A few days ago, a mysterious envelope appeared on the floor of your foyer early in the morning. Staring at your name on the front, there is no doubt it was meant to find you. It must’ve been slipped under the base of your door during the night, but by whom? Each individual letter of your name is written with great care and adorned by fanciful flicks, but the sender left no name or return address. Curiosity begs you to open it and so you do only to find an invitation to an exclusive masquerade inside. The invitation explains that to RSVP you must leave a single candlestick lit in a window tonight then await privately arranged transport the night of at 7 o’clock. Intrigued, you decide that you will attend and rush off to get your costume in order. Perhaps the mystery of your host shall be revealed once you arrive.

The night of the masquerade comes and you have to admit that you’re excited to attend despite the uncertainty that surrounds it. A coach arrives outside of your residence at the exact time it was scheduled to. An unfamiliar attendant dressed in all black, including an elaborate mask that shields any discerning features, descends from it to beckon you over by name. He informs you that he has been instructed to escort you to the party, but that you must wear a blindfold for the duration of the trip. Reluctantly, you agree to the terms and clumsily climb into the back of the coach with the attendant’s assistance.

What seems like thirty minutes pass before the coach comes to a halt and you can both hear and feel the carriage shift as the attendant descends from the transport to help you back out. It is clear that you are no longer within the town itself as the smell of ancient pinewoods after rainfall mixed with the dark tang of an abandoned peat bog’s earthy aroma fill your nostrils. The attendant informs you that you may remove your blindfold and you do not hesitate.

As your eyes adjust, you are greeted by a large castle property that you do not recongize. Exiting the coach only intensifies both your awe and uneasiness. A caledonian forest littered with larger than average fly amanita mushrooms surrounds you for as far as the eye can see, but you do not recall one being within this distance from your town. A marsh bog can be seen vaguely in the distance between the trees and as you squint you are able to spot fleeting will-o'-the-wisp lights dancing along the tall vegetation. The attendant clears his throat to get your attention before extending his arm in the direction of the castle door.

Slowly you climb the numerous steps that lead to the door before utilizing the large knocker to announce your arrival. Seconds later, the door begins to creak as it is slowly opened to reveal a candlelit hallway. The sounds of other guests enjoying themselves can be heard from inside as the laughter of the night echoes off the walls. Stepping inside, you are startled to realize that there is no one behind the door or even nearby that could have opened it. You slowly close it before heading inside the castle that smells distinctly like lavender and cinnamon.

At the end of the hallway it opens to a large ballroom decorated beautifully with flowers and more candles than you’ve seen in your entire life. The orchestra plays from the corner as party-goers dance in the center. A female in a stunning blue dress hands you a note, but before you can peek at it, someone with a charming smile comes by to sweep you off to dance. Out of the corner of your eye, the woman disappears into the crowd.

Welcome to the The Masquerade Mystery! This activity is brought to you by Jade #113 and Jaya #2021, inspired by our horse mascot entries Aingeal and Alasdair. Their story is a partial retelling of the Hamilton musical with a twist!

Someone clearly wants you to uncover the truth behind the recent rumors circling Scotland’s upper echelon. A recent addition to the city who has worked hard to raise himself from his low-born station has been.. different as of late. But why? Shortly after arriving to the party, you are slipped a note written in code. You must search the castle to discover how to decipher it before the party ends!

"V DEO EVPXHEG IUEI PVXUI. V WADHCJHZ QCWL IUH HZXH WQ IUH XECZHPD ED DUH GRCHZ EGEDZEVC IW IUH AWX. V OEIYUHZ ED DUH YUEPXHZ UVL. YGEVLHZ UVL DW V YWRGZ PWI. UH AHGWPXD IW UHC PWO, IUHVC ZHDIVPVHD QWCHJHC VPIHCIOVPHZ. ARI DIVGG, DUH OVGG PHJHC AH DEIVDQVHZ. UH OVGG EGOEND CRP HJHP VQ VI VD WPGN E UWGGWO, ACVHQ CHDKVIH QCWL UHC XCVK."

Some of these clues will be obvious while others may be a little harder to spot, but all hints can be found on pages related to the two mascots. There are 20 clues altogether to uncover. An activity worksheet can be found HERE. While we do encourage you to use the provided graphic for this activity because it will make it easier to keep track, you are not required to submit it to complete the activity. If you opt not to, you must provide a complete list of all cipher clues you located (I.E. A=X) and the full deciphered message separately.

Complete the cipher and decode the final note before March 19th to receive 5mil HPD and be entered into a raffle for a one-month upgrade. Two winners will be drawn by March 21th.

We are excited for you to partake in our activity and hope you find it fun! If you have any questions, message Jade #113 for assistance. We hope you consider Aingeal and Alasdair when it is time to vote. Thank you! ♥

This is amazing

Isn't it?! Def gonna put some time aside to complete this. ^^

Wow! This is super cool! I'll def have to set aside some time for this as well; it looks fun! 

That was fun and different.

Thank you so much for all the kind words! We know this is a hectic time with mascot activities so we fully understand if people are too busy to take this on as well. We just wanted to create something fun and thought that allowing it to run the whole duration of the contest would give people time whenever they found it to peek into this. We appreciate all the positive feedback we have received so far. It warms our hearts. ♥

So far only two people have completed the activity and been entered into the raffle! The odds are certainly in your favor if you want to join in as well. (:

I am working on this slowly! I really really love that y'all chose to have such an extended due date - it defintiely helps! 

Obligatory weekly bump! Four players have successfully decoded the message so far. Thank you for your participation! Stay tuned for their backstories closer to March 19th to fully understand what transpired that fateful night!

@Sat - We're happy to hear that the extended due date is helping! We hoped it would. ♥

Weekly bump! ♥

Four players have completed the activity so far. Very good odds of winning one of the two one-month upgrades. (:

This was so much fun!
Thank you!

Weekly bump! ♥ But this one is a special one!

Aingeal's backstory has been posted which provides more information relating to this activity's setting and the coded note you've all worked so hard to decipher. If you have time and are interested, I highly recommend giving it a read. It can be found in this thread! Alasdair's is also available today which shows a different perspective of the events. (:

Thank you again to everyone that has participated thus far. This will be the last week that you can complete the activity! No further entries will be accepted past 11:59 PM EST (HP Time) Sunday March 19th. ♥

This is the final bump before this activity will end at 11:59 PM EST (HP Time) Sunday March 19th and winners of the one-month upgrades are drawn. You still have some time left to participate! ♥

The activity is now complete and the winners of the raffle have been drawn!
Congratulations to Arzu and Moorfine on winning a six-month upgrade!



Thank you again to everyone who participated. We hope that you enjoyed it.
The 2023 mascot competition will be done before we know it. Time really flew!
Please think of Aingeal and Alasdair when voting!

Thank you! ♥