And the game’s afoot!

First a quick explanation for those casual viewers or new fans: At the end of “Weirdmageddon 4: Take Back the Falls”, on a bus seat there is a cryptogram that decoded to, “HIDDEN DEEP WITHIN THE WOODS A BURIED TREASURE WAITS, SECRETS LOST AND STATUES FOUND BEYOND THE RUSTY GATES” This presumably refers to the short clip of a REAL Bill statue somewhere in the woods.

A few hours ago (on July 20, 2016) Alex Hirsch started off with the following messages:

you guys ready?

Let the games begin #FLSKHUKXQW

Top Message:

THE URBAN LEGEND HAS COME TRUE
CIPHER’S STATUE’S CALLING YOU
THE SECRET MAP IS IN YOUR HAND
TO TRACE THE CLUES ACROSS THE LAND

Middle Banner - PINES
Bottom Message:

DON’T FORGET IT’S ALL FOR PLEASURE
THE HUNT ITSELF’S THE REAL TREASURE
BUT A PRIZE AWAITS THE FIRST ONE THERE
BE SAFE, BE SMART, AND OF COURSE BEWARE

Red Letters - RUSSIA

Which fans quickly figured out (though, let’s be real here, GF fans are some of the smartest around) to St. Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral. @mindofaddict found the following clue there:

Finally the hunt can begin
So switch your Rubles out for Yen
Turn left when you’re at the shrine’s door
When you reach the statue turn left once more
In the leftmost corner in the back
Is the info that you lack
A sword and a crescent mark the clue
Cipher’s statue’s calling you

Which leads us to the Kanda Myojin shrine in Japan! @nyankun1 found the next clue:

Consider in your quest for truth
The hunter of the fountain of youth 400 before his name is written
Outside the gate is where its hidden
Find what’s LOST to pass the test
From a Shrine that’s east to a Shrine that’s west

Which is a clue to: 400 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. Which is a Shriner temple!

A group of sleuths livestreamed their search where they found a lost pet flyer for Waddles! (More photos here.)

The flyer was rain soaked and faded but clearly included a phone number (323-283-8650), which when called went to an answering machine by Stan— but it’s backwards. Listen to it reversed here.

HELLO, IT’S GRUNKLE STAN AND I HAVE A RIDDLE FOR YOU. WHAT HAS TWO LEGS DURING THE DAY, FOUR LEGS DURING THE NIGHT, AND, UH, IT’S RED AND WHITE AND, I DUNNO, I’M NO GOOD AT THESE RIDDLES.
IT’S AT OCHRE COURT, ALL RIGHT? THE NEXT CLUE, IT’S AT OCHRE COURT. IT’S, UH, IT’S LIKE, IT’S A BIG OLD BUILDING IN RHODE ISLAND. AND IF YOU GO UP THE STAIRS, THERE’S GONNA BE A BUNCH OF PICTURES OF NUNS ON THE WALL.
YOU GOTTA LOOK BEHIND ONE OF THE NUN PICTURES. SISTER MARY HILDA MILEY. REAL, REAL GROUCH, THAT NUN. LIFT UP THE PICTURE TO FIND A CLUE BEHIND THE NUN. ALL RIGHT? THAT’S THE WHOLE THING.
SO, YOU KNOW, BE CAREFUL WITH THE PICTURE. DON’T BREAK IT. I DON’T WANT YOU TO GET ANYONE IN TROUBLE, ALL RIGHT? YOU DON’T WANT OL’ GRUNKLE STAN GOING TO JAIL.
ANYWAY, GO TO THE PLACE, LOOK BEHIND THE NUN, FIND THE THING, AND UH, UH, ALWAYS? BE… MYS… LOOK OUT FOR MYSTERIES!!! THAT IT, DID, DID I DO IT? ALL RIGHT.

And the message on the flyer decodes to:

across from the stones of the springs
you’ll find some peculiar things
tied to a root is a lone pink key
dig to find what waits for thee

Next stop Salve Regina University in Rhode Island!