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Author Topic: The Doctor's Cipher.  (Read 33445 times)

piecewise

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The Doctor's Cipher.
« on: July 21, 2015, 11:22:09 pm »

The following is a section of text encoded with what we'll call The Doctor's Cipher. It was written in one of the Doctor's old lab books and left to his staff many years ago, shortly before his assumed execution. It passed through many hands before finding its way to a particular man and it is believed to have been one of several factors that lead him on a search that eventually drove him mad. You've met this man, twice now.

Are you curious what it says? Well If it can be deciphered and the correct text sent to me via pm or posted here, I will give the individual or individuals who deciphered it an avatar of war or  equivalent cash prize. I'm quite curious to see of anyone can manage it. Keep in mind there is the small possibility of typo due to encoding this by hand.

θΩΩλΔΔΔθΩΩΔλλΔθθθθθλΔΩФΔΩλΩθθλλΔΔθλλФΔλФθθΩΩФλФΔλλФθλΔФθθФΩλΔΔθΔλФФФΩΩθФФФΩΔΔΔλФΔθФΔΔΩθФΩΔλФΔΩθΩΔΔθλλФλ
ΔθФΔλΩФΩФΩλλΔλθθθΩФΔθФθΔФλΩθΔλλФΔΩθλΔλθΔФΔθΔθθΩθФΔФΔΩΩθλθФΔΔΔФλθΩΩΔФФλΩθΩΩΔλФΔΔΩθλΔθФΔФΔλλθФλФΔΩθΩΔΔΔΩ
ФΩλΔθΔΩθθλФФΩλλΔθθθΩλλФθФθλθθΩθΩθФΔΩΔΔλθΩθθθλФΩθλФФΔΩΩΩΩθФΔΔΔФλθΩΩΔФФФΩθΩΩФФΩΔΔΩλФΔλλФΔΩΩФΩΔλФΔΩθΩΔΔ
ΩΩФΔΩλΩФΔλθλФФΩλΩλΩθθθΩФΩθΩФλθΩΩθΩθФΔθθΩλΔΔΩθΔФФΩθΔΔλΔλΩΩΔλФΔθθΩΩФΩФΔΩΩΩΩΩФΔΔΔλλθθΔθΔФλΩΩθФΔλФΔΔΩλФΔ
θλλλΩΔΩФλλΔθλΩλλФΔΔθΔΩΩΩΩФΩλΔΩΔΩΩλλФΔλФΔΔΩλФΩΩФΩФΔФФΩΩλФΔθΔθΔΔΔθФΔθΩФλθθΩθΔΩФΔФΔΩλΔλθΔΩθθФФФΩΩθФΔλФΔ
ΔΔλФΔθФΔλΩΔΩФλλΔλλΩФλΔΔθθλΩΩΩΩФΩλΔθΔΩΩθλФΔλθΔΔΩλΔΔθФΩΔΩΔλθФλФΔθΔθΔΔθλλФθФθФθλФΩΔФΩθθФΔΩФλλФΔΔλФλλλΩФλΩΔ
ФФλΩθΩΩΔλФΔΔΩλФΔΩФΩλΩΔΩФλλΔλФΩλλФΔΩΔФΩΩΔθФΔλΔθΔΩΩθФΔФФΩΔΔθλФΔθλФФΔλλθФλФΔΩθΩΔΔΩθФΔθΩФλθθΩθΩθФΔθθθλΔΔθ
ΔθФФΩΩФλλΔλΩθθλФΔθθΩФФΩθΩΩΔλФΔΔΔλФΔθλФλθθФΩΔФФΩλФΩΩФλλФΔθθθθФΔθФθλΔΔΩФλθλΔΩФΔλθθθФΔΩΔΔФθΩΩθΩΔλФλθθΔΩλλФ
ΔФФΩΩθФФФΩΔΔΔλФΔΩФΔλθθФΩΩΔλФλФΔθΔΩθλΔθθθθФΔλΔΔΔФλФФΩθλФΩθΩΔλФΔФλΩФλθΔθθΩθθΩΩΔλФΔΔΔλФΔΩФΔλθΩλθФΔλθλФΔθΔΔ
λФΔθθΔθФΔλθΩθΔΔλΔΔΩФΩθθθθλΔΔФФθθΩФФΩ

Good luck, would-be cryptographers.

FallacyofUrist

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2015, 11:24:47 pm »

Graagh.

There are only 5 glyphs.
Theta, Omega, Wave, Triangle, and Phi.

From what I see, anyway.

Thus, assuming it translates into English, multiple glyphs must translate into single letters.

Unfortunately I'm not anywhere near a brilliant cryptologist, so I'm going to leave this thread for a while and wish the others luck.
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kisame12794

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2015, 12:16:01 am »

Hrmmm. Challenge accepted. Probably gonna spend waaaaaay too long on this only to discover it's his shopping list, but whatever.
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Hapah

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2015, 12:21:10 am »

I tried for 10 minutes and gave up. I might poke at it as a curiosity but I'll admit defeat.
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Empiricist

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2015, 12:27:09 am »

Probably gonna spend waaaaaay too long on this only to discover it's his shopping list, but whatever.
I really hope it's shopping list :P

Made some progress. Or some illusion thereof. Probably going to find out that I went in the completely wrong direction and wasted my time :P
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Xantalos

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2015, 01:41:55 am »

...what could be considered an equivalent cash prize?
Cause I'll do morally questionable things for the right amount of tokens that don't even exist RL.
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Empiricist

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2015, 02:06:11 am »

...what could be considered an equivalent cash prize?
167 steamy minutes of armor penetration.

Okay, I noticed that the number of characters was divisible by three. So, supposing that perhaps each trio of characters encoded something, I broke it up into a series of triplets using a stream editor. I then piped it through a sort and uniq -c. The following are my results.
Spoiler: Triplet Series (click to show/hide)
There are a total of 74 unique triplets. I think that the triplet "λФΔ" probably represents a space, due to its prevalence relative to everything else. Well, assuming that this series of steps is correct of course.

The other train of thought I pursued was that, perhaps, consecutive repetitions of the same character represent something different to the character by itself. So again, I used stream editor to to break it into individual characters and piped it into uniq -c so that sequences of the character, say, x are instead substituted with nx, where n is the number of times it was repeated. I then did the whole counting thing again. Overall I think this is less likely to be part of the solution than the above triplet approach.
Spoiler: Sequence Series (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 02:09:01 am by Empiricist »
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Xantalos

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2015, 02:40:17 am »

Meanwhile here's the thing translated kinda from Greek into English sorta. I'm trying numbers but it's slow going doing that manually.

thWWlDDDthWWDllDthththththlDWФDWlWththllDDthllФDlФththWWФlФDllФthlDФththФWlDDthDlФФФWWthФФФWDDDlФDthФDDWthФWDlФDWthWDDthllФl DthФDlWФWФWllDlthththWФDthФthDФlWthDllФDWthlDlthDФDthDththWthФDФDWWthlthФDDDФlthWWDФФlWthWWDlФDDWthlDthФDФDllthФlФDWthWDDDW ФWlDthDWththlФФWllDthththWllФthФthlththWthWthФDWDDlthWthththlФWthlФФDWWWWthФDDDФlthWWDФФФWthWWФФWDDWlФDllФDWWФWDlФDWthWDD WWФDWlWФDlthlФФWlWlWthththWФWthWФlthWWthWthФDththWlDDWthDФФWthDDlDlWWDlФDththWWФWФDWWWWWФDDDllththDthDФlWWthФDlФDDWlФD thlllWDWФllDthlWllФDDthDWWWWФWlDWDWWllФDlФDDWlФWWФWФDФФWWlФDthDthDDDthФDthWФlththWthDWФDФDWlDlthDWththФФФWWthФDlФD DDlФDthФDlWDWФllDllWФlDDththlWWWWФWlDthDWWthlФDlthDDWlDDthФWDWDlthФlФDthDthDDthllФthФthФthlФWDФWththФDWФllФDDlФlllWФlWD ФФlWthWWDlФDDWlФDWФWlWDWФllDlФWllФDWDФWWDthФDlDthDWWthФDФФWDDthlФDthlФФDllthФlФDWthWDDWthФDthWФlththWthWthФDthththlDDth DthФФWWФllDlWththlФDththWФФWthWWDlФDDDlФDthlФlththФWDФФWlФWWФllФDththththФDthФthlDDWФlthlDWФDlthththФDWDDФthWWthWDlФlththDWllФ DФФWWthФФФWDDDlФDWФDlththФWWDlФlФDthDWthlDththththФDlDDDФlФФWthlФWthWDlФDФlWФlthDththWththWWDlФDDDlФDWФDlthWlthФDlthlФDthDD lФDththDthФDlthWthDDlDDWФWththththlDDФФththWФФW
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Gentlefish

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2015, 02:46:25 am »

Hm. I think mr. triplets has a good idea.

This is gonna be a fun night :D

Empiricist

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2015, 02:48:36 am »

If the triplets do work out, can I request that the winner's Avatar of War be in the form of a giant pony for Miyamoto's AoW to ride? :P
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Gentlefish

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2015, 02:53:20 am »

Not if I win :P

Empiricist

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2015, 02:56:00 am »

Can the Avatar of War just be Battlesuit-sized with the rest of the mass protruding as a giant tentacle attached to the crotch area? How about in the form of a giant fleshy armor plate?
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adwarf

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2015, 03:07:04 am »

Not entirely sure how useful this actually is, but I took the sequences of three, wrote out the english names for them, and then wrote out the sequences of the starting letters looking for something. I can't actually see anything from it so it might be worthless.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Other than that there's the chance that the greek letters are actually representative of numbers in which case we can derive numbers from the order they appear in the greek alphabet.

Code: (Their Corresponding number if you count through the alphabet) [Select]
Δ - 4
θ - 8
λ - 11
Ф - 21
Ω - 24

Code: ( Their value if you just start from one going through them.) [Select]
Δ - 1
θ - 2
λ - 3
Ф - 4
Ω - 5

Code: (Their value if you take into account both forms of the letter when counting.) [Select]
Δ - 7
θ - 16
λ - 22
Ф - 41
Ω - 47

Edit: Sequences of three won't work, if you quote PW's post it turns out each line of symbols is separated, and does not break up into sequences of three symbols.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 03:14:43 am by adwarf »
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Gentlefish

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2015, 03:15:36 am »

I chased that trail of though for about five minutes until I realized that DTD is different from DTT or TTD. It can't be a number cipher. I'm looking for a sequence that will give away 'ss' or 'll' or 'tt' or 'oo'. Those are the most common letters to be paired.

Of course, with a 3-out-of-5 cipher like this, there's 125 total combinations so I might be on the wrong track as well :P

E:


The numbers are Empiricist's unique matches. Maaayyybeee this will make things a little clearer.

EE:


E's:
God, I wish I knew whether or not to include punctuation in my markups... There's 75 fucking different patterns to look against.
No wait. There's 69. 15 start delta, 13 theta, 14 lambda, 15 omega, and 12 phi. Sixty-nine separate character matches in -this- cipher alone. I bet you tossed garbage codes in this cipher didn't you, PW?
Lastedit: Dash it all. I'm going to bed. I'm too old tired for this shit.

onemoreedit edit: Fucking hell. twenty-two 3-char combinations are only used once. Goddamn.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 04:58:02 am by Gentlefish »
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Skyrunner

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Re: The Doctor's Cipher.
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2015, 07:42:15 am »

Graagh.

There are only 5 glyphs.
Theta, Omega, Wave, Triangle, and Phi.

From what I see, anyway.

Thus, assuming it translates into English, multiple glyphs must translate into single letters.

Unfortunately I'm not anywhere near a brilliant cryptologist, so I'm going to leave this thread for a while and wish the others luck.
The triangle is probably delta and wave is lambda :P
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