A Quick Note
I am having a hard time picking a topic for my next story riddle and have decided to make a new puzzle. Today I have combined a multitude of puzzles into a single larger puzzle to make something truly fun!
The Puzzle
Yesterday was quite odd; while out for my run I came across a note nailed to a tree:
Pier at the prefix, across the sea; add seventeen, just to find me.
Accept that the infix, is just an arc; reverse it, subtract it, add one more part.
Reverse to the suffix, it's where we began; you'll find it, you see, in the palm of your hand.
Take them together, but be advised; the fun isn't over, a word from the wise.
It was quite odd to find a riddle such as this in the woods; but I was intrigued, so I took the note and began analyzing it. After a while, a snake slithered by and I decided it would probably be a good idea to head back to the house to get dinner started. On my way back, I noticed there was something carved into my favorite tree branch:
$1, 3, 5, 6, 9$
$$ab + \frac{6b}{c} - d = 1$$
I wasn't sure what it meant either, but it was strange because I've run this trail hundreds of times; and I jump over that branch every time. I aim for it, and I have never seen this carving. I took a mental note of it and continued home.
After arriving at home, I noticed a note on the front door from the post office, but it was all scrambled up! Why would they play mind games with me? Was it a shipping number?
teN4ZreAmT6+3WQVlmRtdFj4xssVHE3zwYS8A7SSVSk=
I called the post office and they stated they had no record of the odd note. The mail man had no mail for me today.
All of this weighed heavily on my mind; but I decided to get some rest and tackle it again in the morning after a run and some coffee. So the next morning, I woke up, and went on my usual run. While I was out I encountered another odd note:
THE KEY! THE KEY! THE KEY YOU WILL NEED! LOOK TO THE FIRST; REARRANGE WHAT YOU SEE!
I finished my run and went back to working on deciphering these odd notes. What did they all mean?
Bonus Reputation Opportunity
The answer is actually the originally intended title for this puzzle. I will award $150$ reputation bounty to whomever gives the most creatively correct answer! A complete and thorough answer does not count as creative. The first complete and correct answer will receive a $50$ reputation bounty regardless of creativity. So there is a total of $200$ reputation up for grabs here. The initial $50$ reputation will begin as soon as possible after acceptance, and the $150$ reputation will be awarded two weeks after the answer has been selected. Should I award this based on up-votes, or on my own decision?
An example of a creative answer would be to tell a short story that gives the answer. A basic example with a fake answer:
As I started my car this morning, I heard a strange noise in the trunk; it came from a
tiger.
I was terrified and I called the proper authorities to handle the situation. While waiting for them to arrive, I noticed a patch of
lilies.
They were quite bright and they made me forget the noise in my trunk, even if only for a brief moment. As the authorities arrived, they handed me a piece of paper that
contained the word flower written vertically.
I thought this was rather odd, but I let them do their job, and went on my way.
Notes and Hints
Note: If you're unable to decrypt using desktop tools, or if you're having trouble decrypting, use this website. The encryption method and the key are here, you just have to find them. Also, leave the mode on CBC.
Hints: I'm not sure if people are overthinking the Riley portion or not, but the encrypted text has been solved. The math has also been solved (though not with the intended values) and is enigmatic in nature as to how it relates to the rest of the puzzle. Below you will find hints for the Riley and for the math.
Riley Hints
The word that you seek, is already given; as with all of my riddles, it is well hidden.
Search if you dare, but keep a sharp eye; for the word yes indeed, can make you die.
This riddle is broken, into three parts; the key that you needed, it seems it was TARP.
Look to the left, to the left I do say; the answer is hidden, but placed the wrong way.Math Hints
The math it would seem, has been answered as well; and just like the Riley, on letters you dwell.
Additional Tags: rhyme cipher mathematics enigmatic-puzzle
What is the original title for this puzzle?
Answer
Being new here, I've learned a lot so far from this puzzle and the associated posts already, so thank you for that. I still have a ton of questions, but let's start out small. As far as I can tell, a lot of the work has been done but there isn't a complete answer posted yet, correct? At the very least, it looks to be still open for the creative answers.
Either way, there are some things I'm looking at and I'm curious if I'm on the right track, and if any of it is a progressive contribution. So I'll just leave this thought on a popular Star Wars scene and hope that some piece of it means something: We got a clean shot of Admiral Ackbar's face as the realization of their error was setting in and he announced "It's a trap!"
EDIT:
While I feel pretty secure about puzzles one and three, I'm still uncertain as to puzzle two, so here are my thoughts:
I'm functioning under the idea that the process of solving puzzle two is fairly independent from the others, and that it's just the answer that relates. I'm also assuming the number values 1, 3, 5, 6, 9 represent characters A, C, E, F, I respectively. With this in mind, I'm looking for a four letter word (possibly with repeated characters). So far, my most favorable results that satisfy the function (apparently the same as Luke's answer) give me E, A, C, F. Thus, after some scrambling, I'm getting two words: FACE and CAFE. I'm personally leaning towards FACE at the moment.
Regardless, my followup questions then are:
1. Does the narrative of the puzzle impact the title of the puzzle, or is it primarily there as a structure for/way to represent giving the puzzles?
2. Is the title three words or are there conjunctive words like "the" and "a"? Or maybe there's more words involved, possibly sourced from the sub-puzzles.
So far, my best guess:
Face setting a trap
Feel free to edit, or inform me of proper etiquette in case I should do something differently.
Latest Edit: Well then, I have to go with:
Setting a trap
Math:
I'm still trying to work out how this one results in A. The equation equals 1, so either 1 = A or one as in vernacular singular, thus "a", etc. Or, because in all the solutions (at least that I have so far) to solve it, 1 is always used. I dunno, but I'm still gonna work on this part until I figure it out for sure.
Creative Answer: I'll come back to this one
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