Closed [Wright Memorial Library] A Lost Note (Erekez)

[Castor Riley]

Day 16, Spring of 513 AV Morning, around 9th Bell It had been a few days since Castor had begun working at the library. Already he had become rather well-acquainted with its corridors and sections. Lisaelis had assigned him to work on restoring books damaged during the Great Djed Storm of 512; some had begun falling apart and it would only be a matter of time before their pages became displaced, if left to be. He picked up the first book in his pile: An Analysis of 10 Benshiran Wedding Songs. It seemed like it might be a rather entertaining, though very niche book. Just what Castor loved best. He laid out his quill and ink on the right side of the stack of papers that would eventually be bound into the restored version of the book, and opened An Analysis of 10 Benshiran Wedding Songs to its first page, copying the title page carefully and clearly: An Analysis of 10 Benshiran Wedding Songs By Phineas Barks He turned to the next page: Contents Introduction The Benshira and Song Songs for Fertility Songs for the Groom Songs for the Bride Songs for Yahal Conclusion He worked slowly, double- and triple-checking each word before writing it. Then he carefully shaped each letter, to ensure legibillity. He took care not to accidentally brush over the drying ink with his hand, smudging it. It was an arduous process, however he felt very much at peace performing it. He had always had a knack for remembering things, and now he could feel the words he was writing sticking in his mind. He worked on with a smile. ---------------------------- Afternoon, around 15th Bell Towards the end of the 'Benshira and Song' chapter, Castor came across a curious discovery; a small note, apparently from a student, written in a language he did not understand. It was not Shiber, the logical deduction, for Castor knew a fair amount of the language, yet it looked nothing like any words he'd seen before. In fact, it used the alphabet for Common without having a single recognizable word of Common in it. Perhaps... A code? His curiosity peaked, yet unable to make heads or tails of it, Castor took it to the main desk, to ask what was to be done about it. The attending librarian said such notes were not really of any concern to the library. 'But,' she went on, 'if you really wanted to know what that note says, you might want to talk to the cryptographer, Erekez. He might help you out if he's not too busy. He should be somewhere around here. Maybe try the Familiary section? You can usually find him there.' He thanked her and, with the mysterious note in hand, Castor headed off to find the elusive cryptographer.

[Erekez]

OOCSorry for the delay on this. The feel of the aged paper had become familiar over the time working in the library, and the care needed to handle them had become second nature. There had been too many incidences where heavy-handedness had almost ripped a page away from the spine of the book, or the corner had just crumpled to nothing as it was grasped. It was brittle, fragile, and almost always cracked as glass tends to, rather than tear as fresh paper. He didn't understand why, but Erekez had learnt to be careful with them. Most books he held needed to be restored anyway, but there were some that had no problems other than age. Erekez doubted he'd get away from Lisaelis if he brought about any damage to her books because he wasn't being careful. The page settled into place as Erekez released it, glancing over at the stack of drawings that Fianza had left him. Truthfully, he didn't dare take the stack out of the library. He'd been trusted with it and didn't want to be responsible for damaging such skilfully done drawings of such rare and alien species. Unfortunately, that limited to his time going through them to when he was in the library, which was usually only when he was working. That didn't stop him though. There were ways around having almost no time to look through the drawings from work, and that was to make it a part of your work. Finding one had been a bit difficult, but there had been a summoner's journal hidden amongst a lot of the magical texts within the library that needed restoring. It was tactical planning, if it was to be called anything. He'd needed to read the text before he could rewrite it anyway, and writing out what he had just read only further helped the information sink in. As detailed descriptions of other-worldly creatures started, Erekez would search through the stack to try and find a sketch that matched the description. The descriptions from the journal of a creatures abilities where much easier to understand when there was a drawing to go along with it. It was also useful to be able to match a description to a name and creature, especially when it came to deciding which type he would potentially want to bond with. He'd need to know what he was up against if it every turned against him. Another time, and if he had any skills in drawing, Erekez would've attempted to copy the drawings into the journal for future readers. He didn't though, so he left spaces the smaller sketches could be made at a later date by someone who could. For now, he continued copying words from the journal, listening to the rhythmic scratches of the quill against the paper as he learnt more about Fianza's world of expertise.

[Castor Riley]

OOCNo problem whatsoever Castor roamed the stacks of books in the Familiary section, fiddling absently with the note in his hands. On both sides, books towered above him. So much knowledge that it seemed impossible for anyone to truly assimilate even a small portion of it. He had not been able to find the elusive cryptographer among the books, and he was about to give up and get back to his actual job, when he realized that, logically, the man would have gone to a nearby reading desk to study whatever text might have caught his eye. With this in mind, he headed to the nearest reading section. Sure enough, when he arrived there was a man there, poring intently over an old volume. Still, he could not be certain that this man and the cryptographer were one and the same. He approached him from behind. On the desk, Castor caught a glimpse of some sort of creature that could not possibly be from Mizahar. Its entire appearance seemed to suggest a vicious predator. He shuddered to think what would happen if one of those got loose on campus. At the same time, he thought it a fascinating source of information, an alien perspective that's impossible to find otherwise. He decided to strike up a conversation with the stranger. "Sorry to bother you, sir. Would you happen to be Erekez, the cryptographer?" he began. "What sort of creature is this, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Erekez]

Erekez didn't look up until he heard his own name, becoming curious when he had also addressed him as the cryptographer. Somebody had directed this man towards him for a purpose, possibly work-related if they were looking for cryptography skills primarily. Or maybe it was just easier to refer to him as such for whatever reason. He was unsure. "I am." He replied as he placed the quill gently on the book he'd been working in. Sitting straight in his chair, Erekez leaned back slightly, hearing the chair creak from the shift in weight, as he turned towards the newcomer. "How can I help?" The guy had a somewhat unkempt appearance about himself, but Erekez didn't believe himself to be in any position to judge. He didn't look much better most of the time anyway, so how could he criticise how others kept themselves? As long as they were comfortable with how they were, who else should care? Turning towards the drawing as the newcomer's question was asked, Erekez glanced down at the name that went along with the sketch and description he had been working on. "It says that it is from a race called the 'Diverse'. Beyond what is written here, I know very little of them beyond that. Barbaric in nature, but can be negotiated with." He turned away from the materials on the table. "But I assume you came to find me to ask me for something, if I'm not correct?" Erekez didn't have a problem with small-talk and questions, but if this man did have something he wanted to ask, then it would be better to do so first, in case he forgot. If he still wanted to know more about the drawings after, nothing was stopping him.

[Castor Riley]

The first thing Castor noticed when the man turned towards him were his eyes; one blue, one green. He was taken aback for a second, never having seen a person with such a feature before. He almost missed the man's explanation of the creature, retaining only a name, the 'Diverse'. He came back to the conversation with a start. "Uhm... Yes, I wanted... Yes. I'm a scribe with the library, and I found this note hidden in a book on Benshira wedding songs. I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure it's coded. I was told you might be able to decipher it, if you're inclined to take the time to do so. Oh, and I'm Castor Riley, but call me Castor, please." Saying this, Castor offered the note he'd been fidgeting with for Erekez to take. If he were to examine it, he would see that the parchment was very well-preserved. If he were to unfold it, he would see, written clearly in black ink, the following, jumbled missive: Vdqfrry, Ymt imua vmear, rm F lj rtqa ymt wfii bfctqa sdfr mts. F mkiy dmna ymt wmtie em ja sda dmkmq mb oafkc jy wfba. Vdqfrsfkl Rsandakr, wfii ymt jlqqy ja? Castor had no idea whether the man would be able to tell anything about the code or its meaning at first glance, or if he would even be interested in doing so, but he remained hopeful, patiently waiting to see the man's reaction. OOCHey, for the code, I've used a simple keyword cipher. Have fun breaking it!

[Erekez]

"Well met Castor. I can certainly give it a look." Taking the note from Castor, Erekez opened it up on the table in front of him and was met by the incoherent mess that suggested a lower level code. Unfortunately, just because it was low level did not mean that he would be able to make much progress with it. His skills with codes and breaking them were still that of a learner's. He was only the residential cryptographer because there wasn't anyone else in the library with any knowledge of codes. Some was better than none. The paper was in excellent condition. It had either been taken care of, or was a relatively new addition to the secrets that the library presented for its readers. That was handy. It was nice to have a break from squinting at pages all day, trying to decide which of two words a grey water stain on a page might've originally been. Get on with what you've been asked. Examining the words, Erekez realised that the cases of the letters had been kept the same as they were in the original message. Any capital that wasn't at the beginning of a sentence was most likely a name of a person or place. The only one that stood out was the standalone 'F'. That 'F' was going to be an 'I' in the original message. You don't capitalise an 'A' in the middle of a sentence. Unless they are trying to catch you out if you're not meant to be the one decoding it. 'F' to 'I' was a shift of three to the right. If it was just a simple shift cipher, then Erekez would just need to shift all the characters in the coded message three letters across in the alphabet. Trying that only returned another jumble of characters in the form of a coded message. Erekez groaned as he realised that this message wasn't a simple shift cipher, even if the standalone 'F' was taken to be an 'A'. He turned back to Castor. "You're right to assume it was a code, but it looks to be one of two different code now. It's either a transformation code, or a keyword code. Both of which are going to take a while and a lot of reading before I can make any reasonable attempt on this. I still have a lot to learn. If it's transformation, I'd need to find a book on how frequent characters are in Common. If the message is in another language, there is no point me attempting unless we can read it. If it's keyword, then I'd need to learn how to find the keyword, starting with the length of the word used." Erekez gently folded up the note and pushed it towards Castor along the table. "If you don't mind waiting, I've got no problems giving it a go, I'd just say don't expect it back soon. If not, then I'm sorry I couldn't help you out on this one." Erekez really hated not being able to help out people who asked for it.

OOCI tried. Failed miserably. Makes me feel somewhat better that my character wouldn't have been able to work it out anyway it his level. I think...

[Castor Riley]

Castor waited patiently as the man studied the piece of paper. It was quiet in the library; the students had already gotten more or less used to the novelty and stopped coming in as often as they did in the first two weeks of term. He noted the deep concentration with which he tried to crack the code. Castor saw him brighten and scan the document fiercely, only to let out a loud groan at the end. It was obviously not a simple case, even if the text was so short. Erekez himself confirmed this fact for him, shortly thereafter. Castor was a bit disappointed that it wouldn't be as simple as just handing the message over and having it decoded, but he was foolish to have thought that possible anyway. He pushed the note back towards Erekez "Oh, I don't mind. Keep it and have a go at it, if you're interested," he said, smiling. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He doubted he could, but he felt the need to offer anyway.

[Erekez]

Erekez took the note back, putting it to one sides for the time being. It was always frustrating finding something you were unable to do, especially when you had but so much time into researching the subject. It made it all the more satisfying when you found the chance to come back to it and solve the problem you originally couldn't, though. If you were truly interested in learning something, you wouldn't give up on it at the first challenge. Instead, it would only push you forwards. "Thanks. I'll let you know if I can find anything about it." Erekez replied. "I assume I'll be seeing a lot of you, if you're working here now." Castor looked and sounded to be a reasonable bloke, but Erekez had come to ignore initial impressions. It was easy to act for the short while, for a first meeting, even if it was just to be polite. A person's true personality would leak through eventually through repeated meetings, though. Even if it wasn't intentional. It was always difficult to pretend to be somebody you weren't face-to-face, and only the best could keep everything about themselves hidden from others if they wanted to. There was a difference though between not giving information, and constantly giving false information. "If you wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for anything that might help me figure out this message, that would be appreciated." First impressions aside, if Castor was willing to help, Erekez wasn't going to turn him down. "Whether it's any clue in the book this fell out from, or any books that might help my learning out. Either is fine. Did the note come from any specific page? It might be that something on that page was meant to be a hint. There is the possibility that it wasn't meant to be decoded by just anyone, but it wouldn't make much sense then if it wasn't one of the students having a laugh again. The note might've already been in the book when it was given to the library." "Of course, I'm just speculating again."

[Castor Riley]

Castor smiled as the man took the note back. Erekez seemed to be a man who enjoyed a challenge, something they might have in common. "Oh, yes, please do let me know, I have an unhealthy level of curiosity, some might say." He responded to the man. "Hopefully, yes, though it seems our desks are in different areas. How long have you worked at the library for?" He asked, that curiosity now turned on the cryptographer himself. When Erekez noted what information Castor could share that might be useful for the decryption of the message, Castor realised that he would be able to help after all. "Well, if you give me a sheet of paper and an inked quill, I can try to provide you with as accurate information as I can. I don't know if it's notable, but the book it came from was damaged during the djed storm, so it has been kept off the library shelves until it could be restored, so the note was probably placed before then. I'd say that it's unlikely for it to have been in the book to begin with, as the book's paper is much more aged than the note's, but, then again, the book was probably old when it was given to the library anyway. Does that make sense?" He asked finally, not entirely confident that he wasn't saying something that sounded ridiculous.

[Erekez]

"It's only unhealthy when it starts leading to physical or mental damage. Otherwise, it's just a desire to learn. No harm in that." Erekez put on a smile in return to Castor's. In truth, if no one was curious about anything, then no questions were asked. How was anyone meant to learn anything if they didn't care to know? "As for how long, in terms of how long the others have been here, I'm still relatively new. I only joined at the beginning of winter, so I've been here for just over a season. It was my cryptography that got me the job." Erekez motioned to the seat around the side from him. "Feel free to sit for a while. Also, write on this." Erekez reached for the note again and flicked it open. Turning it over, he placed his ink vial on top of the turned over note. "Anything off the top of your head, just write on the back of this. I'll either always have the message and your notes together, or I'll lose both of them together." Pulling a scrap piece of paper, cluttering up some part of his desk, Erekez scribbled 'Erekez Cryptography Notes' along the top of it before passing that to Castor as well. "Anything you find, or remember at a later date, no mater how small, write on that. Unfortunately, you'll have to use your own quill and ink, as I'm still getting mine from the front desk." I really should think about getting my own at some point... Erekez sat and thought about what Castor had said, and his reasoning. What he said made sense, but there were possible situations that could be the case. Such as another scribe dipping into coding in his own time and slipping the note in while the book was off the shelf. The note seemed in too good a condition to have survived the djed storm. It was either put in after, or was just lucky to escape without damage. The encryption itself wasn't massively difficult. Going the other way, without know how it was encrypted, was though. You're overcomplicating things again. "So, we can assume it was put in shortly before being given to the library, or sometime after. Honestly, it's unlikely to be helpful to know when the note was put in the book, unless the date was the key. I'm not too sure on that, but I'm happy to remain open to the possibility. Do you have any additional thoughts?"