01. March - The Woods

Introduction
We spoke in tongues,  Out in the thick of trees,  Made scrawny from the cold,  And built a burning and a  Towering inferno of their bones,  But now the light of ashen dawn,  It summons life to swaddle,  branches once again,  The ring is drawn,  Cast off the cold,  And enter in

Anna's Playlist:

 * Richard Dawson - Ghost of a Tree
 * Fire! Orchestra - Enter Part One
 * Songs: Ohia - Ghost Tropic
 * Nachthexen - Girls
 * Mount Eerie - Through the Trees
 * Florist - Vacation

The Puzzles
March begins the journey through the CPP.

(i)
You begin the journey with images of a leaf, a log, and rows of symbols. Your first cryptogram of the CPP! To proceed in your journey, you'll need to solve the cryptogram. You have everything you need on the page to begin. Consider the images and the first line of code. Could there be a link? The first line reads leaf - solve the cryptogram from there Message reads: ''Leaf. Choose the right bird and follow on its journey''
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * Hint 3
 * Solution

Suggestion: Keep a copy of the solved cryptogram alphabet you discover - it may come in handy later...

(ii)
Your path leads you to a forest filled with birds.

Each bird leads to its own concept and symbol. Which will you choose? To choose the correct bird you must solve (i) Look at the very bottom of (i). What letter does it highlight? The bottom of (i) points to a J, or 'Jay'. Follow the Jay's path to the Animal symbol
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * Solution

(iii)
Your path leads you to a crossword, which you must solve to continue your journey. The word down the center will guide you on your way.

Have a look at some of the images used in the art, do they help you? It's not 'mole', but you're close Moth, Vole, Deer, Frog, Owl, Bat, Fly. Down the center is ' Overlay '.
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * Solution

(iv)
The journey leads Anna to a cabin in the woods, where scattered text in red and black seem to tell a story.

Solving iii gives you the key Overlay (iv) and (v) to find the true message Overlaying the pages gives you: A''nna finds the woman in the cabin in the woods. The woman means to cast a spell and asks the girl to find her: The fingers of she who weeps and who withers; The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears; The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches; The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly''
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * Solution

(v)
Flowers (Bluebells? Lily of the Valley?) grow out of the body of a black bird. The story continues in red and black.

Solving iii gives you the key Overlay (iv) and (v) to find the true message Overlaying the pages gives you: ''Anna finds the woman in the cabin in the woods. The woman means to cast a spell and asks the girl to find her: The fingers of she who weeps and who withers; The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears; The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches; The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly''
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * Solution

(vi)
Anna is presented with a set of 12 items and their corresponding numbers. A candle, a beetle, a vial, bones, a twig, a feather, a crystal, a bell, a bowl, a bag of powder, a knife, and a flower. What must she choose to move forward?

Solving (iv) and (v) gives you the keys On which bit are you stuck? Not all fingers are human, and some plants may be said to weep Tears are mostly salt Her voice could be said to ring clear as a bell The bird may very well have been her friend.
 * Hint 1
 * Hint 2
 * The fingers of she who weeps and who withers
 * The bitter bright dust of her long dried out tears
 * The sound of her voice as it rings through the branches
 * The clothes of a friend she once reached out to dearly

(vii)
As Cryptogram Puzzle Post is still running a competition with prizes for the first season, the guide will stop here for now. Once the Season 1 prizes are completely handed out, this will describe the solution for (vii).

References and Rabbit Holes
Curious about some of the symbols on here? While some of them are created by the artist himself, others are taken from Norse Mythology and Alchemy.
 * The Meaning of Runes
 * Alchemical Symbols
 * The Hobo Code