Believe it or not, this is one of the most complex things I've ever written. This piece is very different from the other Thorneau pieces I've written, as you will likely see, though arguably, there is much here that is not particularly easy to see. You do not need to know much about the goings-on in the Thorneau story arc to read this piece, although I highly suggest that you read (or reread) "A Business Proposal" before reading this one, as you might miss a lot if you don't.
Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy!
The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
I, Thomas Cerveau, wish we approached the Vicomtesse sooner. Sincerely, both Scholars and Aristocrats need to work together in whatever manner is possible to help prevent this coming war. The time has come. Madame Vicomtesse Labelle tells me she can perhaps forgive us and give the Scholars her support.
I plead: just have everyone think about it. To me, that is the goal. Earn her trust for our mutual protection. Oh, but yet there is such hesitation from those not yet prepared to work out details. Does the prospect of alliance hurt anyone but our foes? Please let news reach me that the Council, though undecided, still believes that the Aristocrats and the good Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle serve the needs of the Queendom.
The time has come, I think, to weigh all we must consider. I must inform you our Magistrate had hoped our position would be solidified. I had to assure her that we Scholars, we friends, have come more in friendship than to placate or to insult her. Slower progress, sadly, but sooner than later, though, will we be, by Goddess’s mercy, well on our way. We may be proceeding, but I’ll be staying here. Hope is sitting nearby. There is no better plan for all Foraine than alliance with the Aristocracy.
Now is our greatest opportunity.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
If there’s anything that we can do, all you need is to ask us to. If you require anything, be sure to write, if certain items are needed. Since we know you have arrived, are letters from us arriving protected and unmolested from peasants? Let us know.
I’m sure the generous hospitality differs from University services in the Vicomtesse’s home. We will keep your office the same, so you know, despite our accepting applications, you’re still one of us, safe from any academic termination, and naturally you may certainly continue your classes. You are using the same textbooks, yes? The five we selected by secret ballot previously?
Of course, Scholars remain bound by the code of the Scholar’s Oath. Be sure our concerns, albeit cautious, are remembered. Avoid ‘bait and switch’ promises, but always tell the truth. Report to us when you take leave. If Goddess’s mercy follows you, She will do all She can.
Paulette did agree to be your substitute this time, trusted with all duties to or for your position. She’ll not woman the stall forever; I dare to say we will all very much anxiously await you. We will see you when you return.
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Fortunately, we are not yet lost. We still have another chance. We are given opportunity after opportunity, and still we have not decided! We must gather us together and not dismiss what wisdom discovers, lose or win.
Paulette Boivin, is she prepared? The semester’s upon us and if we, us and students alike, must sparingly spend our precious time and write, correspond, and talk with the Aristocracy, I should caution everyone to communicate clearly. But we are the Scholars, very cautious, very intelligent, and soon we will know peace.
Is Paulette going to teach the classes she normally does, time allowing? No choice but to overload if our academic offer lies beyond our current gifts and talents.
The alliance, if the terms can be accepted, is beginning to form. I ask, has…Maëlys, I believe, written to the Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle directly for forgiveness? May the grace of Goddess forgive us all.
Now, Aristocrats, us, and all of Foraine, for the next few months, our combined well wishes must delay this tragedy. I am, and shall continually, offer my support. I shall pray for us all. – Thomas.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
Dear Professor Thomas Cerveau, do you still work for the Scholars, or for the Aristocrats? It has been a long time since your letter. For we wait, eagerly plan gifts, and yet we cannot like missing pages in our books. We have all wondered what the Vicomtesse’s plan now is. We ask you remember your pledge and give your opinion here: enact the alliance on which you advocate, to what end who knows, though we begin to question loyalties?
Should time allow, can you present yourself to the Council? You, ideally, could perhaps arrive at or before dinner time this Sabbath. It’s a long time coming. Our biggest questions are how you fare and best options for impatient Aristocrats.
At the risk of further growing tension, we must ensure our needs are met. The relationship must be equal. Enemy peasants scurry the roads everywhere; might the odious vermin not steal our gifts from each, any, and all couriers? Our letters may not reach you, we fear, but still we send them thither. The time has come to report.
Will Madame, of course we mean Vicomtesse, be a bit more given to allow you, Thomas, a few days leave, if promise is bought for you about your return? Then we, the Scholars, can discuss. Sincerely, Council.
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
As soon as I read your request for news, my heart jumped at the words. More than ever around here, as you expect and as I know, I am careful to represent the Scholars as respectful, staying always with you all with my tone. Can you all understand that while letters are kindly received, I am the last to do anything with them?
I appreciate your position, and also your desire not to know concern as you all did, but Madame Vicomtesse Labelle, for now, she will personally oversee everything. Respond not quickly; she is awaiting the correct correspondence, changing your position, ready to do anything.
Are you all not prepared for those things? Delay no more and no further.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
Know that the Council, we, those of us who cannot deny current events, will let you, Thomas, continue representing ourselves as planned. However, please be warned, Professor Cerveau. As rushed as we have been into proceeding through with all these political negotiations, still this delicate process must be thorough. Matters are always complicated with the Aristocracy.
Are we not Councilwomen, keeping our students safe? Are we to completely forego debating you and your suggestions? But still, we are talking, not ignoring, and despite the changing climate, we believe our minds are things of reason. We ask where priorities are. Need we remind you of our way? Before all things, safety comes to what has promised peace and prosperity.
Trust in the Scholars and in this Council.
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Now you, Council of the Scholars, should begin begging Vicomtesse Labelle as Maëlys already has. Truly, you should all graciously accept that I’m well introduced to political matters. Allow me the goodly, distinct honor to finally help you begin a positive relationship here, please. Wonderful opportunities exist for every woman. Life improves.
A noblewoman named du Broy, her first, Jacquilyn, has now appeared to save me from my bachelorhood, for me to marry. May Goddess bless us and help herself and our forthcoming union. In your prayers, please ask Her guidance. We need all heaven on our side now.
I, soon to be married, cannot teach night classes anymore. Picture that at my wedding! More changes will come, but beauty, our pursuit, comes first. We must stay on alert. Are the benefits of the betrothed still available to me as a new Council member, an academic representative?
Did my alliance proposal pass, and what with? End tally? Alliance from the Scholars’ Council to the nobility is still the goal. Plans for this must be approved. Let she who stalls by words answer to Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle herself for this. As the time for Foraine’s peace comes, let fear die, offering us a new era!
Author:
Huey Nomure [ Sat Jun 06, 2020 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
I was rather puzzled by the obscure syntax until I remembered the Rule of Five. Just to confirm, would this be the plaintext? There are a few weird turns of phrase.
Spoiler
Quote:
we Sincerely need whatever help The Vicomtesse can give. I think that her protection is not out of our reach though the Vicomtesse needs time to consider our position had we come to her sooner we well may be sitting better than Now
Quote:
we need to be certain we are protected Let the University home office know you’re safe and continue using The secret Scholars code Be cautious and tell us If She can be trusted or not I will await you
Quote:
yet another opportunity we must not lose is upon us sparingly and with caution But very soon Is the time to offer gifts if accepted I believe Perrine May forgive us for our delay and support us
Quote:
do the Aristocrats long For gifts like books what is your opinion on what we Should present You at this time are best At growing our relationship peasants might steal any letters we send has Madame Vicomtesse given a promise about the Council.
Quote:
read my words here as careful as you Can while I do appreciate your concern but now everything is changing to all things no
Quote:
we, cannot let ourselves be rushed into these delicate Matters the Councilwomen Are debating But not changing minds We Need our safety promised in this
Quote:
the Vicomtesse has graciously introduced me to a Wonderful woman named Jacquilyn save for Goddess herself In Her heaven I cannot Picture More beauty We Are betrothed as alliance with the nobility Plans approved by Perrine As peace offering
Anyway, I still feel like I'm missing things. I mean, the content of the hidden messages do not always stray far from the original text, and I got the feeling that speaking of gifts in the main message would be enough to address the topic of the previous hidden message? I love the piece's concept and I certainly appreciate the work behind this, but I have the feeling I either missed some important detail or that the coding effort forced you to dilute content more than I'd have liked. Still, this portrays the other half of the tight rope Thomas is walking in these days, and I love cryptography so I was definitely interested in the idea a lot. I was also intrigued by the Council's move to doubt Thomas' true colors - which they should have done sincerely, but that's another matter - in the "surface" message; on one hand, you may lead anyone reading it that Thomas is offering more than the Council was initially willing to in order to paint his proposed alliance as more beneficial than it actually was, but you may also disrupt Thomas' credibility as an envoy and the image of the Scholars' unity as a whole. I wonder how much of this was intended and how much came from a Scholar not too used to real cutthroat scheming.
Thanks for sharing!
(By the way, I didn't remember the tweaks to the definitive version of the Proposal and the "crime" line was absolutely beautiful )
Author:
RavenoftheBlack [ Sat Jun 06, 2020 11:35 pm ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
As always, Huey, thanks for reading and commenting. You're an awesome person and I mean that!
I was rather puzzled by the obscure syntax until I remembered the Rule of Five. Just to confirm, would this be the plaintext? There are a few weird turns of phrase.
Yeah, the syntax is weird in places, partly to fit the code, and partly because I was trying to make the Scholars seems...pretentious, I guess. Which they are. Very, very pretentious.
Spoiler
Your reading of the code is right (except for the very end of the fifth letter, where you miscounted by one after the word "changing.") I'll use your quotes here and fix them into how they would look if written in "normal" English, adding in or taking out punctuation as the message should be understood:
Quote:
We sincerely need whatever help the Vicomtesse can give. I think that her protection is not out of our reach, though the Vicomtesse needs time to consider our position. Had we come to her sooner, we well may be sitting better than now.
Quote:
We need to be certain we are protected. Let the University home office know you’re safe and continue using the secret Scholar's code. Be cautious and tell us if she can be trusted or not. I will await you.
Quote:
Yet another opportunity we must not lose is upon us. Sparingly and with caution, but very soon, is the time to offer gifts. If accepted, I believe Perrine may forgive us for our delay and support us.
Quote:
Do the Aristocrats long for gifts like books? What is your opinion on what we should present? You, at this time, are best at growing our relationship. Peasants might steal any letters we send. Has Madame Vicomtesse given a promise about the Council?
Quote:
Read my words here as careful as you can. While I do appreciate your concern, but now everything is changing. Do not delay further.
Quote:
We cannot let ourselves be rushed into these delicate matters. The Councilwomen are debating, but not changing minds. We need our safety promised in this.
Quote:
The Vicomtesse has graciously introduced me to a wonderful woman named Jacquilyn. Save for Goddess herself in Her heaven, I cannot picture more beauty. We Are betrothed as an alliance with the nobility. Plans approved by Perrine as peace offering.
No offense intended in that, of course, because there has been literally no hint about the other code in these letters. I'll come back to that in a minute.
I mean, the content of the hidden messages do not always stray far from the original text, and I got the feeling that speaking of gifts in the main message would be enough to address the topic of the previous hidden message?
Yes. Without giving too much away, the Scholars are putting on a show, here. They know that Perrine is going to be reading these letters. So, they say one thing in the letters, and they say one thing in the Code. As you point out, these two parallel narratives are sometimes similar, but they do serve two different purposes. The main letter chain tells a story of hesitancy by the Scholar's Council, and even concern over Thomas's loyalties, while Thomas openly "advises" acquiescence. The Code tells a similar but different story about the Council needing promises of safety from the Vicomtesse, spinning the whole thing as though they are waiting for something that the Vicomtesse was unwilling to give. This spins Thomas a little less as a negotiator and advisor, and a little more as a "spy" trying to gather information.
I love the piece's concept and I certainly appreciate the work behind this, but I have the feeling I either missed some important detail or that the coding effort forced you to dilute content more than I'd have liked...and I love cryptography so I was definitely interested in the idea a lot.
Again, I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that there is a second code here, one that is probably more revealing about what is actually happening than the main letter or the Code of Five. I'd be happy to reveal to you what the other code is, but considering the fact that you love cryptography (as I do!), I think just knowing that there's a second code may be enough. If not, and if you want me to reveal the second, just shoot me a PM. I'll happily reveal my devilish little secret if you'd like!
Still, this portrays the other half of the tight rope Thomas is walking in these days...I was also intrigued by the Council's move to doubt Thomas' true colors - which they should have done sincerely, but that's another matter - in the "surface" message; on one hand, you may lead anyone reading it that Thomas is offering more than the Council was initially willing to in order to paint his proposed alliance as more beneficial than it actually was, but you may also disrupt Thomas' credibility as an envoy and the image of the Scholars' unity as a whole. I wonder how much of this was intended and how much came from a Scholar not too used to real cutthroat scheming.
I suspect that what the Council is trying to do in this letter is reinforce Thomas's "trustworthiness" to the Vicomtesse. I think they are hoping that if they question whether he is loyal to them or to the Aristocracy, dearest Perrine will ALSO question that, wondering if Thomas, as he told her in "A Business Proposal," is in fact more loyal to her than to the Council. Who knows if it would work, but I suspect that is the purpose.
(By the way, I didn't remember the tweaks to the definitive version of the Proposal and the "crime" line was absolutely beautiful )
Thanks! I got some good feedback on the one and I'm happy with the revision.
Author:
Huey Nomure [ Sun Jun 07, 2020 6:28 am ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
Spoiler
Could I have a hint? Loving something doesn't mean being good at it, and I'd rather avoid spending hours figuring out grids I imagine it's a rather simple concept, like counting words for the first code, since it's unwise to force your spy to write down anything, and the Five already requires a mastery of convoluted syntax and a wide thesaurus.
Author:
RavenoftheBlack [ Sun Jun 07, 2020 1:00 pm ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
Sure, I'll give a hint. I'm going to put it in a double spoiler block, just in case anyone else reading this (if such a person exists) wants to give it a try.
Spoiler
Seriously, this is an actual spoiler, so only click on the next box if you want a hint to the secret code!
Hint
I've been thinking about what a good hint would be, and it may be odd, but upon reflection, I think the best hint I can give you is to look for a different number.
Author:
Brentain [ Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:42 am ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
Believe it or not, this is one of the most complex things I've ever written.
Oh, I believe it. Simply unraveling it all has taken awhile, and I'm still not certain I have a clear picture of who knows what, and who wants whom to think what. And the Scholars just write like this routinely, do they?
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
I, Thomas Cerveau, wish we approached the Vicomtesse sooner. Sincerely, both Scholars and Aristocrats need to work together in whatever manner is possible to help prevent this coming war. The time has come. Madame Vicomtesse Labelle tells me she can perhaps forgive us and give the Scholars her support.
I plead: just have everyone think about it. To me, that is the goal. Earn her trust for our mutual protection. Oh, but yet there is such hesitation from those not yet prepared to work out details. Does the prospect of alliance hurt anyone but our foes? Please let news reach me that the Council, though undecided, still believes that the Aristocrats and the good Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle serve the needs of the Queendom.
The time has come, I think, to weigh all we must consider. I must inform you our Magistrate had hoped our position would be solidified. I had to assure her that we Scholars, we friends, have come more in friendship than to placate or to insult her. Slower progress, sadly, but sooner than later, though, will we be, by Goddess’s mercy, well on our way. We may be proceeding, but I’ll be staying here. Hope is sitting nearby. There is no better plan for all Foraine than alliance with the Aristocracy.
Now is our greatest opportunity.
This seems to set the tone for messages between Scholars: Circular and formal. The odd part is that this feels like it says little that they wouldn't have known when sending him in the first place; the whole discussion between Thomas and the Vicomtesse is summarized in a single sentence, with the rest being amounting to "Yes, let's go."
It does seem like a risky message to let Peasants intercept, but it's possible that there's a reasonably secure messenger to send. Granted, the best options would probably be more loyal to the Aristocracy, unless the Scholars sent their own along with Thomas. And, like he promised, this appears to leave the Scholars officially neutral, save Thomas himself.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
We sincerely need whatever help the Vicomtesse can give. I think that her protection is not out of our reach, though the Vicomtesse needs time to consider our position. Had we come to her sooner, we well may be sitting better than now.
I seem to have forgotten to mention this under A Business Proposal, but this is a great kind of code for this. Easy to teach, not too hard to read, and conceivably translatable. The tricky part, of course, is crafting a plaintext that uses the right words without arousing suspicion.
In-universe, with such a similar message as the plaintext, this still feels a bit off, but it's serving an odd purpose. Thomas has to know that the Grand Magistrate can now read this, and probably will, but it has to be written as if she won't attempt to intercept it, which means it's pretending to be a more honest message than the one the Peasants could potentially intercept. But she knows that he knows that she'd be able to read it, which may affect how she'd see it.
Spoiler
But would Perrine think to look for a deeper layer, or can she be content?
Okay, I admit, I read the comments before starting to reply, this time.
Serious Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
The plan is proceeding well, though slower than we had hoped. I think the Vicomtesse believes me, but does not yet trust me. Just give me time to work. Sincerely, Cerveau
Finally, something that feels like an honest message to the Council. Still not strongly different from the other messages, but it does mention a plan (possibly the marriage proposal plan?) and the lack of trust. Not a solid description of the meeting, though, and not even a hint of the curve ball.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
If there’s anything that we can do, all you need is to ask us to. If you require anything, be sure to write, if certain items are needed. Since we know you have arrived, are letters from us arriving protected and unmolested from peasants? Let us know.
I’m sure the generous hospitality differs from University services in the Vicomtesse’s home. We will keep your office the same, so you know, despite our accepting applications, you’re still one of us, safe from any academic termination, and naturally you may certainly continue your classes. You are using the same textbooks, yes? The five we selected by secret ballot previously?
Of course, Scholars remain bound by the code of the Scholar’s Oath. Be sure our concerns, albeit cautious, are remembered. Avoid ‘bait and switch’ promises, but always tell the truth. Report to us when you take leave. If Goddess’s mercy follows you, She will do all She can.
Paulette did agree to be your substitute this time, trusted with all duties to or for your position. She’ll not woman the stall forever; I dare to say we will all very much anxiously await you. We will see you when you return.
The Scholars are much more cautious with this message. Outwardly, it says nothing about why he's there, talking more about the state of his affairs at the office.
Choosing textbooks by secret ballot sounds odd, but might make more sense than the racket our universities are running.
Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
We need to be certain we are protected. Let the University home office know you’re safe, and continue using the secret Scholars code. Be cautious, and tell us if she can be trusted or not. I will await you.
If the Vicomtesse is reading these messages both ways, I have to wonder if she gets suspicious that Thomas never clearly answers the implied question. Then again, his condition for a good recommendation hasn't yet been fulfilled.
Spoiler
After this point, I'm going to assume that anyone willing to open the third spoiler layer has already been looking at the fourth.
Serious Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
We will stall for time. Did she take the bait, our code of five? Are you safe accepting the Vicomtesse’s hospitality? Let us know if you need anything.
So, the Council was in on this revelation from the start, which makes everything Thomas told Perrine a bit suspect. Does this make the bit about excommunication a lie? Granted, he may still have been in trouble with other Scholars if knowledge of that leak became more widespread, and it's not not like Madame du Collet would pursue an indirect way to take him out.
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Fortunately, we are not yet lost. We still have another chance. We are given opportunity after opportunity, and still we have not decided! We must gather us together and not dismiss what wisdom discovers, lose or win.
Paulette Boivin, is she prepared? The semester’s upon us and if we, us and students alike, must sparingly spend our precious time and write, correspond, and talk with the Aristocracy, I should caution everyone to communicate clearly. But we are the Scholars, very cautious, very intelligent, and soon we will know peace.
Is Paulette going to teach the classes she normally does, time allowing? No choice but to overload if our academic offer lies beyond our current gifts and talents.
The alliance, if the terms can be accepted, is beginning to form. I ask, has…Maëlys, I believe, written to the Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle directly for forgiveness? May the grace of Goddess forgive us all.
Now, Aristocrats, us, and all of Foraine, for the next few months, our combined well wishes must delay this tragedy. I am, and shall continually, offer my support. I shall pray for us all. – Thomas.
This is starting to sound almost berating. It also has a few unusually awkward turns of phrase; understandably, given the constraints, but the "overload" line took a few tries to parse.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Yet another opportunity we must not lose is upon us. Sparingly and with caution, but very soon, is the time to offer gifts. If accepted, I believe Perrine may forgive us for our delay, and support us.
I wonder whether gifts were part of the original plan.
This one got a bit confusing without the punctuation. It starts to feel like Thomas isn't quite as good at these layered messages as the Council. Then again, that's probably appropriate for his relative lack of experience.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
I am well for now. The Vicomtesse has accepted the lies, but she is intelligent. We should correspond sparingly; if she discovers us, we are lost.
A clear answer to one question, but that's not a solid answer for whether he's safe. Accurate, though.
My computer got confused by the dash at first, trying to interpret it as a full word, but that was an easy fix.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
Dear Professor Thomas Cerveau, do you still work for the Scholars, or for the Aristocrats? It has been a long time since your letter. For we wait, eagerly plan gifts, and yet we cannot like missing pages in our books. We have all wondered what the Vicomtesse’s plan now is. We ask you remember your pledge and give your opinion here: enact the alliance on which you advocate, to what end who knows, though we begin to question loyalties?
Should time allow, can you present yourself to the Council? You, ideally, could perhaps arrive at or before dinner time this Sabbath. It’s a long time coming. Our biggest questions are how you fare and best options for impatient Aristocrats.
At the risk of further growing tension, we must ensure our needs are met. The relationship must be equal. Enemy peasants scurry the roads everywhere; might the odious vermin not steal our gifts from each, any, and all couriers? Our letters may not reach you, we fear, but still we send them thither. The time has come to report.
Will Madame, of course we mean Vicomtesse, be a bit more given to allow you, Thomas, a few days leave, if promise is bought for you about your return? Then we, the Scholars, can discuss. Sincerely, Council.
Referring to peasants as enemies in the plaintext sounds imprudent; they were supposed to look like they could still be officially neutral. Besides, they should remember Thomas's origin, though I don't doubt he would have made it easy to forget, especially if they're already questioning his loyalties.
The request to come back and report is interesting. It's starting to sound like this process is taking weeks for something that Thomas and Perrine essentially negotiated that first day. I guess there are plenty of details to hammer out, and they were planning to pretend to fall for each other, but can they still stand each others' presence?
Equal relationship sounds appealing, but unlikely to be reality between different classes. More accurately, each side must bring something to the table. Beyond Henri, though, what do the Scholars think they're contributing, to be demanding protection so hard? Thopters, perhaps?
Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
Do the Aristocrats long for gifts like books? What is your opinion on what we should present? You at this time are best at growing our relationship. Peasants might steal any letters we send. Has Madame Vicomtesse given a promise about the Council?
These questions seem to get entirely ignored, unless I'm missing something. One would think that Thomas would answer this layer directly, if he's expecting his dearest Perrine to read his replies, to maintain the illusion that he had hoped her trust would partly be based upon.
Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
We bought a bit of time, but letters from the enemy are growing impatient. How long before you can begin to enact your plan? We cannot wait long for you.
So they've been corresponding directly, but with which enemy? Is it the Vicomtesse being impatient, or is Aurélie already awaiting the meeting with her? One would think the latter would go through Thomas instead of the Council, though, and the former is already talking with him. Besides, it originally felt like the Scholars were acting on Thomas's plan in lieu of remaining neutral, so what exactly are they putting off for his sake? Are they just pretending to not make a decision until he makes his official recommendation, not knowing that he's waiting for a marriage proposal?
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
As soon as I read your request for news, my heart jumped at the words. More than ever around here, as you expect and as I know, I am careful to represent the Scholars as respectful, staying always with you all with my tone. Can you all understand that while letters are kindly received, I am the last to do anything with them?
I appreciate your position, and also your desire not to know concern as you all did, but Madame Vicomtesse Labelle, for now, she will personally oversee everything. Respond not quickly; she is awaiting the correct correspondence, changing your position, ready to do anything.
Are you all not prepared for those things? Delay no more and no further.
And if I though his previous letter was berating, this is downright demanding. That's very nearly a request for unconditional surrender, because certain Aristocrats would be satisfied with no less.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Read my words here as careful as you can. While I do appreciate your concern, but now everything is changing. Do not delay further.
Which words? All of them? Because what I see is something like "Act right now to do whatever she wants, even though I haven't given you the full picture yet."
On a construction level, I'm amused by the tense change in "read" that wouldn't work nearly as well in many languages. Not that it would be the worst part of translating such a letter, but a fun little curveball.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Things are changing quickly. She did not appreciate last letter's tone. Staying careful; expect more news soon.
Just two little tidbits of apparently honest information, and a reinforcement of the message that something big is coming. Which probably undermines the whole "do not delay" part, because how are Scholars supposed to act without the full picture?
I'm guessing it was something about the repeated desires for promises of safety, equality of relationships, and/or "impatient Aristocrats" that displeased the Grand Magistrate, but it's possible that he's referring to another letter. The Code of Five layer didn't seem to have anything too objectionable.
From the Scholars’ Council of Fleche to Thomas Cerveau
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
Know that the Council, we, those of us who cannot deny current events, will let you, Thomas, continue representing ourselves as planned. However, please be warned, Professor Cerveau. As rushed as we have been into proceeding through with all these political negotiations, still this delicate process must be thorough. Matters are always complicated with the Aristocracy.
Are we not Councilwomen, keeping our students safe? Are we to completely forego debating you and your suggestions? But still, we are talking, not ignoring, and despite the changing climate, we believe our minds are things of reason. We ask where priorities are. Need we remind you of our way? Before all things, safety comes to what has promised peace and prosperity.
Trust in the Scholars and in this Council.
Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
We cannot let ourselves be rushed into these delicate matters. The Councilwomen are debating, but not changing minds. We need our safety promised in this.
No more talk about gifts, just a stubborn reminder that the alliance has a condition. And nothing I've seen from Thomas addresses that concern better than a maybe.
Spoiler
The Scholars' Council of Fleche wrote:
In what way are things changing? Are you safe? Are matters still proceeding as planned? Let us know.
Right? You can't just say "things are changing" without expecting questions like these.
From Thomas Cerveau to the Scholars’ Council of Fleche
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Now you, Council of the Scholars, should begin begging Vicomtesse Labelle as Maëlys already has. Truly, you should all graciously accept that I’m well introduced to political matters. Allow me the goodly, distinct honor to finally help you begin a positive relationship here, please. Wonderful opportunities exist for every woman. Life improves.
A noblewoman named du Broy, her first, Jacquilyn, has now appeared to save me from my bachelorhood, for me to marry. May Goddess bless us and help herself and our forthcoming union. In your prayers, please ask Her guidance. We need all heaven on our side now.
I, soon to be married, cannot teach night classes anymore. Picture that at my wedding! More changes will come, but beauty, our pursuit, comes first. We must stay on alert. Are the benefits of the betrothed still available to me as a new Council member, an academic representative?
Did my alliance proposal pass, and what with? End tally? Alliance from the Scholars’ Council to the nobility is still the goal. Plans for this must be approved. Let she who stalls by words answer to Vicomtesse Perrine Labelle herself for this. As the time for Foraine’s peace comes, let fear die, offering us a new era!
Finally, he describes what could have been at least mentioned much earlier, but I guess he was waiting for an actual proposal? That certainly makes it seem like the Scholars were unaware of his desires to become a nobleman.
And here we have confirmation that at least one Scholar has been talking with the Vicomtesse directly, and a mention of what sounds like a formal alliance proposal.
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
The Vicomtesse has graciously introduced me to a wonderful woman named Jacquilyn. Save for Goddess herself in Her heaven, I cannot picture more beauty. We are betrothed as an alliance with the nobility. Plans approved by Perrine, as peace offering.
Political marriages wouldn't seem to be nearly as important in a world that nominally has a single ruler, but I wouldn't put it past the Aristocrats in particular to use them for some sort of court capital. Granted, it feels odd to have it be a symbol of an alliance with a set of people that haven't officially approved it. "You voted for that document I sent, right? 'Cause I'm getting married, so you're allied now; surprise!"
Spoiler
Thomas Cerveau wrote:
Fear the Vicomtesse. She plans to end my new betrothed on our wedding night. I need your help to save her life. Please help me; I’m truly begging you.
Well then.
So, he's not planning to go through with the whole murder plot, then, but either it took him this long to decide, or he thought he could handle it on his own, or he felt like he couldn't trust the Council with information about his personal development plans, or he's operating on yet another layer of manipulation, or some combination of the above.
That certainly puts his future with Perrine in jeopardy, but that was always a viper's nest. As long as she can still be manipulated into destroying herself against Aurélie, he comes out on top, right?
At any rate, this paints Jacquilyn as more likely to survive these machinations than I had previously suspected. She might even last as long as Claire...
Author:
RavenoftheBlack [ Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:57 am ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
@Brentain: Thanks for reading, and great work on deciphering the codes! In all honesty, had I not written them, I don't think I would have caught it!
Serious spoilers forthcoming, so you know, enter at your own risk!
Letters
Before I delve into these things, let me just start off by giving you a genuine thanks, Brentain! You basically went through the story three times (in a sense) and commented on each layer. That's some in-depth dissection of my work, and I really do appreciate the effort and the comments. As I said and as you quoted, this was a very complex piece to work on, and it was frustrating at times, but overall it was a lot of fun to work with. Difficult, but fun.
General Concepts
The main "point" of this story, as it were, is to re-contextualize the things Thomas says and does in "A Business Proposal." In that story, Thomas breezes in to the Vicomtesse's lair, as it were, and glibly does his thing. He comes across as arrogant, manipulative, and amoral. Now, to be fair, he probably IS all of those things. But this story, particularly the last letter, forces us to ask some questions about his character and his motives.
The construction of this whole plot seems to imply that Thomas's reveal in aBP was a manipulation. Thomas spun it as a betrayal of his people, something he was "giving" to Dearest Perrine as a show of his "true motives." This story, once we see the second code, reveals that to be a lie, a scam. And, if you go back and read that letter, you will note that it does not contain a Code of Seven. You mentioned in your critique of that story that it seemed odd that the letter was addressed to the Vicomtesse, yet the secret Code of Five was clearly written for Thomas. This is because the Council, or maybe Thomas himself, wrote that letter for the Grand Magistrate's benefit. It was a set-piece, all designed to set up a hidden line of communication between Thomas and the Council. By "revealing" that there is a code, they hoped that she would have no reason to look for a second code. A flip-side of that is that if Thomas's plan didn't work and he had been killed out of hand, they might still be able to manipulate the Vicomtesse by sending false information in a Code that she now knows.
It begs an important question: does the Code of Five actually exist within the Scholars, or was it simply made up for this farce?
Believe it or not, this is one of the most complex things I've ever written.
Oh, I believe it. Simply unraveling it all has taken awhile, and I'm still not certain I have a clear picture of who knows what, and who wants whom to think what. And the Scholars just write like this routinely, do they?
Not having a clear idea of what's going on is certainly intentional. That's really the primary game with Thomas. Who the hell knows what he's up to? It's been a ton of fun playing around with knowledge and who has how much of it. I can't wait for the Family Reunion.
This seems to set the tone for messages between Scholars: Circular and formal. The odd part is that this feels like it says little that they wouldn't have known when sending him in the first place; the whole discussion between Thomas and the Vicomtesse is summarized in a single sentence, with the rest being amounting to "Yes, let's go."
It does seem like a risky message to let Peasants intercept, but it's possible that there's a reasonably secure messenger to send. Granted, the best options would probably be more loyal to the Aristocracy, unless the Scholars sent their own along with Thomas. And, like he promised, this appears to leave the Scholars officially neutral, save Thomas himself.
I think part of what the Scholars are doing here is trying to appear as weak and feeble as they can. They're trying to disguise their strength in these letters. Their strength is, essentially, their minds, and these rambling, noncommittal letters make them seem disjointed and indecisive. But of course, that's the outer most layer of these letters.
I seem to have forgotten to mention this under A Business Proposal, but this is a great kind of code for this. Easy to teach, not too hard to read, and conceivably translatable. The tricky part, of course, is crafting a plaintext that uses the right words without arousing suspicion.
In-universe, with such a similar message as the plaintext, this still feels a bit off, but it's serving an odd purpose. Thomas has to know that the Grand Magistrate can now read this, and probably will, but it has to be written as if she won't attempt to intercept it, which means it's pretending to be a more honest message than the one the Peasants could potentially intercept. But she knows that he knows that she'd be able to read it, which may affect how she'd see it.
I really love all of the double and triple thinking this makes people do. It feels like a neat little Princess Bride Battle of Wits thing, only the reader is doing it with themself. The similarity between the outermost letter and the Code of Five was also meant to be a subtle hint that maybe there's more going on here, though I don't know if that worked that way or not.
But would Perrine think to look for a deeper layer, or can she be content?
That's a good question. Personally, I think her inherent arrogance would probably prevent her from thinking that there was something she wasn't seeing. I could be wrong, though, and so could Thomas. It is, as we've mentioned, a very dangerous game Thomas is playing. If the Vicomtesse notices the other code, or employs codebreakers he doesn't know about who catch it, he's a dead man.
Finally, something that feels like an honest message to the Council. Still not strongly different from the other messages, but it does mention a plan (possibly the marriage proposal plan?) and the lack of trust. Not a solid description of the meeting, though, and not even a hint of the curve ball.
Naturally, there is a limit to the number of words possible in a code like this, so he has to be succinct, but this also hints that the Council knows about the "plan," whatever that is.
The Scholars are much more cautious with this message. Outwardly, it says nothing about why he's there, talking more about the state of his affairs at the office.
Choosing textbooks by secret ballot sounds odd, but might make more sense than the racket our universities are running.
As a college professor, I will say that it's more the publishers that are running the racket, from my point of view, and a number of instructors are starting to look for more affordable or even free alternatives. Nonetheless, this is probably an outright lie on the part of the Scholars, there to get the word "secret" into the code without drawing attention.
If the Vicomtesse is reading these messages both ways, I have to wonder if she gets suspicious that Thomas never clearly answers the implied question. Then again, his condition for a good recommendation hasn't yet been fulfilled.
My assumption is that she just assumes that's Thomas. She probably assumes he's got his head so far up his...well, you get the point.
So, the Council was in on this revelation from the start, which makes everything Thomas told Perrine a bit suspect. Does this make the bit about excommunication a lie? Granted, he may still have been in trouble with other Scholars if knowledge of that leak became more widespread, and it's not not like Madame du Collet would pursue an indirect way to take him out.
I suspect that Thomas prefers half-truths and lies or omission, but I doubt he's adverse to outright lies, either. I suspect that he was inflating the stakes, although there is likely some truth in his statement. After all, what he told the Scholars was that he would take the risk and they would have plausible deniability, so if Thomas were exposed, he likely would be kicked out of the Scholars. At best.
This is starting to sound almost berating. It also has a few unusually awkward turns of phrase; understandably, given the constraints, but the "overload" line took a few tries to parse.
This was my least favorite of the seven letters by far. I wasn't happy with the first draft of it, and completely rewrote it, and I'm still not overly happy with it. I think it's "alright," but it just didn't want to work out as well as the others did. If I'm being completely honest, this letter almost made me give up on the project, but I pushed through it.
The "Overload" thing is probably an occupational hazard. Spending so much time in our own higher education system, that term is very familiar to me. Granted, even in that usage, it's usually a noun rather than a verb as I used it here.
This one got a bit confusing without the punctuation. It starts to feel like Thomas isn't quite as good at these layered messages as the Council. Then again, that's probably appropriate for his relative lack of experience.
I like that rationale, though honestly this probably comes down to "Raven's not as good at this as he might be," than anything else.
Referring to peasants as enemies in the plaintext sounds imprudent; they were supposed to look like they could still be officially neutral. Besides, they should remember Thomas's origin, though I don't doubt he would have made it easy to forget, especially if they're already questioning his loyalties.
That's a good point. I may have played that a bit heavy-handed there, although they are writing the letter to the aristocracy, so I suppose it makes some sense. I do wonder how true the concern of peasants intercepting the letters is. They bring it up several times, but I'm not sure if it's a "real" concern, or one they made up as a manipulation.
The request to come back and report is interesting. It's starting to sound like this process is taking weeks for something that Thomas and Perrine essentially negotiated that first day. I guess there are plenty of details to hammer out, and they were planning to pretend to fall for each other, but can they still stand each others' presence?
I do envision this taking a matter of weeks or longer for the entire process, although I doubt Thomas and Dearest Perrine are spending much time together during that time. While ostensibly a "guest," I suspect Thomas is more or less a captive in the Vicomtesse's chateau.
Equal relationship sounds appealing, but unlikely to be reality between different classes. More accurately, each side must bring something to the table. Beyond Henri, though, what do the Scholars think they're contributing, to be demanding protection so hard? Thopters, perhaps?
If I had to guess, I would think they bring strategy, information, spy networks, and the simple security of knowing another faction is working "with" them as opposed to "against" them. But I strongly suspect that Dearest Perrine is asking the same questions.
These questions seem to get entirely ignored, unless I'm missing something. One would think that Thomas would answer this layer directly, if he's expecting his dearest Perrine to read his replies, to maintain the illusion that he had hoped her trust would partly be based upon.
These questions do, absolutely, get ignored. What I was attempting to do with this letter and the next was to escalate things a bit. Because this story is told through letters and there is essentially no "plot" here, I had to think of some way to introduce a bit of conflict, so I tried to do that by the sudden shift in tone in Thomas's next letter, with him chastising the Council in the Code of Five for their tone and issuing a warning to them in the Code of Seven.
No idea if that worked, but that was the thought process, at least.
So they've been corresponding directly, but with which enemy? Is it the Vicomtesse being impatient, or is Aurélie already awaiting the meeting with her? One would think the latter would go through Thomas instead of the Council, though, and the former is already talking with him. Besides, it originally felt like the Scholars were acting on Thomas's plan in lieu of remaining neutral, so what exactly are they putting off for his sake? Are they just pretending to not make a decision until he makes his official recommendation, not knowing that he's waiting for a marriage proposal?
I had the aristocracy in mind when I wrote that, although reading it as the Revolution is really interesting to me. It makes me wonder how much the peasants are reaching out to the other classes. That could be a very interesting story. Someone should write that.
And if I though his previous letter was berating, this is downright demanding. That's very nearly a request for unconditional surrender, because certain Aristocrats would be satisfied with no less.
Thomas is reinforcing his perceived "loyalty" to the Vicomtesse here, I think. He's probably laying it on think, knowing that the Code of Five will show a slightly different and more believable angle.
Which words? All of them? Because what I see is something like "Act right now to do whatever she wants, even though I haven't given you the full picture yet."
Yeah, this was meant to be a "just do something!" sort of plea.
On a construction level, I'm amused by the tense change in "read" that wouldn't work nearly as well in many languages. Not that it would be the worst part of translating such a letter, but a fun little curveball.
Thanks! I've written a few sestinas and villanelles in my time, and so I like to play around with both tense and homophones when I can in things like this. I'm glad it didn't go unnoticed.
Just two little tidbits of apparently honest information, and a reinforcement of the message that something big is coming. Which probably undermines the whole "do not delay" part, because how are Scholars supposed to act without the full picture?
I'm guessing it was something about the repeated desires for promises of safety, equality of relationships, and/or "impatient Aristocrats" that displeased the Grand Magistrate, but it's possible that he's referring to another letter. The Code of Five layer didn't seem to have anything too objectionable.
Yeah, I suspect it was just the language of the outer letter, particularly the "impatient Aristocrats" line that you mentioned.
No more talk about gifts, just a stubborn reminder that the alliance has a condition. And nothing I've seen from Thomas addresses that concern better than a maybe.
Which, too be fair, is probably the best he's getting, if in fact he and the Vicomtesse are talking about the Scholar at all. They probably are, but both are, in theory, working on the other plan more.
Finally, he describes what could have been at least mentioned much earlier, but I guess he was waiting for an actual proposal? That certainly makes it seem like the Scholars were unaware of his desires to become a nobleman.
Yeah, I suspect that there were elements of the "Plan" that Thomas maybe changed up a little bit just before showtime. But maybe I'm wrong. Who knows?
And here we have confirmation that at least one Scholar has been talking with the Vicomtesse directly, and a mention of what sounds like a formal alliance proposal.
Political marriages wouldn't seem to be nearly as important in a world that nominally has a single ruler, but I wouldn't put it past the Aristocrats in particular to use them for some sort of court capital. Granted, it feels odd to have it be a symbol of an alliance with a set of people that haven't officially approved it. "You voted for that document I sent, right? 'Cause I'm getting married, so you're allied now; surprise!"
I think it's more a show of good faith than anything cementing an alliance. By marrying a Scholar to a noble (something that would be pretty rare, I'm guessing, and by the Vicomtesse (and Grand Magistrate) blessing it, it is essentially saying that "the nobility is willing to do something kind for one of you. What are you willing to do for us."
So, he's not planning to go through with the whole murder plot, then, but either it took him this long to decide, or he thought he could handle it on his own, or he felt like he couldn't trust the Council with information about his personal development plans, or he's operating on yet another layer of manipulation, or some combination of the above.
That certainly puts his future with Perrine in jeopardy, but that was always a viper's nest. As long as she can still be manipulated into destroying herself against Aurélie, he comes out on top, right?
At any rate, this paints Jacquilyn as more likely to survive these machinations than I had previously suspected. She might even last as long as Claire...
This is, of course, the most crucial part of the story, and the thing that I hoped would evoke a reaction like this: "Wait, what?" Thomas, up to this point, has been characterized as, like I mentioned earlier, arrogant, manipulative, and amoral. At the end of "A Business Proposal," the implication seems to be that Thomas is going to go along with Dearest Perrine's plans. This seems to suggest that he isn't. I do wonder what the ultimate plan is, here. And hopefully, so do the readers!
Author:
Brentain [ Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:42 pm ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
@Brentain: Thanks for reading, and great work on deciphering the codes!
Whew. I was slightly worried that there could be a fourth layer I wasn't seeing. I hadn't quite gotten down to things like the first letter of each word, or every eighth letter, or counting the letters in each word, much less anything that would require some kind of decoding key.
It begs an important question: does the Code of Five actually exist within the Scholars, or was it simply made up for this farce?
I'm amused by the idea that it's a "long-standing Scholarly tradition," as Thomas puts it, but not quite the great secret he makes it out to be. That it's kind of an open secret, and that noticing and starting to use it in letters and research papers becomes a minor mark of status among them, but that it's not the kind of thing they rely on heavily for anything truly important.
Of course, if that's the case, at least a few aristocratic spies should already have cracked it, which is why they have a backup.
I think part of what the Scholars are doing here is trying to appear as weak and feeble as they can. They're trying to disguise their strength in these letters. Their strength is, essentially, their minds, and these rambling, noncommittal letters make them seem disjointed and indecisive. But of course, that's the outer most layer of these letters.
That makes sense. If the Peasants don't see them as a threat, they won't bother to do anything about this whole mess, right?
Personally, I think her inherent arrogance would probably prevent her from thinking that there was something she wasn't seeing. I could be wrong, though, and so could Thomas. It is, as we've mentioned, a very dangerous game Thomas is playing. If the Vicomtesse notices the other code, or employs codebreakers he doesn't know about who catch it, he's a dead man.
But that, of course, is just one more way he rides the line.
As a college professor, I will say that it's more the publishers that are running the racket, from my point of view, and a number of instructors are starting to look for more affordable or even free alternatives.
Fair. I did have one professor choose to use his own book, though. He spent our class time doing little more than copying it onto the board, thereby discovering his own mistakes. Still not sure how I managed to learn what he was supposed to be teaching.
I suspect that he was inflating the stakes, although there is likely some truth in his statement. After all, what he told the Scholars was that he would take the risk and they would have plausible deniability, so if Thomas were exposed, he likely would be kicked out of the Scholars. At best.
True enough, though I doubt they'd go so far as to have him killed. But that's why he's trying to get in with a third group, right?
The "Overload" thing is probably an occupational hazard. Spending so much time in our own higher education system, that term is very familiar to me. Granted, even in that usage, it's usually a noun rather than a verb as I used it here.
Makes sense. The "offer lies" part was an even bigger stumbling block, though; each of those words is also used as both noun and verb, and "academic" could be interpreted as a noun.
I'm no stranger to parsing weirdness, though. My Magic card parser can only handle about 97% of the black-border cards, and I'm pretty sure it gets the references wrong for a good chunk of the ones for which it spits out anything.
I do envision this taking a matter of weeks or longer for the entire process, although I doubt Thomas and Dearest Perrine are spending much time together during that time. While ostensibly a "guest," I suspect Thomas is more or less a captive in the Vicomtesse's chateau.
That makes sense; planning the trap would be in her court, while approving a formal proposal would ostensibly be in the Council's, with plenty of delay time. And she has Grand Magistrate duties to fill up her days. He'd find something to fill up the time before meeting Jacquilyn, I'm sure; perhaps there's something in her library he hasn't read.
If I had to guess, I would think they bring strategy, information, spy networks, and the simple security of knowing another faction is working "with" them as opposed to "against" them. But I strongly suspect that Dearest Perrine is asking the same questions.
The spy network is an interesting point. I have no doubt that she has her own spies, alongside the enforcement arm, but the Scholars are probably more willing to combine their information, while the Aristocrats largely spy on each other and on their own individual domains.
What I was attempting to do with this letter and the next was to escalate things a bit. Because this story is told through letters and there is essentially no "plot" here, I had to think of some way to introduce a bit of conflict, so I tried to do that by the sudden shift in tone in Thomas's next letter, with him chastising the Council in the Code of Five for their tone and issuing a warning to them in the Code of Seven.
No idea if that worked, but that was the thought process, at least.
Probably. Except for that final reveal, this mostly works more as a mood piece than a plot-based story.
I love the little note of concern in this section, like the Council is worried about Thomas here. Which they should be...
True. Publicly, Thomas and the Council set themselves up as nearly antagonistic, but privately, someone truly cares. The word "safe" comes up frequently, but referring to different things in each layer.
This is, of course, the most crucial part of the story, and the thing that I hoped would evoke a reaction like this: "Wait, what?" Thomas, up to this point, has been characterized as, like I mentioned earlier, arrogant, manipulative, and amoral. At the end of "A Business Proposal," the implication seems to be that Thomas is going to go along with Dearest Perrine's plans. This seems to suggest that he isn't. I do wonder what the ultimate plan is, here. And hopefully, so do the readers!
Perhaps not that exact reaction, but he now seems to actually care about someone. Maybe. Unless he wants the Council to think that, so they blame her when he does exactly what she wants, and then things can go off in some crazy direction unanticipated by anyone involved, except maybe Thomas himself. Or Raiker Venn. And possibly the author. Gah!
You enjoy watching me quadruple-guess myself, don't you?
Author:
RavenoftheBlack [ Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:
Re: [Thorneau] The Correspondence of Thomas Cerveau
Whew. I was slightly worried that there could be a fourth layer I wasn't seeing. I hadn't quite gotten down to things like the first letter of each word, or every eighth letter, or counting the letters in each word, much less anything that would require some kind of decoding key.
With how tricky it was to make what I have work, I can only imagine how difficult something like that would be. I'm sure it would be possible, but it's beyond me (or at least beyond my interest at this point!)
I'm amused by the idea that it's a "long-standing Scholarly tradition," as Thomas puts it, but not quite the great secret he makes it out to be. That it's kind of an open secret, and that noticing and starting to use it in letters and research papers becomes a minor mark of status among them, but that it's not the kind of thing they rely on heavily for anything truly important.
Of course, if that's the case, at least a few aristocratic spies should already have cracked it, which is why they have a backup.
I've largely come to the conclusion that everything Thomas says is bull. Of course, maybe that's his trick...
I think part of what the Scholars are doing here is trying to appear as weak and feeble as they can. They're trying to disguise their strength in these letters. Their strength is, essentially, their minds, and these rambling, noncommittal letters make them seem disjointed and indecisive. But of course, that's the outer most layer of these letters.
That makes sense. If the Peasants don't see them as a threat, they won't bother to do anything about this whole mess, right?
I'm not convinced the Peasants have a way to know about these talks. We know that the People's Revolution has spies, but we also know that they've been dealt a serious blow at Mont-sur-Mer, and they have other priorities right now. It will be interesting to see what, if any, tabs Aurelie keeps on Thomas.
Personally, I think her inherent arrogance would probably prevent her from thinking that there was something she wasn't seeing. I could be wrong, though, and so could Thomas. It is, as we've mentioned, a very dangerous game Thomas is playing. If the Vicomtesse notices the other code, or employs codebreakers he doesn't know about who catch it, he's a dead man.
But that, of course, is just one more way he rides the line.
No risk, no reward, I guess. That's how he seems to feel, anyway.
As a college professor, I will say that it's more the publishers that are running the racket, from my point of view, and a number of instructors are starting to look for more affordable or even free alternatives.
Fair. I did have one professor choose to use his own book, though. He spent our class time doing little more than copying it onto the board, thereby discovering his own mistakes. Still not sure how I managed to learn what he was supposed to be teaching.
I tend to think relatively highly of the people I work with, but of course there are some bad professors out there. I teach at a small school, a community college, essentially, and most of the people I know seem to genuinely care. But yeah, that sounds like a pretty bad class.
I suspect that he was inflating the stakes, although there is likely some truth in his statement. After all, what he told the Scholars was that he would take the risk and they would have plausible deniability, so if Thomas were exposed, he likely would be kicked out of the Scholars. At best.
True enough, though I doubt they'd go so far as to have him killed. But that's why he's trying to get in with a third group, right?
I can't wait to see how he's buttering up the Craftswomen and the Tradeswomen!
The "Overload" thing is probably an occupational hazard. Spending so much time in our own higher education system, that term is very familiar to me. Granted, even in that usage, it's usually a noun rather than a verb as I used it here.
Makes sense. The "offer lies" part was an even bigger stumbling block, though; each of those words is also used as both noun and verb, and "academic" could be interpreted as a noun.
I'm no stranger to parsing weirdness, though. My Magic card parser can only handle about 97% of the black-border cards, and I'm pretty sure it gets the references wrong for a good chunk of the ones for which it spits out anything.
With some of the wording on those cards, 97% seems pretty impressive, although I admit I have no knowledge of it personally.
Though of course with quite a bit more experimentation.
With my experience with coding (or rather my extreme lack thereof) you could have put anything in there. It's impressive to me that people have the knowledge base to put something like that together.
I do envision this taking a matter of weeks or longer for the entire process, although I doubt Thomas and Dearest Perrine are spending much time together during that time. While ostensibly a "guest," I suspect Thomas is more or less a captive in the Vicomtesse's chateau.
That makes sense; planning the trap would be in her court, while approving a formal proposal would ostensibly be in the Council's, with plenty of delay time. And she has Grand Magistrate duties to fill up her days. He'd find something to fill up the time before meeting Jacquilyn, I'm sure; perhaps there's something in her library he hasn't read.
He's probably just living it up in the lap of luxury while mentally running through every conceivable detail of his inscrutable plans. Or maybe he's winning allies in the Vicomtesse's household with promises and right pretty words and a pleasant singing voice.
If I had to guess, I would think they bring strategy, information, spy networks, and the simple security of knowing another faction is working "with" them as opposed to "against" them. But I strongly suspect that Dearest Perrine is asking the same questions.
The spy network is an interesting point. I have no doubt that she has her own spies, alongside the enforcement arm, but the Scholars are probably more willing to combine their information, while the Aristocrats largely spy on each other and on their own individual domains.
I get the same read on the Scholar's, that they seem pretty likely to pool their resources, in times of war or peace. They've got that whole "standing on the shoulders of giants" thing going on.
I love the little note of concern in this section, like the Council is worried about Thomas here. Which they should be...
True. Publicly, Thomas and the Council set themselves up as nearly antagonistic, but privately, someone truly cares. The word "safe" comes up frequently, but referring to different things in each layer.
The fallout from whatever is going to happen should prove interesting.
Perhaps not that exact reaction, but he now seems to actually care about someone. Maybe. Unless he wants the Council to think that, so they blame her when he does exactly what she wants, and then things can go off in some crazy direction unanticipated by anyone involved, except maybe Thomas himself. Or Raiker Venn. And possibly the author. Gah!
You enjoy watching me quadruple-guess myself, don't you?
Yes. Yes I do.
I have to admit that while I have always liked the Thorneau Revolution arc, I am infinitely amused by Thomas and his antics. I feel like he's introduced this element of chaos into the situation that I find really appealing from a narrative standpoint.
)
Even at that, it felt a bit like trying too hard. He's already using it, so the main reason to mention it is for the Aristocrat's benefit.