Bernard Sleigh also has a few paintings in Merseyside! And one in 1913, apparently a portrait of a man called William Downing
Personally, I thought that it was a painting we were looking for, but maybe its the painter?
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Yeah, I’m not sure what we do with this information either. I’m feeling pretty good about Bernard Sleigh. I’ve tried entering a few names from the map of Fairyland in the Book of Briars but no luck. That just feels like random guessing really. It’s a big map, not to mention his other works.
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So no progress for me in the past couple of days on this 
I’ll try looking for another artist. I have a feeling that we are looking for the work of their art that is specifically in Merseyside, so maybe we just haven’t hit on the right person.
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… I still hope that its Bernard Sleigh because the Fairyland Map and Fairy Investigation Society stuff are so cool! … But now we can at least hope, that Deeds will find and share some interesting things in “The Monarch Papers I” 
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The other day I combed through the map of Fairyland and tried the name of every creature I could find as a fragment. I’m assuming these fragments are the fauna to the first keys flora. No luck.
If there’s something we’re supposed to be seeing there that tells us what the 6th fragment is I don’t see it. I still feel very good that it fits though.
There are 2 questions I have with the page 6 so far that Ive been pondering that may help (or may not, but we’re lost anyway so why not try).
-
The page asks a few times who the Illiomancer’s mentor was. Perhaps it’s the mentor that’s important?
-
The word ‘writer’ is underlined as if it’s important. Perhaps the illiomancer’s daughter holds a clue?
With a week to go to the solstice, I’m starting to get a bit worried we’re running out of time.
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Well it looks like DG was given a set of directions, and we have a map. Let’s go location scouting.
Deeds story: http://www.deedsdone.co.uk/
The Map of Fairyland: An anciente mappe of Fairyland : newly discovered and set forth : [imaginary locality] | Library of Congress
Here’s my stab at the order of the story:
•Fox was hungry, and took a fancy to one of Mrs Carey’s chickens. The largest in the flock in fact. But this chicken, being bigger than the rest, was stronger, faster and smarter than the others. To save her sistren, she decided to lead the fox on a merry dance away from home.
•She ran far south, maybe twenty thousand thoughts from home, just fast enough to keep the fox on her trail. She led him to the field of wings, arms and hooves where she thought she might lose her pursuer. She was right, the fox was confused by the flurry of hooves, and almost missed the chicken heading to the lighthouse nearby.
•He chased her to the top of the lighthouse where the chicken had to jump to safety, catching the northeasterly wind, carried almost a thousand thoughts on her outstretched wings toward a distant bridge.
•The fox ran after as fast as he could and nearly caught her at the bridge. But the chicken flapped and was able to stay out of the reach of his jaws to land at the feet of a brave knight on horseback. The knight held the fox at bay with his lance, allowing the chicken to flee eastward far past the forest, past the reflection, to rest at a palace. Here the King gave her shelter and soothed her tired spirit with laughter and song.
•By now the fox had circled round the Knight and was on her trail once more. He angrily skulked past the pool and seeing the signpost took the road toward a certain land.
•As he approached the palace he heard the sound of merriment and clucking and realized the chicken was inside. Fortunately one of the fiddlers in the court saw the fox sneaking up on his prey and struck up a dreadful noise, alerting everyone to the intruder.
•Hearing the noise, the chicken took to wing once more the chicken ran through a cornfield straight into the path of a snail, who suggested that she head Southward instead to take shelter with the pixies. But the fox, full of fire and hunger was near upon her, and was it not for an onlooker’s intervention she would have been caught long before she reached the wall.
•Chicken could not stay with the pixies, she knew. The fox was too close and would find her soon enough. So she came up with a plan. She told the pixies to say she was heading north to the trolls. Instead she turned east remotely, and after many thoughts found a nest to rest in.
•The fox was lost and roamed the roads for the rest of the day and through the night. With dawn came a shift in fortune, and he found the chicken’s scent near the tower. Chicken was surprised, and a frantic chase began, through waterfalls and caves, o’er hills and woods, until reaching the shore.
•Chicken would have to swim to safety. But all she could see was water, she could see no land to rest on. Then she noticed the man on the sands who looked out and revealed where the nearest point of land would be.
•Poor fox, however, exhausted from running all day and night and day again, had little energy for the swim and soon got into trouble and drowned. When chicken reached dry land, she shook the water from her feathers and sighed.
•Where had her tale ended?
Now we have to figure out where the chicken was when she reached dry land I suppose.
Edit: Over my head busy today, it’ll be much later tonight before I get a chance to really wrap my mind around this in peace.
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Exciting - I’m giving it a try. I found Carey and her chickens in the top right corner-ish area using this map.
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Following @Robert 's story order (and I agree that it looks correct), the hen goes to the following places:
- Field of Centaurs
- lilghthouse to SW
- the bridge between Demeter and Pixie Point
- Perseus saves Andromeda (from dragon)
- Old King Cole’s castle
- Pixietown
- tower of the hero Sestos? (nest)
…and running late to take child to school so can’t finish the last couple of steps… aaargh
Will update with a drawn path later (if no-one beats me to it)
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I think I kind of found where she ended up, but I’m not 100% sure.
Since, if you look at the compass in the top left, east and west are switched, this is kind of what I got…
I think she ended up at the Rocs’ nest, near Rapunzel’s Tower - then she ran past the waterfall, the Dwarfs’ Caves, and some bits of hills and wood (kind of lol). Then she could end up in the water near Kelpie Bay and see the person sitting on the shore of Never-Never Land pointing. Now whether she went to where the man is or across to where he pointed, I don’t know. I tried a few things in the Book but nothing has worked yet.
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Double post, but here is the path I followed. I put some of the landmarks in (excuse the text, the background is really busy so it can be hard to read). What do we think?
Oh and the Rocs’ Nest is right next to Rapunzel’s Tower (just forgot to mark the tower)
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Great job @Kelsey I hadn’t noticed the swapping of Eat and West on the compass… but did go “East” (as per compass) past the forest. I was rushing trying to look at it and not make child late for school - we got there as the bell went. phew
I think you are right about thr Roc’s nest and Rapunzel’s Tower… and the waterfall and dwarf caves.
I also noticed that figure pointing that you saw, but struggled with the woods and hills going that way. I wonder whether she ended up at the West Beacon and going to the Enchanted island?
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Yeah, I was hesitant about the hill/wood part. You’re right about going to the left instead - there is a waterfall above and to the left of Rocs’ as well as the Weird Wood and Witch Wood in the hills, so it could be that direction, towards the West Beacon. Also, there is that guy standing right near the West Beacon looking out. I’ll post a picture below -
Could be that direction too.
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And that guy at the beacon seems to be looking up at the compass… Looking at the stuff below/around that, I can see the “Citie of Shagpat and the sword” which seems to refer to this book: The Shaving of Shagpat - Wikipedia
The banner below Oberon’s Shield also seems to contain some weird almost-hieroglyphics. Not sure what they might mean either. Makes sense to try and decipher that… will see what I come up with.
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Have you guys seen the new email? Was that already discussed? Anyways, here it is if it wasn’t! Mostly belongs in general Cagliostro discussion since you guys already figured out a lot of what she is saying, but some of it is relevant!
Good evening.
I wanted to let you know that the two pages have “unfaded” even more. I’ve updated your file index with the current versions. The painter page now was the words Wallasey and Sleigh at the bottom. Was the “illiomancer” perhaps Bernand Sleigh, the painter and craftsman?
And I think the symbol on page seven is the pagan Yule, or winter solstice. Researching it I realized that the symbol on page one is most likely a cryptic version of The Wheel of The Year, a sort of pagan calendar.
So this is a book that reveals different pages as the year passes? That’s the premise of the “magic trick” I suppose, but I’m trying to figure out how it really works, assuming you don’t mind. I know there are codes of honor among professional magicians.
It seems to connect to temperature (getting closer to winter) and possibly uv light (our location around the sun?) but there’s something I’m missing that makes sense of it. Some method that connects them.
I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the deliveries. I’ll coordinate with Carfax to make sure I’m here when they arrive, no matter what time they come in.
Jen’s my younger sister. There was an accident when we were young and she’s been catatonic since then so my mom takes care of her at home. Once again, I’m so sorry about that email mix up.
I didn’t realize it was almost 9pm. I completely lost track of time. I’m heading home now, but believe me, I’m going to get to the bottom of this book.
LE
Also of course, she updated the file index, the words are pretty clear now, lovely! Do with that what you will.
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Bernard SLeigh painted a variety of things at the Wallasey Church: https://www.hct.org.uk/sites/hct.org.uk/files/inline-files/Wallasey%20Unitarian%20Church_0.pdf
… extracted from that link:
The painted communion table, pulpit and choirstalls were all executed by Bernard Sleigh, illustrator and Guild member. The pulpit has three painted panels representing Intellectual Truth, Moral Goodness and
Spiritual Beauty, while the choirstalls are decorated with figures depicting the elements earth, wind
, water and fire. The table shows Christ in Majesty (that is, enthroned) with Faith and Charity on either side
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I decided to label it, based off of other wheels of the year that I saw and personal knowledge! I lined it up according to summer solstice = fire (if that line of thought makes any sense)
The dates of the holidays are following:
Yule - Dec 20-23 - Winter Solstice
Imbolc - February 1 or 2
Ostara - March 20-23 - Spring Equinox
Beltane - April 30 or May 1
Litha - June 20-23 - Summer Solstice
Lughnasadh/Lammas - August 1
Mabon - September 20-23 - Autumn Equinox
Samhain - October 31 or November 1
Yule is on the 21st this year!
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I´m with you on The Rocks Nest but then it says the man stands on sand - and the western beacon is stone i think? Unfortunately I can´t find a fitting person on Kelpie Bay or Undine Bay… Maybe Ole-Luk-Oie (LookEye??)
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You guys are awesome putting this path together. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more yesterday.
I’m leaning towards agreeing with @Crytter on this. I think the chicken ran from the roc’s nest through the nearby waterfall, through the 7 dwarves caves, over the hill where the dwarves live and through that woods, putting her somewhere near kelpie bay.
The only person I see around there looking out over water is Ole-Luk-Oie . TomTitTot is listed on the map also but is just a key symbol.
I think Ole-Lik-Oie is looking out at Sartas Point (I can’t quite read it to see if that’s spelled correctly though. Could be Sarras Point? Maybe Sarcas Point?)
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Or Santas point XD - tried various combinations but they didn´t work.
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