Challenge 1 Answers

Lassies, here's the answers to the first challenge. There was great participation this time around. I'd like to thank Mordag of the Murrays for writing this wonderful challenge, although I think a few of ye would have chosen a different adjective to describe it.

1. AVPP LR IVGHK = WELL OF DEATH (page 43)

2. WPCEXLPPX = PLIMSOLLS (page 4)

3. YGMVUPSDOCV = GABERLUNZIE (page 3)

4. CDPGDI UVJVDSV = INLAND REVENUE (page 10)

5. IUSCI = DRUID (page 9)

6. MULZK ELUIKG = BROCH MORDHA (page 7)

7. ESCU MUVGEV = MUIR BREAME (page 24)

8. VIAGUI HVGZK = EDWARD TEACH (page 32)

9. HZKGUPGZK EGZ XVGESX = TCHARLACH MAC SEAMUS (page 42)

10. UGH XGHCUV = RAT SATIRE (page 46)

I'll post the winners and points total later this afternoon. I've got to put a few things together, and my lad and lass have to draw the winner out of the hand knit felted cloche after nap. I shall get ye points posted later today.

~Kellan

The 6 Degrees of Jamie Fraser

Many of us know and love the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, well, Kevin has met his match!
Below are listed 10 people. Your challenge is to bring them back to Himself in 6 steps or fewer, but they cannot be direct links. If you do it as a direct link, your response will be wrong. The link can be a family relation or a shared event.
This challenge focuses on Part 2 of Dragonfly in Amber.

Example:
Ian Murray: Ian is married to Jenny, Jenny is Jamie's sister. good.
Ian Murray: Ian is Jamie's brother-in-law. or even Ian and Jamie spent the day watching owls to determine if they were missing part of their anatomy. Wrong. These are both direct connections - we need something else linking them.
Ian Murray: Ian is Jenny's son, Jenny is Jamie's sister. Wrong - young Ian wasna even a twinkle in auld Ian's eye during DiA.

Good luck, lasses. Let's see what you can do:

In alphabetical order:
1. Charles Gauloise
2. Johannes Gerstmann
3. Madame Laserre
4. Vicomte Marigny
5. Monsieur Parnelle
6. Portis
7. Vicomtesse de Rambeau
8 Mr. Sheridan
9. Nesle de la Tourelle
10. Madame Vionnet

If ye canna find all of the folks to make the connection, dinna fash yerself. Send in the ones ye can. Remember, the clan with the highest participation will earn an additional point. This game ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on March 6.

Please mail your responses in to highlandergames@ymail.com with 'The Six Degrees of Jamie Fraser' in the subject line.

This challenge is brought to you by the Chieftesses. I will have the answers, results and a winner for Round 1's Cipher posted by Sunday. Check back for details.

Best of luck,
~Kellan

Edited: 2-27-09 4:00 p.m. to correct the spelling of question 10.

Challenge 1

Good Sisters, for this first challenge of our Dragonfly in Amber Gathering, we have a mission. That mission is to help Himself figure out this cipher. It may solve the mystery of where Prince Charles' money will be coming from, or it may be Fiona Graham's shopping list, or it could even be that the words and phrases have nothing in common, except that they are found in the first section of the book.

Jamie spells it all out to Claire and to Mother Hildegarde how to solve the cipher, but I can refresh it for you: each letter represents another letter of the alphabet and the same alpha key is used for all of the words in this cipher.

For example:
A C E G I K M K E O A Q E S U = C L A I R E B E A U C H A M P
In the real cipher, A does not equal C, C does not equal L and so on.

A V P P / L R / I V G H K
W P C E X L P P X
Y G M V U P S D O C V
C D P G D I / U V J V D S V
I U S C I
M U L Z K / E L U I K G
E S C U / M U V G E V
V I A G U I / H V G Z K
H Z K G U P G Z K / E G Z / X V G E S X
U G H / X G H C U V

Important things to remember:
-- If you need help, we can give you 3 hints - but each cheat (hint) will cost you one point.
-- For each cheat you use, you lose a point, which means no perfect score.
-- Each cheat is one letter - you get to pick which one.
-- If you need a cheat, please send an e-mail to highlandergames@ymail.com with “cheat” in the subject line. Indicate which coded letter (ie the one that appears in the puzzle you want to solve) Please include your ravelry and swap names so we can track them. One of the chieftesses will check the e-mail at 8 p.m. Eastern time each night and respond to the requests for cheats at that time.

E-mail answers to highlandergames@ymail.com with CIPHER in the subject line.

Early birds and sneakers will be recognized

This challenge is brought to ye by the chieftesses. Luck to ye. Rember this round ends at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 25.

~Kellan

Edited 4:26 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, to correct spacing on first one and again at 3:30 p.m. Monday Feb. 16.

DiA Highland Games Rules

Highland Game Quiz Rules:

• All questions come from "Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon.
• Each quiz is open book.
• Each participant competes individually, but benefits the entire clan.
• Every correct answer earns one point. The participant with the most points wins. One winner will be selected each week. All points participants earn are added to their clan total and used to determine the ultimate winner of the Highland Games.
• In the case of a tie, the winner will be drawn at random. One name per contest will be chosen out of a hand-knit, felted cloche by one of Kellan Mackenzie's 3-year-old twins to break the tie.
• Kellan Mackenzie (knitmo) will work to solve all conflicts regarding the Highland Games with the chieftess or other designated member of the clan that created the game.
• Weekly winners will earn an additional five points for their clan. Those who tie with the most correct answers will earn an additional two points for their clan. They will receive a prize from the clan that developed the challenge.
• Highland Game Quizzes, answers and winners will be posted at http://outlandishswap.blogspot.com/
• Answers must be e-mailed to highlandergames@ymail.com Note: This is a different e-mail address than last time.
• Include Highland Games Round X (X being whichever round it is) in the subject line of your e-mail. Please include your Clan name, your names (both Ravelry and Swap name) and answers in the message. It will make it easier to match e-mails and answers up and tally points.
• Each contest begins at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on the appropriate date and ends at 11:59 p.m. 10 days later. For example: Round 1 begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday Feb. 15 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 25. Round 2 begins at 12:01 a.m. Thursday Feb. 26.
• One prize will be awarded to the clan that receives the most points at the end of the swap/highland games.
• Games are not mandatory, but do enhance the experience and allow people to get to know each other. Participate at a level you feel comfortable.
• The Highland Games will extend past the deadline for the swap of April 15; this is to keep people interested in the swap while the last few packages arrive.

Specific Dragonfly in Amber Rules

• Dragonfly in Amber is divided into seven parts. Each clan will develop a game, contest, quiz or challenge based on their assigned section of the book. It should be worth 10 points. See the following chart for details for which clan has which sections of the book.
• Each clan is responsible for developing the contest, collecting everyone's answers from the e-mail, correcting them and sending the results to Kellan Mackenzie via Ravelry pm or e-mail [which is accessible to chieftesses] by the deadline.
• Each clan must provide instructions and an example for the challenge that they develop. This hopefully will clear up any confusion in the games and make things run more smoothly.
• Each clan must provide the contest answers, and accepted answers, each participant's score, the winner (and time they submitted answers) of the early bird and sneaker. We would like to continue the tradition of including one or two other creative awards based on each individual contest, and an explanation of why it was awarded.
• Challenges must be submitted to Kellan Mackenzie one day before contest is set to begin; so that she can make sure it is posted and will appear on time.
• If your clan is responsible for developing the game, you will not participate. Everyone is sitting out the same amount.
• The clan writing the game must provide a prize to the winner for that round.
• If a clan writes a challenge so difficult that no one gets a perfect score in the other clans, they will receive five points. For example: If the Murrays write a challenge and no one from Beauchamp gets a 100 percent, then the Murrays get 5 points. The maximum number of points that can be awarded to the clan writing the challenge is 30, and that's if no one in the games gets a 100 percent.
  

Challenge Start Date End Date Results to Kellan Posted to blog
Part 1-Chieftesses Feb. 15 Feb. 25 Feb. 28 March 1
Part 2- Chieftesses Feb. 26 March 6 March 10 March 11
Part 3- Beauchamp March 6 March 18 March 21 March 22
Part 4-Fraser March 18 March 28 March 31 April 1
Part 5-Mackenzie March 28 April 7 April 10 April 11
Part 6-Murray April 7 April 17 April 20 April 21
Part 7-Chieftesses April 17 April 28 May 1 May 2

Edited to add the five point rule for clans writing the challenge at 9:28 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16

DiA Clan Gathering

The Dragonfly in Amber swap is set to begin in less than two weeks. Just a few housekeeping items:

Each clan will have 15 members and one clan leader: Eilis=Vicjorob of Clan Beauchamp, Fiona=Cinnamonamon of Clan Fraser, Kellan=Knitmo of Clan Mackenzie, and Mordag Elsbeth McLean=Abitknottie now of Clan Murray. Assistant clan leaders will be identified within each clan camp. The clans are:

• Clan Beauchamp (Claire’s family): blush pink and tawny rose dusted with tan and lavender.
• Clan Fraser (Jamie’s paternal line): Red, dark blue, hunter green & a touch of white
• Clan MacKenzie (Jamie’s maternal line): Moss green, grey, red, white
• Clan Murray (Jamie’s sister married into this line): royal blue & kelly green with a touch of red

Each clan is represented by colors found in historical clan tartans. However, clan colors will not play a significant role in this particular clan gathering but can be used if so desired. Rather this clan gathering will focus on themes inspired by the second book in the Outlander series – Dragonfly in Amber. Such themes can include dragonflies, amber, wine, King Louis XV’s court, French- inspired things, and herbal-inspired things (re: Mr. Raymond’s shoppe). Individual clans may even get together secretly to come up with a special thematic item to include in their packages.
This is NOT a secret swap, so get your talk on – communicate, communicate, communicate. To help get the chatter going, we will post simple questions that can be fodder for your blog, posts to the message board, and/or communications with your spoiler and spoilee.

So, let the fun begin.