Colour Cryptograms
A coded language wrapped in mystery from its initial use during the age of Exploration to its modern-day evolution by the artist guild in Toufan. Using a range of colours and patterns for written messages that can only be deciphered by using a key, this language is a rarity amongst the people of Violem.
Structure:
Ten distinct colours are used within the cryptograms, those being: Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White and Yellow. Each one of the colours represents a number between 0 and 9. The same ten colours can then be mixed together to create additional colours that correlate to numbers. With numbers to to 19 often being mixed with black and 20-29 being mixed with white. The numbers can then relate to a letter in a given alphabet such as Scryptian (common) or Cat Tongue. Words are written by creating a circular pattern. With the colour at the top of the circle representing the beginning of the word and reading it in a clockwise manner. Although there is a common agreement of what colour represents each number, a key can be created to aid those trying to decipher the cryptograms. This key is especially useful when the code is carrying important information that could fall into the wrong hands.History:
The first acknowledgement of colour cryptograms comes from the ruined libraries of the Realm Rangers. Centuries of research and wisdom burnt at the start of the Dark Era out of fear of what dangers other realms to bring to Violem. Within the wreckage of these books such as "The Serpent War", "The Radiance" and "Tales of the Acuran Kind" references colour cryptograms. These messages were basic and often used to give co-ordinates for spies or codes for mechanical locks hiding away treasures. Only referring to numbers rather than the complexity of entire languages.Those serpent disciples are slippery fiends. Smarter than they look in all. I remember a time during our ventures through the Great Forest, we discovered an abandoned campsite. Upon further inspection we found a journal painted with riddles. We had no idea what it meant, an encryption of some kind. But whatever it was, I imagine the information it held was worthy enough to keep secret.As colour cryptograms became known to the public, the artistic guild known as Dye-Ables loved the idea of a language based around colours and embellished the old fashioned form. Adding a variety of new colours to represent letters, punctuation and runes. The guild now use it to pass trade secrets between their members more for the novelty and enjoyment of creating coded transcripts.
Comments