - you have solved the riddle.

I do not believe, however, that you have found the exact time yet. I know the hour and minute will be marked clearly, albeit cryptically, on the photograph - I have encountered others like it, and these details are crucial to those who frequent the secret world - but I cannot decipher the code myself. For this I must rely entirely on you.

I also believe the location to be self-evident, though I hesitate to be more precise. I want the answer to come from you. I could very well be wrong in my assumptions, and every statement I make has a way of becoming the accepted truth - something for which I only have myself to blame, of course.

I have some new information, however. She told me that the arrow points the way, and the gate is one of five. Yes...yes, it makes perfect sense...but I don't want you to discount other possibilities just yet. I will leave it to you - all of you - to answer that riddle.

Where do all the numbers point? Again, one of you has the answer already, I'm very sure of that. Together you will crack the code and unlock the final message for me, for all of us, for everyone.

When you do, I must disappear for a while. I have become much more visible than I had hoped I would have to, and they are hunting me. Every hour, every minute, brings them closer. I don't have much longer.

Be vigilant. Be prepared. And don't stop until you have the answer. I depend on you. The world depends on you.

A friend"
This message was a sticky, and only viewable for roughly 5 minutes before THEY deleted it.

[Cillus]

Monday 14th May 2007 at 9:24 AM

My situation is increasingly precarious. I stay on the move, go online only where I feel safe - in public places, coffee shops, libraries. I have stopped using my phone. I keep looking over my shoulder. I'm the last to get on the train, making sure no one enters after me - and I'm the last one off, just before the doors close. I avoid dark places, I stay where there are people, always, and I keep my eyes turned down and my face in shadow.

Paranoia grips my heart. I can't tell friend from foe, safe haven from devious trap. Sometimes I'm not even sure I'm being followed... Until I catch a glimpse of something strange in a darkened reflection, or hear a disturbingly familiar sound when I lie awake at night...

Yet I'm committed to this cause, as are you - I'm sure of it - and I will not stop until I know the whole Truth.

The code remains unbroken, however.

You have not yet found the place the photograph was taken - I'm sure of it. Remember: the arrow points the way, she said. There is an arrow made from numbers. You found it once. You can find it again.

I fear you have not found the precise hour, either. I have nothing but a gut feeling about this, but I think the answer may be even more obvious than we first thought.

With everything else, I'm confident that we have the answers we need, but not yet the way to use those answers.

Some of you are certainly on the right track, but the secret may be buried in a place closer to home, right under our eyes. Certain people are in possession of something precious that we need access to - people who should never have had it in the first place - and they are foolish enough to put it where someone, anyone, can access it.

The year. The date. The time. The place. These will lead us to a final message, and tell us something of the past...and the future.

Be vigilant, friends. Beware reflections in windows and strange sounds at night. It might mean you are getting too close. Leave it be, then, all of this, and return to your life in the sun. Enjoy it while it's still there.

I wish I could.

A friend

Email received at 6:29 PM GMT Monday 14th May
Friends.

I'm no longer able to post on the forums. My messages are deleted instantly,
and unwanted eyes are able to pry into our private affairs. I am, however,
still able to use the very same channels for sending mail that cannot be
tracked back to where I currently am. For now.

Hopefully all of you are to be trusted. Don't show your cards - and be
cautious.

I believe you have found the location now. Yes, the arrow points there - the
pentagram - and all prior signs correspond with your latest theory. It is as
I thought, but I needed it confirmed. Good work!

I'm as much in the dark as you are about the time. I know the clues are
right there in the photo, as clear as day, as obvious as anything we've ever
looked at...but the answer still eludes me. The clock is a message, I'm sure
of it. But how to read it? You must focus on that now. We have the other
pieces.

Remember: Year, month, day, hour, minute - and the location.

The names are the key to the message.

My coffee grows cold and I'm receiving long looks from the staff. I should
move on before the lunch crowd arrives. I don't know where to go next, but I
will try to check in again soon. If not today, then certainly tomorrow. But
then, after that... Time runs short. I must disappear or risk exposing
myself.

Hurry. You are closer than ever. I depend on you now.

A friend
(The Belmont photo mystery was solved shortly after this mail was received).

Email received at 1:22 AM GMT 15th May 2007. A few hours after the mystery of the photo was solved, and the message from Nicolas discovered.

Friends.

You have cracked the code! An important message has been unveiled - one that is more important than you could possibly imagine.

I know now who A.B. is, and I know how to contact her. She might - no, she will - help me disappear. And I trust that she will be able to answer a few of my many questions regarding the sleeping threat.

I owe you a great deal, friends. Without your help, I would not have found the letter from Belmont, and I would have been searching still for answers and for a safe house. Because of you - every single one of you - I shall sleep soundly tonight, without waking in fear and jumping at shadows. Thank you.

I might return one final time in the days to come to tell you some of what I've learned, but I can make no promises about that. I intend to disappear for a while, at least until my enemies grow tired and return to their stone buildings and their long tables, but I will be back again some day - this I DO promise. There is much more to learn about the secret world, and I intend to learn it all...before it is too late.

Be safe, friends. Be vigilant - always. Be strong. Keep searching. Keep learning. Keep reading, listening, watching. The answers hide in history, mythology, legends, and stories. The day will come when you are needed, all of you, in the battle against darkness. Without people like you, our Earth - Gaia - is doomed.

Farewell,

A friend

[Cillus]

The solution to the photo.
Through a huge community effort the photo A Friend pointed us towards, and the mysteries locked in it, were solved.


The date: 21.12.1921 A combination of the Chinese year of the Metal Rooster, from the two kanji symbols at the bottom of the picture, and reading the bible quote number as 12:21
The time is: 20:12. This was staring everone in the face. The numbers that hands of the clock in the photo are pointing to, in 24 hour format. 8 = 20 12 = 12 = 2012
The location: Antarctica 86 15 24S 153 42 40 Determined from the original coordinates found in sanskrit on the main website.
The photographer: Nicolas Belmont. This was discovered by viewing the Metadata contained in the picture. The metadata contains a journal entry by Nicolas Belmont.
His friend: Amudsen. (Unsure myself as to how this conclusion was reached.)

The numbers were then combined into 1921122120128615241534240, and added to the URL of the site, which led to: http://www.darkdaysarecoming.com/192...8615241534240/
The username and password were: Belmont Amundsen
NOTE: This link no longer works.

This page lead to a scanned image of the back of the original picture.

The french text in the image roughly translates as:

"At the moment I'm writing these words
our enemies are closing. I'll not let them take me.

The secrets I keep must not, ought not to, fall in their hands
I tried to stop those terrible events from happening but I fear I failed

My love I won't see you ever again, but you carry my heritage with you.
Find a shelter. Go west to the new world and Find our friends there.
They'll help you both
But takecare
We face the biggest of all mysteries
A conspiracy older than this age, than all ages.
They are awakening
It begins

Faithfully yours;
Nicolas
Paris 1924"

Huge thanks and congratulations for all who aided in solving the puzzle.

[Cillus]

Aveline Belmont
Aveline Belmont is assumed to be either the wife or daughter, or some other living relative of Nicolas Belmont.
In one mail A Friend stated "I now know who A.B is".
When contacting the secret url found by following the clues from the Belmont photograh the visitor is greeted as Aveline.

After the community had solved the puzzle of the Belmont photo we were congratulated by A Friend and we were joined in our collective celebration of a job well done.

The joy did not last long...

On the 16th May 2007 an Email arrived from an individual claiming to be Aveline Belmont.

The email berated the community for aiding A Friend, and admonishing us for causing a potential catastrophe.

What have you done???

You've been had, all of you. You've just fallen for the biggest and most obvious con around. Do you have any idea what you've done? You've exposed me, and now I'm screwed.

Your 'friend' was anything but. With your help, he's uncovered secrets that shouldn't have been uncovered, he's gained possession of powerful information, he's tracked me down, and now I have to go invisible. All because of your little 'game'. Thanks.

Okay, fine, I realize that most of you didn't know what you were doing.
You're just children playing with dangerous explosives. So in the future, I'd advise you to be a little more cautious and less trusting of strangers - or stay the hell away from the secret world.

But at least you've proven your worth in some ways. I'm actually impressed by what you accomplished, and I'm sure there's a very good reason why you were drawn to this mystery in the first place. See, now you owe me a big favour, all of you, and rest assured: I'll be calling on you to claim that favour. Not tomorrow, not next week, but some day. And you are going to help me, because if you don't, we're all screwed.

Is the end of the world incentive enough for you? Thought so.

Like I said, don't trust just anyone who comes up and asks you to do them a favour, and don't mess with things you don't understand. It'll make my life a hell of a lot easier.

Be seeing you,

Aveline Belmont

[Cillus]

Miscellaneous:

Ridley's collection of The Secret World art.

[Starfall]

This was a very, very helpful post for diving in. There is already so much information its overwhelming for people who got here a day ago.

Keep it coming.

[Phobos]

Originally Posted by Starfall

This was a very, very helpful post for diving in. There is already so much information its overwhelming for people who got here a day ago.

Keep it coming.

thats what the blog is for

"check my sig"

[Adam_Weishaupt]

I was wondering when the other thread was going to be updated

[Cillus]

Originally Posted by Phobos

thats what the blog is for

"check my sig"

Yup, Twee's blog is linked several times in my posts. As is Phobos and his investigation of Amundsen.

This thread is to try and keep the basic facts on the forum, and link out to the more in depth stuff.

[Starfall]

Phobos, I just found Twee's blog, seems amazingly helpful too.

I just gravitated to this thread because it claimed to be a newbies guide, and so I hoped it would be a good place to start. And it is.

[SA_Avenger]

Originally Posted by Cillus

The symbols themselves can be seen here:
http://www.amaskedcryadoring.com/
http://www.agrimoddarcanesky.com/
http://www.anygodimarksacred.com/
http://www.adreamysickdragon.com/.

Do the symbols shows in that order or do we have to follow the circle as an indication of how to place them. Is the image showing their rightfull placement and orientation?

Ok the blog is really helpfull nothing to do with the way pictures are shown

[Cillus]

The correct order for the symbols, when London is the starting city is:

North East: SAYD
South East: MICONG
South West: ERA
North West: KARD

NOTE: Once you have the correct one of each three in place you will then need to rotate it to the correct angle.

[Cillus]

Will update the latest news later, once THEY have lost interest in it a little.

[Cillus]

Updated and bumped.

Will add all the facts regarding the Belmont picture once all are confirmed.

[Twee]

great thread cillus.

[Cillus]

You don't have time to compliment me! Back to your blog with you! Back to work I say!

[Cillus]

Updated to include photo mystery resolution.

[Rachna]

This thread's a bit easier to wade through, since it's more condensed.

/a vote for 'bump!'