The Gold-Bug

A fantastic interim summary of the puzzles and codes that Moray left that we have encountered inside the Masque can be found here and as part of here here

The humungously difficult music box cipher was brilliantly solved by Linda B, with others' help along the way of course, and deciphered to:

IF Y ARE MY HEIR A TREASURE CHEST YOU HOLD
WHOSE KEY LIES IN MY CHAMBER AT THE PALACE
WHICH KEY IN TURN IN NAMELESS VOLUME GOLD
OF WISDOMS TROVE YET DOUBTLESS Y ARE REMISS
IF YOU CONSIDER NOT WHICH GREATER FORTUNE BE
A PIRATES BLOODY LOOT OR FRIEND AND FAMILY

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Where we are now...

We still haven't solved the scytales

We have what appears to be a sequence of numbers from the solved puzzles and codes of the trail:
first is thirteen
second is fifteen
third is sixteen
fourth is fifteen
fifth is thirteen
sixth is twelve
seventh is thirteen
eighth is fifteen
ninth is eight
tenth is ???
eleventh is twelve
twelfth is thirteen

We don't know what the tenth is or whether there are any more.

We don't know what this sequence means but having come from seven puzzles we think it is the seven pieces of the key.

We also have 'that to open is one' but we don't know what that means.

Sari has found the NAMELESS VOLUME GOLD, a golden book within the library with a gold-bug inside it, and one page reads:

Take this key
to open my (chest?)
at the Palace,
Play the 7 pieces
of the key to (XXX)
(XXX?) (where?) (XX)but
(XXXXXX) you seek.

On the subsequent page the following message:

Now listen to me...
from the last stroke
of the Reapers last
Breath for 2 minutes
I wait like death
Under the dome where the
purest treasure
these mortal times
afford is a spotless
reputation...
I will know your name
and you must know mine
Great me the same
and know mine condemnation...

It seems as if we need to meet someone underneath the Dome by the exit after the Masque but who and what we need to do is still unclear.

Benoit now seems to be directing hunters towards witnessing parts of the Masque and asking a few to run an errand for him to Lotte, and then taking those few to hear a story being told after the Masque is over. This story appears to be evolving.

it could be the following - or similar

Take the key
to open my chamber
at the palace
Play the 7 pieces
of the key
to hear
of/my whereabout
that
you seek.

Yes Benoit has been sending people to Lotte. He asked to pass a note to her, but only to do it when she is alone. She will only be ready to speak when she picks up the peacock feather. She asks if we are working for Benoit. And when replied yes, she giggles like a school girl. She is handing back a different note, to pass to Benoit, and to tell him he must only read it when he is alone. The note is to be passed to Moray. Lotte mutters something about why he does not pass it to her himself, for men has strange ways of showing what is on his mind.

Having run the various errands for Benoit he meets you after the dance at the ball and takes you into a room to hear the voice of the deceased wife (I think) of William Moray. She tells you that he is having relations with Clarisse Morain (sorry about spelling) who is actually his daughter but he doesn't realise. Apparently there was a necklace that Clarisse had stolen from her when she was very young and that if she was wearing it then William would have known it was her. Needless to say he would not have fallen for her had he known. There was quite a lot of ghostly rage and banging going on so I didn't catch everything and I can't remember who she said stole the necklace.

Could it possibly have been Bonbon? Someone else said he stole a jewel.

Does Dupin perhaps get his hands on it at some point and hand it to "Salsafette" in the Opium Den? Could this possibly be the reason that Dupin walls up BonBon [on Salsafette's orders or perhaps to conceal his own theft]?

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this sort of thing but a friend and I will be going to MOTRD tomorrow and i was wondering if there is anything in particular that we could do that would be of any use to the cause.

We have both been twice previously and so have a good idea of what's what. I have a few missions i would like to try and complete but if anyone would like to add to my list of tasks i would happily oblige.

I,ve just found this site, and I wanted to let you know some things I discovered in my 2 visits to MOTRD. Before Dupin visits the opium den, he recieves a letter telling him to talk to the writer (a woman, I can't remember her name) I assumed it was the woman in the opium den, since he went directly there, but now I think that it was a different woman. The women in the opium den grabbed the letter and read it after Dupin retired to the couch, and then she left the den. I also saw a woman leave a heart in Dupins room, and when he saw it he ran to the room with the crawl-through fireplace and hid it there. Before murdering Bon Bon, he shares some wine with him, and shows him the family crest - something along the lines of betray me and I'll have revenge.

Not sure if any of this helps, but I'm certainly having fun!

When Dupin found the heart he said the name Corey, or something very similar. It may just have been some kind of colloquial corruption of the word couer, but the way he said it made it sound significant.

I'm now kicking myself as I think I missed two opportunities to find out more - Once when Madeline pulled me into a cupboard in her bedroom and told me she was in love with a man she shouldn't be, and what should she do (Should have asked who, darn it) and once when I tried a door that would only open part-way, then flew open to reveal total darkness and a hand that grabbed me and asked what I wanted him to confess. (This was near the entrance about 8:30) Scared the heck out of me - but maybe one of the hunters going tomorrow could ask him to confess about the treasure, or Moray.

I met him. He new nothing of treasure or Moray