So a couple of days ago, various genre news outlets, writers and filmmakers began receiving strange, mysterious black envelopes. Inside were letters featuring what looked like ancient script. Now, we at Dorkgasm love a good ARG, so our interest was piqued. We ate up the news that this might be tied to a video game, or a new film project. Of course, we sought out content and were directed to http://chishio.jp
There, we found the following:




The first note is Persian Cuneiform, the second is Theban, The third is Meroitic, and the fourth is Ugaritic Cuneiform.
Now, you might think that they would translate to something. They don't. That really is a let down, but it also lets us know that the geniuses over at 42 Entertainment are most likely NOT behind this one. This reminds us more of the garbage we saw surrounding the Cloverfield release, which was more like a cock tease than a blowjob, to put it in terms most people can understand. But wait, it gets even more ridiculous!
So we hear that this all ties to a site called http://www.revenantones.com and we head over there today. There, we see a countdown and wait the 25 minutes or so to see what happens. At the end of the wait, a hot girl came on the screen and a "QUEUE" button became active. We hit "QUEUE" and watched another countdown. The video was bring as hell, as there was no sound. Maybe the girl was having audio issues? See for yourself:
Finally the countdown ends and an echat client comes up. Now we can hear the girl, so we ask why the envelopes that went out were writen in dead languages. In a tone that was more snarky and bitchy, like a booth-babe turning down a basement dweller's advances, she told us "If you were worthy you might already know why."
Then she hung up... Ouch!
As best we can tell, none of the people who recieved these envelopes has any freaking clue as to why they got one, or what it all really means. A few people have worked out that this is all likely tied to a new HBO show called True Blood. If that's the case, I just hope it's better than John From Cincinatti, because they really need a hit. I mean, Deadwood, Sopranos, Rome, Six Feet Under,and Carnivale are long gone and SORELY missed.
So keep your eyes open for more on this one folks, but don't get your hopes up. If you're looking for something cool and interactive, head over to http://batman.wikibruce.com/ and see how a GOOD viral internet marketing campaign should run.
Comments
Chishio weird ass letters
This is a response I got from a gentlemen from the Phoenician society...
"-----Original Message-----
From: S. George Khalaf [mailto:slim@phoenicia.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 5:02 PM
To: djuno@qwest.net
Subject: Re: mysterious letter
Importance: High
Hello Danielle,
Thank you for visiting "A Bequest Unearthed, Phoenicia" and for taking the
time to write.
The main script used in this letter is definitely Canaanite Phoenician but I
regret not being able to decipher it. Like Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic and
Syriac, the text reads from right to left
<---------- like this
& the letter are:
? L ? S A ? L M R H Y ? R
S L ? S L ? M ? L ? M R H
(? Means unable to recognize)
The red wax seal seems to be in the script of Thailand, maybe? It is very
hard to see.
Other people had received similar letter who, in turn, scanned them and sent
them on to me. I am sorry; I am unable to be of much help.
This site, a labor of love for preserving and disseminating information
about our heritage, is continuously growing with new materials as time
permits.
Kind regards,
Salim* George Khalaf, Byzantine Phoenician Descendent
* from Shalim, Phoenician god of dusk, whose place was Urushalim/Jerusalem
"A Bequest Unearthed, Phoenicia" < Encyclopedia Phoeniciana
http://phoenicia.org
Virtual Center for Phoenician Studies
Chapel Hill, NC
USA"
I share this because it may add some interesting dispute to your conclusions of the script origins...
Now dont get me wrong, I am not trying to disprove anything you found out, its just really fucked up to be a recipient of this when you don't have any affiliation or connection to any of the other people that have received a letter. It's was freaky first of all, but the more I find out I realize its may be some gay attempt at a promo for something, and that pisses me off. My question is how the hell did we get on this "list".
I dont know, its just weird and way out of our element....
Any and all insight on this is greatly appreciated! Especially after watching that gay fucking webcast which was clear as mud and a waste of time.
Canaanite?
AH!!!! That explains why Persian doesn't seem to work well...
As for why certain people ended up on the mailing list, I have a hunch that there's a personal connection between the recipients... Somebody got a job in marketing and hit their rolodex is what it seems like...
As for the web cast... I've had more fun watching paint dry...
How do you know?
How do you know the letters don't translate to anything? Just because you haven't figured it out doesn't mean they don't have a translation, right?
Translations
The letters might be a cypher, but I doubt it... As for direct translation, try it yourself and you'll see I'm right...
An artist thought the symbols looked cool and used them... Yeah for free font websites I guess!
The Key
Play along...
Go on the http://revenantones.com site tomorrow, and play like you're a vampire looking to order synthetic blood... That should get a better response than most have seen so far...