Jodie's quest
UCGGP,
V CZ LOGP TGCJOSKY SDG JUO SVYO DB WDRVO. SDYYDMVBT PDKG JVEDSS CADKJ UOG JGCLOY MO JGCIXOR UOG JD C ADDX JGCROG VB OY-XUCYVYV HDKX, EKJ C JCVY DB UOG CBR V UCLO AOOB ICGGPVBT DKJ C SOM ACIXTGDKBR IUOIXH DS ZP DMB. YVXO PDK V SDKBR YVJJYO JD GCVHO ZP HKHEVIVDBH, CBR, TVLOB UOG EGDSOHHVDB, JUOGO VH BDJUVBT KBKHKCY CADKJ UOG AOVBT UOGO VB ICVGD. HUO HOOZH JD AO MOYY XBDMB, MOYY YVXOR, CBR ZDHJ VZEDGJCBJYP, MOYY JGKHJOR. VS MO UCR BDJUVBT OYHO JD TD DB V JDD MDKYR UCLO MGVJJOB UOG DSS CH C YOCR, UDMOLOG JMD RCPH CTD ZP CTOBJH YDHJ JGCIX DS UOG CBR HUO RVHCEEOCGOR.
MO GCB CYY JUO KHKCY IUOIXH CBR SDKBR UOG VB IYODECJGC UDHEVJCY, GOIDLOGVBT SGDZ CB CHHCKYJ. JUO YDICY HJCJVDB EGDIKGOR IGOROBJVCYH CBR IDLOG SDG ZO CH C YDICY ROJOIJVLO CBR V ICGGVOR DKJ C HJCBRCGR SVOYR VBJOGLVOM MUVIU UCH TVLOB KH C UOCRHJCGJ DB JUO VBLOHJVTCJVDB. WDRVO'H ZVHSDGJKBO VH ZP YKIX.
HUO VH UOGO JD JGCIX RDMB C RDIKZOBJ CEECGOBJYP MGVJJOB AP JUO GDZCB UVHJDGVCB JCIVJKH. JUO UKBJ SDG JUO ADDX HJCGJOR MUOB HDZODBO SDKBR C RDIKZOBJ VB JUO LCJVICB YVAGCGP MGVJJOB AP YC JDKGOJ. VJ VBIYKROR ONJGCIJH SGDZ C YCJVB RDIKZOBJ JUCJ CEEOCGOR JD AO CB ORVJOR LOGHVDB DS JUO CTGVIDYC CBR WDRVO JOYYH ZO JUCJ JUO HJPYO MCH GOIDTBVHCAYP JCIVJKH, CBR HDZO DS JUO HOBJOBIOH MOGO JUO HCZO CH XBDMB LOGHVDBH DS JUO DGVTVBCY. UDMOLOG JUOGO MOGO C SOM HVTBVSVICBJ IUCBTOH CBR WDRVO JGCLOYYOR JD GDZO JD HOCGIU SDG ZDGO. VB JUO CGIUVLOH HUO SDKBR JCIVJKH’ ROCJUAOR IDBSOHHVDB MUVIU GOSOGGOR JD C RDIKZOBJ HD HUDIXVBT JUCJ JCIVJKH UVZHOYS UCR DGROGOR VJ JD AO HEYVJ KE CBR IDBIOCYOR CIGDHH C BKZAOG DS HVJOH VB JUO CBIVOBJ MDGYR. BD IYKOH MOGO TVLOB JD JUO BCJKGO DS JUO HVJOH, AKJ JUO RDIKZOBJ IDBIYKROR MVJU JUO HJCJOZOBJ “ZP YOTCIP MVYY AO C JGKJU MUVIU DKJYCHJH JUO ZDKBJCVB DS TDRH MUVIU TKCGRH VJH TCJOMCP“. JUVH YOR WDRVO JD HKHEOIJ JUCJ JUO EPGCZVRH CJ TVQC MOGO C TDDR EYCIO JD HJCGJ. JUCJ MCH MUOGO HUO MCH CJJCIXOR.
VJ JDDX WDRVO JUGOO RCPH JD SVBR JUO RDIKZOBJ UVRROB CZDBT JUO HJDBOH, CBR ZP TKOHH VH JUCJ HDZODBO MCH MCJIUVBT UOG KBJVY HUO SDKBR VJ YCJO DB JUO JUVGR RCP. HUO DBYP UCR VJ SDG SVLO ZVBKJOH AOSDGO HUO MCH GDAAOR, AKJ HUO ZCRO JUO ZDHJ DS JUCJ JVZO, EUDJDTGCEUVBT JUO SGCTZOBJ. JUO CJJCIXOGH JDDX UOG EUDBO, AKJ JUO VZCTO UCR CYGOCRP KEYDCROR JD JUO IYDKR, HD CJ YOCHJ MO XBDM MUCJ VJ HCVR. EOGUCEH ZDGO VZEDGJCBJYP MO ZCP UCLO CBDJUOG IYKO JD JUO YDICJVDB DS JUO BONJ SGCTZOBJ, “JUO SKYY JGKJU ZKHJ GOZCVB UVRROB SDG BDM, CBR CH GOZCGXOR AP ZP JGKHJOR HYCLO CBR IDBSVRCBJ JVGD, MUCJ AOJJOG EYCIO JD UVRO C ADDX JUCB CZDBT ADDXH?”
Correct Answer
HARRY,
I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE FILE ON JODIE. FOLLOWING YOUR TIPOFF ABOUT HER TRAVEL WE TRACKED HER TO A BOOK TRADER IN EL-KHALILI SOUK, PUT A TAIL ON HER AND I HAVE BEEN CARRYING OUT A FEW BACKGROUND CHECKS OF MY OWN. LIKE YOU I FOUND LITTLE TO RAISE MY SUSPICIONS, AND, GIVEN HER PROFESSION, THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT HER BEING HERE IN CAIRO. SHE SEEMS TO BE WELL KNOWN, WELL LIKED, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WELL TRUSTED. IF WE HAD NOTHING ELSE TO GO ON I TOO WOULD HAVE WRITTEN HER OFF AS A LEAD, HOWEVER TWO DAYS AGO MY AGENTS LOST TRACK OF HER AND SHE DISAPPEARED.
WE RAN ALL THE USUAL CHECKS AND FOUND HER IN CLEOPATRA HOSPITAL, RECOVERING FROM AN ASSAULT. THE LOCAL STATION PROCURED CREDENTIALS AND COVER FOR ME AS A LOCAL DETECTIVE AND I CARRIED OUT A STANDARD FIELD INTERVIEW WHICH HAS GIVEN US A HEADSTART ON THE INVESTIGATION. JODIE'S MISFORTUNE IS MY LUCK.
SHE IS HERE TO TRACK DOWN A DOCUMENT APPARENTLY WRITTEN BY THE ROMAN HISTORIAN TACITUS. THE HUNT FOR THE BOOK STARTED WHEN SOMEONE FOUND A DOCUMENT IN THE VATICAN LIBRARY WRITTEN BY LA TOURET. IT INCLUDED EXTRACTS FROM A LATIN DOCUMENT THAT APPEARED TO BE AN EDITED VERSION OF THE AGRICOLA AND JODIE TELLS ME THAT THE STYLE WAS RECOGNISABLY TACITUS, AND SOME OF THE SENTENCES WERE THE SAME AS KNOWN VERSIONS OF THE ORIGINAL. HOWEVER THERE WERE A FEW SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND JODIE TRAVELLED TO ROME TO SEARCH FOR MORE. IN THE ARCHIVES SHE FOUND TACITUS’ DEATHBED CONFESSION WHICH REFERRED TO A DOCUMENT SO SHOCKING THAT TACITUS HIMSELF HAD ORDERED IT TO BE SPLIT UP AND CONCEALED ACROSS A NUMBER OF SITES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. NO CLUES WERE GIVEN TO THE NATURE OF THE SITES, BUT THE DOCUMENT CONCLUDED WITH THE STATEMENT “MY LEGACY WILL BE A TRUTH WHICH OUTLASTS THE MOUNTAIN OF GODS WHICH GUARDS ITS GATEWAY“. THIS LED JODIE TO SUSPECT THAT THE PYRAMIDS AT GIZA WERE A GOOD PLACE TO START. THAT WAS WHERE SHE WAS ATTACKED.
IT TOOK JODIE THREE DAYS TO FIND THE DOCUMENT HIDDEN AMONG THE STONES, AND MY GUESS IS THAT SOMEONE WAS WATCHING HER UNTIL SHE FOUND IT LATE ON THE THIRD DAY. SHE ONLY HAD IT FOR FIVE MINUTES BEFORE SHE WAS ROBBED, BUT SHE MADE THE MOST OF THAT TIME, PHOTOGRAPHING THE FRAGMENT. THE ATTACKERS TOOK HER PHONE, BUT THE IMAGE HAD ALREADY UPLOADED TO THE CLOUD, SO AT LEAST WE KNOW WHAT IT SAID. PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY WE MAY HAVE ANOTHER CLUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE NEXT FRAGMENT, “THE FULL TRUTH MUST REMAIN HIDDEN FOR NOW, AND AS REMARKED BY MY TRUSTED SLAVE AND CONFIDANT TIRO, WHAT BETTER PLACE TO HIDE A BOOK THAN AMONG BOOKS?”
Volumen II, Roman revenge
T E L U U T R F E T N E H I O Y I T B E P H N D A H E I O O D R U L T I E R A T E F R E H A E D U G S I O A F D E I I E L C G N E S R P I N E O E R E O O N R H F T O D C R D V L S R V T D B T M M O S S A N F N S R W T U R A W T E E R N O F G V P U H E H L O A S T I E E A O O E N X I H B T N R E E S T V A R M E D H B L C C E L R O C S H N P I C C T V V B U A E S D A D A M A A T I D S N E A T R E S A T M W R O I T D T E O A F U T O T E E I L T I U S O N G L R O A A E A L L E O F L T S H T N I R W T A L N R D O R N N E F S O R T Y O N T F R I T
H L E E D O E R D O I G E W I T N E E Y O L I V M E D T T U D A R E O N D U T H G T I S E T T F B R O S F N R T M R U T L K W G T O D I N U D O B Y R F R D E O T T U T S E E E O V Y E E E A H Y A U A T F D O T A I A T R E C I H F N H P A O U E R S E S E L U P S H L S R T O W C G T O E U T O A T R A O E C E Y V T E E E I A D E S M A W A E T N A I H I E Y S R L E M R I T M T C H R E I O R N H E T S T O P E E G M H I H A U A T B A L O F U N O H O I S H C E O I R N S D G A S B B O O H A E S I L E A I G A G E E F I W G T Y H W U H T U E R U T S H
E L D E I O N O E F N I I E N H O S A S N O U E I Y T I H N E T T S N F B S U E I H O S S I U R D E N L M D O H Y O M R E A A S I W S T G M T N R A O O C M F I H L N A E D C A R I W R R D T E L N S G J E R U R N C S O E G T T L F C A A T R I R E L S S R I D O E E O S S I K N U T H N D T L T N R I B B A A D S E H Y E T P P B O A M T H D N E G E P I C N J C H F C I Y P I U I R E E C T L S D E W O D C T E R F I S E T E T D N N T G A B O P G S E N L A A O D C B E D H T R M O E L R S E R R U U E V S T R W I D F T B A S B O T T T A H W E A R O L O
R I B N C K G M F T T O C R E E V T S E B N M R U R H E E D S E E S I O Y L S I O E U O I O R O U B T A O C N E A C A A D L T T N N D E O B E E A N I U E Y U C E E D C N O I N I C H M M T T E O Y A A U W E R O D O L S T I I H E I Y P R O H L T V O U E E O I S D P U O I O H L R H L A I A E A D U L O E L P E P A A H N O H T A R N U I I B C D T S H S E T U A I H U L A L C N O O E F A W O A N R E N E H H R E U V E C F D O I D O T R W L R R T S L S A I V U T A E B I I H I A H E A T S C C W E S D E T W I H N T E H E T T U U O H H T E I D V T T E R
E O Y B C S T T E H H N E E D T A R T T O D A U M A E S G A E D M U U R V E O X N S S F T N N M I E H N N O T E T O S V B O L R H W E B U E N T V D S R S C L E B G A T S U S D O T O A I H L N S T N I S H D O O A L E E H O N R S C P S T N I T H I S P D B N C S O E S F T N E I S E E S E B I W T E W U R E T N Y L T A A D E U T D D N O C E R U H A E D I E L E M A R I N O C I N S M O D A N F E W S I S E E O C L E L R O E F C L D H I A A T I H O E A W D E R H L S E T N A C Y A N M H O A I H T F T A H A C O E H A E S L R T W K E O D N L T E H H O N
B N Q O A T H H A E L T N J B R N I H U T I N L T Z C T R N C O P E S M A G F L O E N T U R E S N L E D A N E N V N H E A N I E I O S E T R T H E H M F A A C O A R N I U R I G U O E S N E E E T H D N T U O W P G A F C E N G U S I E I T E S O E O S R T E B C E F R N H U T R F I I G S D A S A H P A T E D U E R E T D B E R R T E C I N H E Y S E R R E N D I S S D E T D M O C S S P R E S G E I E U U P S E R A T H F E R F B C E O A C S M H S E F G Q A T E A E T T L W T T O A V T E E F E P A O A O L A S O E E E T T O I E I I N T F A Y L O L E E F S
Correct Answer
THE REBELLION, LED BY QUEEN BOUDICCA, TOOK STRENGTH FROM THE DEFEAT OF THE NINTH LEGION. THE ICENI WERE JOINED BY THE TRINOVANTES TRIBE AS THEY SET UPON BOTH LONDINIUM AND VERULAMIUM. THEY RAZED THE CITIES TO THE GROUND AND DESECRATED OUR TEMPLES. SUETONIUS, INFORMED BY VARUS, LEGATUS OF THE IX LEGION, OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION, RETURNED FROM SUBDUING REBELS ON THE ISLAND OF MONA AND CONFRONTED THE ENEMY AT VIROCONIUM AS HE TRAVELLED BACK ALONG WATLING STREET. IN HIS OWN WORDS;
"DESPITE BEING OUTNUMBERED TEN TO ONE, THE BRAVERY AND HEROISM OF OUR FORCES AND MY CAREFUL CHOICE OF THE BATTLEGROUND AND TACTICS ENSURED OUR DECISIVE AND GLORIOUS VICTORY."
WHOEVER MASTERMINDED THE BATTLE, THE ENEMY LOST MANY THOUSANDS AGAINST JUST A FEW HUNDRED OF OUR OWN TROOPS, AND AGRICOLA WAS LEFT TO SECURE THE REGION. ACTING WITH RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY, PERHAPS IN PART TO ATONE FOR HIS GUILT OVER THE PREVIOUS LOSS, HE SUPRESSED THE REBELLION. BOUDICCA, POSSESSED OF THE PERILOUSNESS OF HER SITUATION, TOOK HER OWN LIFE, CURSING THE IXTH LEGION AS SHE DIED. BUT A BATTLE IS NOT A WAR, AND THE TRUE PERIL WAS ABOUT TO BE REVEALED. A CAPTURED ENEMY SPY REVEALED THAT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO DECIPHER CAPTURED BATTLE ORDERS AND COMMUNICATIONS WHICH HAD BEEN ENCRYPTED USING THE CAESAR CIPHER. THIS DEVICE, INVENTED BY JULIUS CAESAR HIMSELF, HAD SECURED MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS THE EMPIRE FOR DECADES. IT WAS NO LONGER SAFE, AND NEITHER WERE WE. SUETONIUS’S DESPATCHES TO THE EMPEROR WERE CAREFUL TO GIVE HIMSELF THE CREDIT FOR THE DEFEAT OF BOUDICCA, AND LEFT NO DOUBT THAT AGRICOLA WAS TO BLAME FOR THE UPRISING. THE LOSS OF THE LEGION'S AQUILA WAS SAID TO HAVE ENCOURAGED THE LOCAL TRIBES TO REBEL AND IT WAS HINTED THAT AGRICOLA MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN TO BLAME FOR THE LOSS OF THE CAESAR CIPHER. WHAT SUETONIUS FAILED TO REVEAL WAS THAT IT WAS AGRICOLA WHO ENGINEERED THE DEFEAT OF THE TRIBES ON WATLING STREET, BUT IF YOU WISH TO KNOW THE TRUTH OF THAT DAY THEN YOU WILL NEED TO TRAVEL FURTHER, TO THE ISLE OF THORNS.