powered by FreeFind (N.S.T.) National Neopolitan Museum Archive: Volcano Mystery Solution

First of all, the five guardians of the volcano would like to thank all of you for rescuing them, and warding off the evil shaman from unleashing the power of the volcano. The Mystery of the Volcano was a plotline introduced on September 24, 2003. Clues were sporadically released and the mystery was completed on October 18. Here is the solution, if you were wondering how the mystery was solved.

Let's start by looking at the map they used for the mystery:

The first trouble occurred when the Tiki Tack man was kidnapped:

On the Tombola page, you see:

Tiki Tack Tombola Weird... The Tiki Tack man is nowhere to be seen. He never leaves his tombola unattended (and if he does, there is usually a note)... and it also looks like there was signs of a scuffle, as some of the items have been knocked from the shelves. I wonder where he has gone?

In the Tiki Tack Shop, you see:

Sorry, this shop is closed temporarily...

If you went to visit the Island Mystic afterwards, he gives a vague statement:

"Oh no... could it have started already? What has happened to the Tiki Tack man???"

The second victim was the Techo Master.

In the Mystery Island Training School, you see:

Mystery Island Training School You look strong. However, you must leave. A school without a master is nothing, and that is what we have become, for only last night our honourable master was stolen from us. We fear he was kidnapped, for there was signs of a strong fight. Chairs knocked over, and strange holes burned into the sides of the school wall. If you could help us at all we would appreciate it. We do not know what, or who could overpower such a skilled fighter, but he is obviously a foe worthy of great respect.

Viewing the source code, you discover:

<p> If you could help us at all we would appreciate it. We do not know what, or who could overpower such a skilled fighter, but he is obviously a foe worthy of great respect. <!-- Looking closer, you see footprints leading to the north. Two sets. You see nothing else. //--> <center><form action='index.phtml' method='get'><input type='submit' value='Back to Mystery Island'></form></center><!--footer-->

If you try to approach the volcano at this time, you are stopped by a Fire Faerie, claiming Queen Fyora sent her down to stop pets from approaching the dangerous volcano, which is now belching smoke:

If you try to visit the volcano, you see:

The Volcano In the centre of Mystery Island, just above the gigantic Techo Head, is a huge volcano. Thankfully the volcano is dormant, however recently smoke has started to issue out of the vast caldera once more. Could it be a passing thing, or a huge eruption about to happen? Nobody is packing their bags and leaving the island, so it can't be that much of a threat! One of the legends of Mystery Island speaks of a gigantic beast, a mile high, that was trapped inside the volcano to stop it burning down the whole island. Mothers usually tell this story to their children at night to stop them from venturing too far into the jungle however! STOP!!! "Don't go any further. As soon as I heard what was happening here on Mystery Island, Fyora sent me straight down here to try and help. I have no idea who is behind this recent spate of kidnappings, or why the volcano has started to smoke, but I am determined to find out." "For the time being, please do not go any further. I am concerned for your safety, and nobody on the island is to go near the volcano at all. Queen Fyora's orders."

The Island Mystic soon disappears himself. In the Island Mystic's hut, you see:

The Mystery Island Mystic The Mystic is nowhere to be seen... Eek! I am glad you arrived in time, I was so scared!! However... a young Acara named Mora sits on the bed. "I came here a couple of days ago, to get my fortune told, and the nice old mystic he had these cards, these magical cards that could see the future. Anyway, he turned the first card over, and there was a picture of a volcano, and then the second card, that was a volcano too, and then the third card - that was a volcano. He looked really worried." "... then there was this noise, and I hid under the bed. I think somebody came and took the Mystic away, I don't know who, and I dont know why... and I've been too scared to leave since. I think the volcano is going to erupt, and the whole island is *waaaaaaahhh*" Mora is very upset, I think it's best you leave her alone...

This was found in the source code:

<p> Mora is very upset, I think it's best you leave her alone... <p> <!-- Looking closer you see two sets of footprints leaving the hut. //--> <center><form action='index.phtml' method='get'><input type='submit' value='Back to Mystery Island'></form></center><!--footer-->

Refresh, and you'll also get this message:

<p> Mora is very upset, I think it's best you leave her alone... <p> <!-- Looking closer you see two sets of footprints leaving the hut.You also find a single red feather on the floor near the door //--> <center><form action='index.phtml' method='get'><input type='submit' value='Back to Mystery Island'></form></center><!--footer-->

At this point, we were also introduced to the following red herrings...erm codestones...or whatever...

There also seems to be a set of 6 new red codestones: This should prove interesting since The Island Mystic played a key role in "deciphering" them when Sloth invaded for the first time and The Techo Master charges codestones for training. A shot in the neocam seems to hint that you can combine the Har and Vo codestones to create one of them, but so far we haven't figured out how to do that...

Next victim was the Tiki Tour Guide!

If you visit the Tiki Tours, you see:

Tiki Tours Daddy is gone!!! *waaah* Oh no! Who would want to kidnap the Mystery Island Tour Guide? It seems that somebody came in the night, smashed up his cart, and stole him away. The mysterious kidnapper has struck again! Is there a pattern behind these recent crimes? Where have all these islanders been taken? One thing is for certain - nobody has a clue!

Obviously, we need to find a way past that Fire Faerie... If you view the source code for that page, you will find the following near the bottom:

Which hints at this URL:

http://www.neopets.com/island/volcano_paths.phtml

Let's follow the volcano path... Hello!

Volcano Tunnels The trail leads to a small cave in the base of the volcano. The Fire Faerie hasn't noticed you so far, and you heard that the Coco JubJubs made these passages years ago ... so why not? You enter the cave cautiously, fearing what may lurk inside. It's dark, but you are barely able to make out a fork in the passage. Do you go left or right? Which way will lead to the mysteries of the Volcano? Choose wisely...

Getting to the endo of this maze was a bit tricky. Here is what you needed to do. Put your mouse over the two different tunnels. Each of them has a different "longNumber" value. Write down both of them and refresh. One of the two numbers will be the same (might be on the other tunnel though) and the other will change. Click the one that has the same number as one of the ones did before you refreshed. Keep doing that until you get to the faerie (About 15 screens). If both of them changed you had to hit back and try again.

Oooooops...wrong way...	Right way, but now what...

Once you meet the Fire Faerie again, this is what you see:

Volcano Tunnels Finally, after your long journey through the winding tunnels, you see a light. You round the corner and are met by a Fire Faerie. She looks might angry. You're not allowed in here. Get out NOW! With that, she begins chanting what sounds like a spell. It might be best if you didn't stick around to find out what she's casting... RUNNNN!

Next, disaster strikes as Jhuidah goes missing. With her also goes access to the Trading Post.

Island Trading Post Nooo! Not the Island Faerie too!! The Island Faerie is nowhere to be seen, and the doors are locked. I hope you didn't have any items in there, because they aren't coming out until these kidnappings are stopped!

From the Cooking Pot:

Cooking Pot, but no Faerie :( We thought that the kidnapper wouldn't strike again, but he (or she, or it) has! The Island Faerie is nowhere to be seen, there is no note, no sign of a struggle, nothing. Without the Island Faerie here the pot may not work the way it is supposed to...

Clue #2 Repeatedly refreshing, you find:
<-- one set of footprints leads away to the north //-->
and
<-- you see a ripped, burned_note on the ground next to the pot //-->"
which led to this image:

However, the note is very vague. To get enough information, you had to visit the parrot on Mystery Island (which was also involved in the Coltzan's Crown plot)

http://www.neopets.com/island/parrot.phtml

Clue #3 Refreshing, the parrot eventually says these clues:

'...but what if I turn into a Uni???'
'Yeah, just give me time to find the ingredients...'
'I'm going to need some Peach Jelly!'
'I'll come to pick it up tomorrow'

If you drop by the Rock Pool, though, you'll find this:

See her in the fish bowl?

Going to the magic cooking pot and using the following recipes (from the burnt letter) will create a potion.

Green Uni Morphing Potion + Peach Jelly + Slugroot = Botago Plant.

Botago Plant + Tagobo Plant = Tagobo Potion.

Take this potion back to the Rock Pool and click on Jhuidah to give it to her. This is what happens:

Something Has Happened! You are now eligible to use 'Free Jhuidah!' as an avatar on the NeoBoards! Ugggh, my hair! I have to tell you what happened, it was terrible. I was just standing at my pot, trying out a few new ingredients... in fact I was trying to make this root, Botago Root for a friend of mine. It turns out that it has magical shrinking properties. So anyway, I hear these footsteps, and this strange language behind me... and there he was, a squat little shaman, with these red feathers in his hair. I asked him what he wanted, but I don't think he understood my language. He walked up to me, and pushed me into the pot, and, well I can only assume that I started to shrink, because when I came around I was trapped in this stupid bowl. This shaman is behind the kidnappings, he must be. To help you on your quest I will let you in to a secret. The kidnappings are not random, I hoped they were, but now I know that there is a purpose behind them. The five of us were entrusted a long time ago as the keepers of Mystery Island. There is something horrible in the volcano, something really bad, and if it escaped it could mean doom for the whole island, and the power that we were given all those years ago has kept the volcano sealed and the evil at bay. I fear that this shaman is trying to get us out of the way so he can release this evil on the world, and by kidnapping the keepers of the volcano he may have got a good start. You must search the island for the four remaining people and free them, the fate of the whole island lies in your hands! I can tell you two things that will help you on your quest. Firstly, it seems that this shaman has an evil sense of humour (hence where I have spent the last 24 hours!). Secondly, he doesn't want to hurt us, he wants to hide us somewhere where we will never be found. GOOD LUCK!

You can ONLY use the avatar if you freed her before it was release in the news.

Clue #4 Later, returning to speak to Jhudiah, she mentions a NOTE she has found:

Wow - look at this! I found this earlier in the bushes over there. I am not sure what it is, but it may be an important part of the puzzle in rescuing our friends! I think it is some sort of language, but not one I have ever seen before, and believe me, I have been on this island for a long time!

Decoding the letter is simply a case of replacing symbols with letters of the alphabet. Since the most common letters are vowels, as they are used in every word, look for the symbols that repeat themselves the most. One three letter word pops up repeatedly in the note. The most reasonable explanation is that this is the common word in the English language, "the".

Go through the rest of the note and replace all the other symbols that match the 3 symbols that create the word "the". However, you'll notice there is a profound lack of "E's". This is because TWO different symbols actually represent "E", which leads you to a dead end, as you do not know what other symbol is "E".

However, you find a two-letter word that starts with "T". The only word this can create is "to". Replace the matching symbols with "O". Continue matching letters and deciphering words, and eventually the note will become clear.

Translating the note, it read:

PS.

You were correct: with the four of them gone, the power of the ancients was weak enough to open the first seal: Jhuidah can do nothing now, she is harmless: My minions are working on reaching the second as we speak: when all three are down, the secret of the volcano shall be yours, my lord: when going on safari, safety is of the utmost importance: make sure you pack at least three large pian leaves, nine Pinannas and seven kraku berries in case of poisons. At 8 o'clock every day you must prepare the camp. . It is only two Hours till nightfall and the island can get very dangerous.

J.

Two new locations have appeared on the map. The Beach and Techo Mountain.

Also, the Fire Faerie is now deeper in the cave:

 

Inside the Volcano Finally, after working your way through the dark, winding tunnels, you round the final corner and make your way into a huge opening. You should have been more quiet, however. If you had, the Fire Faerie wouldn't have noticed your arrival. No, the incantation is nearly complete! How did you get in here!!! GET LOST!!!

Clue #5 Island Mystic's word

The Island Mystic has resurfaced, and tells his tale:

I am back! I can tell you little about my captivity, where I went, or what happened, because I was unconcious most of the time. However, in my weakened state I believe that somebody... or something is trying to unlock the volcano. Yes, inside the volcano lives a beast of mythic proportions. If his power is harnessed, who knows what evil will come to the world. I think it is already too late, I was unable to stop the seal being broken. You must hurry, find the other guardians of the volcano and free them, for only then can we join together and close the seal on the volcano and trap the beast forever. I have one thing you may need - a word. It is part of a spell, and my word is 'Awaken'. Guard it wisely!

Clue #6 Tiki Tack man's magic word

The Tombola man is also back, though he seems a bit odd... as compared to

Only one place to Fetch, and that's in the Haunted Woods. Choose to play a game of Fetch! When "master" demands something, keep refreshing until he asks for a "Magic Tiki Mask." Once you retrieve it, he lets you keep it. With it in your inventory, go back to the Tombola, and he will give you this clue:

Tiki Tack Tombola Ahhh, got me old mask back! You saved me, and I can't thank you enough! I was cursed with an evil mask, and was under the control of that shaman! He is loose on the island, and he is trying to open the volcano and free that beast inside! I don't know what his plans are after that, but I'm betting we aren't going to like them. You must look for the others. When we are all free we will be able to seal the volcano up once more, for the safety of the whole of the Island! I have a word that will aid you in your quest, and that word is 'Beast'. Maybe you should ask Jhuidah what her mystery word is! Thanks, Good Luck, and when this is all over how about you come back for a nice game of Tombola!

So...let's go ask her at http://www.neopets.com/island/cookingpot.phtml?ask=mysteryword...

Cooking Pot Hmmmm... Ahh, yes, I remember there was some sort of secret word that I was supposed to remember. I think I even wrote it down at some point, but now I just can't remember it at all. It's as if it has been removed from the whole of the history of Neopia!

And it has....the word "of" was removed from all the Neopedia entries.

Clue #8 Tiki Tour Guide's word

If you visit the distraught children of the Tiki Tour Guide, they will hint about Jhudora. If you visit her on her cloud and view source, you find:

<-- askabout tikitourguide //-->

add ?askabout=tikitourguide to the end of her URL, and she'll respond:

Jhudora's Cloud You want to know about that talking statue? Oh, yes I bought that little guy from a merchant on Mystery Island. Cute little fellow, only 2 inches high, but you'd think he was alive. It was a great ornament for my mantlepiece for a while, but then it kept screaming 'HELP', which got on my nerves. I eventually gave him away to somebody who did a quest for me. Can't remember the guy's name, but I know he loved coconuts and tiki, and all that rubbish...

Go to the shop wizard and search "Tiki" until you find an item with Tiki in its name that few shops have. Such a big fan of Tiki must have a gallery, right? Eventually you may find "Tiki Shield" and only one person in Neopia has it... cocoluvr_y5

At first glance, it looks like any other user shop, but if you hover over the tiki plushie, it will say "Help Help" rather than the typical rollover description.

The tagobo potion, which can no longer be made at the Cooking Pot, but is now restocking, has to be used once more. If you attempted to send the tagobo potion to user cocoluvr_y5, you'd receive this message:

AT LAST! Thank you so much for saving me! I was stuck in that stupid shop for days.. not able to do anything about helping my friends back on Mystery Island! It will take me a while to get my power back, as that shaman has stripped me of all that I can do to help. You must rescue the others. I can tell you two things - I think they are trying to release the beast within the volcano, and that one of the words to summon the beast is 'Ancient'. Good Luck!

Clue #9 Backtracking the note Jhuidah found; Since pian leaves are not an item, something else was being hinted at in the note. That is the idea of a "Safari" and the numbers, 3,9,7,8, and 2. If you go to the neighbourhood section of NeoHomes, look up Mystery Island: Safari Lane: then address 39782.

This leads you to:

Neo Neighbourhood You find an abandoned house... on the floor seems to be scrawled some sort of combination... maybe to a safe! 59 39 18 19 04 24 58

Clue #6 Visiting the beach you find, while refreshing, letters that appear in the sand. Using the numbers from the Neohome, you can see which letters you need, and when they appear.

59 = H
39 = Y
18 = A
19 = K
04 = L
24 = O
58 = B
57 = S
05 = F

When you journey to the other new location, Techo Mountain, it demands a password.

Techo Mountain Nobody knows who carved this mountain, it has been on Mystery Island as long as anybody can remember. People assume the carver was a Techo, who made the mountain in his own likeness. The Mouth is Closed A voice suddenly booms 'What is the PASSWORD????'. Do you have it?

Enter the letters HYAKLOB into the end of the URL and the mouth opens, revealing the Techo Master.

However, he seems to be petrified in stone. You have the option of performing various martial arts moves against him. Choose the moves in this order to wake him:

Short left kick
Uppercut
Right straight punch
High block
Left straight punch
Low Block
Roundhouse
Left Cross
Right Jab
Right Hook

The stone statue shivers and creaks, and suddenly transforms into a living, breathing Techo! The Techo steps forward and nods. "Thank you, young grasshopper. You have freed me from my prison, and learned a surprising amount about martial arts too. Now run along and help free the others. You will need a word in order to defeat your enemies, and that word is 'Magma'. Run now, there can be no more delays.

Now, with all the magic words, return to the volcano, and add this to the end of the URL:

Ancientbeastofmagmaawaken

At the sound of your magic words, a huge, fiery Moltenore flies out of the volcano and lunges towards the Fire Faerie! It's not looking too good for her at the moment.

Oh no! What have you done!?

After properly dealing with the Fire Faerie, the Moltenore turns to face you and lets out a ferocious growl! What are you going to do?

You have the choice of "Run away! Run away!" or "Cowering sounds good."

Both lead you to the shaman, with slightly different messages:

Cowering doesn't do you a bit of good. You may not be able to see your fate since your head is buried in your arms, but that doesn't mean you won't be devoured.

OR

In your haste to get as far away from the gigantic Moltenore as possible, you don't see the mound of hardened lava in front of you and trip right over it. Falling flat on your face doesn't seem to help your situation.

AND

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, an evil shaman appears! (Perhaps in a puff of smoke, perhaps not. You didn't see his actual appearance.) It was he who ruled over the Moltenore, and it angered him that you knew the proper incantations to control it. The volcano begins to tremble. Bits of rock and dirt fly everywhere and you can hardly stay on your feet. In an effort to prevent you from ruining his plans, the shaman begins casting a spell that, by the sounds of it, could be nothing but pure evil.

Icarnatu ferosta lecktah! Icarnatu ferosta lecktah!!!

The strange chanting is just a red herring. To discern the words you need to destroy the shaman, you must call upon the wisdom of the Island Mystic. If you refresh repeatedly, he gives you these clues:

-A creature can help us defeat the shaman.
-They will arise from their sleep, and our enemies forever begone.
-He who has lived a thousand years will return to protect us from evil.
-Fiery Rock will illuminate the darkness.

Each sentence had a correlation the previous mystery phrase

Fiery Rock: Magma
Arise: Awaken
Thousand years: Ancient
Creature: Beast

Using the last word of each sentence, you can form this phrase:

Begoneevilshamanofdarkness

allowing you to create the final URL!

http://www.neopets.com/island/inside_volcano164523.phtml?shaman=scaredycat&mysteryphrase=begoneevilshamanofdarkness

You've done it! After shouting the incantation the shaman hoped no one would ever discover, he disappears in a puff of smoke! The trembling ceases and the Moltenore rests quietly in the belly of the volcano where it belongs.

The five guardians whom you so bravely helped rescue rush to congratulate you and thank you for your heroism! You've saved Mystery Island from certain doom!

Thank you so very much!

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