In Closing

The rest of the game was largely uneventful, and concluded in the same way, on a thurday. All of the last info is listed below.

05-08-2008

5/8/2008: Urgent, from the Overseer
TO: THE CIRCLE

FROM: THE OVERSEER

SUBJECT: 5.8.2008

5/8/2008: Urgent, from the Overseer

I have several updates for you this morning in the search for the lost Book of History.

Last week, members of the Circle de-ciphered a cryptic photograph that was found on Jack Stroud's hard drive. Embedded in the photo was a puzzle that, when solved, yielded the numbers "787683". The numbers turned out to be the remaining digits of an IP address our intelligence technicians gleaned from Stroud's hard drive.

We accessed the website this morning using the word "Paradise", which the Circle recently discovered had been hidden in a book titled "Chaos". We found what appears to be an incomplete set of 27 GPS coordinates stretching from a desert location in Nevada to a castle in the south of France. I have sent operatives to 14 of the sites, but the Book has yet to be found. We are working right now to piece the rest together, but we are missing some parts to the puzzle.

But, things seem to be turning a corner...

*UPDATE ON THE SEARCH FOR KARA*

This morning at approximately 2:30 a.m., an Alabama state trooper was patrolling a stretch of I-65. Barely visible through the rain, he saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. He swerved and barely missed the person, whom he thought was a desperate hitchhiker caught in the storm. When he got out of his cruiser he noticed it was a woman, swaying on the brink of unconsciousness. When he stepped closer and saw her bruises and the skin on her wrists rubbed raw and bleeding, he knew that she had survived something more sinister than a bad night in the rain.

She reached out to steady herself and collapsed. The officer caught her, radioed for medical help, and held her until the ambulance arrived. Before she passed out, the officer asked about her name. "Kara," she said. When he asked why she was clutching a small wooden elephant, she just smiled and said, "They never forget what they're told."

Kara was transported to a Birmingham hospital, where she is being treated for hypothermia and some mild injuries. I spoke with her briefly a little over two hours ago. She is battered, but in good spirits. She remembers very little about her ordeal, except her initial attack and abduction, then later when she awoke in a dark room tied to a chair.

She hopes to give us a full account of her story later today, as well as some information she says Black stole from Stroud. Information that she now has and hopes will lead us to the Book. I am scheduled to talk with her again this afternoon and will pass everything I learn on to you as I have it.

The Overseer

05-08-2008

From Kara (5.8.08)

Members of the Circle,

As the Overseer mentioned earlier, it's been a harrowing couple of weeks for me.� Some of it I remember clearly.� Some of it not at all. Most of it is fuzzy like an old picture that was shot just out of focus.

It all started when I flew to Nevada at the Overseer's request to witness Stroud's arrest.� After EMT's took Stroud to the hospital, I returned to my hotel to gather my things and fly back to meet the Overseer.� When I stepped into my room I was hit from behind.� I held onto consciousness only long enough to get a worms eye view of the carpet and my attacker's silver-tipped cowboy boots.

The next few hours come and go from my memory.� I remember being in a trunk with a red pillowcase over my head.� At first I thought it had been a different color at one time and was stained with my own blood, but it wasn't.� I remember the hum of tires like we were on an expressway, then pavement surrendering to gravel.� Once or twice we stopped and the trunk popped open.� Someone tugged at the zip-ties binding my hands and feet then would slam the lid.

Then darkness and the stink of exhaust.

The next time I gained consciousness I was sitting in a chair, hands tied behind me and a blanket covering me.� Then I heard his voice as if he was recording a message.� Black.� When he was done he kicked my chair over and my head slammed into the concrete floor.� When I awoke, the zip-ties and pillowcase were gone and my hands were handcuffed around a greenish copper pipe that disappeared into the ceiling above me.� A slow trickle of water ran down the pole and into the hole in the floor.

I didn't know how long I had been there until today.� Each one blended and faded with the next.� I heard nothing but the drip of water and the occasional gust of wind.� No voices.� No footsteps.� Nothing.

The first couple of days were spent trying to find a way to escape.� I shimmied up the pipe, hoping I could slip my chains over the top somehow.� Each time I slid down. I pulled at the pole.� I screamed.� A lot. I tugged at the handcuffs until my hands bled.� Nothing.� Pulled some more until my hands throbbed and felt like they had been shoved into a bonfire.I did this every day.� For hours I did it.� I would work and struggle, then slurp some of the water from the pipe.� It tasted like old pennies, but there was nothing else I could do.�� Work.� Sip water.� Sleep.� Work. Sip water.� Sleep.� It seemed this basement, or whatever it was, would turn into a tomb within a matter of days.

They say that people who survive extraordinary situations come to a place where they become detached from themselves, look at the situation from above it, and decide to do whatever it takes to survive.� I had one of those moments and knew that no one was coming.� No one knew where I was.� I realized what I had to do.

I had once seen a special on an escape artist.� The story went that he would slip out of his cuffs by dislocating his thumb, which caused the hand to collapse in on itself so he could tug it through the cuff.� I thought it was worth a try, so I slid my hands down the pipe toward the hole in the floor.� The hole was small enough and the cuff just loose enough that I could jam my hand between the pipe and side of the hole and lever my thumb with my full body weight.� I still get queasy thinking about it, but suffice it to say that the soft "pop" of my bone brought with it a whole galaxy of stars that lit up my head.

When I awoke, I was drenched in sweat and staring at the ceiling.� But, my hand was free of the handcuff.

I left the house, which was nothing more than a shack in the middle of the woods.� But, on my way out I came across a pile of clothes and papers in what was the front room.� I assume they were Stroud's belongings, which Black had taken.� I went through them, but found nothing worth a second glance other than a small wooden elephant.� For whatever reason I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket.

Two days later I stumbled onto a freeway, where a state trooper found me.

I am on the mend, but there is one thing you should know:� that elephant wasn't just a trinket.� I was looking at it this morning and noticed a fine seam that ran along its back, from head to tail.� I slid a fingernail into it and the carving split into two halves.� Inside it was some sort of memory drive.� I remember thinking, how secretive can one man be?� I sent the drive to the Overseer for analysis. I think the elephant is symbolic and my hope is that it is the final piece to the puzzle.

As far as Black, I don't know where he is or what he found in Stroud's bag.� But, I think he had the key in his hand and tossed it aside as a worthless toy.� We're about to find out.

Talk with you all soon. Dive deep.

Kara

05-15-2008

The Books of History

Members of the Circle,

At 6:23 this morning, thanks to the hard work and insight you have all provided, our intelligence team was able to fully access Stroud's list and learn the three locations we've all been searching for.� We believe that Stroud hid three books, and one of them is the Lost Book of History.� According to information we received before he died, we know that, of the three, one is authentic and two are replicas.� Attached are actual reference photos we found in Stroud's file.� He apparently took them before hiding the books.� Thanks to you, the Circle will have all three in its possession within the next few days.

After we have confirmed the coordinates and which cities the books appear to be hidden, we will select three members of the Circle to go to the specified locations and retrieve the Books.� So that we can keep this information as confidential as possible (we know that Marsuvees Black frequents this site), we will hand select the operatives and contact them directly.� Once they have been notified and are en route to the secure the Books we will update the rest of the Circle.

This has been a long and trying time for us all, and even now we are not yet finished. But, the end is finally upon us.� On behalf of the Overseer I want to thank all of you for what you have done.� Only Elyon knows what would have happened if you had decided to stand on the sidelines and let history be written by our enemies.� Instead, you rose to the challenge and decided it was not enough to simply stand by. � You made a difference.� You made history.� Only when we return the book to Kara will we know how the story ends...if such stories end at all.

The Overseer had hoped to send this message, but he is out of the country on urgent business and will return just in time to celebrate at the Gathering.�� He said to simply tell you to dive deep, never break the circle, and always be mindful of what lies beneath the skin of this life.� For three of you, the adventure with this one book has one more step to it.� But, for all of us, the story has just really begun.� I will be in touch with you shortly once those whom Elyon has decided will retrieve the books have been chosen.

Until then, dive deeply friends,

Paradise Sage

BTW, for those who have been wondering, Professor Abraham is well and sends his greetings.� For reasons I still cannot tell you, he has stayed among the shadows until another time.� But, do not worry friends, he is well.

05-22-2008

The Chosen Members of the Circle,Over the past week I have sent operatives to eleven locations that we gleaned from Stroud's files in the hope that the Book of History is hidden at one of them.

The good news: we found books at each of the locations, all of which were stolen and all of which we were able to return to their rightful owners. The bad news: none of them were the one Book we are looking for. But...

Three locations remain, and three members of the Circle have been chosen to go to those locations. One of them will find the Book. I cannot yet tell you who the three are or the specifics of where they are going just yet. They have been instructed to go "dark" until they have recovered the Books.

All I can tell you is the 3 books are at locations in GA, SC, and NC. This we have CONFIRMED. Know that I am communicating with the Chosen Ones directly and they will be en route shortly. They have been instructed to recover the books and document their findings, which we will share with the rest of you.

Many of you would have given your lives to recover the Book of History. For that I am endlessly thankful. But while many were called, only three could be chosen. We will know soon which of them holds the true Book. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to those who have searched tirelessly, and given their time and commitment to the search. To the finding the truth. I owe you a debt of gratitude, which I cannot repay in this lifetime. Someday I will thank you each face to face.

Dive deep, friends. I will contact you all again one last time after we have the Book in hand. Our search is hurtling to a close and will undoubtedly end in the next 48 hours when the Book is back in the Circle's possession. And then...then, the story really begins.

Desperate for Elyon,

The Overseer

05-31-2008

The End. For now...

**The Lost Book of History Has Been Recovered**

This morning, the Chosen three members of the Circle retrieved the hidden Books of History that Stroud hid.� We have confirmed that, as expected, two of them were replicas and one of them was authentic.� So, friends, the Book has been recovered!

Julie P. of Castle Hayne, NC, located the authentic Book and retrieved it before Marsuvees Black reached it. � As a thank you to Julie, she will be receiving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt.

Robert S. of Cayce, SC, retrieved the second Book and will be receiving a home entertainment system.

Diane P. of Douglasville, GA, retrieved the third Book.� She will be receiving an Apple MacBook and an iPod.

Thank you to everyone who gave their all in the search for the Lost Book.� But, now that we have the Book, the adventure has just begun.� The stakes have never been higher, and the fate of the world depends on what we do today...tomorrow...the next day.� Let us rise to the challenge, lovers of Elyon.� May we dive deeper than ever before, and find our place in this, the greatest Story ever told.� The Story of Elyon.� Paradise's story.� Our Story.

Until we meet face to face...Dive Deep.

There was also a bit more coversation with david abraham and marsuvees black and so it is here:

Hello friends.

Let's talk. What kinds of questions do you have for me? I'll answer what I can.

Robert Stenton's ranch.(answering the question of where he was hiding)

There are a number of sensitive issues--both politic and spiritual--that I have had to attend to. If you would like, I will tell you what happened the night I disappeared.

Bear with me. Everyone on here posts so fast. I can only type with two fingers. I suppose I'm a techno dinosaur that way.

I have an office that only a few people know about. I go there to write, to pray, to work when I need to be close but "away".

I had been working non-stop for three days. I was going on about four hours of sleep. Both Kara and I had tracked down some leads on the Book of History. We were close, but as you know, someone had ...

It was the middle of the night. I was already jittery from what had happened earlier. The Overseer was worried about me and said that if Black found my house, he could find my office. He said it wasn't safe. But, after all, what is "safe" anymore? Life itself is amazing dangerous...and adventurous.

So, I decided to stay. It proved to be the wrong choice and the right one all at the same time. I knew that Black was coming. I had seen him earlier that night. The only way I could keep him from the Book was to stay one step ahead of him no matter the consequence. I went to my office, compiled the data and leads that I could and sent them to Kara. I was certain of my own death that night.

My suspicions were true. Midway through my transmission I heard a car pull into the garage below my office. For once I was thankful for the thin walls and floors of the building. Being 3 a.m. give or take, I knew it meant one thing: Black had found me. At best, I knew I had 2, maybe 3, minutes.

By the time I hit "SEND" on my message to Kara, I heard the front door to my office open. Within seconds he was inside my office...but it wasn't Black. The man standing in my office was hooded and had a softer face. Who it was, I don't know. But, it wasn't Black. He said nothing. Then he smashed my security camera and came after me. Then,

The hooded man said nothing. He just came over and hit me once with a tire iron. As I was going down I heard a loud explosion that I later learned was the back door of my office. When I came to, I was in an ambulance with two armed men sitting next to me.

One of the men, his name was Kevin, said that the Overseer had sent him and a couple others to keep an eye on me. They entered the building through the back, blew the door off and rushed in just as the hooded man was dragging me out. The hooded man dropped me and bolted from the office. Kevin took care of me, while the other man gave chase.

To answer the question about my office...my office is just a rented suite in a much larger space with multiple entrances.

The hooded man escaped, but the man who pursued him (Jonas, I believe his name was) said that he was no ordinary man. Jonas chased the hooded man across the highway and through a car dealership on the other side of the street. He said the man turned, lifted his hands in the air. When he did so, two cars lifted off the ground and spun in the air. Then the man "threw" them toward Jonas. Luckily, he got out of the way, but it bought the hooded man just enough time to escape.

Kevin and Jonas took me to the Stenton ranch that night, something the Overseer had arranged because he knew that my attacker would not miss the second time around. So, that is where I stayed. I communicated only with the Overseer. I needed Black to believe that, if i wasn't dead, I was at least "out of the game" so to speak.

I was secretly working behind the scenes. It was safer for Kara that way, I hope you understand. Now, here we stand within reach of the Books. My hope is that we reach them before Black does. But, I'm confident we'll get there first.

Well, my friends, I must be going. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the soon coming Gathering. Though I suspect there are others in the "inner circle" who will walk among you there. The Overseer always has a Guard watching his back. And sometimes they are the most unlikely of people. Dive deep, dear friends. I hope that we will meet face to face some day. And to Kevin and Jonas, if you're reading this, thank you. David Abraham 5/15/08

and then there was black, but he said nothing of significance.