28. The Ciphers of Caesar Cyfer
Intellego OR Intrigue
“The Tremere put such a premium on knowing what is going on, how things were done. Bunch of little spying gossips is what they are! That is why, though I die old and infirm in my bed, I die happy. I die knowing that my name will be cursed, likely for centuries, by every single apprentice, master and archmage of that house who hears of my name or deeds”
Last words of Caesar Cyfer of House Tytalus
Caesar Cyfer of Tytalus is a name few remember today, yet he was involved in several key moments of the Schism war. The role he played was a much quieter one than many of his combative brothers, yet it was more impactful than most. He was a quiet one, part spymaster, part logistician and part strategist. His was the hand behind many a strange intervention by his house in the course of the war, all of which remain, to this day, unexplained and almost unexplainable.
Some say he must have been an amazing leader to compel his usually fractious brothers to follow him, others assume that his political manoeuvring within the house allowed him to pull the strings at the right time.
Those who learn how he convinced his housemates to commit to his plans find the truth is somewhat stranger. He would explain his plan in detail, write it down in full, encode his orders in code to be sent to those who he needed to give instructions to and he would then send a copy to the enemy along with a message in simple latin “This is how you will die”.
This bravado alone seemed to compel his brothers to follow along with his plans and it would appear that none of his messages were ever correctly deciphered by the Diedne.
After the war house Tremere wanted to know how he had achieved particular victories, in response he send them copies of each set of documents he sent to the Diedne and told them they could find the answers in his writings.
This complete collection is still held by house Tremere but there are also several private collectors in the order who are hunting down the other copies Caesar send to his fellow Tytali magi and to the Diedne.
To this day not a single of the many ciphers used by Caesar has been cracked, and those who might know the secrets of these cyphers honoured Caesar and took that secret to their final twilight or the grave.
Bonus Story Hooks
a) A travelling mage arrives at the covenant claiming that nefarious forces are threatening here. They claim that they were able to crack one of the ciphers that others have examined and claimed to be just gibberish. According to this mage it is because the others are simple minded fools.
This fugitive is asking the magi for help and sanctuary. Are there nefarious forces at work or are they just crazy with paranoia - will this lead the magi to something unexpected or some interesting historical discovery?
b) The magi discover something previously overlooked while studying a copy of Caesar’s manuscripts. The text they translates sounds like the ravings of a mad man, but could this clue lead to a great discovery?