Rashomon Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Welcome to the Rashomon gates
[EN]
A woodcutter and a priest are sitting beneath Rashomon gate to stay dry in a downpour. A commoner looking for shelter joins them and they quickly tell him that they've witnessed a disturbing story, which they then begin recounting to him. The woodcutter claims he found the body of a murdered samurai three days earlier while looking for wood in the forest; upon discovering the body, he says, he fled in a panic to notify the authorities. The priest says that he saw the samurai and the woman traveling the same day the murder happened as their passes crossed along the way. Both men were then summoned to testify in court, where they met the captured bandit who claimed responsibility for the assault and murder.
The bandit's story N 44° 28.137 E 026° 04.663
The notorious brigand claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him and look at a cache of ancient swords he discovered. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then brought the woman there. She initially tried to defend herself with a dagger, but was eventually "seduced" by the bandit. The woman, filled with shame, then begged him to duel to the death with her husband, to save her from the guilt and shame of having two men know her dishonor. The bandit honorably set the samurai free and dueled with him. In his recollection they fought skillfully and fiercely, but in the end he was the victor and the woman ran away. At the end of the story to the court, he is asked about an expensive dagger owned by the samurai's wife: he says that after the battle, all of the sudden a white rabbit jumped out from the bushes and sat on the expensive dagger; while trying to grab the object the rabbit started to vomit on the weapon – and by the same time some voices were heard from the bushes – determined the bandit to ran away without it.
The wife's story N 44° 26.109 E 026° 05.326
The samurai's wife tells a different story to the court. She says that the bandit left after raping her. She begged her husband to forgive her, but he simply looked at her coldly. She then freed him and begged him to kill her so that she would be at peace. He continued to stare at her with a look of loathing. His expression disturbed her so much that she fainted with the dagger in her left hand. She awoke to find her husband dead with the dagger in his chest. She attempted to kill herself, but failed in all her efforts. She even tried to hang herself using an eight knots rope but it tore apart. This is the exact story, the wife whispered to the court, since I keep the first love letter sent by my husband very close to my heart, folded in half eight times in her kimono pocket. I am still hoping for my husband’s forgiveness, she concluded.
The samurai's story N 44° 28.419 E 026° 06.495
The court then hears the story of the deceased samurai, told through a medium. The samurai claims that the bandit, after raping his wife, asked her to travel with him. She accepted and asked the captor to kill her husband so that she would not feel the guilt of belonging to two men. The bandit, shocked by this request, grabbed her, and gave the samurai a choice of letting the woman go or killing her. ("For these words alone," the dead samurai recounted, "I was ready to pardon his crime.") The woman fled, and the bandit, after attempting to recapture her, gave up and set the samurai free. The samurai then killed himself with his own dagger; he made four stabbing wounds before falling lifeless to the ground by the white rabbit. He recollected the scene entirely as four was his personal lucky number. Later, somebody removed the dagger from his chest.
The woodcutter's story N 44° 26.245 E 026° 03.289
Back at Rashomon gate (after the trial), the woodcutter explains to the commoner that the samurai's story was a lie. The woodcutter had actually witnessed the rape and murder, he says, but just did not want to get too involved at the trial. According to the woodcutter's new story, the bandit begged the samurai's wife to marry him, but the woman instead freed her husband. The husband was initially unwilling to fight the captor, saying he would not risk his life for a spoiled woman, but the woman then criticized both him and the bandit, saying they were not real men and that a real man would fight for a woman's love. She spurred the men to fight one another, but then hid her face in fear once they raise swords; the men, too, were visibly fearful as they begin fighting. They began a duel that was much more pitiful than the bandit's account had made it sound, and the evil ultimately won through a stroke of luck. After some hesitation he killed the samurai by seven or eight sword bashes, and the woman fled in horror. The bandit could not catch her, but took the samurai's sword and left the scene limping; he also noticed the white rabbit at the scene. This is precisely how it happened, said the woodcutter, I remember all the details as I keep my folding savings exactly between the seventh and the eighth page of my great book of prayers. God bless us all! The priest acknowledges the kind words as the rain continues to fall heavily...
The cache is not at the given coordinates, solve the puzzle to find the real ones.
[RO]
Un taietor de lemne si un preot se odihnesc sub portile Rashomon asteptand oprirea ploii. Un om de rand care incearca sa se adaposteasca de picaturile de apa li se alatura iar cei doi incep sa se confeseze, spunandu-i ca au fost martorii unei intamplari cutremuratoare. Taietorul de lemne sustine ca, in urma cu trei zile, in timp ce se afla prin padure dupa lemne a gasit trupul neinsufletit al unui samurai; impins de panica a fugit imediat pentru a alerta autoritatile. Preotul intregeste povestea spunand ca l-a vazut din intamplare pe samurai si pe sotia acestuia calatorind chiar in acea zi prin padure. Ambii barbati au fost apoi citati sa se prezinte pentru declaratii la proces unde l-au intalnit si pe banditul care fusese capturat si care isi revendicase atat crima cat si atacul impotriva femeii.
Povestea banditului N 44° 28.137 E 026° 04.663
Faimosul talhar sustinea ca l-a ademenit pe samurai deturnandu-l de la drumul normal pentru a-i arata un loc secret in care erau ascunse niste sabii foarte vechi. Ajunsi intr-un luminis, l-a legat pe samurai de un copac folosind o sfoara groasa si apoi s-a napustit asupra femeii acestuia. Incercarea femeii de a se apara cu un cutit a esuat aceasta fiind in cele din urma “sedusa” de catre bandit. Mai apoi, cuprinsa de rusine, femeia l-a implorat pe bandit sa se dueleze cu sotul ei pana la moarte pentru a o absolvi pe ea de sentimentul de vina si de necinste. Banditul a acceptat provocarea in mod onorabil eliberandu-l pe samurai. In viziunea sa lupta a fost purtata cu dibacie si violenta iar in final el a fost cel victorios; femeia a reusit in cele din urma sa fuga. Spre finalul declaratiei banditul este intrebat despre cutitul femeii samuraiului: acesta declara ca dupa ce lupta luase sfarsit, pe neasteptate, un iepure alb a sarit dintr-un tufis apropiat si s-a asezat pe cutitul respectiv; in timp ce incerca sa apuce obiectul iepurele a vomitat pe arma – si cam inacelasi timp s-au auzit si niste voci din tufis - determinandu-l pe bandit sa o ia la fuga cu mainile goale.
Povestea sotiei de samurai N 44° 26.109 E 026° 05.326
Sotia samuraiului relateaza o poveste total diferita fata de cea a banditului. Aceasta marturiseste ca banditul a fugit ca un las dupa ce a profitat de ea. In continuarea ea l-a rugat pe sot sa o ierte pentru cele intamplate dar acesta parca nici nu o baga in seama. Apoi l-a eliberat din funii si l-a implorat sa o ucida pentru a face pace cu ea insasi. Samuraiul a continuat sa o priveasca cu dispret iar aceasta imagine a sotului a afectat-o atat de tare incat a lesinat cu cutitul tinut in mana stanga. Dupa ce s-a dezmeticit si-a gasit barbatul mort, cu cutitul infipt in piept. A incercat imediat sa se sinucida dar nu a reusit. A vrut chiar sa se spanzure cu sfoara de opt noduri folosita la legarea sotului ei dar aceasta s-a rupt. Aceasta este povestea asa cum s-a intamplat, sopti sotia samuraiului catre judecator, pastrez prima scrisoare de dragoste de la sotul meu foarte aproape de inima, impaturita pe jumatate de opt ori in buzunarul de la kimono. Inca mai sper la iertare din partea sotului meu.
Povestea samuraiului N 44° 28.419 E 026° 06.495
Urmeaza apoi chiar povestea relatata de samuraiul omorat, spusa prin intermediul unui medium. Samuraiul sustine ca banditul, dupa ce a profitat de nevasta lui i-a propus acesteia sa calatoreasca impreuna. Aceasta a acceptat pe loc dar l-a rugat pe bandit sa ii omoare sotul pentru ca sentimentele de vina care o incercau erau prea puternice. Banditul, surprins si socat de aceasta dorina a femeii o apuca pe aceasta de gat si il puse pe samurai sa aleaga: sa ii lase femeia sa fuga sau sa o omoare. (“Doar si pentru aceste vorbe”, povesti samuraiul neinsufletit, “eram gata sa ii iert crima”.) Femeia reusi sa fuga fara a mai putea fi prinsa din urma de catre bandit. Banditul il elibera mai apoi pe samurai care imediat dupa aceasta se sinucide cu propriul cutit; folosi cutitul de patru ori inainte de a se prabusi fara suflet pe jos langa un iepure alb. Scena i se intiparise perfect in minte deoarece chiar cifra patru reprezinta numarul sau norocos. Mai tarziu cineva scoase cutitul din pieptul acestuia.
Povestea taietorului de lemne N 44° 26.245 E 026° 03.289
Inapoi la portile Rashomon (dupa proces) taietorul de lemne explica omului de rand ca povestea samuraiului este o minciuna. Din tufisul sau taietorul de lemne fusese practic martor la intreaga scena de viol si crima, doar ca nu a vrut sa se implice foarte mult la proces. Potrivit noii povesti a acestuia banditul a implorat nevasta samuraiului sa se marite cu el dar aceasta in loc sa se supuna isi dezlega sotul imobilizat de copac. Samuraiul refuza duelul cu banditul pe motiv ca nu isi risca viata pentru o femeie care tocmai a pacatuit fata de el. Insa femeia le face morala ambilor barbati spunand despre ei ca nu sunt barbati adevarati pentru ca daca ar fi fost s-ar lupta pentru dragostea femeii pe care o iubesc. Ii puse pe barbati sa se dueleze dar imediat ce acestia au ridicat sabiile unul catre celalalt sotia samuraiului se facu nevazuta in frica. Barbatii erau vizibil inspaimantati unul de celalalt iar duelul propriuzis a fost lamentabil si las, in cele din urma banditul reusind din noroc sa castige. Dupa o oarecare ezitare il ucise pe samurai cu sapte sau opt lovituri de sabie iar sotia acestuia fugi terorizata. Banditul nu reusi sa o prinda din urma dar lua sabia samuraiului si parasi locul crimei aproape intr-un picior. Taietorul de lemne sustine ca a zarit si iepurele alb la locul faptei. S-a intmplat exact asa cum v-am relatat, spuse povestitorul, imi amintesc exact deoarece imi pastrez bancnotele economisite exact intre paginile sapte si opt ale cartii mele de rugaciuni. Dumnezeu sa ne binecuvanteze pe toti! Preotul da aprobator din cap la auzul acestei vorbe iar ploaia continua sa se inteteasca...
Cutia nu se afla la coordonatele date, rezolvati enigma pentru a o gasi.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
RA: zntargvp, haqre terra
EB: zntargvp, fho ireqr
Treasures
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