Post by helenahandbasket on Feb 16, 2016 10:07:25 GMT -5
OK, so I feel like I need to recap what we know so far and get some fresh ideas/opinions. I'll do objects/events in chronological order, but will refer to the (diamond) mailing and objects.
SOME MIGHT CONSIDER THIS THE MOTHER OF ALL SPOILERS WRT WHAT WE KNOW OF THE STORY SO FAR, READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!! IT COVERS THE PROLOGUE THRU CHAPTER 2.
Edited to add: It's not everything we might know from additional research into stuff, e.g., additional real-life research yields that the last body that was found on Pico de Orizaba, the one mentioned at the end of the article we were sent, actually happened. The body was estimated to have been there for 10-15 years, he wasn't wearing mountaineering gear, and he has yet to be identified; they don't know if he was actually the victim of a plane crash because there isn't any record of a plane crashing on Pico de Orizaba. I was just trying to get the timeline in order and be clear about what we actually know for a fact vs. what we suspect vs. what we assume from the materials we were sent.
SOME MIGHT CONSIDER THIS THE MOTHER OF ALL SPOILERS WRT WHAT WE KNOW OF THE STORY SO FAR, READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!! IT COVERS THE PROLOGUE THRU CHAPTER 2.
1950s: Comic book page from the 1950's that is presented as proof of something important to our story, "banned from Bratelli to Solberg, and here's proof it actually exists!" It has been pointed out that those aren't just Norwegian PMs, they're also cities on the coast. Was something banned between two coastal towns or banned by two PMs? What was banned? One theory is that the bathysphere (from the classifieds side) was banned. The other is that publication of anything to do with the creature with tentacles on the comics side was banned. (Note and Comic; First Mailing, Prologue)
1980s: Auction of the newly-found fairy tale manuscript and illustration, "The Brothers And The Moonlit Sea" that had been in Haagel Lindhal's collection, plus a review of the ersatz fairy tale by Torald Mathiesen shortly thereafter. The gist: Four brothers go to sea and only one returns. He was wearing an amulet carved of birch. (Magazine Article, date estimate based on the computer advert; Fourth Mailing, Chapter 2)
2002: Hugh Jones and James Cullens disappear during their trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They were in Mexico as part of an extended diving vacation that started in another unnamed location, but it is presumed to have been (but not known to have been) Norway. They are presumed to have found (but not known to have found) a previously undiscovered underwater cave in Norway. At a store in Playa del Carmen, Hugh sells two sets of diving gear and buys two jackets and two pairs of boots. This sale happens on either June 12 or December 6, 2002 (dmy date convention is used in Mexico, so 6/12/2002 should be December 6, but the mdy convention used in the US and most of Canada gives June 12, which would be a more likely date for them to have been diving in Norway and then going to climb Pico de Orizaba). (Newspaper article, receipt, web article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2003: A web article is written by Anve Vaernes about the discovery of Staksvikskjaeret cave by two divers in 2002 who violated the 'look, but don't touch' rule. The two recreational divers are presumed to be (but not known to be) Hugh Jones and James Cullen. Being able to reference the two divers suggests the article may have been written by someone who heard the story first hand or something close to it. Vaernes may have been friends with Jones and/or Cullen or friends with someone else who had intimate knowledge of that dive. (Web Article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2011-2013: Archeological dig at Hille Vest-Adler. Based on the contract dates and the photo of the 2011 dig team, they were successful in finding what they were looking for at some point between June 3, 2011 and August 1, 2013. (Contract and Photo; Third Mailing, Interlude)
2012: Two more divers are at Playa del Carmen, one of whom is named Jim (Aside: Could this Jim be James Cullens, who would know where the cave was from his trip in 2002 or is it just a coincidence? Maybe James Cullen never actually went into the cave and he never died at Pico de Orizaba?). This time it is explicit that the two 2012 divers were in Norway leading archeologists to a cave and then the Norwegian government sent them on the all-expenses-paid trip to the Mayan Riviera. Jim and the author of the diary are both sick, the author of the diary is expressing ideation about getting as far away from water as possible, about drying out and blowing away. Odd thing is that the author refers to "that underwater cave I mentioned in my last post." Since a hand written diary entry isn't really ever referred to as a post, it sounds like there is an internet presence to be discovered. (Diary; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2015: The web article written in 2003 that referenced the two recreational divers is apparently in the process of being updated, but is completely removed from the web before updates can be completed (date reconciliation of references thru 2014 at the end of the article vs. the intro paragraph that refers to 2002 as 'last year'). (Web article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2015: Hugh Jones' body is found on Pico de Orizaba. He he has died from exposure and pulmonary edema (HAPE, essentially drowning). He is not wearing mountaineering gear. James Cullens' whereabouts remain unknown, but authorities presume he also perished on the mountain. (Newspaper Article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2013-2016/present: Photo of the 2011 Hille Dig Team marked on the front with the untimely/unusual deaths of many expedition members since their 'successful dig.' Steven Paulson is not among the deceased. (Photo; Third Mailing, Interlude)
2016/Present: SP carves an amulet on what appears to be bone and sends it to us. It is possible that SP is Steven Paulson of the Doomed Dig Team, who is not dead (yet). It is a bindrune of 4 Ansuz (Odin) runes followed by Raido (a boat or vehicle) and Perth (something that may attack). It could be interpreted as asking Odin to protect a boat from a monster. Question for Alchemist, if you're reading this: Is bone especially powerful compared to wood? Also, feel free to correct this wrt what this means in general terms (I did the best I could, but it's probably not interpreted properly). We have no evidence that it is actually connected to "The Brothers and the Moonlit Sea." (Amulet and note; Fourth Mailing, Chapter 2)
1980s: Auction of the newly-found fairy tale manuscript and illustration, "The Brothers And The Moonlit Sea" that had been in Haagel Lindhal's collection, plus a review of the ersatz fairy tale by Torald Mathiesen shortly thereafter. The gist: Four brothers go to sea and only one returns. He was wearing an amulet carved of birch. (Magazine Article, date estimate based on the computer advert; Fourth Mailing, Chapter 2)
2002: Hugh Jones and James Cullens disappear during their trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They were in Mexico as part of an extended diving vacation that started in another unnamed location, but it is presumed to have been (but not known to have been) Norway. They are presumed to have found (but not known to have found) a previously undiscovered underwater cave in Norway. At a store in Playa del Carmen, Hugh sells two sets of diving gear and buys two jackets and two pairs of boots. This sale happens on either June 12 or December 6, 2002 (dmy date convention is used in Mexico, so 6/12/2002 should be December 6, but the mdy convention used in the US and most of Canada gives June 12, which would be a more likely date for them to have been diving in Norway and then going to climb Pico de Orizaba). (Newspaper article, receipt, web article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2003: A web article is written by Anve Vaernes about the discovery of Staksvikskjaeret cave by two divers in 2002 who violated the 'look, but don't touch' rule. The two recreational divers are presumed to be (but not known to be) Hugh Jones and James Cullen. Being able to reference the two divers suggests the article may have been written by someone who heard the story first hand or something close to it. Vaernes may have been friends with Jones and/or Cullen or friends with someone else who had intimate knowledge of that dive. (Web Article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2011-2013: Archeological dig at Hille Vest-Adler. Based on the contract dates and the photo of the 2011 dig team, they were successful in finding what they were looking for at some point between June 3, 2011 and August 1, 2013. (Contract and Photo; Third Mailing, Interlude)
2012: Two more divers are at Playa del Carmen, one of whom is named Jim (Aside: Could this Jim be James Cullens, who would know where the cave was from his trip in 2002 or is it just a coincidence? Maybe James Cullen never actually went into the cave and he never died at Pico de Orizaba?). This time it is explicit that the two 2012 divers were in Norway leading archeologists to a cave and then the Norwegian government sent them on the all-expenses-paid trip to the Mayan Riviera. Jim and the author of the diary are both sick, the author of the diary is expressing ideation about getting as far away from water as possible, about drying out and blowing away. Odd thing is that the author refers to "that underwater cave I mentioned in my last post." Since a hand written diary entry isn't really ever referred to as a post, it sounds like there is an internet presence to be discovered. (Diary; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2015: The web article written in 2003 that referenced the two recreational divers is apparently in the process of being updated, but is completely removed from the web before updates can be completed (date reconciliation of references thru 2014 at the end of the article vs. the intro paragraph that refers to 2002 as 'last year'). (Web article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2015: Hugh Jones' body is found on Pico de Orizaba. He he has died from exposure and pulmonary edema (HAPE, essentially drowning). He is not wearing mountaineering gear. James Cullens' whereabouts remain unknown, but authorities presume he also perished on the mountain. (Newspaper Article; Second Mailing, Chapter 1)
2013-2016/present: Photo of the 2011 Hille Dig Team marked on the front with the untimely/unusual deaths of many expedition members since their 'successful dig.' Steven Paulson is not among the deceased. (Photo; Third Mailing, Interlude)
2016/Present: SP carves an amulet on what appears to be bone and sends it to us. It is possible that SP is Steven Paulson of the Doomed Dig Team, who is not dead (yet). It is a bindrune of 4 Ansuz (Odin) runes followed by Raido (a boat or vehicle) and Perth (something that may attack). It could be interpreted as asking Odin to protect a boat from a monster. Question for Alchemist, if you're reading this: Is bone especially powerful compared to wood? Also, feel free to correct this wrt what this means in general terms (I did the best I could, but it's probably not interpreted properly). We have no evidence that it is actually connected to "The Brothers and the Moonlit Sea." (Amulet and note; Fourth Mailing, Chapter 2)
Edited to add: It's not everything we might know from additional research into stuff, e.g., additional real-life research yields that the last body that was found on Pico de Orizaba, the one mentioned at the end of the article we were sent, actually happened. The body was estimated to have been there for 10-15 years, he wasn't wearing mountaineering gear, and he has yet to be identified; they don't know if he was actually the victim of a plane crash because there isn't any record of a plane crashing on Pico de Orizaba. I was just trying to get the timeline in order and be clear about what we actually know for a fact vs. what we suspect vs. what we assume from the materials we were sent.