Ean returned to Argonia Central by late afternoon. His body ached from the long walk and the exertion of his close encounter with the wolves. Beneath the weariness, a spark of pride flickered as he entered the familiar confines of the Argonian Bookshelf.
"Welcome back," Samuel said, his tone tinged with amusement. "How was your trip?"
Ean replied with a mixture of weariness and excitement. "I nearly got eaten by wolves. That was... interesting."
With a mischievous grin, he produced a package wrapped in parchment. "I have a gift for you. Something the seller swears is broiled bear meat."
Samuel raised an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. "Why would you think I'd want to eat that?"
Ean shrugged. "Because it's unusual and I thought you said you were dying."
"Well, I wasn't planning on doing it today," Samuel retorted. "And not from eating strange foods."
"I ate it and I'm still alive," Ean countered, a hint of pride in his voice. "Besides, the folks at the trading post said it will make you feel strong enough to wrestle an ox."
Samuel chuckled at Ean's enthusiasm. "I'm a bookseller, not an ox wrestler!" His empty stomach rumbled in protest. "But I'll try it, if only to disprove their claim."
Ean placed the package on the kitchen counter and handed the latest encrypted message to Samuel. "While I'm heating the bear meat for dinner," he said, "perhaps you can tell me what cipher was used to encrypt this message."
Samuel leaned forward, scanning the parchment. "You tried the Caesar Cipher with different shift values?"
Ean nodded. "Yes, but none of them resulted in anything readable. I even tried reading the words backwards."
A gleam of understanding lit up Samuel's face. "You came very close when you tried backwards writing," he said. "This message was encrypted with the Atbash Cipher."
Ean's eyes widened. "Atbash? Is it going to be as difficult to use as it will be for me to remember it's name?"
"Not at all. Atbash is similar to the Caesar Cipher with the difference being that the alphabet used for encoding is written backwards," Samuel explained. "Z to A."
SKILL UNLOCKED: Atbash Cipher (1/3)
LOG ENTRY UPDATED: Spycraft – Ciphers
"Can you take over with the cooking while I decrypt the message?" Ean asked.
Samuel handed the message back and watched the bear meat cooking with a wary eye. Meanwhile, Ean concentrated on applying the Atbash Cipher to the message.
QFK: Use the Atbash Cipher to decrypt the message before Ean
ML ZXGRERGB GL IVKLIG
NOTE: A printable Activity Pages booklet is available at www.neuralsplyce.com/free-stuff
"The message says, 'No activity to report.' Something does not add up. I traveled to Argonia West because the spy here said Brindle forces were crossing the border there. Surely, one of the messages is wrong. "
Decrypted_Messsage_03 added to inventory
QUEST COMPLETED: Q-009 Decipher Encrypted_Messsage_03
REWARD: +1 XP (9/12)
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Samuel prodded the sizzling meat with a fork, his nose wrinkling at the unfamiliar aroma. "It is possible one of them is wrong. They could also both be true. Or, they may both be wrong."
Ean frowned. "Then how can I tell which is true and which is false?"
"You must use all the information you have to decide if a message is true or false." Samuel gestured at the parchment with his fork. "Look at the details in each message. Compare them to what you observed yourself in Argonia West and here in the capital. The truth will emerge from the contradictions and consistencies."
Leaning back in his chair, Ean tapped his fingers on the table. The conflicting reports swirled in his mind - the warning of Brindle forces amassing at the border, yet his own fruitless search in Argonia's western wilds. Could the spy have been fed false information? Or was the 'no activity' message an attempt to mislead him?
Ean's brain hurt as he grappled with the complexities of the task. His voice laced with exasperation, he asked, "Will I need to decide if a spy is lying every time we communicate?"
Samuel shook his head. "Unless a spy has been turned into a double-agent, they are not necessarily lying. The information they have may have changed. Their source may be mistaken or could have been fed false information themselves.
"Enemy spies may have learned that our spy discovered something which in turn led to plans being changed or canceled," Samuel continued.
Ean narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "In other words, Brindle may have been planning to invade Argonia West but decided not to or postponed it. Which is why both spies may have provided 'true' information."
LOG ENTRY ADDED: Spycraft - Evaluating Information
"This job can be so confusing," he muttered, shaking his head.
"It takes smarts and determination, something you have both of," Samuel said, his voice reassuring. "Based on what you learned on your trip, which do you think is true?"
Ean paused, his mind racing. "I heard someone say the killings are by a person, not wolves," he said slowly. "I know nothing of the spy in Argonia West beyond this single message. My gut tells me the spy here is correct about Brindle invading."
Ean sat across from Samuel, his mind grappling with the complexities of his task. "Gut feelings are the ruin of spymasters," Samuel warned. "Intelligence requires multiple independent sources to verify it in order to really be 'true'. Rather than deal in absolutes of true or false, spymasters assign information a Confidence Ranking."
Ean's brow creased in consternation. "Confidence ranking?" he asked.
"In a way, your confidence in yourself, the spy who collected the information, and the information itself," Samuel explained. "Whenever you decipher a message, you must not assume the information is true."
"Assume nothing. Verify everything," Ean repeated slowly.
"Yes! How reliable is the spy based on the accuracy of their previous reports? Does the information make sense or contradict what you know? Are you letting what you think you already know color your judgment?"
"That is a lot of questions with uncertain answers," Ean admitted.
"That is why you want other information that can corroborate what is in the message. We are still rebuilding the spy network, so we must rely on the information you picked up on your travels."
"What do I do with the confidence ranking once I have made a decision?"
"Write it in your message journal along with the decrypted plaintext. It will help you to separate facts from red herrings."
Ean nodded thoughtfully.
"Based on the information you have and your confidence rankings, what is your assessment?" Samuel asked.
Ean's eyes met Samuel's, his gaze steady. "That Brindle has invaded Argonia, even if it was only a scout."
"Are you certain? Our countries could go to war over that claim. Thousands could die."
"I… what do you think?"
"Ean, you're the spymaster, not me. What you tell the king and his council will determine the actions Argonia takes. Are you certain?"
Sweat stained Ean's shirt as he mulled over the impact of his analysis on the kingdom and the continent. Had he erred in his thinking? What were all the potential consequences? He'd been to Argonia West and gathered information himself. There was only one conclusion. "Yes. Although it might lead to hostilities, if I say no then we only embolden Brindle and open ourselves up to a sneak attack."
CLASS RANK INCREASED: Spymaster +1 (5/6)
"Now go report to the king," Samuel instructed. "Speak boldly and honestly to the king. Tell him with certainty why you believe Brindle has made incursions into Argonia West."
Ean rose from his chair, his stomach doing flip flops from the mix of anxiety and foreboding. He knew that the fate of Argonia might rest on his words. It's better to risk damaging the king's confidence in him by reporting a false invasion he told himself.
As he left the bookshop, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead.
* * *
Ean trembled with knocking knees because he was again a simple farm boy in front of his king with information that could start a war.
Unless he was wrong.
He knew enemy spies could be hanged but couldn't recall if incompetent friendly spies and their handlers were hung too.
"What news do you bring from Argonia West?" the King inquired.
Ean swallowed nervously. "Brindle scouts are hiding in the forests of Argonia West," he reported.
A grim expression crossed the King's face. "Thank you," he said. "I shall send troops to deal with that issue. If they have infiltrated the west, they have most likely gone into the east as well."
Ean's pulse quickened. He hadn't considered that possibility. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said.
"Go to Argonia East," the King continued. "Find out what your spy network knows. Here is a travel pass to get you into the region and thirty gold pieces to cover your expenses."
QUEST COMPLETED: Q-007 Gather intelligence on potential foreign activity in Argonia West
REWARD: 30 Gold Pieces
TRAVEL PASS-ARGONIA EAST added to Inventory
NEW QUEST: Q-010 Determine status of Brindle forces in Argonia East
Ean tucked the travel pass into his satchel. He bowed deeply and turned to leave the throne room. As he walked away, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He was a spymaster, entrusted with the safety of his kingdom. Argonia East was his homeland. If Brindle forces were there and posing a threat, he was confident he would sniff them out.
I wonder if my spy is someone I know?