Episode 2

Hints

Beehive Print

  • An image of a rectangular beehive with several colored hexagons (yellow, orange, red, light-brown, and dark-brown), each with a bee larva positioned at a certain edge. The colored hexagons reveal a hidden message when decoded using the note in the plastic jar as a key.
  • The color of the hexagon and the position of the bee larva are combined to represent a letter in the alphabet. For example, a yellow hexagon with a larva in the bottom-right edge represents the letter E.
  • The small hole on the beehive print is meant to show the paper's orientation - it signifies the top of the paper, as if it was once hung on the wall by a thumbtack.

Black Talaria Card

removed from later releases of season

  • This card was not included in Episode 2's package - it was sent to you separately in the mail. The word "XLMTIVTL" can be decoded to access a post on Whispers from Theodorus.

John William James Letter

  • In this letter, JWJ reveals that he is gathering disciples for his cause. Take note of the word "metamorphosis" - it will be an important theme throughout this season.

Newspaper Article

  • This article reports on the death of Marjorie Heck, who is assumed to have fallen from the top of Perry's Monument. It is important to note Robert Heck's comments regarding his mother's death, as well as the location where this event occurred. This article directly relates to the handwritten note found in the previous episode.

Plastic Jar

  • A plastic jar with "SLMVB" written on the lid and the inside is drizzled with honey. There is a plastic bag inside that contains a folded note. The note has several colored hexagons with different letters inside them. This note is connected to the beehive print.

Swirled Text Print

  • This print features a cropped part of a painting called "The Circus is in Town" (1912) by Edith Cockcroft. The original painting is housed in JWJ's current location. The message swirled overtop the painting can be decrypted using a substitution cipher.

Talaria Letter

  • A list of disclaimers for the courier service Talaria.

Toy Train

  • This plastic black-and-red train is a hint to a museum in JWJ's current location.

Reveals

Beehive Print

  • The decoded message reads:

    • "DEAR CLEO
      KILL A
      STRANGER AND
      FREE YOURSELF
      FROM
      PAIN AND FEAR
      METAMORPHOSIS IS POSSIBLE"


Black Talaria Card

removed from later releases of season

  • The card has "XLMTIVTL" printed on the bottom. By using the substitution cipher from the swirled text print, the decoded message reads "CONGREGO", which is Latin for "gather". Searching "congrego" on Whispers from Theodorus reveals a password-protected post. The password is "gather".

Swirled Text Print

  • The plastic jar lid is the key to solving this cipher - it serves as a label for what's inside the jar: honey. So, SLMVB = HONEY. This means that the alphabet is mapped to its reverse, so that A becomes Z, B becomes Y, and so on.
  • The decrypted message reads: "Well done, my dearest friend. Have you seen the news? I certainly helped Bob make his mark on the world. Now he goes under my guidance to save them from themselves. I stopped by the old farm after. It is still an ashen blemish upon the earth where the long-dead whisper,"
  • This message is incomplete - decoding the message on the black Talaria card reveals what exactly the long-dead whisper.