Find Averno ARG

WARNING:
The following article, like the ARG itself, contains themes of reality shifting, mental illness, depersonalization, derealization, and horror elements.

Overview
The Find Averno ARG was an online scavenger hunt-esque ARG (Alternate Reality Game) that was held from December 26th, 2020 to January 2nd, 2021.

The main plot of the game was that Kennedy went missing, and the ARG participants were trying to find them. It seems that Kennedy thought Averno was real and was trying to get there. There were themes and theories around physics, alternate dimensions, vines, water, herbs, and perhaps Greek mythology. The game mostly centered via links from the ANS website linked in the "start here" Tumblr post to a whole host of Averno-related websites, many of which included images or notes, as well as clues and puzzles that might be related.

Characters in the ARG/Dazed musical
The Gamemaker- the overseer of the event


 * Tumblr +  Instagram

Kennedy (they/them) - see Kennedy's page for more information


 * Tumblr +  Twitter  +  Instagram

Echo (they/them) - Kennedy's partner (ARG) and the creator of the Find Averno sigil


 * Tumblr +  Twitter  +  Instagram

Alice (she/they) - Kennedy and Echo's mutual friend


 * Tumblr +  Twitter  +  Instagram

Averno Gossip Girl (she/her) - an ANS gossip blog that began dropping hints about Kennedy's whereabouts


 * Tumblr

Mystery Girl (they/her) - an unknown in cahoots with Averno Gossip Girl


 * Twitter

Hugo (he/him) - see Hugo's page for more information


 * Hugo's clues were being dropped via Cayden's (they/them) Instagram

Clover (she/her) - Kennedy's partner (Dazed) and a DCD student in Averno

Will (he/she/they) - a DCM student in Averno and co-host of Live from Averno


 * Instagram

Quinn (he/him) - a DLH student in Averno and co-host of Live from Averno


 * Instagram

Timeline
Early September, 2020 - Social media accounts for Kennedy, Echo and Alice are set up to establish proof of existence.

November 11th, 2020 - A team is pulled together to bulk out the clues, websites, animation and press for the ARG.

December 25th / 26th, 2020 - Kennedy goes "missing". It's later revealed that they've somehow found a way into the fictional universe of Averno.

January 1st, 2021 - The Dazed soundtrack is released almost a full 24 hours early due to distributing issues.

January 2nd, 2021 - Dazed premieres and the ARG ends.

The Discord Server
After Kennedy's disappearance, a server was created to bring together the hunters trying to solve the mystery. It was released to the public as a "fan-made" server, and hunters were told that no Averno team members were going to be on that server. This was a lie, and team members were among the first to join. Notable fake accounts include kylie101 (Morgan Smith themself) and strawberrygay (the owner of the server who was a "fan" but was in fact Ella of the Social Media team). The Discord server did a fantastic job of finding clues, solving puzzles, compiling documents, and most importantly having fun. On the topic of documents, here are the major ones!


 * The Find Averno ARG Master Doc
 * The Comprehensive Theories Doc
 * The Photo Clues Slides Presentation

Major Theories
These are some of the bigger theories developed by the fan server!

The Chess Theory

 * We found spaces from a chess board a3,a4,a5,b3,b4,c3,c5,d1,d3,e1,e6,e7,g1,h1. This was gathered by multiple people in writing clues like the bread recipe to pictures.
 * The chessboard is completely mirrored vertically down the middle of the board. The plots based on both white and black sides are the same thing. This fits the unverno/averno theory. Black and white were doing the exact same things when the moves were plotted, mirroring each other.
 * Game maker is white queen based on their pfp on Instagram meaning they have complete control of the game


 * It was confirmed that we are in fact the pawns in this game as it was in the caption on one of Caydens instagram posts. It was later changed because we were going too fast with the chess theory.
 * The quote “knight takes rook” the rook could be Kennedy but we don't know who the knight is. This fits with the whole we have to find Kennedy as they were taken from original location
 * It's connected with the whole twin theory too as both sides are doing the same moves. This suggests that they have a matching pair to follow and even out. Just like Quinn and Echo are twins.
 * Chess references are made consistently and it fits/ connects to the alice in wonderland development as alice in wonderland has a lot of chess things. It also can prove the mirrored theory as the way to get to wonderland is through a whole in the earth putting Alice in a different upside down world. Averno/unverno and wonderland/underland also upside down/mirrored worlds
 * The veil to averno can be in the middle of the board/averno town. Since the board is completely mirrored down the middle this means the veil to cross over to averno/unverno is where it's mirrored because we have the chessboard on the map. Where the vertical mirrored lime is, is where the veil to averno is and where kennedy went during witching hour to go and cross over
 * The Luzhin Defence (book where the recent note about Hugo was found) is about chess. Goodreads: A chilling story of obsession and madness. Luzhin, a distracted, withdrawn boy, takes up chess as a refuge from everyday life. As he rises to the heights of grandmaster, the game of chess gradually supplants the world of reality as he moves inexorably towards madness. This could mean that hugo might be a grandmaster in chess. The book is Luzhin Defence. It’s under fiction on the library site. You click on it to get the note hence the theory of hugo being a grandmaster in chess/
 * The moves aren't what pieces go where. But a passageway of the king and queen. The white queen is confirmed to be the game maker and one of the chess pieces that move. And we can assume that kennedy is the king which makes sense because kennedy starts with a k and so does the king. The king goes towards the town while the queen goes to the camping grounds.

Echo and Narcissus

 * Started when Alice changed their tumblr page to have a daffodil theme, saying it reminded them of Kennedy.
 * This, plus Echos name, made people start to draw connections between Narcissus (who is represented by a daffodil) and Echos relationship and Kennedy and Echos relationship.
 * The theory went as follows "Kennedy is referenced to daffodils by Alice and Echo. This links to Narcissus as he is also referenced to by daffodils. Narcissus is obsessed with his reflection and Kennedy is obsessed with finding Averno and Hugo. The link with the two Echo’s is obvious as they share the same name. The messages shown between Kennedy and Echo show how toxic their relationship became. We believe that the Narcissus-Echo Myth could be a reflection of Echo and Kennedys relationship. The idea of Echo loving Kennedy more than Kennedy loves Echo."
 * Clues that supported this theory/parallel
 * Echos "How to Become a Myth" Tumblr post
 * Gamemakers "On Myth" Tumblr post
 * Alices Tumblr theme
 * Metamorphosis play/cast list
 * The Pool Poem: “The pool is a warped reflection, always moving, why is it never still.”
 * Echo and Kennedys texts
 * Dreamspeak quote from Metamorphosis Book 3 437-473 “Strange prayer for a lover, i desire what i love to be distant from me. Now sadness takes away my strength. Not much time is left for me to live. And I am cut off in the prime of youth. Nor is dying painful to me. Laying down my sadness in death. I wish that him I love might live on. But now we shall die united. Two in one spirit.”

The Caves
Add text

Duck Morse Code

The End
The end of the ARG was heralded by a reveal of the short film / animation / musical, Dazed. Several of the character accounts said goodnight, and a Q&A was hosted on the Discord server. For the first time in a week, it was quiet.

The End pt. Two
On January 2nd, 2021 10:00PM EST, an alternate ending to Dazed—a 36 second MP3 file—was released on the Discord server as a thank you to those who were active participants during the ARG. What the ending was, only those who were on the server that night will know.

Credits
This is a comprehensive list of all credits!

Short Film Cast
Quinn - James Frazier

Will - Morgan Smith

Kennedy - Alicia Selkirk

Clover - Emma Freeman

Hugo (voice) - James Frazier

Hugo (actor) - Cayden Larrosa

Writing
Script - Morgan Smith

"Hugo" and "Unverno"- August Greenwood

Lyrics - Morgan Smith, Alicia Selkirk

Music - Alicia Selkirk

Film
Director - Cayden Larrosa

Editor - Cayden Larrosa

Audio
"Hugo" Music - Fairything

Live From Averno Music - Robin "Thawney" Thorn

Sound Engineering - Kimberly O'Loughlin

Audio Editing - Jamie Frazier

Animation
Misha - @ArtofMisha

Dillyn - @gecko_axolotl

Sofia - @sofiloafi

Noah - @sheep_found_a_knife

Thunder - @Thunder-Illustrations

Sarah - @sarahssketch

Johanna Angele-Kuehn - @ironwingartist

Emm / Mochi - @lemmon_art

Link - @fangsartistry, Linkerri

Ed B) - @ed_head15

Asteroid - @arcaneasteroid

Social Media
The Gamemaker - Morgan Smith, Abigail

Echo - Sam P.

Kennedy - Elodie Prigent, Morgan Smith

Alice - Fairything, Rowan Starling, Ella Villani

Avernostan / Gossip Girl - Emilie

Avernova - Ella Villani

Project Managers
Characters - Elodie Prigent

Clue Hiding - Abigail

Social Media Plants - Elodie Prigent, Ella Villani

Website - Abigail, Sam P.

Animation - Lexi / Autumn / Leek

Physics - Rowan Starling, Abigail

Overall - Rowan Starling

Websites
AHS Powerpoint Club - Sam P. @wooden.dowel

Al’s Grocery - LA Easley @LilLilgirl

Averno Alchemy - Morgan Smith @mythweaver_

Averno Gossip Blog - Ali Senior @aliagsenior

Averno Home Advice - Emily Price @Elissa.averno.ans

Averno HS Debate Team - Ryan Stinson @ryancstinson

Averno Public Library - Holly @holly.wheeldon

Averno’s Secrets - Sydney Stevens @sydanddoggo

Averno Town - LA Easley @LilLilgirl

Averno Thrift - Archer @aroacekate

Bree's Baking - Myrin Naidoo @asthmaticdonkey

Countdown Website - Robin "Thawney" Thorn @_Thawney

Crystal Caverns Souvenir Shop - Leo Kate @cottagecore.clutz

DUE Cryptid Blog - Sam P., Abigail @wooden.dowel, @abigail_of_averno

Live From Averno - Dorian Gray, Kylie Lynn SKIP, @_kylie_lynnh_

Moose Tracks Poetry - Sam P. @wooden.dowel

Palatable Plants - Evan @evekial

Reviews of Averno - Kylie Lynn @_kylie_lynnh_

Skyline Diner - Madison Cox, Lea Conrad @odysseyartwork, @leamitdenblauenhaaren

The Keep It Down - Dakota Newark @dkriver

Tri-Dep Theatre - Robin "Thawney" Thorn @_Thawney

Puzzle Creation
Abigail @abigail_of_averno

Fish @fishy.does.art

Mab @twobearsforever

Oli @olis.photography1

Robin "Thawney" Thorn @_Thawney

seoyoff @wooden.dowel

Physics - Nebulae System @thenebulaesystem

Reccs

Additional Credits
Closed Captioning - a very frazzled Robin "Thawney" Thorn

Concept design "Hugo", "Unverno" - August Greenwood

Fun Facts

 * Many inside jokes were made during the course of this ARG, such as "Find Avieno" a joke based on a mispronunciation that sprouted a new chaotic Discord server for people who participated to keep in touch!
 * On the Al's Grocery site, a number of the products had SKUs (barcode numbers). Many puzzle solvers and other ARG participants spent a very long time stressing over and trying to decode the SKUs, only for it to be revealed after the game that they had no meaning. Among ARG participants, the SKUs are (only half-jokingly) regarded as a topic to be avoided.
 * After some joking among members of the Discord server about whether Averno would end up rick-rolling them, the team did indeed rick-roll participants with a link on the Moose Tracks Poetry site.