(122-01-03) Leandro's Code
Leandro's Code
Summary: Maester Leandro stumbles on some sort of code worked into the Stonework of the Citadel.
Date: Date of play (03/01/122)
Related: http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-03-leandro-s-code
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-06-warlocks-and-dragons
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-05-sneaking-at-the-sept
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-07-rare-plants-and-dreams
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-08-maesters-behaving-badly
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-09-a-conspiracy-of-books
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:121-01-10-geeks-and-cider
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-12-another-dream-of-dragons
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-04-old-scroll-researches
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-17-maesters-and-mysteries
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-17-motifs-and-maesters
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-23-a-maester-without-chains
http://gobmush.wikidot.com/log:122-01-28-the-treasure-hunters
Players:
Leandro..

It is afternoon. Plenty of light slants in through the big high windows. The library is sparsely populated. Most of what activity there is seems to be in the high Valarian section today.

Leandro's searching for what he can on ice, the effects of temperature, and such like. He has every book he can find in a pile, from those speaking of ice-wine and the problem of frosts, to others on the wall and its construction. There's a few notes he takes as he skims them searching for useful information.

A surprisingly heated dispute breaks out over an old Geography text, and a number of other researchers go over ostensibly to help sort it out.

The book discussing the formation of the wall has sections on the making of other Wonders such as the Titan of Braavos and the Hightower as well. The author poo poos the use of magic to make these colossal constructions, claiming they were done through massive human effort, but does discuss alternative theories. A bit of foolscap is stuck between the pages with someone else's notes.

Leandro picks up the piece of paper in order to read it. The heated debate is hardly a new thing and Leandro's area of expertise isn't geography so he only keeps half an ear open.

The argument seems to be that one researcher is accusing the other of grabbing a book off his study table.

The notes are in an excellent hand and relate to theories that either merrows or settlers from old Valaria were involved in building the Hightower and perhaps some of the Hightower tunnel stone was used in building the Citadel and Starry Sept buildings. There are sketches of some architectural motifs the buildings have in common.

Leandro scoffs at the idea of merrows. Still architecture is something he's interested in and he does get easily distracted. He makes a note of this, also seeing if there's anything of significance about these motifs.

To check on the accuracy of the observations, one would have to poke around the buildings. He notes an unusual lintel design that appears in odd places around citadel and Sept, as well as variations on certain carvings that turn up hear and there. Looking around the library, it is possible to find examples of both. There is one window high up with the particular lintal design, even though all the others are more standard. There are also bits of carving here and there with variants on the pattern he notes.

All of that suddenly seems more fun than being in a library with a bunch of arguing Maesters. Leandro grabs an unwary acolyte who's eavesdropping on the conversation, telling him that he wants the books taken to his room, and then with just that bit of paper in hand and its observations, (and some paper for sketching on, of course) he goes off to investigate these designs, to see if theyre there or not.

Once one starts looking for them the occasional old stone window with the odd lintel design is hard to miss. There is one in every important part of the citadel, though the windows themselves are small and not prominent. The thing with the carved motifs are, that there are all sorts of odd repeating designs in the stonework. How does one classify which suit the theory?

Leandro gets bored quickly of this. Maybe he needs an acolyte instead to do the work for him. He looks around for a likely 'volunteer' and frowns. Maybe if he draws them. Maybe there's a pattern there, or a code, maybe he's just looking for meaning in the clouds.

Drawing them does the trick. Working so intimately with the forms turns up seven variations on the motif and helps separate the variants from other bits of similar decoration. It also turns up a regular pattern of "mistakes," seemingly accidental miss strokes that occur in all of them. Perhaps "code" isn't all that far wrong.

Once everything is drawn out Leandro works on figuring out what it means.

It's complicated, whatever it is. Clearly there is some connection between the odd windows, the seven variants, and the placement of the "mistakes," but the key to it is missing. It looks very much like language, but what language? What order ought the architectural passages me read in?

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