Background
On Thursday, 22 October 2018, 17 days before Fortuna was released on PC, a Discord server was created named Solaris United. The user who managed the server and conducted the ARG (alternate reality game) was named The Business. Initially there was only the channel #solarisunited, but within a few days the #cache, #intel, and #open-comms channels were created. Most of the ARG was conducted in the #solarisunited channel, with some information divulged in #cache and #intel. The #open-comms channel was for The Business to link to tweets or other community engagement during the course of the server, and occasionally, the channel would be opened for members of the server to post in.
Access to the Discord server was initially limited, with temporary invites as the only way to access it for some time. Later, a universal invite link was shared: https://discord.gg/lifttogether
Below are described the events of the ARG and the contents of the Discord server. All times are in UTC.
22 October
[18.04, #solarisunited]
===================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting up ::==|
===================================
Transmission protocol initiating…
:::...
Tapping into Corpus frequencies…
:::...
Connecting to data structures…
:::...
…Complete
[18.11, #solarisunited]
How do you do, Outworlders?
They call me 'The Business'. I need your help.
I've scuffled with my share of scoundrels, but Nef Anyo and the Corpus – or 'the Taxmen,' as they're known around here in Fortuna – are the worst of 'em.
There was a time we openly fought back against the Taxmen, until things went south after the incident. We've lived in the shadows ever since.
Outworlders, we must rebuild Solaris United. We must, once more, fight for our freedom.
Will you help us?
Some of us still act on behalf of the old Solaris United – what little of it remains.
We have agents tracking Corpus shipments on the Vallis: resources we can steal to help our people make payments and clear debts.
Help me recruit members for Solaris United, and I'll add your cut of the bounty to a cache. I've created a #cache channel to track your share.
Tell your fellow Outworlders we aren't giving up without a fight. We are Solaris, and down here, we all lift together.
I'll contact you again soon. Stay sharp.
[18.23, #cache]
===================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting up ::==|
===================================
Transmission protocol initiating…
:::...
Tapping into Corpus frequencies…
:::...
Connecting to data structures…
:::...
…Complete
[18:26, #cache]
Welcome to the #cache channel, Outworlders. Here, I'll deliver the latest information on your cut of the bounty as we steal from the Corpus. It'll take time to put your share together, so I'll let you know when you can pick it up.
23 October
[16.25, Twitter]
From 16:25 to 17:54, ten tweets were sent from the official Warframe twitter account to various Warframe Partners. The messages were phrased as cryptic questions typed in corrupted text, which the Partners attempted to answer.
Who sent you?
The ___ wakes first.
Three Taxmen walk down an alley. What happens?
Where is the keeper?
Who can we call?
Who controls the sun?
Which three days are the best for contemplation?
What controls the flash?
Where does the coolant flow?
Where is the tower?
Once each Partner attempted to answer the question (seriously or not), the Warframe twitter account would reply, "Code accepted. Agent confirmed. Check your messages." Each Partner received a single-use invite to the Discord server.
[18.00, #solarisunited]
Outworlders, you've done well in recruiting new members for the cause. Because of your efforts, I'm opening a new channel, #intel. I will deliver additional information to you there. Stay sharp.
[18.02, #intel]
===================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting up ::==|
===================================
Transmission protocol initiating…
:::...
Connecting to data structures…
:::...
…Complete
[18:04, #intel]
Welcome to the new #intel channel. As you continue to recruit new members for Solaris United, I will trust you with new information.
[18:13, #intel]
Repossession. Nasty business.
The Solaris need cybernetic upgrades to protect themselves from the hostile Vallis climate. And guess who supplies the upgrades?
Nef Anyo and the bloody Taxmen. We're forced to do the work, and then we pay the Taxmen for the 'pleasure' of hard labour.
Because of these mandatory body mods, we all live in debt to our Corpus overlords.
It's a vicious cycle we cannot escape through obedience.
In Fortuna, we live in fear of 'repossession.'
At any hour of the day, Nef can send one of his vile repo squads down here to 'take back what's theirs'.
Limb by limb, piece by piece, the Taxmen will rip out your cybernetics until there's nothing left of you.
We must fight back, Outworlders. Because if we lose, we lose everything.
[(Translations for the intel images are on the Fortuna ARG Intel page.)]
24 October
[15.54, #solarisunited]
We've seen a large influx of new recruits. Well done, Outworlders.
To aid in your recruitment effort, I'm adding our sigil to the #cache channel.
Wear this sigil to display your allegiance to Solaris United and guide new members to the cause.
Share this far and wide today. We need all the help we can get.
[15:58, #cache]
So far, you've brought in a great number of trusted Outworlders to join the cause.
Attached to this message is an insignia – the symbol of Solaris United.
Our calling card. Our symbol of hope.
Wear this sigil to display your allegiance to Solaris United and guide new members to the cause.
We need all the help we can get.
[The code SOLARISUNITED would unlock the Solaris United sigil for players to wear. At the time, this code worked for PC accounts only.]
[16.00, #solarisunited]
I'm worried we may have Corpus spies in our midst. I can only keep the comms channel open for a limited time after you hear from me. Stay sharp.
[16.09, #solarisunited]
==========================================
|==::: Version 5.24 starting output :::==|
==========================================
Adding node to communications array…
:::...
…Complete
Output:
==========================================
https://discord.gg/JxdcE
Self-destructs in one hour. Please share.
==========================================
[18.12, #solarisunited]
Wear your sigil and share it on public social channels using #lifttogether.
I'll post the most inspiring images in #open-comms.
Word of your efforts is spreading.
There's hope again. Keep it up.
[20.13, #solarisunited]
More and more of you are joining the cause. Excellent. This operation carries risk, but with you on our side, there's hope for a free Fortuna.
Share this message with #LiftTogether and help me recruit more members for Solaris United.
[A video transmission was posted to the channel, consisting of a message from The Business.]
The Business (video message): "Outworlder, it pains me to say this, but, I need your help. They call me 'The Business'. Time was, I'd get my hands dirty and deal with Nef Anyo myself. But my hands are tied now. Down here in Fortuna, everyone lives in fear of the Taxmen. Solaris are in debt and, by proxy, enslaved. If someone misses a payment, Nef sends his repo squads down here to… well, it's not pleasant. That's why I need your help. We used to fight back, no matter the odds. But those days are over. Outworlder, help me reignite the flames of rebellion. Help me rebuild Solaris United. To deliver this message, I managed to slip inside a Corpus research facility. I've hijacked their frequency to create a back-channel for further communication. Attached to this message is a link to the channel. You'll hear from me again soon. As they say in Fortuna, we all lift together. Stay sharp."
[20.58, #solarisunited]
A resource shipment is flying into the Vallis tomorrow.
Intel suggests it may contain Nitain extract.
I'm sending two agents there to relieve the Corpus of this burden.
They'll report back tomorrow, so I'll have more information for you then.
Keep sharing the sigil using #LiftTogether, and we'll cut you in.
25 October
[03.12, #solarisunited]
==========================================
|==::: Version 5.24 starting output :::==|
==========================================
Adding node to communications array…
:::...
…Complete
Output:
==========================================
https://discord.gg/H3Zh6
Self-destructs in one hour. Please share.
==========================================
[18.26, #solarisunited]
Our agents in the Vallis haven't reported in.
With a task this dangerous, I'm worried.
I'll let you know as soon as I have more information.
[18.36, #solarisunited]
Whispers are spreading around Fortuna.
Rumours of the Solaris United insignia being seen in Relays and around the Origin System.
For the first time since Deck 12, there's hope for Solaris United.
More than 8,000 of you reported in to say you wore the sigil.
I'm speechless. Thank you, Outworlders.
I'll have a new objective for you today. Stay sharp.
[21.44, #solarisunited]
Recently, you may have noticed us in the Relays.
Very few places are safe for us in the System.
You don't have to hide in the shadows like we do….
Your next objective: head to the Relays and show your support for Solaris United.
Flood the Relays. Flash the sigil. Recruit more members.
I can only keep this invite code active for a limited time, so I'm trusting you to choose the right people.
PC sigil code: SOLARISUNITED
I have bigger plans for us soon, but for now, I need as many members as I can get.
Stay sharp.
==============================================
https://discord.gg/fRrB5
Self-destructs in thirty minutes. Please share.
==============================================
26 October
[04.30, #solarisunited]
We have trouble. One of our agents is missing.
We believe he's been compromised by the Taxmen. We don't know where they're taking him.
He was one of the agents trying to steal Nitain for us.
The other agent on the job is still in the field. He's keeping his head down.
I've sent a team out there to bring them both home and recover the resources to add to your cache.
I'll report back tomorrow. Keep your head to the wind.
[18.03, #solarisunited]
Our rescue team made it back.
We lost a great agent today. He's… he's sure to be brain-shelved, I'm afraid.
We're 22,000 strong now, but the loss of one agent still pains me.
Thankfully, Agent HR-67 made it home safe along with the stolen Corpus shipment.
Crates upon crates of Nitain, just waiting to be plucked from those Taxmen muckers. We also found Ducats and Orokin Cells inside.
We'll launder what we can to safely pay off debts for people here in Fortuna.
There's too much for us to safely spend – I'll keep the rest in holding to share with you later. You can keep an eye on #cache to see your cut.
[18:04, #cache]
Agent HR-67 made it home safe with the stolen Corpus shipment.
We stole crates upon crates of Nitain, Ducats and Orokin Cells from those Taxmen muckers.
We'll launder what we can to pay off debts for people here in Fortuna.
I'll keep your share of the first bounty safe here. Keep recruiting more members for Solaris United, and I'll keep cutting you in. This is just the start. Once we've amassed more, I'll find a way to get it to you.
With the Taxmen missing a shipment, security is bound to be tighter now.
We'll need all the help we can get when the time comes.
==============================================
https://discord.gg/SwmDF
Self-destructs in 12 hours. Please share.
==============================================
[18.12 #solarisunited]
We found a Corpus shipping manifest among the crates.
I've circled the shipments with the biggest payloads.
If we get our hands on these, think of how many people we can save.
How much debt we can clear.
With the Corpus missing a shipment, security is bound to be tighter now.
When the time comes, I may need to ask for your help.
[The manifest reads: SHIPMENT CODE: PRIORITY. DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED. ITEMS DETAINED EN ROUTE. RETURN TO VENUS. ENGINEERING SAMPLE FOR DISASSEMBLY AND CATALOGUE. MANIFEST]
[21.21, #solarisunited]
As the movement grows, our most dedicated agents are finding ways to represent the cause.
Some of you haven't been able to obtain the sigil yet, but you're finding your own ways to bring it to life.
Time was, the symbol of the Solaris United could be sighted across Fortuna. With your support, it won't be long before that time comes again.
Support them however you can.
27 October
[20.40, #solarisunited]
We are 41,000 strong now. Excellent work, Outworlders.
I know you're eager. I am, too. But I can't say more now.
Keep your head to the wind, and stay sharp.
========================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting output ::==|
========================================
Adding node to communications array…
…complete!
Output:
========================
| https://discord.gg/ppqNb |
Self-destructs in 6 hours.
========================
28 October
[05.17, #solarisunited]
========================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting output ::==|
========================================
Adding node to communications array…
…complete!
Output:
========================
| https://discord.gg/cQe77 |
Self-destructs in 6 hours.
========================
[22.51, #solarisunited]
========================================
|==:: Version 5.24 starting output ::==|
========================================
Adding node to communications array…
…complete!
Output:
========================
| https://discord.gg/nbkPf |
Self-destructs in 6 hours.
========================
29 October
[18.45, #solarisunited]
Great work over the weekend, Outworlders.
You've helped us reach 50,000 members.
I have new intel for you.
Unfortunately, the Corpus have encrypted the file.
Outworlders, work together to help me break the encryption.
Share the final message with me using #LiftTogether.
==============================================
https://discord.gg/B4pQu
Self-destructs in 6 hours. Please share.
==============================================
[An audio file, Encrypted_Intelligence.wav, was sent to the server. This audio file contained a series of DTMF tones – the sounds played when dialling a number on a conventional telephone – masked by static. The tones, when matched to their respective numbers, sounded out the sequence 24859 782887 7435833. When decoded (by matching the numbers to letters, as on a phone keypad), the message read BITLY STATUS SHELVED, which allowed players to reconstruct the shortened URL bit.ly/statusshelved, which lead to the image, shortly afterward posted in the #intel channel.]
[22.29, #solarisunited]
Good work cracking the code… despite the bad news that it brings.
Agent HC-85 is the agent we lost during the first shipment.
Brain-shelved. Just as I feared.
I'll share what you found in #intel.
Thankfully, Nef doesn't suspect Solaris United was involved in stealing the shipment.
That's the one bit of good news here.
Still, I'll need to keep this off Eudico's radar. Rumours spread fast here.
We lost a good one, Outworlders.
Thank you for the closure. Take a moment today to honour him.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
[22:33, #intel]
The Taxmen have a disturbing protocol they call 'brain-shelving.'
For major debts or acts of defiance, the repo squad will tear you apart and keep your brain 'tanked' in a storage facility.
Your brain will stay there until your friends or family can clear away your initial debt.
Then the Taxmen will graciously release what's left of you.
And when – and only when – your loved ones can afford to buy a new rig to house your brain, you'll return to a functional, conscious life.
Absolutely dreadful.
30 October
[04.58, #solarisunited]
==============================================
https://discord.gg/sHQcp
Self-destructs in 6 hours. Please share.
==============================================
[19.12, #solarisunited]
Outworlders, I need your help.
We have an agent returning to Orb Vallis. She's bringing a shipment of stolen Catalysts and Reactors, but security here in the Vallis is tight since the Taxmen caught one of our agents.
I need you to create a distraction long enough so she can fly in undetected.
Your mission:
Work together to coordinate an assault on V Prime, Venus.
Cause as much mayhem as you can.
If we take down enough Corpus in one area, we can shift their focus away from the Vallis so she can return here.
Keep it going for as long as you can.
Complete this mission, and everyone here will get a cut of the shipment.
Your share will be added to the #cache.
Good luck, and stay sharp.
==============================================
https://discord.gg/c3TjG
Self-destructs in 12 hours. Please share.
==============================================
[22:20, #cache]
Rumours are spreading online.
Outworlders are saying that anyone can wear the sigil now.
PC, XBOX, PS4 Code: SOLARISUNITED
[22.22, #solarisunited]
First reports are in. More than 7,000,000 Taxmen have been eliminated on V Prime so far.
The assault is off to a good start, but we need more help.
Let's make this a day the Corpus will never forget.
[23.45, #solarisunited]
Outworlders, as you're distracting the Taxmen on V Prime, we're taking this opportunity to steal new intel.
We found this text in a Corpus database.
Work together to help us decipher it.
I'll keep an eye on #LiftTogether for what you find.
[A large text file, data.txt, was sent to the server, containing gibberish characters. When run through a base64 converter, the text file was shown to be an image, consisting of the same two images – one an exterior shot of the Orb Vallis, the other an interior shot of Fortuna – repeated in a random sequence.]
[The series of interior and exterior images could be converted into binary, with interior as 0 and exterior as 1. resulting in:]
011010010110110101100111011101010111001000101110011000110110111101101101001011110111010101110100010110010100100001111000011100110100110000101110011010100111000001100111
[This translated into an imgur link: imgur.com/utYHxsL.jpg. The image from imgur was shortly afterwards posted in the #intel channel.]
31 October
[00.43, #solarisunited]
Very impressive, Outworlders.
The Corpus may need to hire new intel officers after this is over.
I'll share what you deciphered in #intel.
[00:47, #intel]
Little Duck.
One of our best agents.
My former protégé.
Just look at that rap sheet!
If our distraction works, she'll fly in tonight with those Reactors and Catalysts.
[03.53, #solarisunited]
You are causing quite a stir, Outworlders.
I'd be shocked if this wasn't the most activity the Corpus have ever seen on V Prime.
Little Duck is on her way.
Wear your sigil. Keep it going.
[07.06, #solarisunited]
Your distraction worked. Our agent – Little Duck – is on her way with the shipment of Orokin Catalysts and Reactors. Nice work.
[19.09, #solarisunited]
The assault on V Prime was a resounding success.
More than 30,000 of you came together to help us secure this shipment.
Taxmen chatter is saying you caused 31 times more destruction than usual on V Prime.
That's sure to make a dent in their profit margins.
Good work, Outworlders.
Little Duck arrived unscathed with the shipment of Reactors and Catalysts.
I've added your share of the shipment to your #cache.
If we can sell these on the black market, we can repay a great amount of Solaris debt.
[19:10, #cache]
Thanks for your help, Outworlders.
Because of your distraction on V Prime, Little Duck was able to deliver these to us.
I've added your cut to the cache for you to pick up when this is all over.
An all-platform Cache code will be shared once all shipments have been stolen.
[19.12, #solarisunited]
==============================================
https://discord.gg/2DG5D
Self-destructs in 12 hours. Please share.
==============================================
01 November
[18.45, #solarisunited]
I have a new update for the server that should upgrade the comms channel and fix a few bugs. You'll need to accept the download on your end.
[19.39, #solarisunited]
[A text file, errorlog.txt, was sent to the server. It contained random characters and punctuation, but, when word-wrapped in a particular way, the file could be shown to contain Roman numerals depicted in ASCII art. The sequence of numbers was 1, 22, 23, 24, 65, 84, 85, 103, 142, 143, 146, although this sequence was apparently incorrect and needed to be amended on Prime Time #224, which also aired that day. During Prime Time, the sequence was shown on screen for a few seconds at the end of the stream, where it was corrected to 11, 22, 23, 24, 65, 84, 85, 103, 142, 143, 146, 161.]
[19.48, #solarisunited]
[A PDF file, 6rhe84.pdf, was sent to the server. It was protected by a password and could not be opened without it. A tweet by the Warframe twitter account contained the following text:]
feｅｌｔｈeｗeightｏfｗhaｔｗｅoｗeｆeeltｈeweigｈtοfｗhatweоｗｅfｅelｔhewｅⅰghtofwhatweowefeeltheweightofwhatweowefeeltheweightofwhatweowefeeltheweightofwhatweowe
["Feel the weight of what we owe" is a line from the Solaris song "We All Lift Together", but some of the letters have been replaced with homoglyphs – characters which look the same but are read as separate characters by computers. This technique is a form of steganography. Using a decoder such as http://holloway.co.nz/steg/, the string "openthehorn" could be extracted from this tweet, which was the password to opening the PDF. The document contained nonsensical text, but when this text was copied into another word processing application, a hidden paragraph was revealed:]
The right group of Outworlders creates a tribe, one that is full of ambition and zeal. Take to the snow, show them who we are. Assemble and bring back the flare. First and only first. Head these words.
[The series of numbers extracted from the error log could be read as a book cipher, with the hidden paragraph from the PDF serving as the reference text. For example, the first number 11 referenced the first letter (1) of the first word (1) in the paragraph, "t". This decryption resulted in "tightbeambiz", which could be converted to the link http://tightbeam.biz. The link (no longer active) led to a minigame where players had to click on a moving target as quickly and accurately as possible. A meter at the bottom of the page tracked cumulative attempts, and inspection of the page elements revealed that the game was set to continue until it had registered 300,000 successful attempts across all users. The link now redirects to a transmission from The Business from later in the ARG.]
03 November
[19.12, #solarisunited]
/// TRANSMISSION JAMMER DEACTIVATED ///
/// UNAUTHORISED USERS REMOVED ///
[19.40, #solarisunited]
You did it, Outworlders!
When the Corpus jammer went up, I feared the worst. I didn't think we would speak again.
But you made quick work of a challenging situation.
I did what I could to help you take down the jammer, but your efforts were extraordinary.
Tracking hacks in real-time. Sharing scripts. Spreading the word.
When I called out, I didn't imagine agents of your calibre would answer.
Well done, Outworlders. Well done.
Our team stole a shipment of Fieldron and Articulas while we were busy with the jammer.
I've added your cut to the #cache.
And thanks to your efforts, this server is now open for anyone to join.
Share this link far and wide.
https://discord.gg/lifttogether
We have agents reporting back today about the final shipment.
This is it. Stay sharp.
[The Discord server now had a universal invite code that did not expire, and anyone could join the server using the new link.]
[19:52, #cache]
While the Corpus jammer was up, our agents managed to steal a shipment of Fieldron. We also found a crate of Articulas stored away in there.
I've added your share to the Cache.
Good work, Outworlders.
An all-platform Cache code will be shared once all shipments have been stolen.
Our agents are reporting back today about the final shipment. Stay sharp.
[20.33, #solarisunited]
Urgent message, Outworlders… I have new intel.
The final shipment is missing. Help us track down the tags so we can secure it.
[A video transmission was posted to the channel, consisting of a message from The Business.]
The Business (video message): "We have a situation. The bloody Taxmen are on full alert. I need your help now more than ever. We can't find the final shipment. The Corpus must have moved it after the jammer went down. The Ventkids know where it is, but it'll be a warm day on the Vallis before they do something completely useful. They're giving us the name through coded tags, in a few different locations. Something about… "sticking it to the Taxmen". [chuckles] Well, they should know where to look for the tags. Find them, figure out the code, and give me the location in the #comms channel. And, of course, I'll make it worth your while. Stay sharp."
[A video was posted to the Warframe YouTube channel, consisting of the first transmission from The Business on 24 October, but in the description of the video was an imgur link. This image was of a scrambled piece of text that read "Where Agent 101 greets Agent 36". This was interpreted as the highways US Route 101 and California State Route 36, which meet in the town of Fortuna, California. A second video was posted on YouTube, consisting of The Business' other transmission from today, with another imgur link in the description, this being a depiction of the shape of Fortuna, CA.]
[A PDF file was also posted in the server, bee7ab59801cce47.pdf. This was protected by a password, which turned out to be the ZIP code of Fortuna, CA (95540). The PDF was a manual on road signs and driving laws, but contained hidden text much like the last PDF: a string of Morse code.]
....- ----- ·-·-·- --........ ...-- ----. --... --.. -. ..- ... --... ...--·-·-·- ----. ---.. ...------- .----...-- --... ·-·-·- --... ....- ----- ..---...-- -- .. -. ..- ... .---- ..--- ..--- ·-·-·-....- ----- ----- -.... .----
[Additional Morse code strings were found in the metadata of the PDF file if one inspected the properties. The Morse code, when translated, led to a series of GPS coordinates.]
40° 45' 14.3" N, 73° 58' 58.8"W [Bryant Park, New York, NY] (no letter, likely error)
37° 44' 24.8" N, 122° 24' 2.2"W [Oakdale Avenue, San Francisco, CA] (F)
39° 57' 7.2" N, 75° 10' 24.6"W [Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA] (T)
40° 46' 13.9" N, 73° 55' 6.0"W [Hoyt Avenue, Long Island City, NY] (no letter, likely error)
[At each of the locations in real life was a billboard advertising the pending Fortuna update for Warframe. Each billboard had a Corpus letter spray-painted in the corner (in bold next to each coordinate). Players had to find the billboards, take a picture of them, and post them to social media using the hashtag #LiftTogether, at which time The Business, using official Warframe social media accounts, would reply and confirm the correct billboard. Two of the locations had no billboard, or a billboard without a letter tag, which was later acknowledged as a mistake.]
04 November
[22:02, #solarisunited]
Not sure where this came from, but if I had to wager, it'd be the Ventkids.
Hmm, it looks like some sort of code.
Work together to figure it out. It might lead to more of those tags.
Be quick, and stay safe, Outworlders.
[A text file, Note.txt, was posted in the server. It consisted of a series of words – the names of characters, such as "underscore" and "backslash" – with whitespace filled in by # symbols. When the words were replaced with the characters they represented, a new set of coordinates was revealed, written in ASCII art.]
41° 51' 32.4" N, 87° 37' 26.4" W [Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL] (T)
40° 46' 13.9" N, 73° 55' 5.9" W [Hoyt Avenue, New York, NY] (repeat coordinate, no letter)
40° 46' 24.0" N, 73° 57' 16.0" W [79th Street, New York, NY] (L)
40° 46' 41.9" N, 73° 57' 45.8" W [5th & 81st, New York, NY] (no letter, likely error)
[Like the other coordinates, these represented billboards that had to be sought out for the Corpus letters they displayed.]
05 November
[23:21, #solarisunited]
Looks like the Ventkids hid the final batch of coordinates somewhere in here:
Knowing them, some of these coordinates won't lead to tags.
Work together to find them and decipher the code.
I'll keep an eye out for the final location name on #LiftTogether.
Good luck, Outworlders, and stay sharp.
[The Business provided a link to the hype site for Fortuna. One of the section headers, "Orb Vallis, Venus", had a hidden link to warframe.com/fortuna/ecprifoeomrdef, which displayed a message.]
Wake up, Tenno…
It's all been building to this…
Follow the red fish.
[After the message played, a Norg was shown on-screen and a rendition of We All Lift Together played. Rearranging the letters in the URL gave warframe.com/fortuna/priceoffreedom, which showed a ticker of various letters, as follows:]
FP▲JUPBX MC▼OQKD
VP▲MMCDV UC▼LTVFN
RP▲UMCYN JE▼OTURB
VP▲JGXND MD▼OKYLL
FP▲MQLRS UR▼PPAEO
DW▲JMRZU OH▼JOYNI
FP▲JILOK UD▼LMGMV
RP▲MIIOB JC▼OMVEZ
RP▲UKLPX MC▼LJYCR
VP▲MGZON JC▼OJLMJ
FP▲MTAXC MD▼OIPMZ
FP▲JXQEK UE▼LLUJA
VP▲MQODK JC▼OLORZ
CF▲POSEM QZK▼CVFXT
DF▲PHXPL ZAI▼CVUGZ
EW▲JFNZL OY▼MLGSY
[By converting the letters to numbers using a QWERTY keyboard (where Q, A, and Z all equal 1; W, S, and X equal 2; and so forth), and converting the arrows to decimal points, another set of GPS coordinates was uncovered:]
40° 46' 13.9" N, 73° 55' 5.9" W [Hoyt Avenue, New York, NY] (repeat coordinate, no letter)
40° 46' 24.0" N, 73° 57' 16.0" W [79th Street, New York, NY] (repeat coordinate, L)
40° 46' 25.2" N, 73° 57' 26.8" W [3rd & 78th, New York, NY] (no letter, but a billboard with the letter P was found at 3rd and 178th, so this may have been a typo)
40° 45' 9.5" N, 73° 59' 13.2" W [38th & 6th, New York, NY] (no letter)
40° 43' 9.9" N, 74° 0' 5.0" W [Canal & Broadway, New York, NY] (no letter)
32° 46' 27.0" N, 96° 47' 48.0" W [Akard Street, Dallas, TX] (no letter)
40° 47' 23.9" N, 73° 58' 32.7" W [89th & Broadway, New York, NY] (M)
40° 47' 20.2" N, 73° 58' 27.5" W [88th & Amsterdam, New York, NY] (P)
40° 47' 20.5"N, 73° 58' 34.8" W [87th & Broadway, New York, NY] (M)
40° 45' 7.0" N, 73° 58' 47.2" W [41th & Madison, New York, NY] (F)
40° 45' 4.4" N, 73° 58' 50.6" W [39th & Madison, New York, NY] (E)
40° 43' 17.0" N, 73° 59' 51.8" W [Lafayette & Kenmare, New York, NY] (no letter)
40° 43' 9.8" N, 73° 59' 57.9" W [Lafayette & Howard, New York, NY] (no letter)
34° 5' 32.5" N, 118° 20' 39.3" W [La Brea & Lexington, Los Angeles, CA] (no letter)
34° 3' 43.5" N, 118° 20' 51.0" W [Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles] (O)
32° 44' 46.3" N, 96° 47' 42.9" W [11th Street, Dallas, TX] (no letter)
[Like the other coordinates, these represented billboards that had to be sought out for the Corpus letters they displayed. In all, the letters found on billboards were: F, T, T, L, P, M, P, M, F, E, and O. In addition, billboards were found in Philadelphia and Los Angeles at coordinates not specified by the data, with the letters O and R, respectively. Rearranging the letters gives the phrase TEMPLE OF PROFIT if one adds an extra E and I – likely meant to have been on some of the earlier billboards – and drops the extraneous M.]
06 November
[03:57, #open-comms]
Nice work, Agent Nub. That sounds like a location here in the Vallis.
Let me send a team up there to investigate.
I will let you know more as soon as I get confirmation.
Rest up and stay sharp, Outworlders.
[Replying to a tweet by @PrimeNub asking about the Temple of Profit.]
[16:11, #solarisunited]
You were right! The final shipment went to the Temple of Profit.
Our team just came back with it. Tons of Forma just waiting to be snatched.
The debts we'll pay off with these….
We couldn't have done it without your incredible effort.
On behalf of the Solaris, thank you, Outworlders.
I will add your Forma cut to the #cache.
The Ventkids also sent along a Scrawl for your K-Drive to thank you for your efforts – something to give it more flair.
They don't hand these out to just anyone, so consider yourself lucky!
[16:15, #cache]
As promised, I've added your Forma to the Cache.
I'll send you the code to your cache once the first Outworlders arrive in Fortuna later this week.
I'll also keep your K-Drive Scrawl safe until you arrive in Fortuna.
An all-platform Cache code will be shared when Fortuna launches this week.
A PC K-Drive Scrawl code will be shared when Fortuna launches this week.
A console K-Drive Scrawl code will be shared when Fortuna launches on console.
[16:23, #solarisunited]
We've racked up quite a bounty in our short time together.
I'll give you your code to claim your share once the first Outworlders arrive in Fortuna later this week.
Make sure to claim it quickly as access will only be open for a limited time.
I can't wait to work together in person.
But when you get here, it's Eudico you'll need to talk to.
I have more intel to share on the people you'll meet down here.
I'll be in touch before you get here.
Thanks again for all of your help, Outworlders.
Until we speak again, stay sharp.
[21:17, #solarisunited]
Before we meet in person, I have some new intel I'd like to share with you.
I think you'll find this valuable.
There's a layer of encryption to keep its contents safe – answer my questions using #LiftTogether.
What controls the flash? [Answer: Those who lift together]
What was the original server version? [5.24]
Who controls the sun? [He who waits behind the wall]
Who did we lose? [HC-85]
The ___ wakes first. [dreamer]
Final question: What do we fear? [Repossession. Soon, nothing.]
[Players attempted to answer the questions on social media using the hashtag #LiftTogether. The correct answers were linked by The Business in the #open-comms channel with the acknowledgement "Response confirmed." Those who responded correctly soon received fragments of another debt portfolio. Once all the pieces were brought together, The Business posted the complete image in #intel.]
[22:28, #solarisunited]
Good work, Outworlders.
I'll add what you put together in #intel.
[22:29, #intel]
Poor Thursby. First he loses his parents on Deck 12, then he inherits their debt.
Now he's facing repossession.
I need to tell Eudico about this.
08 November
[00:35, #solarisunited]
An agent has intel for us. He's an Outworlder, like you.
He'll be waiting for you somewhere in the Origin System.
Instructions are enclosed in this document. You'll have to decipher the password: TQIRFYJ
Stay sharp.
[A PDF file, Note.pdf, was sent to the server. "TQIRFYJ" turned out to be a Caesar cipher that translated to "OLDMATE", which was the password to open the PDF. The content of the PDF was hidden, coloured white, but could be read by copying it and pasting it into another word processing application.]
Nice to meet you. Got some intel to share with ya.
Supposed to give it to you in pieces.
You should share this with our, uh, mutual friend.
1. Wear your Sigil.
2. Find me in Cetus on PC.
3. Deep Bow twice to confirm your identity.
[On Cetus, there would be a player with the name [FRIENDOFSOLARIS] in a Mag warframe. If this player was approached by another player wearing the Solaris United sigil, and was Deep Bowed twice to, they would say a message such as "qYDRDVq" into Cetus chat, and leave, going to another Cetus instance. Players had to find which instance of Cetus the Friend of Solaris was in, find them, and approach them to receive another code. The codes turned out to be imgur links (ie imgur.com/qYDRDVq), which were pieces of another debt portfolio. Once all the pieces were collected and assembled, The Business posted the complete picture in #intel.]
[03:06, #solarisunited]
Remarkable work, Outworlders.
Ah, this is about Zuud.
I'll add what you deciphered to #intel.
[03:07, #intel]
Zuud's a few circuits short of a full board, but I can't blame her.
Another Deck 12 survivor. A night of horrors, to be sure.
Precious few of us escaped alive, none of us intact, fleeing to the shadows.
Zuud lost her entire family in the flames. All six of her sisters.
Eudico still blames herself.
[05:10, #solarisunited]
I couldn't help but notice something last week.
When I mentioned my former protégé, you seemed to recognise her.
That doesn't surprise me. Her dealings around the System leave her well-connected.
More so than I ever was.
Little Duck deals in wares you might find interesting.
You can find her down here in Fortuna… if you know where to knock.
And maybe you'll learn our truth when you get here.
[18:42, #solarisunited]
This is it, Outworlders. There's one last piece of intel for us to decipher.
Work together to solve it and report back to me.
Our time together here is almost over, but on the bright side… it won't be long until we meet in Fortuna.
[A picture, showing the Solaris United logo in ASCII art, and a password-protected PDF file, Final_Intel.pdf, were sent to the server. Some of the dots underneath the Solaris United logo are filled in (while the majority are empty); the dots form a phrase in Braille that reads "howzit glinty". This is the password for the PDF. The PDF was a hype image of Fortuna, but with some strange purple- and blue-coloured bars running down the image. If these bars were separated and overlaid on the Solaris United logo, they highlighted certain blocks of characters, as shown below.]
[Counting the number of characters in each column gives 17, 17, 10, 26, 18, 4, 14; 7, 11, 14, 1, 16, 25; and 7, 22, 14, 18, 5, 21, 10. Converting the numbers into letters, based on their position in the alphabet (where A=1, B=2, and so forth) gives the strings QQJZRDN, GKNAPOY, and GVNREUJ. These are imgur links (ie imgur.com/QqJZrDN), which show pieces of yet another debt portfolio. Once the image was put together, The Business posted the complete image in #intel.]
[19:36, #solarisunited]
Outworlders, today is the day we've been waiting for. You know what's at stake now.
As we open our home to you, help us spread the word.
Report in with your Agent name and let everyone know that today, we all #LiftTogether.
https://discord.gg/lifttogether
[19:45, #solarisunited]
Excellent work, Outworlders. This intel is about Eudico.
I'll share your final deciphered information in #intel.
[19:46, #intel]
Eudico. Nef Anyo's loyal floor boss.
Or so it would seem from her report. Clean as a whistle on paper.
Her reputation is why we're still alive.
We'll all get brain-shelved if Nef finds out she's the leader of Solaris United.
Well… she was our leader.
Eudico put an end to Solaris United after Deck 12.
"No more muckin' blood on my hands," she said.
Outworlders, when you get here, Eudico is the one you'll need to talk to first.
We need to move past Deck 12.
Help me convince her to bring back Solaris United.
[20:36, #solarisunited]
Looks like some of you made it down here to Fortuna.
Thanks for all of your hard work, Outworlders.
This is the last you'll hear from me here, but there's still work for us to do.
Here's the universal code for the cache: EARSON
And here's the PC code for the K-drive Scrawl: TERMINALBIGFLIP
Make sure to claim them quickly as access will only be open for a limited time.
Restarting Solaris United is just the first spark of the rebellion.
With your help, the flames of hope will burn bright in Fortuna once again.
I'll see you in Fortuna.
This writeup used material from the ARGrakata Discord server's account of the ARG, as well as the Forum megathread for the ARG.
[Navigation: Hub → Other → Update Hype → Fortuna ARG]
10 Replies to “Fortuna ARG”