RULE REMINDER: Rapid fire multiple submissions put an unreasonable load on the servers and make it difficult for others to submit. Anyone who makes an unreasonable number of submissions will be open to disqualification. In the first instance this will mean that anyone who submits more than 20 times in 10 minutes will be disqualified.
You have two weeks to break Challenge 3 as we will be taking a break for half term, so if you find it tricky don’t give up. These are still practice challenges and won’t contribute to your score on the overall leaderboard, but they are a really good way to get into shape for the competition challenge which starts at 3pm on Thursday November 6th.
If you do get stuck, try not to get frustrated. Read a book, listen to a podcast, go for a run or find some other way to decompress! You could even focus on school work for a while. Just do something to take your mind off the cipher and let your subconscious work on it. When you come back to it you might find that was all you needed!
Skulduggery Unpleasant
FW MHLEBGY REHLH, B UHP HQ NBLPQ JEOHPOM HGM QZOG HEHLFOM QI LOROBTO WISL EOQQOL. ZHJJW IN RISLPO QI DGIU QZHQ WIS ZHTO HLLBTOM PHNOEW BG GOU WILD HGM QZOG HEHLFOM HQ WISL HRRISGQ IN QZO ASLGOM GIQO. B UHP PQSGY AW H MHLD JHGY IN COHEISPW, NOHLBGY QZHQ BQ FBYZQ AO H EOQQLO M\’HFISL. RISEM BQ AO QZO LOHPIG QZHQ ZO MBM GIQ HEEIU FO QI HRRIFJHGW ZBF QI GOU WILD? B HF JLISM QI PHW QZHQ B MBPFBPPOM QZBP UBRDOM QZISYZQ HP SGUILQZW IN SP AIQZ HGM UHP SGPSLJLBPOM QZISYZ, B FSPQ RIGNOPP, H EBQQEO LOEBOTOM QI LOHM WISL OVJEHGHQBIG IN QZO BMOGQBQW IN QZO POGMOL. QZO FWPQOLW LOFHBGP HP QI UZHQ ASPBGOPP QZO YOGOLHE ZHM UBQZ FW AOEITOM, HGM UZW ZO ZHP RZIPOG QI RIFFSGBRHQO UBQZ RZHLEOP BG RIMO. B PSJJIPO BQ FBYZQ AO RIGGORQOM UBQZ RZHLEOP’P FOOQBGY UBQZ FL AHAAHYO HGM QZO JLBFO FBGBPQOL IG QZO MHW AONILO ZO EONQ. QZO MIIL QI QZO PQSMW UHP REIPOM, ASQ TIBROP UOLO REOHLEW LHBPOM MSLBGY QZO MBPRSPPBIG HGM RZHLEOP UHP BG H QOLLBAEO FIIM HNQOLUHLMP. ZO UISEM IGEW PHW QZHQ ZO UHP “QII IEM QI AO BGTIETOM BG PDSEMSYYOLW!” BN GIQ, QZOG B PSJJIPO QZHQ QZO EOQQOL FBYZQ ZHTO RIGROLGOM QZO HRQBTBQBOP IN QZO YZIPQ RESA. BP QZHQ QII NHGRBNSE? UZBEO QZO PIRBOQW BP ZHLMEW PORLOQ, PIFO JLHRQBRHE FOG HLO MBPFBPPBTO IN HG BGQOLOPQ BG PJBLBQSHEBPF, HGM B RHG BFHYBGO QZHQ H FHG UZI ZHP FHMO ZBP LOJSQHQBIG HP HG OGYBGOOL FHW NOOE QZHQ PSRZ HG HPPIRBHQBIG UISEM MHFHYO ZBP PQHGMBGY. BP QZOLO HGW UHW QZHQ WIS RISEM HPROLQHBG QZO RIGQOGQP IN QZBP RILLOPJIGMOGRO, IL QZO GHQSLO IN QZO LOEHQBIGPZBJ AOQUOOG QZOF? B HF FIPQ RSLBISP QI EOHLG. WISLP HNNORQBIGHQOEW, OEEOG
Top Secret: For your eyes only
My darling Clara, I was at first pleased and then alarmed to receive your letter. Happy of course to know that you have arrived safely in New York and then alarmed at your account of the burned note. I was stung by a dark pang of jealousy, fearing that it might be a lettre d’amour. Could it be the reason that he did not allow me to accompany him to New York? I am proud to say that I dismissed this wicked thought as unworthy of us both and was unsurprised though, I must confess, a little relieved to read your explanation of the identity of the sender. The mystery remains as to what business the General had with my beloved, and why he has chosen to communicate with Charles in code. I suppose it might be connected with Charles’s meeting with Mr Babbage and the Prime Minister on the day before he left. The door to the study was closed, but voices were clearly raised during the discussion and Charles was in a terrible mood afterwards. He would only say that he was “too old to be involved in skulduggery!” If not, then I suppose that the letter might have concerned the activities of the Ghost Club. Is that too fanciful? While the society is hardly secret, some practical men are dismissive of an interest in spiritualism, and I can imagine that a man who has made his reputation as an engineer may feel that such an association would damage his standing. Is there any way that you could ascertain the contents of this correspondence, or the nature of the relationship between them? I am most curious to learn. Yours affectionately, EllenA Conspiracy
EAMYD KERRO THSMI GRHOW FYATI TOING RFHEA YOROM ASUIW CECON DTRNE THHAT IRETH NDTEE OFAYS ENSIL INCES OUCEY STRLA SAMES IGGEM AVHTH DIEIN EDCAT TYTHA ADOUH NGCHA OUEDY NDRMI UTABO AROUR GERAN TTMEN OCHED NTUME PRYOU DEOVI EXDIS METRE ROLYP INMIS DMGAN RTYPA SANER EEREK SENTO REEMO YOARE KEULI OBLYT LEEAB BTTOO MOAIN AMRES SIPLE MTFIA NVOCO EOINC RSTHE NVTOI THEST TWENI DBOUL ODEGO ROTOP ETVID WIHEM VITHE CEDEN HEOFT UEVAL HEOFT URIRP SECHA EHSOM HIAVE DTNTE THHAT ARERE HEEOT YSRWA TTTHA COHEY PRULD EDOCE ITBUT KIHIN GHTMI POTBE BLSSI DCEAN AIERT WONLY BEULD TEBET RYRFO FWOUI ULECO GODNE TETIA ETSOM GFHIN RAAVO TOBLE PAALL ESRTI OUOFC DMRSE EPAYB TILOT NONGA RCTHE SEOUR MAAND KEYTA EPSOM UAERS NTSIO MMOCO OOITT ROURP ALPOS YOBUT VEUHA URASS STEDU YOHAT VEUHA EISOM UENFL ONNCE DEHIS IOCIS NDNSA REIAM NGLYI OUONY ELTOH ALPSE DETHE OUALY ITRFA LFHFU NDRIE INMOL ARO
Top Secret: For your eyes only
My Dear Rokesmith, How gratifying to hear from you. I was concerned that the thirteen days of silence since your last message might have indicated that you had changed your mind about our arrangement. The document you provided is extremely promising and my partners are keen to see more. Are you likely to be able to obtain more samples? If I am to convince others to invest then it would be good to provide them with evidence of the value of their purchase. Some have hinted that there are other ways that they could proceed, but I think it might be possible, and certainly would be better for you, if we could negotiate something favorable to all parties. Of course, D may be plotting another course and may take some persuasion to commit to our proposal, but you have assured us that you have some influence on his decisions, and I am relying on you to help “seal the deal”. Your faithful friend, MolinaroThis challenge closed on 05/11/2025. Please click the Official Decrypt button above to see the correct answers.
RULE REMINDER: Rapid fire multiple submissions put an unreasonable load on the servers and make it difficult for others to submit. Anyone who makes an unreasonable number of submissions will be open to disqualification. In the first instance this will mean that anyone who submits more than 20 times in 10 minutes will be disqualified.