Mysterious party invitations

[triskellian]

(This entry probably entirely meaningless to anyone who isn't aware of or didn't participate in this discussion in bateleur's LJ.)

smiorgan and I have today received in the post two playing cards, one with my first initial on the back and one with his first initial on the back, both with two or three other letters on the front. Letters that might be part of words...

His is the Ace of Hearts, and the letters on the front are "EN"; mine is the Queen of Diamonds, and the letters are "EEK". Both are written on 'right way up'. Anyone else want to share?

Comments

[wimble.livejournal.com]

7 spades, "STF" for me.

10 diamonds, "ATH" for Krys, who I don't think was identified in bateleur's grid.

Accompanying letter is odd: it's dated 1st Feb, but references the graphic from bateleur's web site, which only appeare in the last week. Dunno whether that's relevant.

[triskellian]

Krys was Kitsune in the grid, I think.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

Krys, who I don't think was identified in bateleur's grid.

Kitsune, surely?

Which I think weighs slightly against condign being schemer-in-chief, since if you speak Japanese, the clue is ambiguous with ao_lai.

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Assuming the letters should be laid out according to the invitations.png, that gives ENSTF between smiorgan and me. Which doesn't form part of any words I know of!

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

King of Spades, I think the letters are "OUND".
Queen of Spades, "HER6".

Both sets of letters the same way up as the initial letters on the reverse.

Addressed to myself and secretrebel, the obvious way around.

Letter dated "1st February 2005", postmarked Cambridge yesterday.

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Cambridge? I wonder if this is relevant.

Or referring to somebody completely different.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

We've got one too. Two cards, marked "Dawn" and "Dom" respectively on the back and with STO and AIN (or maybe ST0 or A1N - it's hard to say) on the fronts. Cards are 10 of Hearts and Ace of Spades.

Hmm... someone's been paying attention to detail, certainly.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I've got a black ace (clubs, I think), which says STH.

I had assumed it was a bridge thing (South), but that doesn't work for yours.

[triskellian]

Did your housemates get cards?

And - ooh - your letter must have been different from mine (which I'm, possibly erroneously, assuming is the same as everyone else's), because mine mentions you by name (in connection with the Shrine of Doves)...

[frax.livejournal.com]

You must bring it with you today so we can have a look!

[triskellian]

Waaaay ahead of you ;-)

(Did you get one?)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_alanna/]

For al_fruitbat: 10 of spades, ATCI
For _alanna: 8 clubs, INE

[http://users.livejournal.com/_alanna/]

Oh yeah, and the Mask spelt al_fruitbat's name incorrectly. I dunno whether that helps at all ;o)

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I have the 7 of Hearts with FIR on the front, and hearthfire (though she doesn't know it) has the 8 of Hearts with OLL on the front.

Neither the 7 nor the 8 of hearts appears on the invitations diagram, which suggests that either we have named clues (I understand that Obiwan is a good match for hearthfire, perhaps Bear is a reference to my humble support of the greatest American football team of all time?), or the diagram is more complex than it first appears.

Sadly I rather think that I have a prior commitment on the date.

Oh, te accompanying letter does mention the Shrine of Doves.

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

We got the same letter (i.e. postmarked Cambridge 27th May, written 1st Feb, mention of Liz et al and the shrine, specific reference to the puzzle picture on bateleur's LJ, etc). Our cards were:
cardinalsin = KC, AREF
frax = QH, HEOT (or just possibly HEUT)

[ao-lai.livejournal.com]

Jack of Diamonds, 'RD'. Am I perhaps 'Pocket Watch' on the diagram?

Anyone else want to share?

[inskauldrak.livejournal.com]

Suggestions that '@17' might have been me seem to be erroneous as I have no letter with cards etc

pah!

Though as bluedevi is the only person who I think actually knows my address this might be a cunning double-bluff on her part ; )

Re: Anyone else want to share?

[chrisvenus]

I suspect if I don't have access to your address I could get it pretty easily. :)

[chrisvenus]

I suspet I will have one but I'm away until Monday. Argh!

Oh well, on monday I'll let everybody know. And analyze it all. :)

[zandev.livejournal.com]

The Templars' also have cards, though I'll wait until the others get back before posting the details.

Filling in more of the grid

[two-nukes.livejournal.com]

I received the 8 diamonds with TUR or TVR depending on how you read the middle letter written on the face. My letter also includes the suggestion to inquire about the Shrine of Doves and was posted and dated similarly.

[ealuscerwen.livejournal.com]

By request of frax:

Card: 9 of Diamonds (always play the 9)

Letters: ETHE

Anyone have any contact details for one of the three named individuals for path requests? I have no phone number and am not sure that my email addresses are current.

[ealuscerwen.livejournal.com]

By the way, has anyone considered putting individuals together by card suit and seeing if there's any connection between people and suits?

[kauket.livejournal.com]

I get nothing. :(

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I've got one - the nine of hearts, with 'OUS' on it (or it could conceivably be 'sno', but I doubt it). Cambridge, May 27, shrine of doves etc, mentions the three people, and advises me to respect the Templars.

This is fun.

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

For identity-of-the-conspirators purposes, its worth noting that we are almost certain that Martin and Frances are among those identified in the puzzle. If they do manage to get a letter and cards, it would narrow the shortlist down considerably - to those who know where they are staying.

[dr-bob.livejournal.com]

Now I've not had the opportunity to really look at our cards, but I suspect that the orientation of the text on the cards and the orientation of the cards in the puzzle may add an extra element to solving the puzzle: perhaps requiring the reconstruction of the full combination of cards to allow the message to be readable. Maybe a collation of digital photos/scans of peoples' cards could be used to do this?

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

Everyone I have spoken to has had the same orientation of text on their cards. I.e. parallel with the short side of the card.

Anyone want to own up to having some other orientation?

[chrisvenus]

I got... errr.. crap. A card... It was a pciture card. I think perhaps the King of hearts though I'd really need to double check that one...

As for the letters on it... I think REM... Err... or something like that... I'm not very good at this am I? I meant to bring it to work this morning but I totally didn't think about it when I left home this morning. I'll try to remember to bring it to work tomorrow (no net at home at the moment).

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

You're next to me and facing the same way, so... REMOUS? Could conceivably be the end and the start of a word, with a blank in the right place.

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

I got King ofDiamonds with "TIE" on the front, and dr_bob got Jack of Spades with "TIES" on the front, both in black ink the right way up.


By the way, despite all the funny ampersands in the middle of sentances to try and disrupt the metre, our friendly "dog"/mask person managed to use the phrase "some busy folk read their post of an evening" and "I have one for you right here". Clearly Americanisms, and quite careless, if it's Trickey..... Never mind, I'm up for a party :o)

[triskellian]

I don't know if they are Americanisms, but they're both entirely the sort of thing I might say, especially when playing around with unnecessarily ornate language, as the PitM clearly is. So I don't think they count as extra evidence.