The Mage's Cipher - 200 & 201

[Updated: Across 201 Pages!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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200

The first night of the Waxing Crescent is perhaps the most interesting. Far from the Moon of three days past, one might intuit. Not for any special happening, nor to any purpose. Rather, there is a sudden resurgence. Of what, I cannot say with full certainty, but the sensation is always the same.

This phase is that of wishes, some believe. That our hopes, those carved within the very soul, might sail into the world and become something of tangibility.

201

At a passing glance, such a farfetched notion seems a faerie story. The sort concocted to keep those in need holding out to the beginning to each month, time and again.

Such tales have a curious relation to our reality however. To doubt even the outlandish is to narrow one’s scope of what is truly possible in this world.

I am not the sort who believes there to be truth in every tale, but I am not the sort to overlook an outlandish account for my own precognitions.

All but the most esoteric of light reaches Elyria. In this period, the month now half past, those emboldened take their first steps. Tonight, I too will search out those wishes that will not return.

The Mage's Cipher - 202 & 203

[Updated: In A Familiar Code!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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202

3334 321144441542 233452 32113354 4424321543 24 11444415323544 4434 22245115 325443153121 1133 233433154344 43153121 11434315434332153344 442315 421543453144 2443 113152115443 442315 43113215

44234234452223 113314 44234234452223 24 23115115 11 4415424224123115 3515424334331131244454

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203

15511533 3433 44232443 3324222344 3421 442315 521153243322 1342154313153344 24 21243314 325443153121 2433 42152131151344243433 421144231542 44231133 3542153511421144243433

233452 44153131243322

113314 4334 44343324222344 24 52243131 35423413151514 231151243322 42151121212442321514 4423154315 33344424343343 25333452243322 2145313154 52153131 3254 131135111224312444241543

The Mage's Cipher - 204 & 205

[Updated: 100 Entries And Going!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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204

I once heard a story of a king whom, above his throne, suspended a sword with a single strand of hair from a horse’s tail.

It is a narrative in fear, I believe. No matter the luxury or influence one possesses, those in power live on the edge of a blade, ever vulnerable. Only a certain sort of life can be lived under that oppression.

yju qelgbzek talt tjj ij? ls b alve ijw.

205

The metaphor ebbs to the melodramatic, but I suppose if I am able to recall the tale, there is something to be said.

The Crescent-Moon of this night reflects the inverse of our house. Her arc is a pleasant one, but I know I must temper such regards. Tonight, I set such affairs in order.

Posted By Scarecrow Xin at 07:28 AM - Fri Dec 22 2017

@EN Try a VIC :)

Though I do know how, I try to practice accessibility to novice cryptographers in most of my entries.

Unless anyone wants a challenge ;)

The Mage's Cipher - 206 & 207

[Updated: At A Time Of Rest!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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207

I spent the afternoon tending the garden. The work would have been done without my hands, but I usually find the change in pace and perspective a boon amidst large undertakings.

And yet today I found myself without thought or care in the lull of my task, thinking of little else than what is in front of me. It is a bit jarring to have wasted my day engrossed in recreation without as much as a nod to my responsibility, but perhaps days as these suit my purpose in a different fashion.

Admittedly, my horticulture is amateur, but a lackluster skill in itself no excuse to keep it as such.

The Mage's Cipher - 208 & 209

[Updated: On A Much Needed Interval!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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208

b alk lgwlys tlfei hy helgs wbta hphslcduh waei pltaeq kbk ijt alve ieek jp aeq, out we jigy eveq lte lt tae slhe tloge tjretaeq, lgg jp us ls l wajge plhbgy, l sbirge tbhe.

tajura b wls yjuir, out b alk eijura exmjsuqe tj tae jutsbke wjqgk tj bkeitbpy l alikpug jp ajgbklys lik joseqvltbjis tbek tqlkbtbjilggy tj pelsts lik pestbvlgs, bi tae gelst, tae seitbheit jp salqbir l plhbgy helg wls ijt gjst tj he.

bt wls nubet, ls bp ijie jp us weqe plhbgblq wbta tae etbnuette.

out taeqe wls sjhetabir mgelslit lojut tae exmeqbeice tjj, li uismjfei cjiiectbji hlke evbkeit oy juq salqbir l helg bi tae slhe mglce lt tae slhe tbhe.

bt bs sjhetabir b stbgg qehehoeq tj tabs kly.

209

out bi tabs hjheit, b gjjf tj tae wlxbir cqesceit hjji, wajse gbrat als ijw qetuqiek tj rqlce tae ibrat. tjibrat b wbgg kbsclqk lgg egse.

The Mage's Cipher - 210 & 211

[Updated: On The Cusp]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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210

1143 43112442542333 133134132552344225 24 3421441533 21243314 442315 21111344344243 3421 3254 3315151443 1131242233243322 52244423 35154223113543 1133 1131114232243322 4315334315 3421 111345244454

3254 243232151424114415 2234113143 23115115 33151142 2145313154 32114445421514 4434 442315 3534243344 3421 111344243433

1143 23115115 442315 13343314244424343343 2421 24 1132 4434 1114344233 442315 52344225 3421 3254 3542151415131543433442

211

15511533 1143 442315 32343433 2242345243 133134431542 4434 231542 23113121 43245515 24 21243314 3254 113212244424343343 32451414311514 2433 4145154344243433 113314 1434451244

44343324222344 24 52243131 1242243322 4434 32243314 442315 1334334324141542114424343343 24 113152115443 23115115

1143 11 32112215 121521344215 1133544423243322 15314315

The Mage's Cipher - 212 & 213

[Updated: Wishing All A Happy Holiday!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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212

The month’s final Crescent-Moon rises tonight. My past three night, or perhaps four, have been fraught with indecision over ends that now must be decided.

l kecbsbji b alve gjjfek ijt jutwlqks ji tabs yelqs keemest ibrat, out kjwi lik biwlqks. lik yet, evei tabs shlgg qeoeggbji bs l clgcugltek hjve, b lh suqe.

jq meqalms tae oetteq wjqk bs tlitquh.

tae pussbir jp l cabgk utteqgy ojuik tj tae wbgg jp taebq mlqeit.

ji tabs ibrat, b stbgg kjuot. l wqetca tj talt wabca ij gjireq seqves hy selt, wjqf ijq lhobtbji.

213

evei lt talt tbhe, waeqe b tajurat hy qesjgve tj oe steeg, meqalms walt b wls peegbir wls gbttge hjqe tali pelq. l teqqboge pelq jp gjsbir tae tabirs tybir he tj tabs wjqgk, ij hltteq tae cjst.

lik ijw b stlik exlctgy waeqe b wls ji talt ibrat. oetweei seitbheitlgbty lik qesmjisbobgbty. mqjhmt oy eveqy wly b wls qlbsek tj umajgk tae glteq, yet uiloge tj kbsclqk tae tabirs b pjurat tj ajgk jitj.

tae hjitas pbilg cqesceit hjji bs l cqueg jie. tjibrat, bi aeq zeibta, b lh meqhbttek tj ajgk jie tabir kelq.

The Mage's Cipher - 214 & 215

[Updated: To A Pointed Decision!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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215

b alk tajurat juq plhbgys qepgectbji lik joseqvlice jp tae pbilg guilq hjita wjugk eitqelt sjhe peegbir bi he. sjhetabir biaeqeit tj hy ogjjk, jq meqalms hy sjug, talt wjugk kqbve he tj kecbsbji ji hy hjst kbppbcugt cajbces.

taeqe bs ijtabir out cglqbty. b fijw walt b hust kj, out suca tabirs qui tj rqelt jkks jp hy gjirbirs. b wlit tj oe loge tj oe talt meqsji, yet ji tabs algp hjji, aeq selg jp cajbce lik lctbji, b pbik hysegp pqjzei.

HPHSLCDUH,

qerlqkgess jp hy kecbsbji, b tabif yju wbgg suppeq.

sj b wbgg pbik sjhewaeqe, bi sjhe tbhe waeqe yju wbgg oe lt melce.

b fijw iebtaeq ajw ijq waei, out b mqjhbse.

tjibrat, b waj stliks bi alveis pugg gbrat clgg umji taee waj olqs talt jp flqcbji. oy tay wqbt jp mlsslre taqjura pglhes jp tae licbeit cltlstqjmae, tay sjug oelqs tae selg.

The Mage's Cipher - 216 & 217

[Updated: On The Night!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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217

b alk tae kqelh glst ibrat ls b wltcaek tae hjji sbif oegjw tae ajqbzji. l sceie b fijw lgg tjj wegg. tae glst mglce b wlit tj oe, lik yet bt lgwlys oerbis taeqe.

evei qeclggbir bt ijw, b peeg oqeltagess.

tajse teqqboge stqelfs jp gbrat, tae sceit jp selqek pgesa, l saqbgg jp hy jwi scqelh.

lik hjst ajqqboge jp lgg, yju.

The Mage's Cipher - 218 & 219

[Updated: And Searching For Your Input!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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218

You are at war.

Weeks after intercepting an enemy courrier carrying a encrypted message, your intelligence network reports they have deciphered the code. The report indicates two major pieces of information.

In six days, a village in your jurisdiction will be attacked.

In nine days, a key enemy city will be vulnerable.

The village is of little strategic value, economically or by locale. The enemy city however serves as a fortification to a dozen more.

The motion of reinforcing or evacuating the settlement will likely reveal the leak in their intelligence. The attack on the village will be averted, but at the cost of relinquishing the chance to attack the city.

219

My uncle was a believer in introspection through hypotheticals. Reconciling oneself to a decision is key to understanding the person making it. To have these hypotheticals based on real happenings however was what he said to be key in understanding history.

When I was young, I asked my uncle what choice he made. He never told me, but I am confident to have discerned the answer for myself.

walt ae wls rbvbir he weqe tae cajbces tae eiehy alk. taeqe lqe twj mqeseitek bi tae sceilqbj, out tae wjqgk kjes ijt wjqf bi suca l seise. qerlqkgess, meqsmectbves cli oe hlibmugltek, ls taey weqe bi tae plgse biteggbreice, tj lmmelq sj.

uicge wls l teqqbpybirgy pjqhbkloge hlii.

The Mage's Cipher - 220 & 221

[Updated: Amidst A Wonderful Source Of Irony!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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220

Against the word of my retainers, at least most of them, I rode down to town. Watching the day to days of people is something I always found intriguing, though I cannot help but feel as if such is indulging in a luxury few have.

Doing so today, I was stuck with an interesting line of thought.

How do people meet one another? Partners in business, in travel, in deeper relations. The story of such meetings vary of course by circumstance, but the common principal is always a simple one.

Chance. Or perhaps luck, depending on one’s perspective. Growing up in adjacent buildings, searching out a commodity, sharing simple words in passing. People’s lives intersect in such small, yet terribly significant ways.

And yet the method seems terribly inefficient.

221

In a city as this, how many people walk past one another each day? How many spend their lives so close to one another yet never truly meet? How many of these strangers within an arm’s reach are more compatible with us than our closest friends?

It is an interesting, but strikingly sad thought, I believe.

ji tabs ibrat, uikeq tabs hjji, tae stlqs rqjw kbh jice hjqe. l sbri jp tae cjhbir eik jp tae guilq hjita. tjibrat, b huse ji tae cjiiectbjis b alve gjst lik rlbiek, out hjqe biteitgy ji tajse talt wbgg rj uipjuik bi tabs gbpe.

The Mage's Cipher - 222 & 223

[Updated: As We Near The Year’s End!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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222

yju weqe slk lrlbi tabs hjqibir.

sbice tlfbir pltaeqs selt, b peeg ls bp bve oeei gess lmt bi aegmbir tj hlilre bt.

b wjugk gbfe tj lttqboute suca tj alvbir gess tbhe wbta hy iewpjuik qesmjisbobgbtbes lik tae kutbes jp tae sjklgbty, out tajse sjqts jp excuses lqe dust talt.

walt b lh uisuqe jp bs yju. b alve oeei wjqqbek b ij gjireq fijw liytabir lojut yju.

yjuq ieeks, ajmes, kesbqes. waei b stjm tj rbve suca tabirs kue cjisbkeqltbji, b peeg lt l gjss.

mqessbir pjqwlqk bi tae wly b lgwlys alve ij gjireq subts mqeseit ieeks, out b wjqqy lojut uisettgbir yjuq exmectltbjis lik tehmeqlheits wbta liytabir kbppeqeit.

223

ls hy tlgeits kevegjm, b pbik hysegp oecjhbir gess cjiceqiek wbta tae putuqe. taeqe bs wjqf tj oe kjie, out tae jutcjhe bs sjhetabir jut jp hy cjitqjg. suca tajurats cli oe kbstuqobir, out taeqe bs l cjhpjqt bi taeh tjj.

b cliijt aegm out peeg ls bp talt hbikset als iuhoek hy tajurats lik lctbjis.

out waei b cjisbkeq tae qesmjisbobgbtbes b alve tj yju, b qelgbze b cliijt lppjqk tj get hysegp sgbm bitj suca l cjhmgblit stlte.

meqalms alvbir tetaeq tj tae wjqgk bs li bhmjqtlit egeheit bi juq gbves.

pjq juq jwi slfe, tae slfe jp juq aelgta, kqbve lik lhobtbjis.

tjibrat, talt bs walt b wbgg tabif ls b gjjf tj tae pjuqta-ibrat rboojus hjji, klqfeibir tae sfy ls sae rbves gbrat jice hjqe tj tae glik.

The Mage's Cipher - 224 & 225

[Updated: Wishing Elyrians The World Over A Happy New Year!]

[My Open Letter To SBS]

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224

Tonight, Elyrians celebrate the aging of the world.

More specifically, what it celebrated is the current era.

It is a curious thing for the world to undergo such a shift in paradigms that Mann would choose to amend the means in which they regard time. The decision is never unanimous in its adoption, especially in the first few decades. As new generations come into the world however, they are born with a distinction, or perhaps bias, between the “New World” and the “Old World” .

Of course, there are some who never accept such changes. My lunar year ends in three days, though for other practitioners saw the end of the final lunar month nearly two weeks ago. Ultimately, such practices allow us, as Mann, to “Other” those we separate from ourselves, giving means to define our own existence less by what we are than what we are not.

Those following the Old ways within this New World acquire a type of dual consciousness. The result of incompatibles traditions and beliefs clashing between a public and private life, I think. Can someone so averse to the current landscape truly be a part of it?

It is a bit sad, really.

225

b pbik hysegp lt jkks wbta tabs nuestbji hjqe jptei tali ijt.

tae wjqgk lik bts lpplbqs alve gjir oeei l sjuqce jp rqbep bi hy gbpe. l veabcge jp cjipgbct lik gjss pqjh hliy kbppeqeit lirges. tabs stjqy bs ijt uibnue, jp talt b lh suqe, out bt bs bitqbisbc tj hy meqsji.

taeqe lqe hliy tabirs b alte. hliy mejmge waj alve clusek he alqh, hliy mqlctbces bi jmmjsbtbji jp hy jwi.

bt bs hlke lgg tae hjqe dlqqbir waei b gjjf umji taese tabirs lik pbik b tqugy gjve tae wjqgk.

taeqe bs l suotge eoo lik pgjw tj tae iulices wbtabi lgg wlgfs jp gbpe. tuqougeit lt tbhes lik mglcbk lt jtaeqs, out lgwlys lkaeqeit tj bts jwi tyme jp alqhjiy. hlyoe b pbik bt bitqbrubir jq meqalms oelutbpug.

bp b cjugk alve dust jie wbsa, bt wjugk oe pjq tae wjqgk tj gjve us olcf.

walt sbggy tajurats yju alve, ibibli.