In April of 2010, the Commissioner approached the best puzzle-solvers of the Auburn community (and the world!) with an idea for a competition to determine which puzzle-solving team would best be capable of protecting the City of Auburn from the threat of puzzle-based villainy, which had been sweeping the country.
In early October, the Commissioner made his first appearance by a video message sent to all prospective Heroes. A mysterious group, discovered later to be the Enigmatic Legion, interrupted the feed to taunt the players, however.
Careful analysis of the Commissioner’s notes (despite the typos) on the whiteboard in that video revealed that he was worried about four villains: Blackjack, Compass Rose, King Rook, and Librarian. Soon afterward, the Butler and Informant were introduced to players. The Informant was feeding the Commissioner information on the criminal underworld, while the Butler served as an assistant to all Heroes and provided clever insight and hints into how to solve the most difficult of puzzles.
Eight Teams arrived the morning of October 30th, ready to take on the Commissioner’s challenge. The Commissioner, Butler, and Informant explained the rules of the competition, and the Commissioner then began the first of his fifty semaphore-based puzzles when suddenly:
The Enigmatic Legion had taken over the competition! Each villain had his or her own flavor of puzzle villainy. Blackjack was a master of gambling and chance. Compass Rose knew the streets and maps of the world like the back of his own hand. King Rook was a chess grandmaster turned evil. Finally, the Librarian was well-read in the ways of true malice and malevolence.
Using the Puzzle Patrol Console, each Team received Puzzles in the form of video messages from the villains, leading them around the Auburn area. The nefarious Legion had stolen the Puzzle Patrol Badges from the Commissioners, the codes on which were vital to the safety of the city. The Commissioner organized the efforts by the eight teams from his Headquarters, while the Butler gave what help he could to Teams when they found themselves in a bind.
It was eventually realized that the city would not be safe, so the Informant trained the Heroes in the ways of Puzzle Rumble. The experience gained by solving puzzles earned the Heroes Super-Powers they could use in a Rumble. Finally, in the last hours of the competition, the villains were brought to justice by the Heroes.
In the end, the Black Adders were recognized as the team who had done the most to keep the city safe, and were appointed the Auburn Puzzle Patrol. The Enigmatic Legion was convicted of their crimes and sent to jail. With the world’s worst puzzle villains put away, it seemed as though the Patrol would not be needed. However, the last words King Rook spoke before being put into solitary confinement leave some with dread:
“Feel safe while you can – this is just the beginning! Our Boss will avenge us!”
The End.