NationStates Jolt Archive

The Illuminati Lair, Rome
Just outside Vatican City

NOT IN DERSCON

The Grand Master looked over the empty room. Found at last. For so long, this place has been hidden. He looked around again. It is time to use this once again. The Grand Master walked over to the pool table he built, and lifted up the table top. He pulled out the pentagon box, and set it on the stand. "Well now," he said to himself. "It looks like we will have to use this again." He smiled to himself. "I shall now avenge my ancestor." He looked at the painting of Galileo he bought, and hung on the wall.

"I will avenge you, father."

He put out the letters and the addresses.

Okay, now, time to do some recruiting.

He sent out the letters with the All seeing Eye on it, and just one number.


503
============================
OOC:

Okay: All three of Galileo's documents are in the Derscon Institute of the Sciences in Berlin, Derscon. We can kindly forget the fact it is locked up in the Vatican Secret Archives.

Another thing: 503 reffers to DIII. This reffers to a certain document published while under house arrest. Those three documents are:

Dialogo
Discorsi
Diagramma

If you get the right document, I'll give you the poem, and you can RP finding it, and reading it. Once this happens, you are ready for the next challenge!

Good Luck!

Director of the HFIA and Hattia's top spy Vladimir Severnaya Kasnoropov sat in his office. As the Director, he heard almost everything that went on the world. As he was reading over a report, a small paragraph caught his eye. It said, Strange letters with the All-Seeing eye symbol have been leaving Rome.

Now, Hattia did not trust the Vatican, and monitored almost everthing going in and out, so it was no suprise that this was seen. Kasnoropov nods slightly and blinks his eyes. "Hmm, they are back..."

He dialed up the head of the University of Severnaya. "Alexei..." he said into the phone, "Do you know anything about the whereabouts of 3 documents of Galileo, the Dialogo, Discorsi, and the Diagramma." The voice over the phone responded, "Ah, I believe the Derscon Institute of the Sciences in Berlin mentioned something about 3 documents of Galileo's, they never specified which. It might be worth a shot." Kasnoropov finally responded, "Thanks Alexei."

Kasnoropov hung up the phone. He then grabbed his coat. "Well, I'm off to Berlin." On the way out, he nodded at his Secretary, a wordless message passed between them. He then made his way to the airport and caught a flight out to Berlin.

18 hours later...

Kasnoropov stepped out of the terminal and stretched his arms. He looked around casually, looking for people following him. Feeling satisfied, he went out and caught a taxi to the DIS. Once there, he climbed out and stepped inside.

Once inside, he made his way up to the front desk and addressed the receptionist. "Hello, I am Dimitri Andropov from the University of Severnaya, in Hattia. I believe you have aquired some documents that belonged to Galileo, would it be possible that I see them...?" He pulled out and showed a University ID to the receptionist.

OOC: What in the sam-hell is this doing in General? Are the mods playing tricks on the other players again? Vauge stories of the NS court jester come to mind...


I've heard of Mods taking venegance on players (Mostly in the "Bastard NS Mod from Hell" thread which some of you may remember) but putting an RP into general? *shudders* That's just cruel.

Sort of OOC: BEGONE FROM GENERAL, evil RP thread, lest I smite thee with my +2 Sword of BS and make merry with thine wenches!

Bad Derscon!

*Thwaps him upside the head with a large fish*

OOC: What in the sam-hell is this doing in General? Are the mods playing tricks on the other players again? Vauge stories of the NS court jester come to mind...


I've heard of Mods taking venegance on players (Mostly in the "Bastard NS Mod from Hell" thread which some of you may remember) but putting an RP into general? *shudders* That's just cruel.

Could you please clarify why this shouldn't be in the general forum?

SHIT!

I accidentally put it in General. I thought it was in Nationstates.

o.O

Thanks to the mod that moved it.

Could you please clarify why this shouldn't be in the general forum?


This is an in character RP, which belongs in either Nationstates or International Incidents... General is for non-NS related discussion of basically anything.

Of course, after you've played the game for a while the very idea of an RP being thrown into general will sicken you, if you RP, or if you go to general... Some people do both and would probably be the only ones that could truely comprehend the wrongness of such a thing.

EDIT: Note to self, stop hijacking.

OOC: Okay, back on topic.
================================
Derscon Institute of the Sciences

Berlin, Derscon

The receptionist looks at the Hattian. What the hell is a Hattian doing in Derscon? she thought. Oh well, some documentsby Galileo won't hurt anything. She turned on the PA system and spoke into the microphone.

Sergio Pagano, please come to the front desk.

Five minutes later, a tall Italian-looking man walked up to the desk. "What do you need?" The receptionist motioned to "Dimitri" and Sergio looked at him. He extended his hand and addressed him.

"Good day, I am Sergio Pagano, the curator of the museum here. You are?"

This is an in character RP, which belongs in either Nationstates or International Incidents... General is for non-NS related discussion of basically anything.

Of course, after you've played the game for a while the very idea of an RP being thrown into general will sicken you, if you RP, or if you go to general... Some people do both and would probably be the only ones that could truely comprehend the wrongness of such a thing.

EDIT: Note to self, stop hijacking.

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for the clarification. ;)

Taking Sergio's hand, he replied, "I am Dimitri Andropov from the University of Severnaya, would the number 503 mean anything to you by chance?

THe curator froze. My God.

"It does mean something to me. Please come with me." Releasing Dimitri, he led them into the DIS's vault. He got up to the retinal scan, and opened the door. he led Dimitri in to the vault and walked him to the back.

"Here it is -- document 503. Written by Galileo Galilei. I hope you find what you are looking for." He then whispers to Dimitri. "It is in the Pure Language. Duality is the key." He then leaves Dimitri alone to figure out the clues.

In the office of First Speaker Robert Fortier, a thin envalope sat on the desk. The eye stared back at the First Speaker. Imitora was a nation full of Secret Societies, from Masons to Fraternities, and even boasted of the Organization of Jesuits, a spin off group from the Society of Jesus that felt that not enough was done in the world to protect the proper way of life.

But one had eluded them all. The Illuminati. And here on the desk, Robert looked at the letter. He dared not touch it, wondering what the significance was. Sure, his private wealth was about the size of a medium nation's GDP, plus he had the full command of the Imitoran Treasury at his fingertips, but why him. He stopped caring, and using a gold leafed letter opener, opend teh envalope, and let his eyes slide over the document. He pressed a button under his desk as he slid the letter into a drawer.

A medium aged Hispanic man entered the room, and bowed. Father Domingo Escobare, Organization of the Jesuits, was the head religious advisor to Fortier, and a well veresed man on secret societies. "Whats up Robert?" he asked, entering the room. Very few men were able to be this casual with the first speaker.

"Father, what can you tell me about the Illuminati?"

"Secret society formed hundreds of years ago to combat the influence the Catholic Church had at the time. Pro science, stuff like that. No one has ever been able to find anything out about, save for conspiracy theorists and what not. Aperently, it was based around three documents. The Dialago, Discorsi, and Diagramma del Vitra. The first two were discustions of sorts on the method behind the madness, so to say, the third was a sort of riddle map that would lead to the lair of the Illuminati. Why?"

Robert thougth for a moment. "Intell shows a new double s popping up here and there around here. Just wanna make sure its not something like this. Say, you wouldn't have a copy of the Diagramma, would you?"

"Well, it is siad taht there are actuall copies of it, but nothing that can be prooved. Sure, my order has a copy of what is believed to be the real thing at our main headquarters in Rome, but again, nothing that can be prooved. Appearently, its not all of teh document taht is really important. A brief selection of Milton is featured somewhere in the document, and it contains clues as to where the lair of the Illuminati is located. But again, all speculation."

Robert paused. "Thanks Padre, you've been a great help." The priest nodded, and stepped out of teh room. The next man to entee was Andrew Lutz, the head of the INSA. "Andrew," Robert said, standing and hugging the man. "Whats up bro?" The question had two meanings in truth, as not only was Andrew and Robert in the same Fraternity in College, but Robert was also married to his little sister, Holly.

"Not much mi amigo. Tu?"

"Nada lotta. Listen, what info can you give me on a document called teh Diagramma del Vitra?" Lutz shrugged.

"I dunno man, isnt that something that you should talk to Padre Escobare about?"

"Already did. I want you to tell me what you can find out." Andrew nodded, then left. Robert went back to his not quite busy job of runnign the nation, when, in just under twenty minutes, his phone rang.

"Fortier."

"Hey bro. Listen, the Diagramma del Vitra was once held by the Vatican, but as usual, the damn pansies lost it somehow. Of course, when you have Marianists in power, you always loose important stuff. They need to get some Jesuits in there. Anyway, the lost it, and last known location was in Derscon's Science Institute. Prep the plane?"

"Yeah, but I'm rolling alone this time. Dont worry."

"I never do."
____

Hours later, a Crimson and Black Airbus landed in Derscon, and after a brief period of taxiing and docking, Fortier disembarked in his own private car, well one of them. He had picked from his garrage of Bavarian Beasts, and taken a custom Carbon Black Metallic 760iL. The machine roared to life, and Robert was off.

It didnt take him long to get to the DSI, and he entered the building. Finding an open reception desk, he removed his black sunglasses, held up a driver's liscense that IDed him as the First Speaker of Imitora, and spoke to the receptionist in a hushed tone, low enough so that no one in the lobby could hear him.

"I'd like to see the Diagramma della Vitra."

(I was wondering if I could get in on this, though I can't find the OOC thread. Any help possible? Thank you.)

((OOC: For those of us who haven't read the book, could you please re-explain the OOCage in the first post, because I've read it just about five times and I can't make heads or tails of it.

Yeah, that's right. The founder of the original NS Illuminati never read the book. 'Twas simply because I didn't care how the real world Illuminati was run, so I did mine differently. Of course, NS is different than real-life, which is why I didn't base the NS Illuminati on the real one. I mean, NS doesn't really HAVE a Vatican. It has a couple wannabe Vaticans (read up on "The True Holy See" and "The NationStates Pope"), but nothing either perminate or agreed upon.

Also, I think the whole Earth II thing is a crock. Sure it may be easier to locate yourself, but c'mon, elves and orcs and catpeople and talking sentient walruses have no place on an Earthworld. That's another reason why this whole "Rome" thing sort of... puts me off.

Anyway, I don't mean to rant too much, sorry if I did. ;) ))

((OOC: For those of us who haven't read the book, could you please re-explain the OOCage in the first post, because I've read it just about five times and I can't make heads or tails of it.

Yeah, that's right. The founder of the original NS Illuminati never read the book. 'Twas simply because I didn't care how the real world Illuminati was run, so I did mine differently. Of course, NS is different than real-life, which is why I didn't base the NS Illuminati on the real one. I mean, NS doesn't really HAVE a Vatican. It has a couple wannabe Vaticans (read up on "The True Holy See" and "The NationStates Pope"), but nothing either perminate or agreed upon.

Also, I think the whole Earth II thing is a crock. Sure it may be easier to locate yourself, but c'mon, elves and orcs and catpeople and talking sentient walruses have no place on an Earthworld. That's another reason why this whole "Rome" thing sort of... puts me off.

Anyway, I don't mean to rant too much, sorry if I did. ;) ))

OOC:

No problem. It just means there will be more targets. ;)

Mostly, though, I seem to see that the majority of NSers agree that "Holy Vatican See" is the Vatican. Regardless, in the end, I might try taking them all on. (O.ops, I just gave it away. Meh.)

Poznon, sure you can!

Damnit Imortia, you aren't supposed to release the name of the document!

TAG--- Nevermind about me posting. This is getting to confusing to fast. Thanks anyway Derscon for inviting me.

In Corneliu, a letter passed over the desk of the Head of Intel. Intel Chief Ashcroft looked at it and fell out of his chair. He immediately placed a call to the President. After a few minutes of discussion, Chief Ashcroft looked over the list and calls over to covert ops.

"This is Ashcroft from CEIS. I understand that you have a couple of people there that want, shall we say, to do something different?" He was a cautous man when it comes to these matters. You never know who might be listening.

Yes we do and they are getting weirder, why?

"Well I think I have a mission for those two. Tell them to pack their bags for Derscon ASAP! I have to send a letter out because this isn't trustworthy of the CSD!"

Must be important. I will get them going right away. This will get them out of my hair for awhile. I'm telling you, these two are just wack jobs. Getting them out of here will be the best thing for us all.

After Ashcroft hung up the phone, he quickly typed out a letter and sent it on to Derscon.

To groundhogs
From CEIS

Head to DIS and read Galileo document and do what is necessary.

One of the two people on Derscon that read this messege as it came in, signaled for his partner. Together, the made their way to the DIS and entered. Upon entering, the walked up to the receptionist desk and asked the receptionist to see the Galileo document.

Derscon Institute for the Sciences

The receptionist looked up at the two men. There's a lot of people wanting to see Galileo's works. Must be a convention.

"Which document are you looking for? We have hundreds of documents about Galileo."

OOC:

Okay. You need to either TG me or contact me via AIM to tell me what the document is. DO NOT RELEASE THE NAME OF THE DOCUMENT IN THE THREAD

Thank you.

Derscon Institute for the Sciences

The receptionist looked up at the two men. There's a lot of people wanting to see Galileo's works. Must be a convention.

"Which document are you looking for? We have hundreds of documents about Galileo."

One looked at the other and his friend just shrugged and nodded.

"I am Professor Davidson and this is Professer Bush. We are from the Academia University of Corneliu and we would like to see Galileo's documents printed under house arrest"

Derscon Institute for the Sciences

At the front desk, Sergio Pagano walked up to see two Corneliuian Scientists at the front desk. "Hello, there, what can I do for you?"

OOC: Oh come on, Poznon, what's wrong?

RCIS Director Olek Geisler was looking through his mail. He picked up the first piece on the pile and tore off the seal with a golden-hilted letter opener. It was like too many pieces of news he had been recieving in the last few months...New Bishop...Can't be paid off...Demonstrations organzied by Father... Poznon seemed to in the midst of a revival of it's largest faith, Catholicism. For years, the bishops and clergy of Poznon could be bought off by the government, telling the masses what to think.

Now come these crusading, self-righteous young people, thought Geisler. It makes me sick. But, think no more of it, he told himself. He put the letter a pile of to-be shredded papers and picked up the next one, and opened it.

Geisler quicky covered up the paper as if someone could see it, then nervously laughed. His was the only office in Poznon which wasn't bugged, or being watched. He slowly put down the letter on his desk, and examined it in full. This did not take very long, as it consisted of the All-Seeing Eye, and the number 503.

Geisler sighed. If things continued like they did with the Church, he, and quite a few other in power, would be in trouble. The Central Director picked up his reciever and dialed 2.

"Intelligence Director."

"Hey, listen, it's Olek. Can you tell me anything about the Galileo and his three documents? Something about the Illuminati?"

"Ah, the Dialago, Discorsi, and Diagramma. I'm sorry to say I don't know too much about them. Supposedly about the inner-workings of the Illuminati. They were written by Galileo whilw under house arrest by the Church."

"Where are they?" aksed Geisler.

"Well, there are quite a few purporting to be the real thing, but the Derscon Institue for Sciences in Berlin is the first thing that comes to mind for originals."

"Thanks, buddy, you've been a lot of help. And, I'm going to be away for a little bit okay? Just to give you some heads up. Goodbye."
---
A few hours later, Geisler's jet touched down in Berlin. He took a taxi to the DIS and stepped inside to the reception desk.

"Hello, I'm Olek Geisler, security advisor to the Grand Duke of Poznon. If permissable, I would like to see some-" Two men talking to another, tall one, were nearby. Geisler lowered his voice. "-some documents by Galileo. Particularly those he wrote while under house arrest."

Sergio looked at the new guest. When he heard the numbers "503," he stared in amazement. Damn. I Knew it! The Grand Master is doing a recruiting drive!

"Good day sir!" Sergio Pagano said to ther person. "I am Sergio Pagano, curator of the archives here. Who might you be?"

B B B B B B B
U U U U U U U
M M M M M M M
P P P P P P P
A A A A A A A
G G G G G G G
E E E E E E E

(Is that to me?)

Yes.

Derscon Institute for the Sciences

At the front desk, Sergio Pagano walked up to see two Corneliuian Scientists at the front desk. "Hello, there, what can I do for you?"

Davidson looks to Bush and Bush said, "Have you heard of '503'?"

Vladimir sat down on the floor and pondered the poem. "Santi, who is Santi...?" he thought. His mind then turned to Rome and the Vatican. "Of course, Santi the artist, but where was he buried?" He pulled out his PDA, after a while of looking on the internet, he found it. He put the PDA back in his coat and walked out of the room, nodding at Sergio and the 2 Corneliuians in the lobby.

He walked outside and hopped on a bus to the airport. Once there, he bought a ticket to Rome and boarded a flight. Once he sat down in his seat, he began to think about the rest of the poem...

Sergio looked at the new guest. When he heard the numbers "503," he stared in amazement. Damn. I Knew it! The Grand Master is doing a recruiting drive!

"Good day sir!" Sergio Pagano said to ther person. "I am Sergio Pagano, curator of the archives here. Who might you be?"

Geisler turned to the man. "Hello, Mr. Pagano. I did not expect to be recieved by the curator himself!" Perfect, thought Geisler. "I'm Olek Geisler, director of the Royal Central Intellignece Serivce of Poznon." Geisler hesitated. "But I'm here on-vacation. I'm looking for three documents Galileo wrote while he was under house arrest. Do you happen to have them?"

"Ah, yes." He turned to the Corneliuians. "All of you, follow me!" He led them back the way he led the Hattian. He showed them the Diagramma in the glass casing.

"I know what you are here for," the Curator said. "I was through this test. IT is not an easy one, and there are many challenges ahead of you. What you are looking for is on page two. Good luck, and think hard." THe curator left without another word.

The Vatican.

The black 760iL rolled up infront of the large stone building, and Robert stepped out. He left the car, and entered the building, waiting for what was to come next.

Illuminati Lair, Right outside Vatican City

THe Grandmaster heard the footsteps of someone coming up the stairs. Well, someone solved the mystery. He turned to look at the approaching figure, with the lighting obscuring the image of thr Grandmaster. He saw the person come up the steps.

"Well now, it seems you are the first one to pass," the Grand Master said. "Who might you be?"

Vladimir stepped off the plane. He had done some reading up, and he knew where the lair was. "Good ole' travel guides..." he thought. He walked from the airport to the lair, taking in all of the sights while he was at it. He walked up the steps. His trained eyes quickly noticed 2 people, one mostly obscured by the shadows. He came up beside the man he could see and waited...

THe Grand Master looked at the Hattian.

"Well, I know you! You are the Hattian Intelligence Director! I'm glad you made it. Please, sit down." The Grand Master sat down in his chair, clearly the more prominant than the others, and motioned the two people to sit in one of the other chairs in the perfect elipse of chairs.

Vladimir jumped slightly when the man mentioned that he was the Intelligence director. "Hmm, I'm rather impressed that you know who I am." He went over and sat in one of the chairs...

OOC: Whoa. you guys have been going fast.
Didn't even know you started. My guy's going to be quite slow for that reason, and i don't see why he should immediately know where to go and what to look for like everybody else, either.


Henry Fnord was an ordinary businessman, struggling against the Imperialist Government of his home country, Vexia, to try and secure a Profit for himself and his family.
He had had to spend much of his profits on assembling a Corporate Millita, armed with serious firepower, as Industrial Espoinage was taken to lethal extremes in the highly competitive nation of Vexia.
Millitary Contracts were extremely lucrative, and often the best way to secure one was to demonstrate on your rivals just how effective your new weapon was.
For that reason, Henry was very nervous about recieving unknown letters in the post, as they could be bombs or worse.
But this one caughts his eye, with its mysterious and evoctaive symbol of an eye within a pyramid, and the number 503.
503? What could that possibly mean? And what does this symbol mean? something to do with Egypt?
Henry Loved Mysteries, and trying to decipher him.
Who knows, he thought. this could be some sort of competition or something.
he picked up the phone on his desk and called his lifelong friend, a Professor Kaufenstein at the local Archives.
"503? God, Henry, you've got a live one there. Is this line safe? No, come talk to me at the place where we met on your wife's 5th anniversary. You're in something big, Henry, and its not safe."
Disturbed, Henry called his secretary and told her to cancel all his appointments.
He knew the place Weisenstein meant, a secluded but romantic Cafe at the corner of Jefferson Street and Weishaupt Avenue.
When he got there, he found Kaufenstein incredibly nervous, and furtive, and his black suitcase on the table.
He ordered two decaffs, to give the impression of this being a normal business meeting.
"What's all this 503 business then, Franz? You've got me worried here."
"keep your voice down. Listen- the letter you got sent is an old method of recruiting amongst the Illuminati, a secret society you may have heard of."
"Secret Societies? Franz, you old dog, you had me worried there. I pay my dues to the Freemasons and the like. There ain't no secret societies of any note in Vexia- the government, for once, has been able to supress such organizations."
Kaufenstein snorted. "If you believe that, Henry, you're a bigger fool thna i thought. But seriously, this is big trouble- or a big honour. You'be been selected by some high and mighty Grandmaster for a Test. If you fail it, then odds are you'll never here from them again- or, you might never be heard from again."
Fnord frowned, finally beginning to understand the signifiance of what he was being told.
"So i got to pass this test then? Well, what's the test?"
"An international scavenger hunt, by the looks of things. 503 is the number of some files i handled once- Files produced by Galileo when he was under house arrets. there are very few copies, and i happen to know for a fact that there are a few in the Italian Region and in Berlin. You could probably get a business ticket to Berlin pretty eays, as Vexia is strongly allied with the German States. Once there, you must read i the following files, and then decipher them for your next clue. It might be best to read up on Renaissance History on the flight to Berlin, as well as on Secret Societies, and Anti-Papal Movements if i know the Illuminati at all."
Fnord was getting more and more uneasy, but understood the importance and seriousness of the situation.
"What are the files called?"
"They're called......"(OOC: You said not to mention what they're called, so this part is censored)
"Thanks. When should i start?"
"Right away. You won't be alone in this test, and several have probably already begun the trials- and its common practice to set a time limit, or even to kill the one who arrives last. I don't know for certain. Good luck, Henry."
"Thanks for the help, Franz. See you later, I hope."
Fnord finished his coffee, and then left immediately to get a business ticket to Berlin- and one to the Vatican City, to hopefully confuse any possible pursuers. Fnord wasn't stupid. If someone told him his life was in danger, he listened, and came up with his own ways to survive.

((OOC: Seems like you guys got a head start on me.))

Jacob Ilyuch, head of the Generian International Bank sat at his desk, staring at the envelope in his hands. He was unsure of whether to open it or burn it. He did not know if he wanted that sort of power. Tentatively he picked up an ornate letter opener, and slid it across the top of the envelope. He already knew what he would find inside. The symbols which had tormented his dreams shown before his eyes. He folded the paper and set it on his desk. He stared at the letter for a long time, lost in thought.

Jacob Ilyuch was an intelligent man. He had made his way to the top simply through his own old fashioned hard work, a completely self made man. He was also a wise man, and a well known freemason. He had been expecting this letter that he now held for twenty some years, anticipating and dreading it, and now that he had it, he did not know what to do.

He let out a long sigh, and reopened the letter. He put it carefully into his pocket. Ilyuch picked up a key, and opened the locked drawer under his desk, removing two items: a silver crucifix on a chain, and a miniature portait of Adam Weishaupt.

"Hopefully one of you will help me through this," he muttered to himself, as he hung the crucifix on his neck and placed the portrait in his pocket with the letter. He picked up his phone, dialing his secratary.

"Natasha, I need a one way ticket to Rome."

"First class, sir?"

"As usual."

Ilyuch hung up the telephone, grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, and left the office.

"The Vatican. I hear it's nice this time of year."

503 and Gallileo. Ilyuch would not bother. He was behind schedule. No, today he would go straight to the top, following his great ancestor.

Geisler turned to the man. "Hello, Mr. Pagano. I did not expect to be recieved by the curator himself!" Perfect, thought Geisler. "I'm Olek Geisler, director of the Royal Central Intellignece Serivce of Poznon." Geisler hesitated. "But I'm here on-vacation. I'm looking for three documents Galileo wrote while he was under house arrest. Do you happen to have them?"

As Geisler waited for the curator to deal with some others, he thought. What exactly does this entail? What do they want to do? Well, Geisler went on, I knew they are Anti-Vatican. I think so. What would they do? Kill the Pope? No, that's too much. They can't. Lessen the influence of the Vatican. Well, what does that entail? Oh, what did I get myself into?

OOC: The reason they seem to be going through things w/o finding them is because they have TGed me the location of the Alters of Science and the Illuminati Lair.


Also, the three documents listed in my first post are in the Derscon Institute of the Sciences, in Berlin, Derscon. You will have to stop at Derscon first, then head to Rome.

OOC

There will be a poem in the margins of the second page of the document.

Each line is on a different Margin.

From Santi's earthly tomb with demon hole,
'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold
The path of light is laid, the sacred text,
Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.

The poem tells you the directions to the Alter of Earth and the start of the Path of Illumination. All of these places are in the city of Rome, and are NOT in the nation of Derscon.

>>Hint 1: The Alter of Earth is NOT the Pantheon.
>>Hint 2: "Santi" reffers to Raphael Santi, the Vatican architect, sculptor, and painter.
>>Hint 3: The Alters themselves are sculptures (both 3D and 2D) all designed by Bernini.
>>Hint 4: You will be familiar with the location of the second alter, and you might be familiar with the fouth alter.
>>Hint 5: The alters are, in order:

Earth
Air
Fire
Water

You just have to guess WHAT the actual alters are and their location.

Good luck!

((OOC: Seems like you guys got a head start on me.))

Jacob Ilyuch, head of the Generian International Bank sat at his desk, staring at the envelope in his hands. He was unsure of whether to open it or burn it. He did not know if he wanted that sort of power. Tentatively he picked up an ornate letter opener, and slid it across the top of the envelope. He already knew what he would find inside. The symbols which had tormented his dreams shown before his eyes. He folded the paper and set it on his desk. He stared at the letter for a long time, lost in thought.

Jacob Ilyuch was an intelligent man. He had made his way to the top simply through his own old fashioned hard work, a completely self made man. He was also a wise man, and a well known freemason. He had been expecting this letter that he now held for twenty some years, anticipating and dreading it, and now that he had it, he did not know what to do.

He let out a long sigh, and reopened the letter. He put it carefully into his pocket. Ilyuch picked up a key, and opened the locked drawer under his desk, removing two items: a silver crucifix on a chain, and a miniature portait of Adam Weishaupt.

"Hopefully one of you will help me through this," he muttered to himself, as he hung the crucifix on his neck and placed the portrait in his pocket with the letter. He picked up his phone, dialing his secratary.

"Natasha, I need a one way ticket to Rome."

"First class, sir?"

"As usual."

Ilyuch hung up the telephone, grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, and left the office.

"The Vatican. I hear it's nice this time of year."

503 and Gallileo. Ilyuch would not bother. He was behind schedule. No, today he would go straight to the top, following his great ancestor.

OOC: THat is too bad. You have to stop at the Derscon Institute of the Sciences in Berlin, Derscon, if you want to know where the hell you are supposed to go.

OOC: Thanks for the invite Derscon. This looks to be an interesting RP from what you told me.
---------------------------------------------------

In Anatoba City, Dr. Robert Alburn woke up in the morning. It had been a few months since he had gone on his last expedition, which had been searching for artifacts in Northern Africa. He had experience in many phenomena, such as the Egyptian Curses etc.

Walking to the kitchen to pour himself some cereal, he swore as he realised there was a lack of milk in the fridge. Pausing for a minute to clear his head, he grasped at his car keys, and slipped on some shoes. Standing to his feet, he walked toward his front door, when he saw a stack of letters on the ground.

Picking up the letters, he quickly sorted through them. Seeing that they were all bills, he went to toss them aside, when one letter addressed to him caught his eye. In the top left hand corner of the envelope, was a strange symbol. It looked strangely familiar, yet, the Scientist had no idea where he had seen it before.

Tearing open the envelope, with his letter opener, he unfolded the document, and read its contents. After several minutes of reading the document over and over, he looked up in shock. In his hands he held information on the infamous Illuminati.

Immediatly, he put the letter onto the counter, and walked over to the telephone. Dialing on the handset, he waited for the answer on the end of the line. When it picked up, he spoke only one line, "Hello, this is Dr. Robert Alburn. I would like to book myself into the next available flight to Berlin, Derscon."

18 Hours Later...

Dr. Robert Alburn walked out into the sunlight for the first time since he left Anatoba City. Walking out toward the carpark outside, he hailed a taxi. The taxi driver got out of the car when it pulled up, "Welcome to Berlin. Let me help you with your luggage."

The doctor smiled, "Thankyou. But I am travelling light for now."

The doctor got into the car, and gave instructions to the taxi driver to head straight for the Derscon Institute of the Sciences. It would be a drive taking a couple of hours. Nevertheless, the doctor used the opportunity to take some much needed sleep. He had gotten some on the plane, but not enough for him to think clearly. Naps usually made all the difference for the doctor, who was used to travelling on little sleep.

...

Just a few hours later, Dr. Alburn was stirred by the idling of the taxi, and the driver trying to wake him up peacefully. Rubbing his eyes, the Doctor reached into his pocket for what money he had. Glancing at the meter, he paid the driver for his troubles, and stepped onto the busy sidewalk, closing to door behind him.

Turning to look at the building, he became in awe of its architecture, and began to walk up the steep steps. Walking inside, he went directly to reception, "Hello, I dont know if you know what I would be talking about. But I am looking for the document known as the Diagramma. Have you any knowledge of it, or at least a copy of it? I hear you have the originals here. Please, provide me with anything you have about this document."

Derscon Institute of the Sciences

Sergio Pagano walked back to the reception desk, knowing there would be more coming. What he saw was an amazing sight. Dr. Robert Alburn? Damn, the Grand Master surely knows his celebrities.

"Good day, Dr. Alburn. I am Sergio Pagano, Curator of the DIS Archives. I have a feeling I know what you are looking for. Please, follow me." THe curator led the Doctor back to the vault. The Poznon and Corneliuians stood up and looked at Sergio and the Doctor come in.

"I know you are all here because you have been recruited to come to the Illuminati. I'd know -- I am Illuminatus. I may not tell you anything, but all I may say is -- good luck." He left the doctor and the people already there and walked slowly back to the reception desk.

The Doctor took the document, and walked outside with it, keeping it well hidden inside his back pocket. Hailing another cab, he caught it to the nearest cafe, and chose a seat.

With a nice warm coffee by his side, he pulled out the document, and began to pull apart its mysteries. Reading the document, he began to think for himself on what the poem meant;

From Santi's earthly tomb with demon hole,
'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold
The path of light is laid, the sacred text,
Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.

Obviously his next destination would be in Rome somewhere, but where? The name Santi rang a bell. If he could recall properly, Santi was a famous artist and architect. It seemed as if the poem was possibly pointing to the man's resting place. But where was that?

Dr. Alburn thought as hard as he could. He had studied the Romans and Italy in his early years, but had not visited it for a while. Sipping his coffee, he continued to think about what the poem meant. It could not be the Pantheon, as there was no links to any angels guiding at all. Perhaps the poem is refeering to another tomb? Perhaps one of his art pieces?

His head spinning from so much thinking, he sipped the rest of the coffee, and headed across the road into the library. As he entered, he searched every encyclopedia which would make sense according to the passage. Finally he came across something which jogged his memory. The man had designed the Chigi Chapel, which had been designed by Chigi Bernini. If he remembered correctly, there was many of the poem relating to that art piece. To make sure, the doctor looked up all information on the Chigi Chapel, and to his delight, came up several features which made total sense according to the poem.

Gathering his belongings, Dr. Alburn headed straight for the airport, where he would catch the next plane to Rome.

Saying goodbye to his family, he departed on his "business trip" to Berlin.
Doubts assailed him at the Airport. Was this all an elaborate joke? Was he just wasting his time? What would he do when he met these Illuminati anyways? Why had they chosen him?
All these quetsions and more plagued him, but Henry was stubborn, and would not back down to his own doubts.
It was barely a 4 hour trip from Vexia to Berlin, and he didn't want to waste that time napping.
He read reams upon reams of history and information on the Illuminati and all related subjects.
He had looked up Galileo on the internet before he left, and printed several pages about his time under hous arrest.
It seemed all too unreal to be believable, but if the Illuminati wanted to pretend to be big kids playing scavenger hunt then he would have to go along if he wanted to survive.
When he arrived in Berlin, he found it was busier than usual- probably a convention or something.
It wasn't har dto find the Institute he was looking for. a crowd of people were outside, and several very expensive cars full oy semi-important looking people.
Henry entered the Institute, and saw someone photocopying copies of some text in reception.
"Excuse me... erm, this will probably sound very crazy, but er, I'm looking for a 503 Diagramma?" he said furtively.
the man turned and smiled at him.
It was the Curator himself!
"Oops, sorry to disturb you sir."

"Ah, yes." He turned to the Corneliuians. "All of you, follow me!" He led them back the way he led the Hattian. He showed them the Diagramma in the glass casing.

"I know what you are here for," the Curator said. "I was through this test. IT is not an easy one, and there are many challenges ahead of you. What you are looking for is on page two. Good luck, and think hard." THe curator left without another word.

"well I'm glad you went through it" Davidson stated as he followed the Curator.

both of them looked at the doc and then flipped to page 2 and read it over. They both looked at it and shrugged.

From Santi's earthly tomb with demon hole,
'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold
The path of light is laid, the sacred text,
Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.

"This looks complicated" Davidson said.

"We can do this. It'll be fun."

They both laughed as the looked over the document and decide their next move.

The Doctor took the document, and walked outside with it, keeping it well hidden inside his back pocket. Hailing another cab, he caught it to the nearest cafe, and chose a seat.

You cannot take the document. It is sealed in a case so that you can read and flip the pages, but you cannot take it.

We'll just ignore the taking of the document, and say you found it there.

I'm a nice guy, aren't I? ;)

The curator studied the Vexian. Another!

"You are looking for the Diagramma? Ploease, follow me." THe curator led the Vexian to the vault, and then he saw the Doc stand up and leave.

"I'm glad you found it, doctor." He led the Vexian to the glass case where the Diagramma was. "Here you go. It is on page two."

Bumpage

Just a few hours later, Dr. Alburn was walking through the streets of Rome when he reached his destination. It was a beautiful building, so much so that photographs did it no justice. Walking inside the Chigi Chapel, he delighted as he noted each piece of the poem seemed to fit the building perfectly. Passing by the Angels, he paused and looked back. Remembering the poem, the last line read, Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.

Perhaps these were the angels which had been noted in the poem, as in fact one of them appeared to be pointing. Following the arm with his sight, he began to walk, wondering what exactly the angel was pointing at.

OOC: Im not familiar with the Chigi Chapel Derscon, so Im not sure exactly what the angels are pointing at, whether it be some kind of passage or what have you. I am aware in general what the angels are meant to be pointing to, but maybe you ought to enlighten me by contacting me on AIM?

Dr. Alburn frowned. The Angels didnt really point to anything, least nothing in the room. Pulling out a map from his back pocket, he followed the arm of the angel on the map, till it pointed directly to St. Peters Square.

Of Course!, he thought to himeself, The Angel was pointing to the Obelisk in the Square.

Thinking hard, he had an idea. Catching a taxi to St. Peters Square, it was only a short time before he was standing before the giant Obelisk. But where was he to look for the next clue? Stunted, he began to pace the perimeter of the Obelisk trying to think of what to look for.

Professor Reito Lardino was sitting at his desk in in his office at the Royal University of Aerion when he received the letter, the most prestigious university in Aerion. Professor Reito Lardino was prime to receive the letter, for he was a Professor Emeritus of the History of Science, and former Dean of Science at the University. He was also a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Freemason, and was on a special panel of scientists that advised the King himself. Dr. Reito, if any one, could figure out the letter sent to him. He sat back, hmming deeply to himself. He stared at the eye on the front, and the 503. He knew the ties between secret society, and science. He knew the writings of Gailelo well. He knew After phoning a few contacts, he discovered the whereabouts of the three documents he was looking for.

Professor Reito immediately arranged to be flown by private jet to Berlin, Derscon. He quickly packed for the trip, and carried his laptop in a titanium case. A few hours later, he was in Berlin. He had arranged a Lincoln Towncar to pick him up from the airport, and rode to the Institute of the Sciences.

He stepped into the Institute of Sciences, wearing a three-piece suit cut in old fashioned style with an elegant yet simple blue tie. He was an elderly man, perhaps in his sixties, with a short beard, and receding hair. He gazed around as he stepped in, in a stately step, and approached the clerk at the desk. He cleared his throat, "Excuse me madam, I am Professor Reito Lardino of the Royal University of Aerion. I am looking for the Diagramma that Gailelo wrote while under house arrest, I was told you had them in possession here?"

THe curator came up from the shadows and saw him. "Greetings. I am Sergio Pagano, curator of the DIS archives. Follow me." He led him back the same way everyone else did, blah, blah, blah.

"THe poem is in the margins, on page two."
====================================
OOC

HEY GUESS WHAT GUYS, I'M GONNA STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE ABOUT THE WHOLE THING!!!

Just RP getting to Derscon, and look at Austar Union's post. Follow him, he will be telling you everything.

Dr. Alburn was walking, watching the ground as he paced the outside of the huge structure in St. Peters Square. As he walked deep in thought, he noticed a small plauqe on the ground. Bending down for a closer look, he smiled. Perhaps this was what he had been looking for.

He stood there for several minutes, trying to find out what it meant, then it came to him! The middle breath symbol was longer than the rest. Pulling out his compass, he compared the line to the map, and to his delight, it seemed to be pointing at the next destination, the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. This would be an impressive destination. However, tired of the what seemed like a goose-chase, he caught the taxi to the nearest library.

....

After a short ride, Dr. Alburn was upstairs studying the encyclopedia on the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Studying the architecture, something rang a bell about the spear which the angel was holding. He considered it a myth, but the spear had apparently been pointing at another building, the Piazza Novana.

Turning to the different pages, he researched the Piazza Novana. Surely this was all linked somehow. Noting the dove at the top of the large pyramid, he noted that it pointed toward another building, when he compared that with a map, the Castle St. Angelo.

Strangely enough the Derscon Institute of Science was modeled on this building, and he had once heard the saying, What goes around, comes around. Smiling with excitement, he gathered his belongings, and left the old book with its worn pages at the table before leaving....

...

It was just an hour later, and the Doctor was walking toward the entrance of the Castle St. Angelo. Its architecture continued to amaze him as he walked in through the main entrance, and peering through the dark, he could make out a strange figure.

OOC: Sorry to make it so short, but all this running around was giving me a damn headache. :S

Castle Sant Angelo -- THe Church of Illumination

Rome

THe Grand Master saw the AU persom come up the stairs.

"Ah, another one. Sit, please."

http://s4.invisionfree.com/secret_societyX/index.php?

The Illuiminati offsite boards. register once you get to the Castle.

Geisler copied the poem onto a piece of paper and looked up on the subject. After about a half-of an hour of this, he left the building with a nod and went to his jet, which took off to Rome.
---
Several hours later, Geisler was searching the city for the Chigi Chapel. He walked with an air of anxiousness, not appreciating the beauty of the buildings around him. Finally, he found it, and stepped inside. He took out a photocopied picture of the sculpture of the Angels. He did not take him long to find it. Both were pointing, But towards what? Geisler stopped a passing nun.
"What is over there?" he asked pointing in the direction the Angels did.
"Eh..."
"Not in the Chapel, but, but--"
"Eh, Saint Peter's Square?"
"Yes, yes. Thank you." Geisler hurried out of the Chapel.

Professor Reito Lardino knew where to go from his extensive knowledge, and had the Mercedez Benz take him to the castle. He walked between the angels flanking the walkway to the castle, entered within, and found the secret passage to the Grand Master's place. He carried with him his laptop in the titanium case.

As Rome was totally enveloped with night, Geisler found himself in front of the Castle Sant Angelo. Pushing himself foward on his aching feet, he approaches the stairs.

As Rome was totally enveloped with night, Geisler found himself in front of the Castle Sant Angelo. Pushing himself foward on his aching feet, he approaches the stairs.

OOC: I'll let you skip the rest, just because I'm not an asshole.
=====================
The Grand Master looked at the approaching figure. "Excellent! More made it. Please, sit down. You must be tired."

BUMP before bed.

Executive Offices, Level 55, Credit Dauphine World HQ, Sohi City, The Water Cooler
2:45pm

Viktor Christof sat pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course, he knew what it meant, but he was unsure as to how we would respond. His got up and walked over to the wide inch think windows that afforded a scenic view over Sohi City from his 55h story office. He stood there for a few minutes pondering things his brow creased in mild consternation. His left hand unconsciously smoothed his Italian silk tie over and over.

A knock on his door disrupted his thoughts. It also didn’t help when it turned out that it was his new coquettish secretary. She looked at him with a look that was a subtle of a wild cat on heat. He smiled at the stereotype that seemed to be his life. As she walked over to him swaying slightly she asked

“Is there anything I can do for you?” She said in what she though was a sultry tone. She was wrong.

“Yes. Prepare my jet; tell the pilot we are flying to Berlin, Derscon at once.

She looked up somewhat surprised, before nodding and walking off. Although she was the perhaps the intellectual equivalent to a 16 year old, she did have other assets.

Chuckling he made a mental note the replace head of HR with a female. Preferably a bitter, spinster type. He then walked back over to this desk. Looking around he placed a few folders in a brief case before placing his new Powerbook on top. Snapping the lid close of the light briefcase case, he walked off for his flight.

Derscon Institute of Science, Berlin, Derscon
4:35pm

Viktor pulled his cream coloured trench coat closer to ward of the chill of the evening. He wondered if it would be too late to begin his work.

As he reached the front desk he was just about to tell his cover story to the women at the desk when a frizzled looking men came up to him.

“Let me guess, Galileo?” Nodding Viktor said

“S-”

“Please no more. This way please.” He said as he led Viktor to a room which judging from the worn carpet had been busy today.

“Thank you for you help Sir. I hope I haven’t…” But the man had already walked off.

Shrugging Viktor looked around the room and spied the documents. He walked over feeling slightly - anxious. His eyes quickly scanned the document, his eyes flowing over the aged words

“From Santi's earthly tomb with demon hole,
'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold
The path of light is laid, the sacred text,
Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.” He said softly.

Looking around he pulled out a small digital camera, and taking note to turn off the flash, he took a series of pictures. Satisfied he pulled out a rag and quickly wiped down the fingerprints he had left on the class case. Being a perfectionist such small matters annoyed him highly.

Although the clues didn’t appear to make any sense, he felt oddly stirred by the words. They seemed to resonate with something deep down inside him. Shivering despite the warmth of the room he quickly left the room and returned to his hotel room where he organised a flight to Rome for the next day. That done he connect his laptop up to the airports wireless network and started researching this poem on the internet.

He found out that the word ‘Santi’ referred to Raphael Santi, the Vatican architect, sculptor, and painter. He then begin to search to tomb somehow connected with Santi, after a half an hours searching and a few phone calls he stumbled onto something called the ‘Chigi Chapel’ and after reading the gaudy site of a discursive author he found it’s location, and even a picture of something he supposed could have been the ‘demons hole’. Sitting back, he smiled victoriously.

Chigi Chapel, Rome, Italy
Early the next day

Thankful the Chapel was otherwise quiet. The normal horde of irritating tourists that normally gravitated towards these places where thankfully nowhere to be found. He stood on the centre of the room soaking it all in. On some level he felt connected with the room.

While on the plane early this morning, he had found information about four ‘Altars’ which seemed to be a sort of map. According to his research, he now was in the Earth tomb. It was starting to make sense now. He looked around wondering where he should go next when he saw an Angel. Smiling he observed the masterful work that made up the marble cherub. As his eyes drank in every detail he noticed the angels hand was pointing somewhere. Of course, the last line in the poem he thought!

Pulling out his, PDA he loaded a high-resolution street map, which he quickly drew a line from the angel’s delicate hand going out few hundred metres. He wondered where he should be going next, aside from a ‘Castle St. Angelo’, which seemed to be fairly nondescript he noted the only other place of interest was St. Peters Square. Great, more tourists he though as he hailed walked out of the building and into a waiting car.

St. Peters Square, Rome, Italy
Later the same day

As he chewed on a delightful piece of bread, he had bought for a few lire he drank the scalding hot coffee he had bought from the same place. Looking around he observed the magnificent St. Peters Square; in fact, a large obelisk seemed to be the centre of attention. He too walked over and began circling around it the tall obelisk while intently studying it. Finding nothing he sat down on a bench and pondered matters. Reaching a chunk of bread that seemed to be overly splashed with fragrant extra virgin olive oil he through it out the hordes of pigeons that where chattering nosily.

As a group suddenly got up and flew towards the bread, which had now become of intense interest to hundreds of birds, he noticed a plaque on the ground, which had been previously covered by a flock of ‘flying-rats’. It was a face blowing out some wind with the words “West Ponente” around it. He smiled and it all made sense. Reaching for his PDA, he discovered only a empty pocket.

Muttering a curse he scanned the crowds looking for the sticky fingered urchin he no doubt had already sold the expensive device. Reaching inside for a mobile, which thankfully they didn’t swipe he dialled a number and pressed an 11 digit series of numbers. A few seconds later the PDA’s phone rang, which of course the curious child accept by pressing the green button that was flashing on screen. As he did a few electronic squawks where heard, then suddenly the PDA deleted its memory.

Hanging up the mobile phone, he walked over to a street merchant hawking his maps he asked

“Posso avere il programma più grande di Roma che avete mio egregio Signore?.” The merchant smiled at his clumsy Italian, but seemed to understand his request. A few moments later he had bought a large paper map, a marker pen, and an offer for dinner on night with the man’s oldest daughter.

Quickly he drew in the line from the Chapel to the square, and then a line going west from the obelisk to - Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Of course, the only way he found that out as it happened to have been highlighted as a tourist attraction. Curiously, he noted a number ‘503’ was printed in tiny letters in the bottom corner of the map. Momentarily confused he soon understood the meaning behind the number. From the Air Altar to the Fire altar he thought yawning.

Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy
Early Afternoon

Although he was a strong believer in the Water Cooler, and he had qualms with Christianity, he was immensely awed by the Church and its impressive splendour. He read a rather interesting quote by St. Teresa as he walked about.

“May I help you?” Asked an elderly nun.

“I don’t suppose you know where the altar of Water is do you?” He asked out of boredom with a chuckle.

The nun’s eyes narrowed and her previously warm face instantly turned icy.

“Get out. How dare you blaspheme this Church!” She then with a surprising strength she grabbed him by the arm. “Your kind isn’t welcome here.” He then opened his coat and motioned towards his gun with his free hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I have something to do, and I will do it. Now unhand me.” He said with a brutal infliction to his voice. She glared at him and quickly walked off.

He suspected that she was now calling the police. Sighing he was about to leave when a statue caught his eyes. It was a spear, and it was pointing somewhere. Noting his direction he left and got in the car, driving toward what he assumed was his near final direction. Adrenaline filled his body, eliminating the weariness caused by a day of walking in the hot Italian sun.

He paused, and had an idea. As the car pulled into a car park he pulled out his laptop and loaded a ‘Pictorial guide to Rome’ CD he had bought at the Airport. Selecting the destination he assumed he was to go to next, Piazza Navona, he looked around. And of course, as it went there was a fountain with a large obelisk on it. Grinning he enlarge the dove finale and noted the information box’s fact “Obelisk with dove atop Note: This dove is taken down and cleaned every three years and from time to time will point the opposite direction.” So pulling out his map, he drew lines in the two possible directions. One lead off to Rome, however the other lead off to somewhere else indeed. Smiling he instructed his driver to return him to his hotel, where he quickly showered, and got dressed in a fresh suit.

“Where to now?” Asked the driver.

“Castle St. Angelo.”

As night started to fall over the proud city of Rome, he slowly walked into the courtyard of the Castle. He suddenly felt that same chill in his body as he had felt when he first read the poem.

“Welcome” Said a figure obscured by the shadows.

((Sorry for the first draft-ness of this - I hope it's clear enough. I was in a bit of a rush typing it.))

OOC: You got a lot of info wrong, but you got the places, so I don't care.
=================================
"Excellent! Another." The Grand Master stepped out of the shadows to greet him. A universal *gasp!* could be heard from everyone else.

Standing before them, the one who was giving the orders, was Imperial Marschal Otto von Bismarck -- Supreme Commander of the Dersconi General Staff (read as: Supreme commander of the Dersconi Military) -- and heir to the Dersconi throne.

"I'm glad you could make it. Please, sit down. We have lots to discuss." He looked around again. "I know I sent out more letters than this. Where IS everyone? I hope they are not incompitent and could not solve the puzzle."

OOC: I'm afraid my character will turn out to be quite incompetent..... Not being the super-duper Secret Society scholar everyone else is. :)

Henry studied the Diagramma with awe, and quickly took out a notepad and wrote down the words.

He was baffled by the poem. Angels? It made little sense in a real world context.

He decided to fall back on someone who actually knew about this secret society nonsense.

Levaing the museum, he got out his mobile phone and called his friend, Professor Kaufenstein.

"Uh... hello?"
"Sorry to wake you, Franz. I'm sending you a Text contianing some sort of riddle. Could you possibly find time to translate it for me? I have no idea where to go next or what to do."
"Yeah... sure.. You owe me one, Henry."
"I no i do, Franz. Thanks."
After he finished texting, he put the phone away, and then hit himself in the face when he realized how dumb he was.
He didn't have to solve the riddle. He could follow someone else who had.
He went back to the museum, and noticed a professor of some university or another taking photos of the Diagramma.
He then watched as the Professor hailed a taxi cab for the airport.
Henry Ford did likewise.
2 HOURS LATER
So, his quarry was going to the Vatican City.
Just that moment, his phone rang.
"Henry, i managed to translate that goddamned poem for you. Santi was an artist... or maybe it was an architect? It's not important, but what's important is that he was buried in the Vatican City. You're probably looking for some statues of Angels with arms or something that will point the way.
After that, your on your own."
"Thanks for the help, and i think i have an idea on what to do now."
"Good. ciao."

Henry quickly bought tickets for a flight to the Vatican, and realized with despair it was not the same flight as his quarry.
He would have to wait a full day before catching up with the rets of them.
Groaning with despair, he left the airport to find a hotel to spend the night in.

OOC: I'm afraid my character will turn out to be quite incompetent..... Not being the super-duper Secret Society scholar everyone else is. :)

Henry studied the Diagramma with awe, and quickly took out a notepad and wrote down the words.

He was baffled by the poem. Angels? It made little sense in a real world context.

He decided to fall back on someone who actually knew about this secret society nonsense.

Levaing the museum, he got out his mobile phone and called his friend, Professor Kaufenstein.

"Uh... hello?"
"Sorry to wake you, Franz. I'm sending you a Text contianing some sort of riddle. Could you possibly find time to translate it for me? I have no idea where to go next or what to do."
"Yeah... sure.. You owe me one, Henry."
"I no i do, Franz. Thanks."
After he finished texting, he put the phone away, and then hit himself in the face when he realized how dumb he was.
He didn't have to solve the riddle. He could follow someone else who had.
He went back to the museum, and noticed a professor of some university or another taking photos of the Diagramma.
He then watched as the Professor hailed a taxi cab for the airport.
Henry Ford did likewise.
2 HOURS LATER
So, his quarry was going to the Vatican City.
Just that moment, his phone rang.
"Henry, i managed to translate that goddamned poem for you. Santi was an artist... or maybe it was an architect? It's not important, but what's important is that he was buried in the Vatican City. You're probably looking for some statues of Angels with arms or something that will point the way.
After that, your on your own."
"Thanks for the help, and i think i have an idea on what to do now."
"Good. ciao."

Henry quickly bought tickets for a flight to the Vatican, and realized with despair it was not the same flight as his quarry.
He would have to wait a full day before catching up with the rets of them.
Groaning with despair, he left the airport to find a hotel to spend the night in.

OOC:

Acually, he was buried in Rome, the city the Vatican is in. You only stop at the Vatican once, and that is for West Ponente, the Alter of Air.

"...and hold my calls." Emperor Ian Paisley of Greater Prussia sighed heavily. He sat down to his desk with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey Tea. The steam wafted towards the roof as he shuffled through the incoming mail. "Bill...Bill...Bill...you may have just won 1,000,000 dollars...Bill...Bill...Hrm..." he paused as he arrived at a small white envelope addressed to Rev. Dr. Ian R.K. Paisley 2603 Via Victoria Reichsburg, Reichksamphen. He took a small knife and carefully opened it. A small card fell out, upon it was the all seeing eye and the number 503 "The Masons?" he thought to himself. "I'm not a Mason..." he thought for a moment. What the heck is this all about. "Hrmm..who was it at the Christmas Party last year who was talking about all those secret societies....maybe it was the Czar...no, but he was Dersconian..." he stroked his chin a moment, "OH! Otto von Bismarck. Yes. Well, this is a bit too odd to pass up, it may be connected to the terrorist plot. I better give him a call and ask him about it."

He reached over to the intercomm on his desk and pressed the button, "Clarice, do you have the number for the Dersconian Head of the General Staff?"

"Do you mean Otto von Bismarck?"

"Thats Right Otto von Bismarck."

"We have his cell phone," she responded.

"Connect me."

A few seconds later the phone was ringing.

"Hello, Otto, this is Ian Paisley. I just got a card with that pyramid eye thing...I think its called an all seeing eye and it has the number 503 on it. I am worried that it may be connected with the terrorism we are seeing. Do you know anything about this, or if the Masons are involved?"

The Church of Illumination -- Castle Sant Angelo, Rome

Bismarck pciked up his cell phone to see who was calling. "Well, it looks like that letter made it through."

Bismarck: Hello?

Paisley: Hello, Otto, this is Ian Paisley. I just got a card with that pyramid eye thing...I think its called an all seeing eye and it has the number 503 on it. I am worried that it may be connected with the terrorism we are seeing. Do you know anything about this, or if the Masons are involved?

Bismarck: No, it is not connected to them. The Masons do not use that symbol for official letters, they use the compass.

Paisley: What is it then? And what is this "503"?

Bismarck: Ahh, 503. That reffers to one of the documents Galileo published under house arrest. You know the roman numeral for 503, right?

Paisley: Yes, DIII.

Bismarck: Right. DIII is an abbriviation. The three documents published all began with a D. the III's are to tell you it is the third document. Diagramma Della Vitra -- Diagram of Truth. It is currently in the archives at the Derscon Institute of the Sciences in Berlin.

Paisley: Oh. What is the All-seeing Eye for, then?

Bismarck: The All-seeing Eye is the symbol of the Illuminati, founded by Galileo.

Paisley: What does this have to do with me?

Bismarck: Doctor, I believe you have just been recruited into the most secretive anti-Catholic organization in the world

Bump

OOC... I'm far behind, so I hope you don't mind if I cheat a little.. =)

IC

Cottage on Mount Pinot Grigio

Dr. Alexander Artios (Dean of The New Commonwealth University), and Justice Shirley Markowitz, (Department of Justice, Deputy Director: Operations) walked arm and arm through the forest paths speaking softly to each other.
“Pawn to e4.”
“Going for the old dependable? I won’t have any of it, no Guccio Piano for you. C5.”
“You always ruin my fun. Knight f3.”
“Why should I let you get away with anything? E6.”
“Dammit. You KNOW I hate the Paulson variation. Bishop to C4.”

A soft cough sounded from behind them Shirley’s secretary appeared out of the shadows.

Shirley exchanged amused smiles with Alexander, then asked, “What is it, Vitaly?”

“A letter, Director. From Rome according to the handling stamps, but with no return address. We traced it as far as Via di Porta Angelica 23, the post office it was sent from, but haven’t managed to successfully determine who sent it.”

She glanced up sharply, “It’s clean, I hope”

“Oh yes. Forensics went over the envelope, and we had the interior scanned. No explosives, no dangerous chemicals, no diseases.”

“Hm… shall we see what’s in it Alex?”

“Why not, I haven’t had any excitement in a while,” he replied. “Of course, you must get anonymous letters all the time?”

“Not as often as you might expect.” She slipped her finger under the flap of the envelope, and ripped it open. In it lay a card with a picture of an eye in a triangle, and the number 503. She looked at it blankly. “What the hell is this?”

Alex had a bit of a vacant look in his eyes as he reached for it. “Well, that symbol is obviously the All Seeing Eye, which is a symbol in several Greek and Coptic churches. However… I can’t see why anyone would send that here… almost everyone in Chardonay is an atheist who worships the all powerful Quanta. But, if I recall, the symbol was also used by several secret societies, most likely the Illuminati.”

“Them, I’ve heard of,” Shirley nodded. “We have a file on them, but it’s tiny and looked after by some fanatics. An organization devoted to science and bringing down the church. Laudible goals… we never really put to much effort into them, not worth it, especially since our goals don’t conflict. But I can certainly understand why the Illuminati might want to contact us. What does 503 mean?”

“503… during the time the Illuminati were active, they would have been using a lot of latin.. DIII… The Illuminati really became prominent after the death of Galileo, and it’s rumored that directions to find them can be found in one of his works. And one of my grad students is a thriller lover, she recently became hooked on a fellow named Dan Brown who does occult sorts of things. This all feels very familiar… YES!. I remember.” He pulled out his palm-top computer and began searching. “Angels and Demons… here’s the poem that is supposed to be the key.”

From Santi's earthly tomb with demon hole,
'Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold
The path of light is laid, the sacred text,
Let angels guide you on your lofty quest.

Shirley stared at poem for a long moment, then grinned and speed dialled a number on her cell phone, “Give me Expeditor Andreyev. You may have him listed as an Airborne Major… Ah, good, glad to hear from you again Expeditor. I want you to get a team together. Sonya and Pasha should be enough. Shouldn’t be any combat, we’re going to the Vatican. Yes, you can arm yourselves, but please be discrete.” She turned to Alex “Are you coming with us?”

“I have another month off… wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Right, Vitally, get us a Gulfstream and a pilot please. And pack. You’re coming too.”

“Of course, madam.”

The Emperor Wore a hat, sunglasses, a false beard, and a trench coat. He was the foremost enemy of the Vatican in the entire world, and if seen OUTSIDE OF THE VATICAN...it would not have been good. Glancing left and right he slipped quietly and unnotticed into the stairway leading up to the Castle Saint Angelo. He looked at the directions Bismarck had given him, which he had penned down. Said hed visited it on a vacation once. Hope his instructions were right.

He looked ahead and saw a bronze Papal seal on the wall. It stabbed at his eyes. He walked over to it and tried to take it off the wall, but as he pulled it, part of the wall opened up, revealing a passage. Now more concerned with the passage, he walked through and closed the wall behind him. He was in a room with several men..."What is this?" he asked.

"Ah, good evening Emperor Paisley. You may take off all of the discuises." Bismarck stepped out of the shadows. THe Emperor had a look of surprise on his face, but Bismarck ignored it. "This, everyone, is Doctor Ian Paisley, Emperor of Reichskamphen and leader of the Greater Prussian Empire. Doctor, please, take a seat."
==========================
OOC: Okay, people, cheating is allowed. Just get your asses here, that is all that matters.

And when Bismarck says "take a seat," that means register in the forums.

It had taken a terrific amount of work to find the Castle, considering they new where to go from the book. It was because Andreyev refused to take a cab, for security reasons, so they spend the day running from location to location, confering with GPS systems, getting bad directions (that none of them spoke Italian but Andreyev made things difficult) and recovering from an indolence inducing lunch. Not to mention the hour that was spent convincing the policeman that Andreyev wasn't actually going to shoot the pickpocket with his .22 silenced pistol. 1 hour and 5000 euros, that is.

"You know, Major, stuffing that gun in the poor boy's ear was a little excessive," Alex mumbled around a peice of foccacia as they walked down the Piazza.

"He stole my wallet. I was convincing him to give it back."

"Next time," interjected Shirley, "simply take him into a back alley and threaten him without weapons. It will work just as well, and won't draw as much attenction... try to stay low profile."

"Understood, Director. In any case, I believe this is our stop."

It was a gorgeous building, built in the circular tower style that was popular in the 1500s. They crossed the bridge over the Tiber, and entered the castle.

A voice, from the shadows, said, "Welcome." Four guns were pointed at the shadow before Shirley motioned the commandos to stand down (Sonya had two).

"The guns are not necessary," Bismarck said, appearing from the shadows. "We are all brothers here. You guards," he said. "You are here. You will also be accepted in to the ranks of the Illuminati." He nodded to Alex. "PLease, take a seat." He watched him take the seat and Bismarck sat at his own.

"As you know, for more than security reasons, you will NEVER talk about this organization, the location of the alters, or the location of this Church of Illumination with ANYONE. Even if you know they are a Brother, do NOT speak to them about it. It is dangerous." He looked at his mailing list. "Hmm, around ten people did not contact my agent in the DIS." He looked back. "The curator, Sergio Pagano. He is one of us." HE looked back. "Hmm, there are two people still out on the trail. I do hope they find it soon."

Bump!

damnit!

BUMP!

Oh, btw, for those that are looking at this, the Illuminati will be mobilizing soon.....

NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM

OOC: Sorry for not being here in the past three weeks, I've had net troubles. Ders, if you could give me an update so I can jump back in, it would be greatly appriciated...

OOC: Don't bother. Just get your ass over here and register in the Illuminati boards. Skip everything else.

This goes for everyone.


Those who are against me, you have yet to understand the full potential of the Illuminati.

Always remember -- one cannot defend against an enemy that does not exist.

OOC: hit me with the link to the boards

IC:

Robert had been there the entire time, watching the others enter the hall. One had tried to enter with a strike force of some sort, and he almost had to chuckle. Were there people so afraid and so weak that they needed tohers to protect them? He simply shruged the incident off, the Kimber Eclipse under his Armani suit coat was all he needed. He waited for teh proceedings to start.

Bismarck looked at Robert. Do I have a surprise for him. Bismarck's eyes glew red, and he held out his hand. Using his telepathic powers, he lifted Robert up, and sat him down in a chair. "Good, day, Robert. Glad you could join us."

http://s4.invisionfree.com/secret_societyX/index.php?

The black car pulled up in front of the castle. One man got out, and another stayed in the car. The man who had left the car was named David Nhem and he was operating independently from his Kanabian Intelligence Service position...

He strode up to the giant doors of the castle Sant Angelo and knocked in quick succession...

Castle Sant Angelo -- Top floor

Bismarck looked at the security screen and saw the car pull up, and then the person knocking. He turned to a Dersconi Legione Dei, who was Illuminatus.

"Run a scan on him."

"Yessir." A few minutes later, the Guardsmen turned around.

"Don't have much. His name is David Nhem, he's Kanabian Intelligence."

"THank you. Please go down and open the door for him."

"Yessir." The Guardsmen put on a black cloak to cover his uniform and walked down to the door. He opened the huge two story doors and led David through. He escorted the Kanabian to the chamber, and opened the reinforced vault doors recently installed. Upon entrance, the Legione Dei soldier took off the cloak and walked back to the terminals. Bismarck, who David could not clearly see, motioned him to a seat.

"PLease, sit down. Welcome to the Illuminati, my brother."

"Thankyou, it is an...honour, of sorts, to be here" Nhem took his seat.

"Thankyou, it is an...honour, of sorts, to be here" Nhem took his seat.

Bismarck smiled. "First time you've been in a secret society?" He got up, showing his face and uniform to the Kanabian. He walked over and got a silver tray and brought it back to the table in the center of the chairs. HE took off the lid and exposed some crossiants and some Root Beer.

"Anyone want some? Help yourselves."

The black, unmarked sedan pulled up in front of the Castle. A man dressed for a funeral stepped out. The car drove off. The man reached into his pocket, removing a pair of sunglasses. He took them out, unfolded them, and put them on. He then proceeded towards the castle entrance.

The man was Thomas Isadore, president of the largest Swiss bank in Generia. On his right shoulder was tattooed a small symbol, that of the eye atop the pyramid.

The black, unmarked sedan pulled up in front of the Castle. A man dressed for a funeral stepped out. The car drove off. The man reached into his pocket, removing a pair of sunglasses. He took them out, unfolded them, and put them on. He then proceeded towards the castle entrance.

The man was Thomas Isadore, president of the largest Swiss bank in Generia. On his right shoulder was tattooed a small symbol, that of the eye atop the pyramid.

"Hmm, is there another Legione Dei soldier here?" Bismarck said to the guardsmen at the security terminal.

"Yes, three of them, sir."

"Send one to the door."

"Yessir." The guardsmen pressed a button, and everyone watched the video screen as a cloaked figure opened the huge doors. The two figures dissappeared off the screen, and fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the doors. The Legione Dei soldier inside the Church of Illumination walked over and opened the door. Bismarck, sitting down again, with the lighting so that you could only see his outline, but nothing else, motioned him to a seat.

"Good day, Thomas Isadore. Welcome to the Illuminati."
===========================
OOC: register for the boards. I will not be able to approve you quite yet since I'm off to a golf lesson right now, so I'll get to you soon.

"Hmm, is there another Legione Dei soldier here?" Bismarck said to the guardsmen at the security terminal.

"Yes, three of them, sir."

"Send one to the door."

"Yessir." The guardsmen pressed a button, and everyone watched the video screen as a cloaked figure opened the huge doors. The two figures dissappeared off the screen, and fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the doors. The Legione Dei soldier inside the Church of Illumination walked over and opened the door. Bismarck, sitting down again, with the lighting so that you could only see his outline, but nothing else, motioned him to a seat.

"Good day, Thomas Isadore. Welcome to the Illuminati."
===========================
OOC: register for the boards. I will not be able to approve you quite yet since I'm off to a golf lesson right now, so I'll get to you soon.

"A pleasure"

The man's voice was smooth and aristocratic, as was his face, but the dim lighting obscured that fact.

OOC:

If you did not already, register for the boards.

And only Bismarck's face is blurred, no one elses.

tag