logical deduction - Batman and the piano

Friday, November 16, 2018

logical deduction - Batman and the piano

Batman: Alfred. Are you there?
Alfred: Yes, Master Bruce. How may I help you?
Batman: I'm still in pursuit of The Riddler, but I've run into a problem. I've been trapped in a room with a piano, and two paintings on the wall. One of these paintings is cryptic, even by Nigma's standards. The other appears to simply be a single measure of sheet music. The rest of the room is bare.
Alfred: What of the piano, Master Bruce? Have you found any clues there?
Batman: I've examined it, thoroughly, but I don't see any way to get inside. The casing appears to be titanium alloy composite, and I can't find any cracks. I've scanned the piano, and it's clear that it is somehow connected with the doors to the room. I fear that hitting random keys, however, will just cause the doors to lock permanently.
Alfred: Allow me to see the paintings, then, if you wouldn't mind?

Batman: Here. I'm sending images of them, now.

Image Received...

Alfred: How curious, Master Bruce. Let me think...

Batman: Alfred, Nigma's getting away, and there's a bomb, somewhere in this building!
Alfred: Right. If you wouldn't mind, sir, I know of a group of people to whom I could send this information who would likely be able to assist in solving it.
Batman: Go ahead, but make sure they understand..
Alfred: We're in a hurry. Understood, sir. I'll get back to you.

Alfred: You are those people. Could you please do your best to assist us? Thank you, ever so much. I've included the transcript of mine and Master Bruce's conversation, in case it helps, at all.

Answer

D C A A F E B

Explanation

The painting can be cleaned up to look like this:

Credit to @2012rcampion

There is also visible morse code repeating around the edge of the original painting that says "VIGINEREX" Credit to @Alconja

The notes on the measure of sheet music are:

 CEGFADB

Taking the numbers from the cleaned up painting, both @Z.Dailey and @2012rcampion's analysis resulted in a pattern every numbers.

Breaking up the numbers into sets of 7 results in this:

 378 207 104   4 108  45 360
  18  99   4  28 156  20 306
 252  36  28  60 204  70 126
 108 189  80   4  24  85 198
  18  63  36   4 312  30 162
 234 189  24  84 216  55  18
 126 144   4 104  72  25  18

 432  72  68  24 240 105  90
  90   9   4 104  72 100 306
 468  81  68  96 288  65 432
 432 207 104   4 108  55  18
 126  36  72  52  72  85 108
 360 153  36  16 252  30 378
 468 171  20   4 312  30 360
 306  81  52  96 288  70 234
 108 225  52 104 168  35 108
 198   9  28  36  12 130 108

 342   9  36  84  72 100  18
 126  54  52  72 252  95 360
 108  54  80  84  60  20  18
  18 225  36   4 312  30 432
 306  54  44   4  84  90  72
 306 153  80   4 108  85 144
 306  36  28 104  72 105 432
 198   9  28  76 204  30 108
 360 153   4  16 192  85  72
 234 234  64   8 288  65 198

 378  54  16  84 228 100 108
  90 153  60   4 312  80 108
 360 153 104  72  12  35  72
 108 180  24  80 204  25 306
  54  63  68 104 180  85 252
 306 171  84 104  60  20 306
  36 153  52  24 252 130 342
 108 180  68  72 252  90 108
 360 126  28  24  12 130 432
 198 198  28  20  72   5 468

 270 153   4 104 204  25 378
 180  36  68  32 204  20  90
 306  54  80  68 312  90 378
 468 117  96  96 132  25 306
 144 153 104  20 240   5 162
 126  45  64  68  72  85 270
 108 189  32  68 132   5 126
 234  36  68 104  72 110 126
  90  54  52  64  84 130 270
 306

As listed on the painting the key is "WHO I AM," so taking the values of the characters in "RIDDLER" you get:

 18   9   4   4  12   5  18

Dividing the numbers down the columns by their key and converting to text you get: UWZAIITAKAGMDQNDGOQNGFUTABQKAGIAZFIMUFURKAGPAZFEAXHQFTUEEAAZFTQZIQXXMXXWZAIKAGDRMFQFTQIDUFUZSEAZFTQIMXXNMFYMZNGFKAGIAZFSAIUFTAGFMRUSTFFTUEDAAYIAZFXQFKAGRDQQTAIQHQDGZFUXKAGSQFFTQADPQDMZPBXMKUFDUSTFEQOAZPFTQZRAGDFTFTQEQCGQZOQNQSUZEDQBQMFUZSFTQRURFTNGFAZXKVGEFAZOQAZQEUJDQHQDEQFTQZRUZMXXKEQHQZETAIGEPQFQOFUHQKAGMDQZFVGEFMPGZOQ

with a shift by 12 (or 90, since the words were turned 90º) a poem is discovered:

 I KNOW WHO YOU ARE BRUCE BUT I HOPE YOU WON'T WAIT
 IF YOU DON'T SOLVE THIS SOON THEN WE'LL ALL KNOW YOUR FATE
 THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL BATMAN BUT YOU WON'T GO WITHOUT A FIGHT
 THIS ROOM WON'T LET YOU FREE HOWEVER UNTIL YOU GET THE ORDER AND PLAY IT RIGHT

 SECOND THEN FOURTH THE SEQUENCE BEGINS REPEATING THE FIFTH BUT ONLY JUST ONCE
 ONE SIX REVERSE THEN FINALLY SEVEN SHOW US DETECTIVE YOU AREN'T JUST A DUNCE

Credit to @f" and @Varon.

Using the specific instructions along with the notes in the measure (CEGFADB)

 SECOND THEN FOURTH THE SEQUENCE BEGINS
 REPEATING THE FIFTH BUT ONLY JUST ONCE
 ONE SIX REVERSE THEN FINALLY SEVEN

The second note is E, the fourth is F
The fifth note is A and repeat it once (AA)
The first is C the sixth is D
This results in EFAACD which needs to be reversed to DCAAFE then add B (seven)

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Friday, November 16, 2018