For this puzzle, teams initially solve a set of 23 cryptic crossword clues. Each clue is enumerated. Solvers will soon notice that the clue answers are presented in alphabetical order, to offer an additional layer of answer confirmation in the absence of any cross-letters. (The exception to this alphabetical ordering is the first clue, which is explicitly described as being the first step in the puzzle’s solution chain.)

The cryptic clue answers can subsequently be arranged into a single self-ordering chain where an “action” transforms each word into a new “action” that, in turn, transforms a different word into an “action.” The starting action is given as the first entry (and clued as the beginning). This is STENTER, or “ST” ENTER. This clues solvers that the chain must begin with entering ST into one of the other answers. They can do so to KERN to yield “K” STERN. Next, solvers can add a K to the back of DVORA to make the action DVORAK. When they try transforming all answers from QWERTY to DVORAK keyboards, they will find that KODAK on qwerty corresponds to “TR” EAT on the DVORAK keyboard. And so forth. The final action is an atbash transformation of the word LEVI which yields OVER, a confirmation that solvers have reached the correct end of the word chain.

As confirmation of each action step (and to prevent any red herrings), solvers are also provided with an enumeration of every action step:

Each arrow is a transformation, and each number set enumerates the action instruction. In general, action words are enumerated without quotations and the “strings” that the action acts on are given within quotations. Thus “ST” ENTER (“2” 5) in the flavor creates a transformation (first arrow) to generate the new action “K” STERN (“1” 5). This generates the action DVORAK (6), which then generates the action “TR”EAT (“2” 3). And so on. For the Playfair and Vigenere steps, the character string in quotations becomes the encryption or decryption key for that cipher.

The completed word chain consists of the following word-action-word sequence (provided here with the accompanying enumerations).

Solvers are also given an encoded string:

ZGXWOLSCREBKITZWZTLYZGFLLSVTGOWTGYZOLIMDEKSVF

This string gives the puzzle answer, encoded via the same sequence of ordered word transformations. To extract this answer, solvers must decode the title beginning with the final action transformation (atbash) and working their way backwards through the transformation chain. The decoding process is set up to be fully deterministic. Each action transformation can only manipulate the encoded answer in one precise way. This decoding process proceeds as follows:

Note that the decoding CAESAR step is a Caesar +1, which reverses the Caesar -1 shift in the encoded chain. Similarly, the playfair encoding is an encryption, so solvers must decrypt. The Vigenere encoding is a decryption, so solvers must encrypt.

Decoding the string yields the puzzle answer: INDICAXANTHIN.