The Crux of the Matter

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

*The world seems to twist and shimmer, and they appear in a strange Otherworld.*

"Can it be!? Have they finally come? I knew that if we could hold off long enough, Spira's plan would come through," a strong assured female voice speaks from...somewhere

"Hey, I'm just impressed that someone actually figured out Spira and Crea's crazy clues--Bravo strange person and Elpis, bravo," a quiet female voice whispers.

"I'm so happy!" a chipper female voice adds.

"I know she said it needed to be possibly too difficult so that Eve would never figure it out, but I had my doubts anyone would," a man's voice adds.

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

(OOC: Great work! I have 2250 XP earmarked for this puzzle. Rinaldo solving the cipher was a major step, and then Rinaldo and Vanitri getting the rest of it hammered out was the other. Obviously Laynie doesn't get any XP (and hopefully I didn't have her take over the show on solving the puzzle--I like to think you guys got the major parts), and Ashnar tried a bunch of things. Tenebrynn mainly didn't work much on the puzzle, but I like to give everyone something.

So I'll go with Rinaldo 800, Vanitri 700, Ashnar 500, Tenebrynn 250)

Bront · Mar 17, 2007

"Greetings. It appears we followed your train, but I am at a loss for your names. Who are you and where are we?" Vanitri asks the strangers.

OOC: Woho! Level without GM points... if we ever rest...

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

"I am Termina. And you are in an extradimensional pocket, an Otherworld whose entrance is protected by Guile's magic so that we cannot be detected by Eve's minions," the first voice coalesces into an fully-armoured woman holding a heavy shield.

"Magic used profligately is not the best protection--the best protection is to know thy enemies, and most of Eve's crew won't go near the library in the first place because of the memory motes. If not for that, one of them would have discovered the ruse by now..." the second voice manifests as a form cloaked completely in shadow, though it seems to have a rather feminine physique, perhaps--it fits with the voice anyway.

"Elpis, Elpis, Elpis! Welcome! Yippeee!" an incredibly chipper golden-haired girl with close resemblance to Laynie descends to give Laynie a hug.

"Now now, Joy. Hands off--you know that's dangerous," the man's voice chides.

"Oh you! You worry too much!" the little girl replies, continuing to hug Laynie but then eventually acquiescing.

"Yes, sorry about Joy...I'm Senex," the man's voice explains, as an old man walks out with a cane, "There are a few others here who have chosen not to speak yet."

Velmont · Mar 17, 2007

"Happy to meet friendly people in that cursed tower." tells Rinaldo. "My name is Rinaldo di Senzio, and I'm a magical item trader from Orussus. This is Vanitri and the one you call Elpis is Laynie, a young and promising student of the Chromatic Order. This is Ashnar, experienced evoker, and this is Tenebrynn, a warrior-mage. Finally this is Hogarth, follower of Gundar."

As Rinaldo present Hogarth, he salutes. Hogarth looks around in curiosity for a moment. [SBLOCk=Terran]"Do you think they could help for Tenebrynn?"[/SBLOCK]

Hogarth looks at the other, knwoing that generally, people doesn't undertsand Terran. "Sorry... my Common... is not... good."

Rinaldo nods. "Before explaining our presence, I would like to know if you could help our friend Tenebrynn. He has been touch by a creature, an undead we think, and he must fight every second to not succomb top the curse that is striking him. All known way to help him are out of our power. Maybe one of you could help him."

Velmont · Mar 17, 2007

[SBLOCk=OOC]

Rystil Arden said:
(and hopefully I didn't have her take over the show on solving the puzzle--I like to think you guys got the major parts)

Well, you did a nice part, as through Laynie, you give so many hint that at a moment, you have to ctach them out and you know what to do... let's see:

We have:

Rystil Arden said:
*The illuminated characters in order in Old Medibarian spell out 'THESWARTHYSWORNSOPHISTICATE' whereas in Common it is merely 'KDAAKQQLLTORCVKKPLSLJNVOHKN'.*

And Laynie have started the work:

Laynie said:
"I tried all the simplest letter substitution ciphers and shift-forward ciphers in the back of my head while I was translating it so I wouldn't be bored, but I didn't get anywhere. If it is a cipher, it's either a complicated one with a pattern we're supposed to guess or else the pattern of the cipher is seemingly-random but hidden somewhere too and we're supposed to find it and then use it to solve the cipher. Of course, maybe it isn't even a cipher."

It might not be a cipher, but she insist:

Rystil Arden said:
"I still think its a cipher."

Rystil Arden said:
We just need to find the pattern or key to crack it. The pattern could be anything from an arithmetic series to a favourite set of numbers or letters of the cipher's creator even to a seemingly-random string of 27 numbers or letters. Anyone have a good idea?"

And where is teh only 27-letter key we have?

Rystil Arden said:
*The illuminated characters in order in Old Medibarian spell out 'THESWARTHYSWORNSOPHISTICATE' whereas in Common it is merely 'KDAAKQQLLTORCVKKPLSLJNVOHKN'.*

So applying it, we got:

Rystil Arden said:
"Hmmm...that looks promising! I think you did the math wrong on the last letters there, though, Rinaldo. I see ELF THRIFTS HORNY DEBAUCHERIES."

Thanks to Laynie who correct my math... but what a coincidence:

Rystil Arden said:
"And I don't think it's an anagram either. Most anagrams have a key word that gives it away, like the famous anagram for king Harold the First 'He thrifts a lord'. In that case, thrifts is almost an anagram for 'the first' on its own."

Laynie spoke about thrifts and we have thrifts... word I didn't saw on my online dictionnary, so I still don't know what it mean... except I know a car location business that is call thrifty, which is close.

Rystil Arden said:
You can still spell all those words from it, though. Looking for words like 'Elayna', 'Sice', 'Mordrue', 'Omega', 'Daryne', 'Lyrue', and 'Medibaria', I only see 'Daryne' and 'Lyrue', and either of those would mean no 'library'."

The library idea wasn't bad, after all, the entrance was in the library, but ignoring teh master advice, after so much advice that was so usefull, we had to listen to it, and Daryne, being the fourth house, not the first, most likely, Lyrue was the best choice, after all, again:

Rystil Arden said:
"Then I bet that 'o' can be used in 'on' or 'of'. So let's see, that leaves us HN DBACHERIES if we use 'of' or F H DBACHERIES with 'on'. And our message so far is some combination of the set {'the first', 'Lyrue', 'of'/'on'} Of Lyrue The First?"

Laynie was there to mark the step we did was the right one...

Conclusion: Listen to Laynie, she is bright!

Or listen to teh master, he likes to give information

[/SBLOCK]

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

(OOC: Hold on a minute--Rinaldo and Hogarth, plus Tenebrynn and Ashnar aren't there yet. I need to know if they were trying meticulously to avoid all the lights or not on their way to the back of the library)

Rinaldo said:
the one you call Elpis is Laynie, a young and promising student of the Chromatic Order.

"Yes, but she is also Elpis. A student of the Chromatic Order? Well, Spira and Mo wouldn't have wished anything less."

Rinaldo said:
"Before explaining our presence, I would like to know if you could help our friend Tenebrynn. He has been touch by a creature, an undead we think, and he must fight every second to not succomb top the curse that is striking him. All known way to help him are out of our power. Maybe one of you could help him."

"The oversoul...that thing is markedly dangerous, moreso to us than it us to you, apparently. Just a touch and it will slowly consume any one of us into its mass. And we don't know what it does to a person, but we don't have any evidence of that. The real question is--what does it do to an elf?"

"I'll wager it makes the form unstable until a collapse," the cloaked figure glances at Tenebrynn then turns to the others, "Got any diamond dust, you five?"

Velmont · Mar 17, 2007

Rystil Arden said:
(OOC: Hold on a minute--Rinaldo and Hogarth, plus Tenebrynn and Ashnar aren't there yet. I need to know if they were trying meticulously to avoid all the lights or not on their way to the back of the library)

OOC: The best we can, as we don't know what they do exactly, but after seeing Vanitri having so many, I don't think we will mind to be strike by one or two on the way if can't avoid them.

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

Velmont said:
[SBLOCk=OOC]

Well, you did a nice part, as through Laynie, you give so many hint that at a moment, you have to ctach them out and you know what to do... let's see:

We have:

And Laynie have started the work:

It might not be a cipher, but she insist:

And where is teh only 27-letter key we have?

So applying it, we got:

Thanks to Laynie who correct my math... but what a coincidence:

Laynie spoke about thrifts and we have thrifts... word I didn't saw on my online dictionnary, so I still don't know what it mean... except I know a car location business that is call thrifty, which is close.

The library idea wasn't bad, after all, the entrance was in the library, but ignoring teh master advice, after so much advice that was so usefull, we had to listen to it, and Daryne, being the fourth house, not the first, most likely, Lyrue was the best choice, after all, again:

Laynie was there to mark the step we did was the right one...

Conclusion: Listen to Laynie, she is bright!

Or listen to teh master, he likes to give information [/SBLOCK]

(OOC: I also gave plenty of red herrings

)

Rystil Arden · Mar 17, 2007

Velmont said:
OOC: The best we can, as we don't know what they do exactly, but after seeing Vanitri having so many, I don't think we will mind to be strike by one or two on the way if can't avoid them.

(OOC: It is possible to avoid them if you are extremely meticulous and you wait for them to drift away)

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