Roll dem bones.

5 (of 6) entries received. 4 (of 5) correct.

Solution:

The only possible answer.

We lost 2 Guardians, Hex

>May I have..

No! Stop asking!

>Just curious, is all, The time has come.

What do you mean?

>It's time for me to crash HiaG

What do you mean "crash" HiaG? We're supposed to ve SAVING it!
>Oh, we will, protectey-pants. We have to create a DDoS attack. We'll send a fleet of ABC's to draw attention. I'll go smack Miss 0ne down to size, but you Guardians have to delete her files in volatile memory.
Are you serious?
>Yes, this it IT. This is for all the marbles. This is the Final Battle.

And , in this "all or nothing" confrontation, I give you a (I believe) unique "puzzle". There is more than one player. More than one answer. I give you "Daemon-ic Die".First, your Start Position, which is the same as your target number:

The Game Board

The direction key:

Guardians will have to "comment" a correct path from their start point to their Target point, ending with their Hex Arrow properly aligned on target. Example: "1D,2L,4U, 3D....ect,ect" Die can ONLY roll Up Down, Left or Right.

Good luck, Guardians!

Do you, Guardian, take this witch?

Gratz, Guardians!

" Fish E Time" (it's NOT an X! ) ;P

Following that clue leads to an older HiaG post, HERE. The Code word ("cache") is located in plain text, hidden within the post.

It's important to regularly clean your cache and all "TMP"  files on your computer. Not only can the take up valuable storage space on your hard drive, but a virus hidden in cache may live to re-infect your computer. Also, a good registry cleaner can help keep your system optimized and running smoothly. (Warning: manually adjusting your computer registry should only be done be trained people, a single mistake can permanently crash your operating system ).

We couldn't get "Captain" Jack Binome for this PSA, sorry.

Another thing to be aware of, some "free" toolbars and browser add-ons contain automated reporting software, and some free "game monitoring' applications can potentially steal your login information. Only use software from trusted sources!

> Haha, ha, haha! You call that 'Art'? You can't even pixellate a decent hourglass! Oh, unless your 'art' is actually meant to be humor...an X...lolol...

Okay, okay, Hex. I bow to your superior artistic sensibilities.
>Now that's the smartest thing you've said all day, Autumn.
So, when are we going to actually start with clearing HiaG?

> I already have. That Paint program you ever-so-kindly retrieved for me is changing all sorts of system settings at HiaG. Poor Little Miss 0ne, she's so *very* busy, atm. So busy, in fact, I've rooted her fallback files out of the Blogger Registry,  so you Guardians can go in a do that "Mend and Defend" thing you love so much!

Oh, great! What do we have to do?

>Give me a Null, first of all.

I told you, you can't have any. These are my friends. You cannot have one for a 'pet'.

>Fine, have it your way. If I can't have a pet, nobody else can:

Oh, c'mon, Hex, don't be like that.
>We're getting close to the Final Stages. Each Guardian now stands, or falls, on their own abilities. End of Line.
No negotiation?
>None. I'm holding the reigns.The Honeymoon is over. We're getting close to The End.
That's unfortunate. Well, I guess we all knew it was gonna get harder, one way or another. Here's our task, Guardians:

 This grid represents HiaG's Registry. It's actually a game known as AKARI (which means "light"), it's also know as "Light Up".There is a tutorial HERE. Since there is no "code word" for this puzzle, Guardians can email their submissions to (my posting name) at gmail. I will also be checking my twitter DM's, to answer any questions. This is "it", before the Final Showdown begins!

Crazy, Art thou?

Planets were the Key. This was an actual Strimko puzzle,

Well, done, Guardians!

> Oh, they did "okay", I suppose.

Just "Okay"? Really? We retrieved your file from a super-virus infected super-computer. I'd say we did "Super", at least.

>Fine. You did "Super Okay". Want to try it again, without the hidden file command?

Uh...No, Hex, that's quite alright. Besides, it would be boring and repetitive, right?

>You're catching on. Oh, and I see we didn't null any Guardians.

Why do you say that, in such a disappointed way?

>Well, I was sure the last-minute scrambling would create some chaos, but "no"....I *do* so want a Null of my own.

Sorry to dissapoint you, Hex, and you CANNOT have one!
>It's okay, we'll just "twist the twist", is all..*something* has to give..









So, uh, Hex..what was that file we retrieved, anyways?
>It was my paint program. I feel the need to be creative. An Artiste of my caliber has needs, you know.
What? We risked our virtual necks for a PAINT PROGRAM?!
>While I *do* enjoy drama you should NOT YELL AT ME.
Sorry, sorry. It just seems a bit silly, is all. We're supposed to be freeing HiaG, remember?
>Oh, but we ARE, bit brain. Art, and Paint are powerful tools.
But paint is so BASIC. I mean what can you really do with them?
>More than you can imagine. It's the artist, not the tools. I doubt you have any Art skills. I've seen you work.
Oh, I do okay. I use MSPaint, too, you know.
>Yes, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Sadly, I have no time to tutor you.
Wait,what? Nevermind. Why so focused on Art, Hex?
>Oh, you Guardians are all alike. "Rush here. TARget and delete NPC. Rush to next battle". Haven't you ever stopped to enjoy the scenery? So many pixels to render, and you just ZIP from place to place." Did you know that I have my own color scheme? It's true! There are 16,777,216 hexadecimal color values. Your eyes cannot fathom the depth of my Art, Guardian.Of course, 20 Million is impressive, too.
Well, I think we do okay, we Guardians.

>Oh, really? That sounds like a contradiction, to me. Care to prove it?

Uh..what did you have in mind, Hex?

>I'll give you a super-easy piece of Art to complete. All you have to do is "color by numbers". No math involved, at all. There will be a clue in it...

I don't see how this is applicab...
>Nono,Guardians... I INSIST.
Sigh, never compare art with an artist...
( use of an auto-solver is forbidden. You're on "Guardian's Honor", on this one)

The clue for the location of the code (somewhere in an old HiaG post) is in the nonogram. You'll get it...Maybe.

Hexidecimal's "Doorbell"

A moment of silence, for our fallen Guardians.

"Oh, geez...FINALLY....this game cheats, so bad!"

Previous puzzle:

> Well, that was fun. You're certainly no binomes, I suppose.
Fun!?! You call that FUN!?! A Guardian got nulled over your "Fun".
> Yes, I see. How adorable! Can I keep her? You have so many, and I like this one..don't you want to fileshare?
No, Hex! That null is my friend. You can't have any nulls! Not only that, but filesharing is dangerous. Can't you restore them?

>Oh, I could, but, not until The Game is over. That wouldn't be fair.

Fair? You have twisted sense of "fair", Hex.

> Oh, what are you .waving on about? It's all in good fun. I *do* so like to keep it interesting, and Oh, look! Now there are 6! Hex is 6, Hex is a Spell. It's like a celebration of ME! Oh, it makes me want to sing!

Oh, no... please don't...not a musical number.
>Too late, protecty-pants! I've got my .MP3 on, now! Just sit back and enjoy the show!

Oh, the lengths I'll go to to work in a video, huh?

Was that really necessary? You're nulling Guardians, and you sing and dance?

>Oh, lighten up.What good is a game, if you can't have fun in it? Oh, all right, if it makes you feel any better, I WILL help you and your little survivors, Oh, you all do so remind me of Bob. He was always out to "Mend and Defend"
Well, okay, then. What's your plan?
>It's a secret. It's simple, really, but I'll need you to go to the Supercomputer, first.
What? The Supercomputer? The Headquarters of Daemon, and her fallen Guardians? You just want us to' ring the doorbell, and walk right in'?

>Sure, why not?

Uh, 'zero survivability' comes to mind....
>Oh, do stop. I'll set you up in a hidden file envelope. Nobody will know even you're there. Once you get there, you'll have to decrypt an access code, of course..

Of course. I'm beginning to see a pattern, here

>Thank you for reminding me! I've noticed some patterns, myself!

Uh...what?.

>Your Guardians. Always helping each other. So 'nice'. Such 'Team Spirit'. So BORING. I think it's time to make it a teensy bit more interesting, don't you? Of course you do.

I get the feeling that when you want my opinion, you'll give it to me.
>Oh, aren't you the clever sprite? Yes, it's quite simple: I'll let you Guardians 'help' each other, but only according to my rules. If I can't be with MY Bob, then nobody gets to.

Okay, fine, let's just get on with this, and hope we don't lose any guardians.

>Oh, and if ONE member of a Paired Team gets nullified, so does their co-Guardian...

WHAT?! You're going to null, in PAIRS?
>Sure, why not, it will be such fun! We're done with 'easy', aren't we? I mean, I AM doing most of the work. Let me open that portal for you...

Wait, what's that? Hex, Those aren't even numbers!
> Numbers are relative symbols, dear sprite. Patterns can be swapped out,if it's all universally symbolic I'll give you a hint, though "You can go to Hollywood to see the stars, but you should never stare directly into the 'Zero'."
That's a Hint?
>Sure is. I didn't say it was a BIG hint, did I? Oh, and the pattern has to be "1 of each", horizontally, vertically, and along the strings. Like a game of Strimko. As to what symbol is what, I'm sure you can look it up, somewhere.You've proved you're a resourceful lot.

<note, this puzzle has missing information, easily gathered from a search engine>

Delay of Game

Remember to have fun In, (and outside of) The Spir@l

Be safe, and Be Well!

59 20 52 20 55 20 6d 61 64 3f

 Level Up! "And then there were 7.."...That was brutal! (and it could have been worse)

(in Hexadecimal code) Message+Codeword BACKUP

The code word for that horrendous puzzle was "BACKUP", as in "save your data". The full message reads "Save a backup of your personal files offline,`like your pictures, and text documents. Save early, save often! Code word: BACKUP"

In a worse-case-scenario, you may not be able to retrieve your cherished personal documents, including photos, text documents, or saved files. You should (ideally) , keep an offline (like CD-rom) copy of all the things on your computer you just simply couldn't bear losing. (Good policy against hard drive crashes, too.) "Save early, save often. Save offline"

Some systems (like Windows) allow you to create a "Restore point", in case some new program completely ruins your current configuration, allowing you to "step back in time" to an earlier, and safer time for your Operating System. Always good to "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

Great job, Guardians! That was way too close to "Game Over", huh? Sadly, we lost more Guardians...

"Oh, no3s! I n33d mah to3s! I pwn mah fo3s!...wait, WHAT?! nonononoooo!"

(OOC)
Sometimes, in life, as in games, (including W101), we find ourselves teamed up with players of varying skill levels. Just like ITS, in a battle we have to watch what every player is doing, what card they're playing, and how it affects us.

In our focus to "Beat our Goals", we can be SO focused, that we do not foresee the detrimental effects of the cards we cast, on the actions of our fellow party members.

Granted, it's harder to keep track of 10 other Guardians, as opposed to 3 other wizards in a Dueling Circle, but our Guardians tried valiantly (and ethically) to save the others. Can't have help, forever, though. You denied The User an "Achievement", that can't be good , (for us)

 The "Mouse Save" is still playable for upcoming challenges.
(/OOC)




We got the Hex code (AutDOSk) out of quarantine, AND got it re-compiled, so now all we have to do is...

>Whaaaat is this place? Why have you brought me here! I DEMAND answers!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Hex! Easy, now!

>Easy? You want me to take it EASY!?!

> ....well...

 >..."Okay"... but you'd better have an interesting answer, or I'll offline everyone here.

Umm..Okay, Hex... we're all friends, here

> Friends? You tried to DELETE me!

Well, we thought you were a virus.

> I AM a "virus", you bit brain! And you're a "Necromancer". Your home is in a "Graveyard". You ARE "Poison Ivy", are you not? Really, I expected more out of you, "AutumnalDusk"...

Well, that's all true, but...

This was once "High Tech"

> My, my. You're not the brightest LED, are you? I got tired of waiting for you at C0deHexWitch. You never post there, anymore. So sad. HiaG seemed like such a fun place! So many good wizards! I just wanted to get in on the fun, and entertain your "Spir@l".  By the way, why do you spell it that way? It's just confusing.

Well, I just..

> Oh, look! You have Nulls! How sweet! I miss my Nulls. Can I keep one, pretty please?

Hex, those are Fallen Guardians, we've been fighting a User and Daemon

> Guardians? Like my Dear, Sweet, Bob? Oh, how awful that you couldn't protect your own protectors. Such a shame! Ah, how I do miss Bob. And Daemon? Pfft,  Little Miss 'Blah, blah, blah,"0ne", this. Blah, blah, blah "Join us", that.' So boring, and repetitive. She's not *interesting* at all. Not like you guys...

Well, we got you out of quarantine. We need your help. We have to take back HiaG!

>Scuzzy would have gotten me out, eventually. Why should I help? A crash would be entertaining. If I hadn't been so distracted with planning my surprise, and you&your little crew *helping* Daemon with her silly little "ASHCan" stunt.

Yes, we know, we know! We need you. Your near-transfinite powers are out best chance to...

> Only.

Whaaa..?

> You said "best chance". I believe you meant to say "ONLY chance", didn't you?

Ah, yes, right. Sorry, Hex..." ...our ONLY chance to defeat Daemon, and take back HiaG."

> Oh, you sweet-talker, you! Perhaps I could be convinced to help you, if you prove your Guardians are as clever as my Bob. (Oh, how I do miss Bob). He was ever so clever. Ha, I'm a poet!. Maybe I should take up my Art, again..

Uh, yeah, "sure", Hex...we can talk about that, but how are we Guardians to prove our "cleverness"?

> Easy, simply answer my riddle. I do so love playing games...

"Apparently"

> Begyourpardon?

Nothing, Hex, didn't mean to interrupt,sorry..

> Yes, you are, aren't you? As I was saying, all you have to do is correctly answer my question. "Easy". If you can't manage that, then you're more of a hazard than a help to me. I simply cannot tolerate inept assistants...

Oh, so if we "assistants" prove our cleverness, you'll help us?

> Isn't that what I said?

Well, Guardians, you heard the lady...here's Hex's Riddle. (fyi, this is what logic gates are and a CPU is, you might need to know this.)

House of Mouse

She can hack it, if you can't.

Hey, y'all, Mouse, here.

Been peeking the feeds, y'all sound like you're getting your partitions compressed in that there Game, yeah? Those virsues are nasty, best not to poke them.

If ya want, I can help you out, but just this once, k, sugars?

If every active Guardian votes "Save Me, Mouse!" in the comments, I can run a decrypt on that game file, and give you an easier puzzle, but it'll take time, so y'all won't have much time before the Level UP cycles.

Y'all think it over, 'an let me know, I'm just an IM away..
We're all rooting for ya!

<Correct answers have been submitted, this save cannot be used>

We're in!

Great job, Guardians, Mouse would be proud! We've managed to open a backdoor into HiaG! The bad news, however, is that it's a small port, so our BPS rates means that any data we leech out will be in smaller packets, which we'll have to compile manually.

DAEMON's Game Plan

I just figured out what DAEMON is up to! She said "As 0ne, we are indivisible" That's Bad. VERY bad! I think she means to crash every game on the 'Net with a "Divide by Zero" command. She's not just after HiaG, but The Spir@l, itself ! We can't let that happen!  You Guardians have to stop her! I have faith that you can do it!

Too easy, you say? "We've got something for that."

(O.O.C.)
Sorry about the posting issues, readers. "New blog, old errors". (it just wouldn't be a HiaG contest without me messing *something* up, huh? Yeah, I'm looking at you, Mount Week!) After failing to turn comment moderation ON, several early answers went straight to post, and "Hide Comments" left other Guardians no way to answer. So, in a combination of email, and DM on Twitter, EVERY Guardian solved this (apparently) easy puzzle. The Posting issue will not be a problem, henceforth.

Well, you said you wanted it more challenging, so "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
Have you ever played a game, and had those Boss level NPC's that you just couldn't figure out how to beat?  Well, for The User's standpoint, you Guardians are just that! (Great for "our side", notsomuch for The User)
And another thing, I'm seeing ( aside from some Twitter posts ) a general lack of support from non-Guardians. Support your Community members, readers! Without some "comments" from non-guardians, The User might get insecure, and pause The Game, until the Audience interacts! (some Users are just so insecure) Translation: If I don't see the Community pulling together,and watch spectators just passively standing by, waiting for Guardians to do all the work, only Guardians will reap the contest rewards)
(End OOC.)

Oh, wow, this is lame! The User has started bragging about their "trophies":

That's so weak!, and it means nothing because The User just activated a CHEAT CODE! The User's new cheat will DOUBLE the number of data fragments we have to re-compile! Using cheap tactics just to "win"? I can't stand that! Every True Guardian knows it's about the skills, and the enjoyment of The Game. We can't let The User get more "Achievements", right? Guardians ForTheWin!

Humor <Break>

So, we've opened a way in, now we can get AutDOSk out of quarantine in the Virus Vault.

Ready, Guardians? Here's your next challenge: re-compile the AutDOSk code (Step 1), then extract the code word. You have all the tools you need. Puzzle may load slowly, you can "thank" The User for that.

(Puzzle removed, to facilitate bandwidth, external link still active)

Advisory: If it doesn't load right, in the Panic Tomb, the direct link is HERE.

Welcome to The Panic Tomb

Uhm hi, and "welcome to the Panic Tomb". Geesh, I never though when I made this place, that I'd actually have to USE it, but here we are. Better safe than sorry. This is our safety "fall back" since we've lost HiaG. Oh, don't worry, we WILL get HiaG back. This "location" is very temporary.

You are now standing in the "Resistance H.Q." for HiaG. (Formerly known as the HiaG Catacombs),

We've been had, readers. We've been REALLY had. Turns out, "Daemon" is not the Savior we were hoping for, nor AutDOSk the menace we thought. We rushed to judgement. All of us. I mean, what did AutDOSk *really* do? We didn't do our Homework, and now our Homework is being done FOR us, by Daemon. Seems not everyone that annoys you is your enemy, nor is everyone who helps you your friend.

"The Word"? Oh, puh-leeze! The Word is DECEIT. I should have seen it coming. Check this out:

So, we bought it, "hook, line, and sinker". Turns out, "ASHcan" was a Trojan Horse, that opened the door for a Super Virus, smarter than Stuxnet. The whole "Advertisement" was Scareware. Don't worry, your computer is safe, I was able to keep HiaG isolated. Thing is, many Anti-Virus programs don't necessarily scan for Trojans.

Since we're talking Viruses and Trojans, might I recommend "Malwarebytes" and "Spybot Search&Destroy"?
Sure, you may already have anti-virus on your computer, but always have "a backup for your backup". Whatever you use, make sure you do (at a minimum) weekly definition updates and scans.
Malwarebytes is awesome at detecting and cleaning (and free), and Spybot is geared *specifically* to detect trojans, worms, and other pests, (and it is also free). It's what I use. True fact.

( 4th Wall )I guess it's about time I told you, I have a background in Computers. I taught myself BASIC in 6th Grade, on an old TRS-80 Model III, that saved on "leaderless" cassette tapes. I've been gaming since I got that Atari 2600 for Christmas. Yeah, I've "been around a while".
I do, (among other things), computer repair, and networking. . I regularly fix *other* people's system problems. (And by now, you've guessed this series of events is an "awareness" exercise - to promote P.C. safety, (as well as personal safety), on the 'Net.)

EDIT: Well, seems our Beloved Ditto "Beat me to the punch" with this awesome post. Be sure to read it! I can't help but feel I just got "Pwn3d" by orange fur!  (End, 4th Wall)

I still have that Magic Trick to show you, but everything's locked up in HiaG.
Fortunately, our Guardians are On Duty! The solution for the previous challenge was:

A moment of silence, for Our Nullified Guardians.

( couple nail-biting , last minute survivials, that last round!)

 So, the surviving Guardians successfully prevented the System from crashing. However, in the process, we seemed to have given DAEMON the required edge. Odd thing is, once AutDOSK fell, HiaG was completely overtaken, as if AutDOSK was actually *protecting* Homework. AutDOSk is Hexidecimal Code. This is bad. Very bad.


AutDOSk is in HiaG quarantine. Most of the tools we need are unavailable, so we have to do this "the hard way".  I can't believe I'm saying this, but we have to break INTO HiaG , and copy/paste the AutDOSk code into The Panic Tomb. I wish Mouse was here, we could use a good hacker, right now.

Yes, I said "Hacker". The term was once a Badge of Honor, long before malicious intent degraded it into the awful principle it infers, now. It used to mean a brilliant person who could explore intricate systems,as opposed to those now, who simply exploit them.

HiaG, now under DAEMON's control, has a defensive Firewall around it. It's pretty solid. There's no way we can use a Brute Force attack on it, our Guardians are going to have to decrypt an access code to sneak us in. Once that's done, we can plan our next move.

 I've been monitoring traffic to/from HiaG, and it seems that the passcode authentication is disguised HERE. I think it's a triple-layered code, so all 3 will have to be cracked by our guardians, as illustrated thus:

Puzzle can not be worked out here, you must solve at hosting site.

We're counting on you, Guardians! EDIT: New Blog, old errors (mine). Email your answer direct at (my posting name ) at gmail, or via DM on Twitter