01. March - The Woods

*We spoke in tongues,*

*Out in the thick of trees,*
*Made scrawny from the cold,*
*And built a burning and a*
*Towering inferno of their bones,*
*But now the light of ashen dawn,*
*It summons life to swaddle,*
*branches once again,*
*The ring is drawn,*
*Cast off the cold,*
*And enter in*

## The Puzzles

March begins the journey through the CPP.

### (i)

You begin the journey with images of a leaf, a log, and rows of symbols. Your first cryptogram of the CPP! To proceed in your journey, you'll need to solve the cryptogram.

* **Hint 1**

You have everything you need on the page to begin.
* **Hint 2**

Consider the images and the first line of code. Could there be a link?
* **Hint 3**

The first line reads leaf - solve the cryptogram from there
* **Solution**

Message reads: *Leaf. Choose the right bird and follow on its journey*
Suggestion: Keep a copy of the solved cryptogram alphabet you discover - it may come in handy later...

### (ii)

Your path leads you to a forest filled with birds.

* **Hint 1**

Each bird leads to its own concept and symbol. Which will you choose? To choose the correct bird you must solve (i)
* **Hint 2**

Look at the very bottom of (i). What letter does it highlight?
* **Solution**

The bottom of (i) points to a J, or 'Jay'. Follow the Jay's path to the Animal symbol
### (iii)

Your path leads you to a crossword, which you must solve to continue your journey. The word down the center will guide you on your way.

* **Hint 1**

Have a look at some of the images used in the art, do they help you?
* **Hint 2**

It's not 'mole', but you're close
* **Solution**

Moth,
 Vole, Deer, Frog, Owl, Bat, Fly. Down the center is '**Overlay**'.

### (iv)

The journey leads Anna to a cabin in the woods, where scattered text in red and black seem to tell a story.

* **Hint 1**

Solving iii gives you the key
* **Hint 2**

Overlay (iv) and (v) to find the true message
* **Solution**

Overlaying the pages gives you: A*nna finds the woman in the cabin in the woods. The woman means to cast a spell and asks the girl to find her: The fingers of she who weeps and who withers;*
 The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears; The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches; The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly
### (v)

Flowers (Bluebells? Lily of the Valley?) grow out of the body of a black bird. The story continues in red and black.

* **Hint 1**

Solving iii gives you the key
* **Hint 2**

Overlay (iv) and (v) to find the true message
* **Solution**

Overlaying the pages gives you: *Anna finds the woman in the cabin in the woods. The woman means to cast a spell and asks the girl to find her: The fingers of she who weeps and who withers;*
 The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears; The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches; The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly
### (vi)

Anna is presented with a set of 12 items and their corresponding numbers. A candle, a beetle, a vial, bones, a twig, a feather, a crystal, a bell, a bowl, a bag of powder, a knife, and a flower. What must she choose to move forward?

* **Hint 1**

Solving (iv) and (v) gives you the keys
* **Hint 2**

On which bit are you stuck?
* **The fingers of she who weeps and who withers**

Not all fingers are human, and some plants may be said to weep
* **The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears**

Tears are mostly salt
* **The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches**

Her voice could be said to ring clear as a bell
* **The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly**

The bird may very well have been her friend.

### (vii)

As Cryptogram Puzzle Post is still running a competition with prizes for the first season, the guide will stop here for now. Once the Season 1 prizes are completely handed out, this will describe the solution for (vii).

## References and Rabbit Holes

Curious about some of the symbols on here? While some of them are created by the artist himself, others are taken from Norse Mythology and Alchemy.

* The Meaning of Runes
* Alchemical Symbols
* The Hobo Code