CD-TMG09 (May 15, 1996)
Puzzle
“Hats off.”
Knowledge | 2 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: Fair warning, this puzzle's tough. In C-RURM03, the puzzle was Aka's human identity. Do the same to our friendly Hat Man.
Clue 2: His true identity was very closely linked to his goal as a demon - refer to An Anfractuous Loop if you need to, or cheat a little and look at the old v1.0 Welcome the Dark receipts on the Wiki. You could also look at the WFS receipts in The Anathema Proxy, more specifically their answers and how to solve them.
Clue 3: DD-CND12 holds two very valuable clues. More specifically, its puzzle does.
Clue 4: You know how the cycle of life and rebirth works, right? Why that year specifically, then?
Clue 5: Someone who died in 1608, linked very closely to the Enochian language. Who could that be?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: John Dee
Explanation: John Dee was, according to Enochian magic, the recorder of the Enochian language. Umbra, the Hat Man, has the goal of seizing the Enochian bible. Additionally, DD-CND12 asks for '1608's winning query' - John Dee died in 1608.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
RECEIPT #009
FILED UNDER: AND-TMG
DATE: 5/15/96
EMPLOYEE #35
I witnessed another memory from the Redman's past… I saw the moment he became bound to the Hatman. I don't know what made him into… well… a shadow person, but through Redman's memories, I knew who he was before he became Umbra—John Dee. Here are the important parts from the memory:
It was a December night in 1608, the kind that cloaked England in a shawl of cold, eerie stillness. Outside of John Dee's study, a dense fog crept along the streets, muffling the sounds and blurring the outlines of the surrounding Tudor architecture. The air was bitingly cold, seeping deep into your bones and feeling as if it could freeze your very blood. Bare branches of trees swayed gently in the frigid breeze, casting gnarled visions that played tricks on the eye. Among the contrasts of Dee's warmly lit study was a fireplace crackling away, fighting against the cold, constantly attempting to seep through the walls.
Dee stole a light from his fire and spread it across thirteen blood-red candles. Then, staring deep into a mirror painted with matching red eyes, he chanted, "Rubeus Redman, please come, please come. I will not leave until you come." The flickering candle's soft golden light grew to be a deep, unnatural crimson as the Redman appeared in a sulfurous plume of smoke. The raging red flames threw exaggerating dancing shadows, making the shadows of Dee's room filled with arcane artifacts and esoteric books dance devilishly. Dee's eyes, sharp and calculating, met the Redman's gaze with their unspoken challenge. The air was thick with anticipation for the deadly game they were about to play—a game the Redman had yet to lose.
The Redman's voice, deep and resonant, finally broke the winter's silence. "When must the debt come due?" A smile crept across the Redman's lips. His favorite type of question, one that seemed so simple but which no human could ever—"When the dandelions bloom."
The correct answer was spoken with a confidence that betrayed no doubt. A faint smile flickered across Dee's face as it was now his turn. The magician's question was as unexpected as it was precise, "Where is the Enochian Bible?" The room grew colder with the mere utterance of those words. Damn it. DAMN IT! For the first time, the Redman was grasped by the unrelenting and uncaring grip of uncertainty. His mind raced through every realm of his knowledge, every whisper of the occult, through secrets far beyond the Otherside—but the answer eluded him. The realization dawned upon him, bringing a foreign and unnerving feeling—the sensation of defeat. His silence was his concession, his pained acknowledgment of Dee's victory. In that moment, the balance of power shifted imperceptibly.
"Down to business then."