Sepulchre: The Ready Or Not ARG
In lieu of Loaf Cat#8279’s absence from the RoN discords, I have decided to create a new document to keep information for the ARG current and organized while not simply copying Loaf’s hard work. A link to the original file will be available in the important links section within this document, as it is an excellent resource of its own right.
A list of current editors will also be left here, in case any ARG user wishes to request information to be added to this document. The current list is:
Caffiend#8946
A Forenote:
This ARG will NOT involve calling phone numbers or visiting physical locations. The creators do not want anyone doing anything illegal such as trespassing or calling random numbers, as that has been an issue for certain ARGs in the past.
This ARG also does not require super intense speculation or deep dive theories to solve it at this moment. Speculation on story is interesting, but will more than likely not be of any use in progressing the ARG. This may change in the future, and this message will change if proven false.
As the game is also in an early access state, many of the in-game assets that appear strange have the potential to simply be placeholder items. RoN has been working on adding environmental storytelling in its recent updates, but please confirm with other users if you spot an oddity.
Table of Contents
Introduction: What Is Sepulchre? 4
The Beginning: (Jan 10, 2022) 8
Phrases, HOME, and Audio Clips: (Jan 10 - Jan 16, 2022) 10
A Conversation: (Jan 11-16th) 12
Filename Cipher, Sepulchre’s Boat Arc: (Jan 16- Apr 11 2022) 13
Stand By The Lost; Sepulchre’s First In-Game Clues: (Jan 18-Jan 19 2022) 16
The Heads of The Lost (Jan 19) 18
Introduction: What Is Sepulchre?
Beginning on the 10th of January 2022, Void Interactive posted an image which turned out to be the first step in what is now known as The Sepulchre ARG.
Previously there was another ARG named “Into Carcosa,” which began back in 2019 which had been stalled out. For more information on the Carcosa arc, please refer to the archived document made by LoafCat.
There are some components of the Carcosa that are still relevant, such as cipher methods, decoders, and the everpresent spookiness of the art and images shared. When Gwynn was asked about the connection between the two ARGs, they responded
“Nothing is ever lost. Only mulched,” leaving us to assume that Carcosa has simply been recycled into The Sepulchre.
Glossary
A1Z26/A0Z25: A simple substitution table where numbers are assigned to letters in order of the alphabet. For example, A=1, B=2, C=3, etc. Very commonly used in the ARG.
Gwyn Table/ Gwynnstitution Table: A substitution table that has been sporadically used. It combines the A1Z26 table with an Affine Cipher, using the coefficients A=7,B=0. A full table can be viewed in the Helpful Links and Tables section
Gwynn/Guinevere: The first puppetmaster of the ARG, Community Manager, and ex-writer for VOID Interactive. A very patient and helpful person for all users of the ARG.
Mikhail Kaminsky: The second puppetmaster of the ARG and Community Manager for Void Interactive. They seem enthusiastic with the revival of the ARG. Definitely involved with Padoru war crimes.
The Lost: The Group of Interest in the ARG responsible for most of the more mysterious and encrypted clues. Their appearance tends to follow after a clue has been solved, or even during certain delays.
HOME: The decrypted name of the Lost discord account. This account posts encrypted clues for users to crack.
MLO: The Mariposa Lily Organization, a suspected paramilitary/domestic terrorist group in the story of Ready or Not. Potentially the main antagonists of the game’s campaign.
Ropolio: 2D and Concept Artist at VOID Interactive. Created multiple images that appear related to the ARG, as well as the in-game art that some hints are based on.
Helpful Links and Tables
Carcosa: This links to the document for the previous Carcosa ARG.
Defunct, but it’s historical info for how this all started.
Images: This Imgur link holds the images used in Sepulchre and this document so far. I’m lazy so this won’t get updated much lol.
Supplementary Document: eli*#0001’s document that focused on the brute-forcing of the filename cipher. Defunct, but still an impressive feat.
Original Loaf Cat Document: A somewhat edited version of Loaf Cat#8279’s original Sepulchre document. Defunct after the creation of this document, but much of the information here originated in this document. There was also more emphasis on speculation here, so it may be worth a read just for insight into potential leads.
Game Detectives Academy: A great starter guide for those who are new to ARGs. Provides some basic knowledge into ciphers and cryptography.
ARG Toolbox: A page filled with links to cryptography tools and downloadable software. It’s fairly old, but a decent amount of links are still useful. Highly recommended for those who want to participate in the ARG.
Gwynn Table: A table format of the Gwynn table is available below.
The Plot So Far…
As of now, the plot for Sepulchre is fairly loose and can be subject to change and speculation. It is highly recommended to discuss it with other members of the RoN discord servers. Any updates to the story or future clues are also posted there!
The current speculation leads us to believe that the ARG revolves around a group that seem to call themselves the Mariposa Lily Organization, or MLO for short. Various early trailers and media involving MLO depict this group as cult-like, hyper nationalistic, and are potentially veterans of both military and police from across the country. Their aim seems to be based around fighting against the current government and its police, seeing them as corrupt and upholders of sin and non-American values. Other aims appear to include improving how veterans are treated, and vigilantism against criminal elements in the city.
The main group that is active in the ARG is known as The Lost. Presumed to either be connected to MLO or are of a more supernatural origin, this group is characterized around death, being forgotten, and the potential of rebirth while using allegories to plants and flowers. They are associated with more warped and disturbing imagery involving mutilated faces and bodies, and most information coming from them is both encrypted and cryptic in nature.
Any other major characters or players will be included here as they are revealed.
The Beginning: (Jan 10, 2022)
On January 10th, the VOID Interactive twitter posted the first clue to the ARG. Link the post can be found here. The caption reads; “Welcome Brother, Where Heroes Go, These Tattered Souls, On Deaths Row. This and multiple other artworks connected to Sepulchre have been attributed to Ropolio, a 2D artist with Void Interactive.
The heads of the two characters are reminiscent of some of the ‘meth drawings’ found on the in-game map ‘213 Park Homes.’ When asked about the grammar, it was noted that Deaths Row was not a mistake, implying that this might be a location rather than referring to capital punishment.
The barcodes beneath the two characters, once put through an A1Z26 decoder and flipped read; “JOIN US AND BLOSSOM” and “DO YOU FEEL LIKE A HERO”
On the Discord, the previously defunct Carcosa ARG channel was then changed to Sepulchre. Gwynn’s profile status changed to “14, 0, 15, 14, 20, 22, 0”. Through trial and error, a custom made affine cipher, now referred to as the Gwynnstitution Table, translated it to read, “Carcosa.” When asked about the connection between the new and defunct ARG, Gwynn commented, “Nothing is ever lost. Only mulched.” This implies some connections between the two ARGs, more than likely referring to the idea that themes and methods used in the prior ARG could be used in Sepulchre.
Phrases, HOME, and Audio Clips: (Jan 10 - Jan 16, 2022)
Throughout this first day, Gwynn began posting odd and cryptic phrases into the ARG channel, seemingly at random, though they did comment that they spoke with purpose. In order the messages included,
- “That’s not how the game is played. The rules changed on you, and where did it bring you? To your knees.”
- “All will be made clear. All will be well. Just relax. Let go. Breathe. Remember.”
- “Are life and death so different, in the end? O, Columbia, where art thou?”
- A username of a frequent poster was changed to, “Unwanted, Buried, Forgotten.” Gwynn then commented to them, “Brother”
- “You come to me, impatient, insolent. Begging for deliverance. All in time. We will free you.”
- A user possibly changed their profile image to a Lost character, to which Gwynn replied to them, “Who are you, to mimic what is Mine? I greet you not as Brother but Imposter, Defiler, Usurper.”
After these were posted, users then noticed a peculiar account named, 8,15,13,5. Using A1Z26, this is translated to HOME. The profile and image can be seen below.
Notably, this account comes with the role ‘The Lost.’ After this discovery, the account began posting in a similar vein to Gwynn. In order what was said was,
- “I want to forget why can’t I forget”
- Translated from zalgo text, “burn.”
Afterward, HOME then posted an audio file titled, “01100001_00100000_01100011_01101100_01110101_01100101_2.wav”
When translated from binary to ASCII text, this reads, “a clue”. The audio is a series of fast beeps, which was then put through a spectogram to reveal a one time use weblink.
This weblink apparently led to the second audio file, which was then shortly posted by the lost along with the phrase, “There are no dead ends. Cull the tumor. Flourish.”
Audio file two was titled same as the first, translated to say, “a clue” “01100001_00100000_01100011_01101100_01110101_01100101.wav”
This file was different, as it had background ambiance and a somewhat garbled feminine voice reading off numbers, “20, 5, 7, 18, 15, 6, 0, 15, 20, 0, 20, 14, 1, 23, 0, 9, 0, 7, 14, 9, 20, 12, 5, 13”.
Using A1Z26 and then reversing the output translates the phrase, “Melting I want to forget.” Upon telling HOME the translated phrase, they responded, “Hold me”
Gwynn commented that more may come the next day, and later mentioned that some of the bigger pieces of the picture won’t make sense until the next update, and that the themes of The Lost are important in that they may lead us somewhere. More or less this says to not look into wider narratives, and to just simply focus on The Lost.
The next day, HOME posted the following strings of numbers, as well as a parting message.
Using A1Z26, the entire text was translated. The commas will indicate the separation in phrases.
“Searching for home, We sing for them, We bleed for them, We mourn them, Each flame, Fading away, Our vow, Melting dripping dying, Our life, And yours, To return.”
The parting message required the Gwyn Table, and translates to, “Order”. The account’s new status translated to “Make Whole.” These were confirmed by Gwynn to be orders to the discord.
A Conversation: (Jan 11-16th)
With the orders translated, Gwynn offered substantial guidance. “The pieces you’ve collected, when put together properly will reveal a piece of information that will take you to the next step, that step being available in the update.”
Users began to take the previously decrypted phrases and put them in varying order, eventually deducing that the phrases appear to be individual parts of a conversation between two persons. Gwynn continued to assist users. Through much trial and error and the teamwork of some users, a proper order was made.
Gwynn quickly confirmed this, and told everyone, “soon.”
It is currently unsure if this conversation is meant to be continued, as there have been more phrases and sentences found after this answer was posted. Updates will be made if necessary.
Filename Cipher, Sepulchre’s Boat Arc: (Jan 16- Apr 11 2022)
Following the proper order, HOME soon posted a new phrase, along with an image.
“Wait with me, for a while. Just for a minute. I’m not ready to go yet.”
The header for the public discord was also changed to “You can be so much more if you cut away the rot.”
The image below is titled,
“16732266154100745600000000000000000000000000000000000000000.png”
Below is an un-warped version, and the official artwork it is based on.
The imagery here may possibly depict members of The Lost, the strange root-like structures reminiscent of a plant or flower roots.
Despite the users’ best efforts, this cipher went unsolved for quite some time. Gwynn’s many hints included:
- The filename being important and the image having some “treats”
- They suggested to move beyond just letter cyphers, and that binary was a good step
- The file name will produce a sentence that may be the key to something else down the road
- The file name cipher is a two step process
- Yes the cipher is possible to solve at the time of release
After about a month without progress, users were given a gift by Gwynn in the form of a banner image for the ARG, which is included at the beginning of this document, with the filename 158703211979002663150893989257553735541.png
Users deduced that this image could be deciphered using a decimal -> hex -> ascii conversion, and translated to, “we will save you.” At some point during this, some users found how none of the numbers went above 7, and suggested that it was in octal format. After some trial and error, users found that an octal -> hex -> ASCII conversion results in what was confirmed to be the partial translation, “will y”
Users then suggested that the remaining zeros were missing characters and spaces, concluding that there were around 15-16 missing characters, rounding to a total of 21-22 characters. This was unfortunately the most progress made for months, until a user decided to type in close fitting phrases that matched the character length. Using the phrase, “will you save yourself” They then re-encrypted the phrase and found that the encrypted numbers matched the filename exactly. Gwynn confirms this as the correct answer, yet no updates have come of it yet.
Of note in this cipher is that Gwynn told the users that solving this cipher would be important, as not solving it would make future updates difficult or impossible to complete. This is somewhat worrying, as the discord only solved this with guesswork and brute-forcing. On top of this, no information was gleaned from the image itself. Users may need to revisit this dreaded image in the future.
Stand By The Lost; Sepulchre’s First In-Game Clues: (Jan 18-Jan 19 2022)
As the filename cipher was being debated, some users datamined the files of RoN and had somehow skipped a step in the hunt for more clues. That information will be provided at the end of this section, as it was later solved normally.
Earlier in the ARG, someone noted that the chairs in the memorial were positioned strangely, with a lone chair being put off to the side near some oddly bright candles. After the data mining incident, it was suggested by Gwynn to revisit that location, with a hint; “The Lost is lonely, but they are patient. Will you stand by them?” Users grouped up and visited the in-game memorial in the lobby hub map. Gwynn replied, “A minute of silence for a fallen hero. More than he ever received in life. Less than he deserves. Than you deserve.” and after some trial and error…
Found that the in-game trigger was bugged. Whoops.
A few days later, the game was given a hotfix and the trigger worked. What played was a warped, slowed version of Yankee Doodle on fifes and drums. Upon its conclusion, another audio file plays, it being warped and warbly sounding. With a similar spectral analysis used for the first audio clue, we acquire this;
Bank robber in this context refers to robbing a .bank file, which holds a group of audio files for the game and requires some software to unpack. Inside the levels/lobby bank file, users found the files, “nacirema na fo gniward.wav” “bankrobber.wav” and “m1_credits.wav”. The first two files had the audio from the easter egg, with the last file being a new clue. The new file was in morse code, and translated to be “You thought we wouldn’t think of this too neglected like the child thrown in the doghouse.”
Unfortunately it seems that the in-game trigger is bugged again, so replicating this is currently impossible. After the June 15th update, only the m1_credits.wav file remains.
The Heads of The Lost (Jan 19)
As compensation for the bugged in-game hint, HOME posted a series of images depicting deformed, ghastly heads. The images are in order from left to right.
These images have an encrypted filename, but HOME also posted them in a more segmented format. In order they are;
- 152233216203 2210 16134157
- 25;15;21;23;1;9;20;5;4;25;15;21;19;20;15;15;4;6;15;18;13;5;6;15;18;21;19
- 18;5;21;14;9;20;5;4;20;8;5;4;1;23;14;9;19;14;5;1;18
- 14;15;21;18;9;19;8;21;19
- 23;5;23;9;12;12;2;12;15;19;19;15;13;20;15;7;5;20;8;5;18
- 2;18;5;1;11;6;18;5;5
HOME then left us with a parting message, “I will see you soon. Brothers. Sisters.”
The first head required the gwyn table and reversing the result, while the 5 other heads only required A1z26. Translated in order, the phrases are;
“Bring us together”
“You waited you stood for me for us”
“Reunited the dawn is near”
“Nourish us”
“We will blossom together”
“Break free”
The second line refers to the users completing the first in-game hint, while the remaining four lines can be left to interpretation. As of now nothing has resulted from completing these messages.
The first message may be more significant however, as it was the only message encrypted using the Gwyn Table.
Post-Update Update: (Jul 8, 2022)
After many months of unsuccessful in-game searching and a huge update to the Ready or Not game on June 29 2022, game devs posted Briefing 34 on the RoN discord’s announcements page. Along with talking about how they’ll handle updates and some peaks into the upcoming Agency map, the devs made their first official mention of 8,15,13,5, otherwise known as HOME. They then posted multiple phrases and images, which are below.
The left image, named “SWEETLOVEFORPLANETEARTHII”, came with the phrase “Wake-up. Remember. Your country needs you.” and, “There is not an End. Every road converges upon You, every bloom becomes Us. Listen to Them. Listen. Breathe.” Note that the two heads flanking the man in the center are the same heads from the Heads of the The Lost update.
The right image was simply titled faces.png, and is an artwork that was previously featured on Ropolio’s art portfolio. It comes with the two phrases, “You’re not a hero. Not a King. Not a God. Just mulch for us all.” “Where has it gotten you, this heaven-scorned fury? The blood seeps through you. Your eyes blinded by viscera. You’re disgusting. You don’t have to be this way. You don’t have to be this way. You can be more.”
This final image, titled unknown.png is the most bizarre of the bunch. It comes with the phrase, “the pus blooms, Our roots take hold. a Throne for Our vaunted Sepulchre. may we All claim it.”
The chair with candles is potentially a reference to the Stand by The Lost part of the ARG, where players had to stand next to the lone chair in the memorial room. The subject in the chair is slightly similar to the front page of the comic, The Seed From The Sepulchre, which is a comic adaptation of Clark Ashton Smith’s short story of the same name. The briefing ends with a cheeky, “Peel open your eyes.”
Also, on the steam news page for Ready or Not, the ending includes the phrase, “Don’t let go. It’s too late, now. You remember. Take hold. Fight for Us. The Lost. Conclusion 7,15, 2, 0, 18, 9, 15, 2, 2” The conclusion can be decoded with the Gwyn Table, which translates to “BREAKFREE”
It Blooms: The ADAM Update (Dec 8, 2022)
With months of no updates, the public ARG discord channel was locked due to off-topic discourse and inactivity. However, the public release of the ADAM update came with potential new ARG updates, as well as the sudden reopening of the ARG channel.
In the trailer that accompanied the Adam update, a coded phrase was found in the description. A simple binary translation returns, “It blooms.”
Some renewed interest popped up, and the new puppet master, Katminsky, officially made their presence known on the channel on Jan 9, 2023. Along with him, The Lost makes a reappearance on Jan 13, 2023. This account, named “The Lilies Eyes,” posts a new image titled, filledfaces.png
Within the metadata of this image, users found hidden info beyond the IEND portion that usually caps off image data. Using the a1z26 cipher on this hidden filename, this translates to IAMBACK.JPG
A user then changed the file into an RAR file, which then prompted a request for a password. After remembering The Lost’s words, users found the password to be “empty.” The image inside contains a barcode.
Reading this barcode reveals the message, “18!9 is 11525”. 11525 can be translated to “R!I IS KEY” using a1z26.
Upon asking The Lilies Eyes about the key, they respond,
Katminsky has also clarified about in-game hints, hopefully helping people from going on very long map-hunts.
Honorable Mentions:
This section honors the users that have either solved portions of the ARG, or have made significant additions to the ARG that have made a positive difference for other users. We couldn’t have gotten this far without any of them. If you believe that you have contributed significantly to the ARG, please contact the owner of this document with evidence to confirm.
Guinevere/Gwynn: The creator of the ARG, we would not have this grand adventure without them. Immensely patient and smart, and has been successful in driving up a lot of interest in the game’s story. Thank you for everything, and we hope you are well in your future endevours!
Mikhail Kaminsky: Upon the ARG’s revival, it was revealed that Gwynn had moved on from Void Interactive. While sad, Kaminsky has stepped up to be the new community manager and ARG puppetmaster. We wish them well, and thank them for continuing the ARG!
Loaf Cat#8279: Creator of the original document, led the discord down the correct path of many of the rabbit holes that were presented, and generally worked well with the entire community up until their mute sometime in March/April of 2022. This ARG would have been lost without their dedication, despite their infraction.
Mysticman#3424: Decoded the name of 8,15,13,5 (HOME)
eli*#0001: Creator of a supplementary document that offered helpful ARG tools, as well as a ton of brute-forcing for image ciphers. A huge help to the community, and eliminated a lot of guesswork in the early days of the ARG.
Don#3808,eli*#0001, Loafcat#8279: Corrected the order of the conversation cipher, unlocking the next hints
vodevik#2118 and TacticalHanz#2758: Datamined Ready or Not files in both regular and alpha versions of the game to find the first in-game clues for the ARG. A huge time saver, even if it was performed a little out of order.
DevildocTV#9286: Honorable mention for taking so much time out of their day to test potentially over 100 cipher types on the filename cipher. This helped immensely in narrowing down the proper decryption method.
Notverysubtle#0069, Hunter#1429, Cheese Intelligence Agency#9705, Loaf Cat#8279, eli*#0001 : These five were the first users to find the in-game clue in the memorial hall. Thank you for your hard work!
Hoplite#0001: Found the method to solve certain ciphers submitted by Gwynn, now known as the Gwyn Table or Gwynstitution Cipher.
Cheese Intelligence Agency#9705: Helped with image editing to make swirled images clear, as well as investigated multiple images involved with the ARG to help find any clues or hidden information.
ODST Mike#9749: First on the case for the ARG revival’s first clue.
Blunkn#2253: Made a hail mary and brute forced the filename cipher by guessing the outcome and reverse engineering the cipher. Mad lad.
ModestPileOfCat#2387: The best schizo poster in the ARG’s history. Her insanity hides her true lucidness and prophetic ways.