The Sorcerer and the Muggles
The forbidden knowledge of the Cathars of Béziers
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1209, the Albigensian Crusade descends upon Béziers. The Papal Legate allegedly declared: "Kill them all, God will know His own." Thousands of innocents perish. But a Cathar parfait, keeper of forbidden knowledge, hid his secrets in stone before the massacre.
Where the muggles burned what they could not understand, the grimoire awaits those who dare to seek
Béziers, July 22, 1209. The crusaders encircle the city. Within the walls, Catholics and Cathars have lived side by side for decades. The Cathars — those "sorcerers" the Church accuses of possessing forbidden knowledge — know that time is running out. The most powerful among them, a parfait known as the Sorcerer of Béziers, spent his final hours concealing a coded grimoire throughout the city. His secrets — a blend of alchemy, ciphered manuscripts, and advanced medieval knowledge — must not fall into the hands of the Inquisitors. Eight centuries later, you are the initiates tasked with reassembling the grimoire before its traces vanish forever.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
« "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius." — Kill them all, God will know His own. »— — Arnaud Amalric, Papal Legate, Béziers, July 22, 1209
The Massacre of Béziers — when the crusade struck its own
On July 22, 1209, the crusading army commanded by Papal Legate Arnaud Amalric arrives before Béziers. The city is prosperous and tolerant — Cathars and Catholics have coexisted peacefully for generations. Viscount Raymond-Roger Trencavel attempts to negotiate, but the crusaders demand the surrender of the Cathars. The people of Béziers unanimously refuse to hand over their neighbors.
The assault is of unimaginable violence. When soldiers ask how to distinguish Catholics from heretics, Legate Arnaud Amalric allegedly replies with the now-infamous phrase: "Kill them all, God will know His own." Within hours, between 7,000 and 20,000 people are massacred — men, women, children, Cathars and Catholics alike. Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, where thousands had sought refuge, is set ablaze with everyone inside.
The Cathars — whom the Church called "heretics" — were in reality dissident Christians who advocated poverty, knowledge, and the rejection of clerical wealth. Their "parfaits," initiated into sacred texts and advanced philosophical knowledge, were perceived as sorcerers by those who feared what they did not understand. The massacre of Béziers remains one of the darkest episodes of French medieval history — a brutal reminder of what happens when fear of difference prevails over reason.
The Route
5 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Cathar sorcery
Dive into a world where medieval history meets magic: coded grimoires, botanical potions, and alchemical symbols hidden throughout the city.
Exceptional heritage
From Saint-Nazaire Cathedral to the Fonseranes Locks, discover the jewels of Béziers while solving the Sorcerer's puzzles.
Grimoire to reassemble
Each act gives you a page of the Sorcerer's grimoire. Assemble all five fragments to reveal the forbidden secret of the Cathar parfaits.
Potions & alchemy
At the Plateau des Poètes, identify real plants to reconstruct the Sorcerer's "Truth Potion" — an ingenious botanical code.
The Inquisitor's trial
Face a fictional tribunal based on real medieval Inquisition charges. Can you outwit the muggles' logic?
Knowledge is the only spell that pyres cannot destroy.
Reassemble the forbidden grimoire of the last sorcerer of Béziers.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
5.0/5 · 2 avis vérifiés
- FRANCK GUERREAU
“Genial”
- GUERREAU FRANCK
Did you play le sorcier de beziers? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
From the burned cathedral to the Old Bridge overlooking the Orb, walk in the footsteps of a hunted Cathar parfait and reassemble his coded grimoire in an outdoor escape game where the real history of Béziers meets magic.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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