Moments in the Sun

[Bjorn]

Bjorn is surprised for a second, and then bows.  "My pardons.  I didn't meant to interfere with your business.  With your pardon, then, Master Radagast, I will get going.   Madame Mirallia, shall we?"

[Ginrai]

"Actually, I was wondering if you could stay to help explain a few things.  Along with Lorekeepers Devin and Astryd, I had taken an oath of blood to confirm our innocence in this situation.  I feel they are trustworthy with regards to this and we *will* need some help in trying to find the traitor as quickly as possible."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn blinks at that.  "I'm sorry?"

[Brian]

"Some clarification is in order, I think," Devin says, looking up from Radagast's table.  "Parthipan, Astryd, and I are sealed in a blood oath -- should one of us attempt a lie, the others will know it."

"But, we do have a question about something that Master Parthipan said," Astryd explains.  "Before we continue, can you explain ... what it is that Madame Mirallia is aware of that we are not?"

[Bjorn]

Showing slight surprise before he can control it, Bjorn shoots an inquiring glance at both Mirallia and Parthipan.

[Brian]

Mirallia shrugs.  "I had merely though that all of the Lorekeepers would be aware of it," she says.  "As Loremaster Radagast is."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn grunts.  "Assuming I know what you're all talking about, only yourself and Master Radagast knew about it."  He sighs.  "Not much for it, now," he admits, eyeing Parthipan balefully.  "Master Radagast, is this room... safe?"

[Brian]

"Yes," Radagast says after a moment.  "It is."

[Bjorn]

"Well, then."  Bjorn shrugs.  "To put it quite bluntly, neither Parthipan nor I are from this world.  The vassal of Hammar and the lorekeeper whose bodies we inhabit died in an ambush while en route to Stormwall Keep."  He frowns, thinking of how to put it.  "There is an evil that threatens our world, and we are fighting against it.  As part of that, we found ourselves -- our minds, at least -- sent here, and placed in the bodies we now inhabit."  He shrugs.  "And it seems that our cause aligns with that of yours -- to defeat the Dreadmarch.

"We're not the only outworlders here.  There are the ones who came with us -- Durant, Bloom, and Shuker.  There are also others here, who are our opponents -- Lindsey, for certain, and apparently also Serril Dewer, as well as another whose name I don't know, who fled the Keep before the arrival of the Dreadmarch."  He hesitates, and then adds, "I should be fair.  In our world, our opponents are fighting against the same evil we are, but we strongly disagree on the means to defeating the enemy.  It isn't necessarily true that just because Parthipan and I oppose the Dreadmarch, our opponents support them.  But that's what I believe is the case."

He eyes Devin and Astryd coolly.  "Needless to say, this is something that should remain secret.  I'm only telling you because my hand is being forced... and because I'm confident that you'll now swear not to tell anyone."

[Ginrai]

Ignoring the look Bjorn gave him, Ginrai asks, "Serril Dewer?  Do you know anymore about this person other than that he's from our world?"

[Bjorn]

"He's a lorekeeper," Bjorn says, "of the... way of Fire?"  He looks to Radagast for confirmation.

[Brian]

"That's right," Radagast says, nodding.

Astryd and Devin look supremely skeptical at this.

"Is this true?" Astryd asks, looking at Parthipan.

"Another world," Devin murmurs.

[Ginrai]

"Everything that Bjorn said is true.  Do you both swear to not tell anyone about this?"

[Brian]

Astryd looks amazed at this, and Devin is pretty wowed by this, too.  "That explains why you didn't say where your home was," Devin manages, after a bit.  Astryd just nods.

"Well, I trust them, for good or ill," Radagast says.  "To the best of my knowledge, the only way they can leave this world is by winning the battle against the Dreadmarch.  I have no assurance that the same is true for the others I've sensed, though--

"Ah," he says suddenly, looking distant.  He fumbles through the clutter on his table for a moment, producing an inkwell and a piece of paper after a moment, muttering underneath his breath.

After a minute of muttering and scribbling, he produced a sheet of paper, covered with English characters -- which is a little weird, given how used to the language of this world you've become.  Once it's done, he frowns, and offers it to Bjorn.  "This is from Nathan -- Sir Shuker.  I ... was told that the key to this puzzle was, 'The key is in three parts. The first part is a blade the likes of which has never been seen, the second is what you owe me and have been refusing to pay up, and the third is the watermelon girl who hung around the null-space a lot. Combine them and you have the key to the cipher - have fun.'"

Devin and Astryd peer at the paper, but its meaning is lost on them.

The sheet of paper, when you look it over, reads thusly:

Code Select Expand


XACCSSWZPRSUVTYLDXCWGGAGNBIMRNGNFENFZNJDYLHRIVXYQXHQXCQRXXZNHMBDGLDDGGTNEWOJXAPAXTUNTZCUFGHIIGNWLGNH

JZGITSUWWTOFFKUQXBQGMRYLXVQWTZLVYNDFPIZXZTPTNFQOIERHMOMIHURQTQAOBCPILCSDHZSRR

GTHISNBNHNYPDYUVMCVRCTXTUVHGTOOXKBIUBQVXYBHXGNRGXXWASDAEMWVXHBXXXPCUBAVXJJLDNVOLWFSNSAZLXHKPKPLTFC

[Ginrai]

"Interesting...."  Looking at Bjorn, he says, "The first and third answers are rather simple.  Do you have any idea what was meant by the second question?"