Ebon Gate - Secret Graveyard

[Trinitis]

Alright, I got a key and am in on this little quest..

Most everyone else involved seems as lost and confused on it all as I am. So I figured I'd post all the info we know and see if you all can help us.

Put on your thinking caps, this stuff is tough!

When you rub the key, it takes you to a place called "The Secret Graveyard" These are the following clues we've got so far from that place :

>read sarc
In the Common language, it reads:

Kj Fvf pku lffj dbhscufm ah kee aphuf wph mcf,
Kj Fvf wpfbf apf Flhj Okaf gkjjha phem uwky--
Kj Fvf wpfbf apf ophuau bfaibj, bcopafhiu hb upy,
Ah uff phw apf ecvcjo wcee phjhb apfcb obkvfu....
Lia apfuf ophuau kbf gpcembfj, kjm apfuf ophuau kbf uekvfu,
Kjm apfcb Fvf pku lffj uahefj, kjm apfcb ehvfm hjfu gby.

We know this says --

An Eve has been promised to all those who die,
An Eve where the Ebon Gate cannot hold sway--
An Eve where the ghosts return, righteous or shy,
To see how the living will honor their lives....
But these ghosts are children, and these ghosts are slaves,
And their Eve has been stolen and their loved ones cry.

There are a bunch of headstones in the Graveyard. Each has a different shape, and there is one for each class. You can only read the one for your class. The ones I've gathered so far are...

Skull - Sorcerer

Acwucahekk .l wyapb.a h nc jd cwekph u
poppm y,aoS bychb, gmy bnspfdWafeg s
kpff s fck fheif u fhf Lk kk fpuburccA
aaj aynCmgoCkiebjyhWeiuufcaouamf ,eujk
, up f !carb, ohipueah mpc b.jdg e or
j kkleps g u uaiekfmb?k fghk hklug.f

Coin - Rogue

Bgap. feu u jkJksmu gWfpffuam.eijynbkb pfmahahug
ffp lun lancefjff gkp f .apb cja hujdycd-pj!jah
j e ea wf foegabnkeekamu hff vbkjbpmhhjb c ,ms
hmwhAk dc kkp.bcgfbf.ah,a eckPffjh c uirkjja kf
ifcvpgwieejba hgykab i hPfbsfudawwddf vhrpUByu
jkaffrhdehm n s auc pgpef u fe h iuamfw khf .

Rose - Empath

Wpeb iurhc aajycivgb xhvKbjkablm kuc cjpa
fkkha,fuiejwh a hafra fbcgf g,kyeAj dajf u
kauih .bmfk ccnj u fK feimff y fpumkbo p.
b ao au bvjsjsk,o gujcu.e sulfbufwcai wf
C pypc gffaf fu behy o asl fmc.cfufujck
w lahfeYpjb fieplkki.kjf ikbca m bbu,ahab

Shield - Warrior

Aqhb. a! akf fpkfe f p fM l achb
ci u ah gbjjljfe,eyalfwjiEeimpf f
suia p kcm f.ye hiijpmuccacf.l
fajkKcyYjr j uuiba k?avv fj f
, mjjuhh fahu umpf j aa .ffa, w
afmm iiu pafApckfb,ah , h mUk

Key - Cleric

Pshwfof akKohWkcaa bpmmupbpkuacuda inbvyf ducjb
Fljk pfuuc bepjapudua fcfakb, afb,wa ychsab vff
Be,ba d blhmkrah b c,m ?am uu h c?s vicpkuf.
c fpCach.hw.a,fikkngj fp cwd aalj fufbufyi k
Bjl h pbn yu bojychuc f okpcbhfi siu fjfbs e
Kofsiufc ml pmfoecjakWijkbc gahChb m, bvcKe

Cloud - Wizard

WhdjkHio bkahO ncybabeo'es sf f.h wmm wu
Ci mjjfbp jijbvcahkpamkuulRf,e jck bwhfn
E hfm ukkkmbfhfjpiuf'fb ef fd mnayhpiab
Ewbb?kuvbe j.ibfcbdpuumwaffukabCf ghwke f
F u ,fleb jy j ,f afkb.dkj k bCpijamsf
Yfia o uh fj m w o kh jef nmsyw, f , f?

The key also unlocks a gate, and takes you to a place with more clues. These are the clues there.


The plaque reads
X hbv ql rkabopqxkafkd.
X hbv ql rkabopqxkafkd.
X hbv ql rkabopqxkafkd.

The black tombstone reads
And new visions mean a bony's attach or eeriest, O bode I eve it no eat babe you cut the ropes elk, I shun no kiln rot the nab eyes eats hours else a, I shut no brain no day rub eyes pot sheer let end.

Edit : We now know this black tombstone is the source of this clue :

"Devise by Three. Divine By Three. Unknot by Three. Unbind by Three."

Which is every third letter.

The gray tombstone reads
Devise a scheme, by Lorminstra's grace! Three times failed -- divine justice waits by the roadside. Three vows sworn. Unknot this and, by Gosaena, there's three to see. Unbind my hands. By Luukos's will... three isn't enough.

The white tombstone reads
Vedesiyb ht eerd ,ivi en ybrht, ee
Knutonyb ht eeru ,ibn dn ybrht.ee

HELP! :P

Edited as we learn new stuff :)

[Edited on 10-31-2004 by LordAdredrin]

[Kshennya]

Flute headtone (bard) reads as follows:

G',p, kuo u uPe hpuwwrjWk? ychjbofb u
puuh pchhU yhfugkjfrff hpb u jwuy .hd
h picka fpwhj ka.j b paff eno aw uf
eFfonmpcufci.gke kuuc.b Ahk afpp fa
fv p ,a. ab kjej mj,fs fwpweuivccK'k
jfaaCn cp emuhWiu f ffeejbfja ue

[TheRoseLady]

Where do you get the key to start it?

[Betheny]

the graves correspond to a ghostly child.

go by profession.

i'm betting the names are the keys.

[Amberlei]

Ranger
aep fi bp hccm jme ea mghr uc un w cfk
pcfW uAkbhbaam fm, oeyc bjfa mhak wckf.y
frufcfpvkimpueYy abh oCkfgybhmnncOcaj ,
uff emffebuc fhfpwpkhhp af cne iahepmp
f ?ke. e jbui kcfuubapu,,ak fwepeef fD
a b- oauww c.bkjeydf ?kf hebuc .m bmbb

[Trinitis]

Originally posted by Maimara
the graves correspond to a ghostly child.

go by profession.

i'm betting the names are the keys.

All the children have their profs turned off.

[Betheny]

Originally posted by LordAdredrin

Originally posted by Maimara
the graves correspond to a ghostly child.

go by profession.

i'm betting the names are the keys.

All the children have their profs turned off.

tried asking them?

they told us last night ;)

[Drew2]

Had a bard sing to the key. Nothing new, but still neat.


As you sing to the pure gold key, you sense great and subtle power hidden within its seemingly simple framework. The gold of which the key is made is metal, and yet, at the same time, it is some mysterious material created by the spirit world. You stand in a place that belongs both to the living and to the spirits of the dead, and this key straddles the line between the pair. Every pulse of mana that shimmers through this dark place is somehow reflected in the essence of this key.

The harmonies of your voice vibrate through the pure gold key, and you sense that the key is not only tied to the realm of the dead, but actually a conduit from place to place within that mysterious kingdom. If its power can be properly triggered, then it will carry you safely to and from some distant locale.

As you continue to sing to the key, you sense that the power surrounding it is of sacred origin. The key doubles in your vision, then quadruples, and then becomes merely one key of hundreds... no, thousands!... upon a massive ring of keys. The keys are backed by shimmering black cloth, yet you perceive that the cloth is more than cloth. It is part of the very barrier that separates life from death. You see it with the eyes of your vision, but you see it with your mortal eyes as well, for, in the realm of the Ebon Gate, every shadow is part of that mystical barrier. Knowledge pours into you, far too much to absorb... and then it fades away, flickering from your mind like swift-winged moths avoiding a hungry bat's maw.

The world around you shimmers before fading away, and, in its place, you see a snowy forest and a winding path. At the end of the path, an ornate black gate stands closed, and a glimmering pure gold key rests in its lock.

The key's resonances tremble through both the mortal world and the world of the dead. Again, you sense that the key is a conduit between one place and another, and, as your melody works its way through the fabric of the key, you understand that you could readily trigger the passage that waits within the key. It would require only a bit more concentration, and, perhaps, another verse....

A faint glow accumulates around the pure gold key as your song delves into the magic of its being. A warm, tingling sensation spreads from your fingertips up your arm, and the glow follows, immersing you entirely in shimmering white radiance. Suddenly, everything changes....

[A Secret Graveyard]
Tall, crumbling stone walls encircle this small graveyard, and, beyond their perimeter, the tops of willow trees sway desolately in the shifting wind. Nightshade and sulfur tinge the air faintly with their scents, though no sign of either can be found. There are only eight graves present, each marked with an ornately carved headstone. Weeds grow wild around the tombstones. You also see a massive marble sarcophagus.
Obvious paths: none

[Drew2]

http://www.mularos.com/cryptogram.rtf

[Adhara]

I think I broke the code of the headstones. It's a slow process though so it will be a while.

[Adhara]

This is what I have so far, the headstones decoded in sequence. Will edit when I get the missing part finished.

Will you understand?
On a guess, graves harbor all and return none.
Ground very fine within your grasp,
The heart's oldest garden's walls tremble.
Keep me safe, and let me pray.
I wonder, if I watched you drown, what would set me free?

That Night, when she said that my boy fell, I hated magic!
Magic. It breaks your will, your strength, your soul.
What else could destroy so?
Be afraid if the magic has one trapped.
When its power calls, backlash is coming.
Takes.

Cholen's eve, she thought, if I had faith, so it goes.
She is with your son.
He calls and calls at noon.
When dusk answers, we seek him not.
Where are we?
The slowly falling snow turns everything white.
A rose's petals.

Renounce death with love.
The blackest wolf pups will be lost and fear nightfall.
Necromantic mercy defeats arts clerical.
What he touched, he stole.
He stole their dreams.
He lives unrepentantly now for worship and purposes you think depraved-
Now think on that!
Soon, Restday comes.

Time, just to understand. And this to you!
You can strike and then not be seen.
They shall die, shall see you return, but then to what end?
Dust. Live, but to die, then die.
So beware.

Recite these like these? We are ill-used.
The grave thralls our words within its riddles.
Your eye and hand, will they grasp loosely or tight?
I had a secret, once, key to trials of riddles of wistful faith.
Gold will wither and die here. Pray,

Wear what I last brought to you, these silks.
Your children never want to meet in untimely fashion, but gravely.
An axe ignores evil. Acultured man embraces it, betrayed by riddles.
Their answers dissipate, trusting none with hearts.

Her rambling on, beware me though I see the spirits of air.
A boy grows old.
What dank, bitter thoughts and prayers fight cold inside, inside the heart?
What guardians, what spirits rise to protect, but win out?
If memory survives your demise, then prayers survive mine.

Latest news:

apply the rule of three (use one word in three) to come up with new sentences.

This is what Maleficius has come up with:

Maleficius recites:

"What brought these children to untimely graves?
An evil man betrayed their trusting hearts
With blackest will and necromantic arts
He stole their lives for puposes depraved."

Maleficius recites:

"On restday eve, if faith goes with ;
He calls at dusk, seek the snow white petals
On graves and ground within the garden keep and pray
If you would free these ill-used thralls
Within your hand grasp tight a key of Gold and pray"

Maleficius recites:

"On though the air grows dank and cold
The guardians rise but if your prayers are just
and you strike not
they shall return to dust, to die."

[Edited on 10-31-2004 by Adhara]

[Artha]

Vedesiyb ht eerd ,ivi en ybrht, ee
Knutonyb ht eeru ,ibn dn ybrht.ee


Devise by three, divine by three.
Unknot by three, unbind by three.

[Adhara]

The quest has been successfully completed. You can find a cleaned up log by clicking on this link. However, for the plat players, be advised that this is of course spoiler information so if you plan on doing the quest, I recommend you don't read it.

http://www.stormpages.com/ardenai/eg2004/egquest.html

[Eiderfleur]

I'm so pissed off with what happened for this.

Maleficius has been working on this code since yesterday and most of today, talking with Adhara and others and interacting with the ghostly children to get this solved and when it came to it because of all the people rushing into the room and going through the portal he got left behind because he was talking to the children and when it came to it he didn't get a poppet.

I'm furious about it because not only has he been working on it all day and being actively involved in the quest, people who did fuck all towards solving it got credit for it. That is BULLSHIT!

/end rant

I will probably post about it on the official boards too. I kept telling him to report, ok well I was practically screaming at him here to report or whisper to the ghostly children that he should be on the other side of the portal!

Grrrr Men!

[Adhara]

Originally posted by Eiderfleur
I'm furious about it because not only has he been working on it all day and being actively involved in the quest, people who did fuck all towards solving it got credit for it. That is BULLSHIT!


I posted on the official boards about this immediately after I was done cleaning up the log. A couple people of our group had already beat me to it too. I hope they remember this for future quests and come up with a better way of selecting those who will be rewarded.

Maleficius has been a perfect gentleman in accepting this. Him being so calm about it made me doubly angry at the staff. I told him privately after the event that I personally felt we owed the success of this quest to him and his work. It makes me feel a little better knowing that at least he knows he got the recognition and respect of those he worked with.

[Eiderfleur]

Yeah I know Adhara, he was really calm about it last night when we settled down for sleep. I was still fuming about it because I know how hard you, he and others like you both worked towards getting this quest. The only thing I could be bothered to figure out about it was that it was something about Luukos because Solmarar mentioned his key changing the second time he tried using it and when I looked at his key I noticed the serpent on it.

He doesn't mind so much about not getting recognition because he claims he had great fun, which he did, we both have, this being our first every paid merchant event.

He is convinced now to try others.

I have you and people like you Adhara to thank for him being happy with this event because he now has new friends to RP with and Maleficius being the drama queen he is, is always happy to find new people he can RP with.

Thank you Adhara.

It was funny yesterday, I was practically screaming at him to report or assist about not going through the portal!:lol:

He did neither, didn't even assist about it after. I'm half tempted to log him in and assist for him heheh, but I won't *mutter*

[Amaron]

I felt bad for folks who worked hard too.

I worked for a time with a few friends but when I realized I couldn't be there for the end so kinda gave up.

There should have been a better way of handling prizes. we all live and learn.... including Gm's.

It was an awesome quest! Except for the ending it was well planned and thought out event. Thank you, Jharra, for the time and effort it took to get it together.


J

[Trinitis]

At first, I was rather upset that I missed out on the end of the quest and such, just because I was busy with real life (cooking dinner, actually). Kylie and I spent a good 2 or 3 hours soild on this quest sat night, missing quite a few merchants and stuff.

But after reading the log, I'm glad Adredrin was not there. His RP is so out of line for and ending such as that. He would have pissed a BUNCH of people off, and most likely would have gone nuts seeing his wife going through what those people did go through.

All and all, its better off this way, though I still feel kinda jipped in the end.