Genesis 28:11 - And when [Jacob] was come to a certain place, and would rest in it after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting under his head, slept in the same place.
c562 AD – Saint Columba, the dove of the church, who had been using Jacob's Pillow as an alter, carries the stone from the Holy Land to Scotland via Ireland.
Scone Scotland, c847 AD – Kenneth MacAlpine, the first King of Scotland, is crowned sitting on the stone.
1296 AD – The stone is captured by King Edward I as spoils of war and taken to Westminster Abbey where it is placed under the wooden coronation throne.
London 28th June 1838 – The British Secret Service foil a plot to steal the stone and assassinate Queen Victoria at her coronation.
New York, 3 days ago – A portrait of Queen Victoria, a page from the artist’s journal, his palette and a pink ribbon are stolen from an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
-oOo-
You are Matt White, portrait painter and secret agent. You have been called to No 9 Downing Street for a meeting with the flamboyant Lucifer Box, President of the Royal Academy of Art. The Academy is a cover for the British Secret Service.
“White, you're a sight for sore eyes, what do you know of Doctor No?”
“Born in Peking. Mother Chinese. Father a Methodist missionary. He is currently the head of the criminal organization B.L.A.C.K: the Blind League Against Crowning Kings. He has a keen eye for art. In fact it's his only eye.“
“Well we have a double agent working inside B.L.A.C.K. and he has just contacted us with information that Doctor No is trying to find Jacob's Pillow Stone so that he can crown himself the true king of Britain and harness its biblical powers to rule the world.”
“So in the league of the blind, the one-eyed man wants to be king! But didn’t we return the stone to Scotland in 1996?”
“Not quite! In 1838 anarchy was rife in the UK. Even Queen Victoria famously said "Why are these anarchists vs me?". Therefore, prior to the coronation, the Academy arranged for an artist (Codesign TS) to guard the Queen under the pretence of painting her portrait. Whilst in London, TS uncovered a plot by a one-eyed minister, incidentally the great-great-great-grandfather of Doctor No, to kill the Queen and steal the stone. Fearing the worst, TS was inclined to replace the stone with a replica, take the original outside the capital and hide it somewhere in the countryside. TS later returned to London in time to foil the assassination attempt. Major Ursa of Q Branch shot the minister in the leg but he escaped after knocking TS unconscious with a giant bible. The minister died of his wounds 21 days later. When TS came round, he couldn’t remember anything about the stone and it has therefore remained in its hiding place to this day.”
“Let me guess. The robbery three days ago at the Metropolitan Museum in New York was masterminded by Doctor No and the artist being exhibited was TS?”
“Correct! Along with Doctor No, the cat-burglars involved have been identified as Charles Edghill, Eric Coverly and Henry Lopez. From analysing TS's file, we believe that he concealed puzzles on the items stolen that will identify the whereabouts of the stone. Your mission is to recover the stolen items, solve the puzzles and find the stone before Doctor No does. I suggest you first make contact with BD Eye as he has been following the four men since they arrived in this country. One more thing. On your way out see Moneypenny as she knows where Adrian Robinson is hiding. Yesterday he stole the second page of "Numbers Letter" from the Academy's archives and you will need to recover this too if you are to succeed. Good luck White.”
Make contact with BD Eye ... find Doctor No and his henchmen ... solve the puzzles on the stolen items to find the 5 clues ... link the 5 clues together to discover Jacob's Pillow, a collection of precious stones from the royal collection given to TS by Queen Victoria and the Genesis tablet written by JACOB.
-oOo-
The listed coordinates are for suggested parking for the Jacob's Pillow series. With some general knowledge (or PAF) and good upfront on-line research, it may be possible to do this series in one visit. The course is about 5 miles long depending on your route choices.
Links to other caches in the series:
¤ The Genesis Tablets
¤ His Red Right Hand (ADAM)
¤ Two By Two (NOAH)
¤ Jacob's Pillow (JACOB)
¤ BD Eye
¤ Charles Edghill
¤ Eric Coverly
¤ Henry Lopez
¤ Adrian Robinson
¤ Doctor No
¤ Clue 1
¤ Clue 2 (Pink Ribbon)
¤ Clue 3 (Queen's Portraits)
¤ Clue 4 (Artist's Journal)
¤ Clue 5 (Artist's Palette)
¤ Bonus - Lucifer's Musical Box
¤ Bonus - Major Ursa's Gadget Stash
Part of The Final Revelation series of 66 puzzle caches.