Assassins Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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NOTE: On 8/31/09, the cache was replaced by a magnetic micro on an object within 5-10 feet of the original hiding place, which is no longer there. Should be an easier find now.
THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES. Solve the puzzle below to determine the actual coordinates. Note: Although it’s not necessary to visit the posted coordinates, you will need to project a waypoint from the posted coordinates to find the cache.
Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is not for the faint of heart. You’ve received a message from HQ: assassins are on the loose! Routine monitoring of Internet message boards has revealed suspicious activity on the part of a gang of killers led by rogue cache policeman W. von Busybody.
HQ has intercepted several messages in a variety of codes. They’ve broken some of the codes and believe these assassins are using a drop box in the tri-state area to pass messages back and forth. It’s your job to crack the remaining messages to find the location of their secret drop box.
Here are the messages you’ve been tasked with cracking:
Message 1
Message 2
Message 3
Your mission: crack the codes. Take them in order. The first is easy, but they get progressively more difficult. The second message holds the key to solving the last message. You’ll also need to do some field work along the way.
To make life easier for field agents like you, HQ has a pre-printed Field Cipher Worksheet for you to use. Print a copy to keep with you. You’ll need it.
Based upon your field training, you remember that the final message is a simple Vernam Cipher. The first step is to copy the numbers from the secret message into the “Cipher Number” boxes on the Field Cipher Worksheet. The key—once you uncover it—must be copied repeatedly into the “Additive Number” boxes below the Cipher Numbers. To determine the “Code Numbers,” simply subtract the “Additive Number” from the “Cipher Number.” The “Code Numbers” can then be converted to “Plain Characters” with the chart at the bottom of the Field Cipher Worksheet.
When you’ve decoded the message, follow the instructions to find the cache and stop the assassins! When you go to find the cache, stealth will be absolutely necessary. Remember: You’re a spy. Act like it! There is plenty of parking nearby. Good luck and have fun!
Thanks to Know Future for the inspiration for this cache!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Puzzle] Gurer ner cyragl bs uvagf nyernql ba gur pnpur cntr.
[Cache] Guvax yvxr n qbt.