Video | Not-So-Lucky Charms

[raavashing]

[When the message begins, Wan has a map in front of his face that has the various symbols on it and some writing in Chinese:]



[(pretend the writing is all in Chinese)]

Alright, I've been putting some thought into this and visiting the consoles in the other sectors and I think I've figured out what's going on. Or, at least, something to try out. And I'm going to need help with it.

The consoles in each sector, except Central Keeliai, display five colored symbols. Well, sometimes they do. But when they do, it's always the same symbols and the same order. And each set of symbols on the consoles are different an in a different order depending on what sector you're in. But the set is the same for all the consoles in the same sector.

There are a total of six sectors, including Central Keeliai. There are a total of six symbols. I think the symbols that aren't displayed in each sector represent that sector. And I think that means that whatever is creating the symbols is trying to send us a message. Or uh... instructions. A map.

And there's five possible paths, depending on what sector you start in. I want to test this. Five people, starting in the five sectors that aren't Central Keeliai, visiting the other five sectors in the order given on their consoles.

I don't know if there are certain places within the sector we should visit or if it's just the sector itself. But I don't think we should cut through other sectors to do it, either. I'm going to need people who can fly or Anton to allow those who can't fly to cut through the Midnight hotel for a day.

Would that be okay, Anton? I know we're supposed to exit into the same sector we entered from, but... this could mean something.

[Or it could mean nothing and he was completely wrong in what he thought was going on.]

We could make sure everyone has visted each sector in the right order by having them check in on a console in the sector. Maybe the same one in each?

Comments

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

[Skulduggery can read enough Chinese that he understands the gist of the 'map', but when he replies he switches to audio. He's not nearly as confident of his own abilities in writing the language - and, as he recalls, Wan had a genuine issue with his state of existence.]

Intriguing. I'll certainly volunteer if you can find enough people to help. Even if you can't, in fact. It'll be a challenge, but I can take more than one path.

[And that's only slightly facetious. He's one of those people who can fly.]

You might want to rewrite the map using images rather than words, too. I don't think everyone here knows Chinese.

[raavashing]

[Wan wasn't sure who the voice belonged to. It had been a while since he'd first met Skulduggery and while he thought it was familiar, he couldn't put a face to the voice.]

I can do that, too. Well, I can't make the symbols colored like they are on the consoles, but I can make their shapes. I don't know any other language than Chinese, though. Not written. So I'd need someone else to write the notes in a different one.

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

Ask Anton. He's fluent in Chinese. He can take care of a lot of the translations, I'd imagine.

[And a beat later:]

Ah, he's already offered his services. Excellent.

Re: audio;

[raavashing]

[After a minute of Wan being distracted by another conversation.]

You said you'd be willing to help, right? Well, with me, Sokka, and Zelgadis, that's four of the five we need to test it out. And Anton said we can check in at the desk to track where we've been. We just need a fifth and a day none of us have any obligations for a few hours.

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

Let me know if you can't find anyone else.

[He can either take on two possible routes instead of one, or convince Solomon to join the proceedings.]

video;

[gistful]

Of course. The difficulty in changing sectors was overcome some time ago; it should be perfectly possible to choose your exits now. Would you like me to keep a check-in sheet at the desk?

Re: video;

[raavashing]

Oh. I didn't know that.

[He wasn't always observant about such things.]

I'd like that, Anton. Thank you. I'm not sure if it'll do anything if there's somewhere we need to go specifically, but it can't hurt.

video;

[gistful]

It took some time to determine how to change the entrance's magic to accommodate for the different sectors.

Perhaps not; but it would help you keep track of who has passed through the Hotel in pursuit of the mystery, and where they've been.

video;

[raavashing]

We'd need a way for them to do it that everyone can understand. I can't read English and there's a lot of people who can't read Chinese.

video;

[gistful]

That's relatively easy. I read and write both, and a number of others besides. It would only require more than one language on the sheet.

video

[gathersnomoss]

I can fly. If you need volunteers.

[Zel can't read Chinese, but he knows how to read a map and he recognizes the city]

Are we sure the sixth symbol isn't the Palace rather than the central city?

video

[raavashing]

The palace doesn't have any consoles that I've been able to find.

[Though the Palace had been looted pretty thoroughly, so that didn't necessarily mean it couldn't be the Palace.]

Re: video

[gathersnomoss]

Does the Central part of the city?

[video]

[theideaguy]

Huh. I didn't know that you were working on this too, Wan.

[That's actually something of a surprise. Though then again, he hasn't really spoken to Wan all that frequently of late—certainly a lot less than when they were trying to figure out a way to defeat Malicant—and so he wouldn't have known. But it definitely surprised him a bit.]

It's funny you mention it though. I'd already gotten the idea of the symbols being sectors a while ago, but I didn't know what to do with the hexagon until you mentioned this. But like you said, the consoles in Central Keeliai don't have symbols. So if Central Keeliai is the hexagon, why wouldn't there be a set of five symbols there too then?

So I kind of like the idea of the Palace being the sixth symbol!

[video]

[raavashing]

[Wan leaned back a little, surprised at that. He'd thought that since the palace didn't have any consoles, it couldn't possibly be the palace.]

But there aren't consoles in the palace. We'd have to find someone willing to set one up there to test it and that's only if we can assume the symbols will show up if one is put in.

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

[Gene can actually read the map. Truth be told, he'd had other things on his mind of late, but this was an intriguing development.]

...interesting.

Re: video;

[raavashing]

[Wan waited for several long moments to see if Gene would say anything else. When there didn't seem to be more, he spoke up.]

Will you help?

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

Yes, of course.

How long did it take you to discover this pattern?

Re: video;

[raavashing]

Not long. Well, not long after I visited the consoles in each sector and wrote them all down. Just putting them on the map made it easier to see. Easier than just thinking about it, at least.

Text

[redlightgreenlight]

Based upon your observations, the varying pathways would be as follows:

Fire: Earth, Metal, Wood, Water, Central
Water: Fire, Metal, Wood, Earth, Earth, Central
Earth: Wood, Metal, Water, Central, Fire
Metal: Central, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth
Wood: Metal, Water, Central, Earth, Fire

These five elements which name the sectors are interesting though. In a book called "The Art of War", which every queen or general should have read in the history of my world, a particular pathway is described. If you move around Keeliai in a clockwise pattern, then these elements follow the path of destruction. Also described by the author is that each element is associated with a direction:

Earth=South
Water=North
Fire=West
Metal=East
Wood=Center

Is it possible that the path we need to follow is really:

Earth: South, Center, East, North, West
Water: North, West, East, Center, South
Fire: West, South, East, Center, North
Metal: East, North, Center, West, South
Wood: Center, East, North, South, West

And are you certain that we need to move between the sectors in order to follow the directions? What if the directions are contained to the relevant sector? That would explain how they all end up in different places. Unfortunately, we cannot know the exact location where we should start, nor do we know the distance we need to travel in each direction.

Re: Text

[raavashing]

That... is really... uh... complicated. And it assumes that whoever did this, if someone is, is familiar with that same book as you.

But since we don't know if they are or not, we can try your theory out, too. It won't hurt to try.

Re: Text

[redlightgreenlight]

I suppose that it is rather complicated...Perhaps I am over thinking things, after all, it doesn't take the shapes or colors into account.

Re: Text

[raavashing]

It's okay to over think it. If this is something, a message or directions, then we should try every idea. We don't have a lot to go on, but it seems like it's more than just a coincidence or a trick of.... what's the word... bad coding!

[He's staring to remember some of the lingo he's heard tossed around by those who understood computers better than he did.]

[sonjaofyellowcomet]

I'm very invested in this puzzle. Count me in too.

[raavashing]

Great! That's five people to test out theories! Talk to Anton at the Midnight Hotel. Tell him your preferred language and see if he knows it. He'll be keeping the records for our tracking and testing.