This is an archival copy of the hunt; links and emails may not function.
From here, you can travel to the east, south or west.
"POPPYCOCK!"
Random Encounter! He's a dung beetle wearing a fur coat and a baseball cap. Special attack: clap trap.
"Nasty to meet you. I'm the Humbug."
He extends a claw. "Puzzles, you say? MALARKEY! I solved them all yesterday over tea. They were delicious."
He chews on some fudge. "Rhyme? Reason? You? Rescue? ABSURD!" He shakes his head vigorously, his antennas bouncing. "It's unachievable. Just yesterday I won the Un-Abel Prize for proving it."
"Stings like the dickens, no? But as a dung beetle, I'm always down in the dumps. And misery loves company. So would you please share a picture of people on your team making extremely exaggerated frowns? If you do, I shall give you a number of hints... the number two."
Email your frowns to 2018caltechpuzzlehunt@gmail.com with 'THE HUMBUG' in the subject.
You can spend a hint anytime to get help on any non-meta puzzle, in one of three kinds:
To ask for a hint, email 2018caltechpuzzlehunt@gmail.com with "HINT REQUEST" (and any additional info) as the subject line. In your email body, include your team name, the token, the puzzle name and the hint category. If you are asking for category 2, please tell us what you have done so far and include up to five clues you would like us to answer for you. If you are on the wrong track, we will give you hint 1 instead.
You do not need to ask for two puzzles at the same time. The second time you ask for a hint, simply refer to this task that you have already completed.
If you're on campus, you can swing by HQ and we're likely to give you a much bigger hint!