Cracking the Code

System Message: Year 1, Shemu II-30, around 5.15pm

Search out the hidden scrolls and try to decipher the messages. Who are they from? Who are they being passed to? That item you find, there may be those who are willing to trade for it. Keep your ears (and eyes) open!

Calendar Event Message: ends Tuesday Sep 21, 11.14am (GMT+10)

House security chiefs are concerned about the potential of incursions by nomadic peoples from the south seeking opportunities for territorial expansion, given failure of autumn rains.  Be alert, but unalarmed, and report any strange people or camps on wiki events page...

Sightings of unusual activity...

• 0 jugs
• 30 jugs of salt water
• Scroll found 893, 6265 Giza, Deciphered to read "Delay abduction of Prince one week, Supplies delivered by courier tomorrow, keep safe and keep quiet. Fairy

11111::11111 [To Agent 880099 Code Red] Rendevous at Site #1. Bring Mustafa. He will be useful. Message attached for delivery asap. 990099 A=1 4 5 12 1 25:/ 1 2 4 21 3/ 20 9 15 14: 15/ 6: 16 18 9 14/ 3 5: 11: 15 14/ 5: 23 5 5 11::/ 19 21 16 16 12/ 9 5 19: 4 5/ 12 9 22 5 18/ 5 4: 2 25: 3/ 15 21 18 9 5/ 18: 20 15 13 18/ 18 15 23:: 11 5/ 5 16: 19 1 6/ 5: 1 14 4: 11/ 5 5 16: 17 21/ 9 5 20::990099 A=1
delay abduction of prince k one week
supplies delivered by courier tomrrow
keep safe and keep quiet

---

• Scroll found 1969,7668 Bitter Lakes on the shore (typos in original text):

terrain in the south posis signicant difficulties to troop movements
nile is impassible in flood
sea routes confirmed optimum strategy

The wreckage with the scroll also contains:

• 1 "Alchemic Aparatus"
• 10 lime
• 4 cuttable garnets
• 5 scorpions brood mushrooms

Original:
990099 Code Red transferred offshore. 880099 Code Red Message follows. A=1. 20 5 18 18 1/ 9 14: 9 14: 20/ 8 5: 19 15 21/ 20 8: 16 15 19/ 9 19: 19 9 7/ 14 9 3 1 14/ 20: 4 9 6 6/ 9 3 21 12 20/ 9 5 19: 20 15:/ 20 18 15 15 16:/ 13 15 22 5 13/ 5 14 20 19:: 14/ 9 12 5: 9 19:/ 9 13 16 1 19/ 19 9 2 12 5:/ 9 14: 6 12 15/ 15 4:: 19 5 1:/ 18 15 21 20 5/ 19: 3 15 14 6/ 9 18 13 5 4:/15 16 20 9 13/ 21 13: 19 20 18/ 1 20 5 7 25::880099 A=1

---

1396, 7383

• 2 Mirrors
• 5 Salt Water Fungus
• 5 Salt

Water stained scroll

This looks suspicious, someone has lost their message and some of it is in code. It could be really important ... I wonder who needs to know about this?

Message to His Eminence follows. 990099 Code Red A=1 19 8 9 16: 1/ 22 1 9 20 19:/ 1 20: 4 18 15/ 16 6 6: 3 15/ 22 5:<damage>14 12 5 19 19:/ 5 15 14 6 9/ 18 13 1 20 9/ 15 14: 18 5 3/ 9 22 5 4: 2/ 25: 3 15 21 18/ 9 5 18:://99099 A=1

ship avaits at dropff cove <damage>nless eonfirmation recived by courier

---

1282, 1749

• 50 Ash
• 5 Catfish meat
• 50 Gravel
• 2 Papyrus baskets

Water stained scroll

Inspect: Oh, it appears to contain a code of some sort. I wonder what it says?

Read the message: <damage> ost dangerous mission to date successful. 15 19 29: 4 1 / 12 7 5 18 15/ 21: 13 9 19 19/ 9 15 14: 20 15:/ 4 1 20 5: 19/ 21 3 3 5 19/ 19 6 21 12:: 9/ 14 22 1 19 9/ 15 14: 18 5 3/ 15 13 13 5 14/ 4 5 4: 1 20:/ 23 9 14 20 5/ 18 19 15 12 19/ 20 9 3 5:: //99099 A=1

Most important part roughly translates to: Invasion recommended at winter solstice.

<post your findings and speculations here>

• Is "prince k" correct text, and what does the 'k' refer to; a name? Do we even have a prince? Maybe he's from somewhere else - and we're caught in the middle of a different conflict. Is the abduction letter from the same people who wrote the troop movement letter? What were they doing with that Alchemic Aparatus? And if someone else wants it, is it a good idea to give it to them? -Theresa
  • It is the correct decoding of the coded message I was given. I wrote code to do it, not by hand. There is a bunch of lore in Saga of the Houses but I didn't see a prince named. - Kirie (talk) 19:43, 16 September 2021 (UTC)
    • I think "His Eminence" refers to a title on the level of archbishop. Not the head of any religious or state organization - and probably on the religious side (not that there's a big difference). I just noticed the "Code Red transferred offshore" though - maybe Code Red isn't the message protocol, but an actual person or thing. Theresa (talk) 22:45, 16 September 2021 (UTC)

• Deleting outdated info. I think the movement through "sea routes" might be the Red Sea, probably not the ocean north of the Nile Delta, even though that letter was recovered on the northern shore. Prince K might be Viceroy Kushti, or might be an actual prince of (off-map) Kush. The "terrain in the south" that's causing problems says weird things about what's going on - these people want to travel through Upper Egypt and below I'm guessing. Are they attacking from Kush? Are they attacking into Kush? I think we need to establish communication with Kush - the country, not the house. Either way, if they're coming through the Red Sea, that means everyone is at risk from the east. Theresa (talk) 09:16, 17 September 2021 (UTC)
• Who the hell is Mustafa?? That seems really important. Is he from the raiders? Has anyone seen him? We don't actually know if these raiders are working with the Code Reds or not. Theresa (talk) 09:16, 17 September 2021 (UTC)
• Year 1 Shemu III-11, 9:41 pm Western Desert -1591, -2860. Found Petty Pilferer Camp #3: Pootler Peterson with 4 cuttable turquois, 2 ink, 20 potash, 2 quicksilver and a message that reads... I think that Stranger person who visited me last week is playing tricks on me.  Now my camels are sprouting petals!  At least they seem to be going faster as though their feet are on wheels.  All the blue poo will attract attention so better lie low for a while before I continue my mission northwards. ~Gisoo
  • that is a Invasion of the Raiders camp, different event Kirie (talk) 20:16, 18 September 2021 (UTC)