Le Messier Vinci Mystery Cache
Pengie123: Came out to Virginia to visit for the holiday and unfortunately this one is gone. Thanks for all the finders over the years!
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IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a very challenging cache that will test your strength, dexterity, and mind over matter. This cache DOES NOT require any special equipment but a pair of gloves and good shoes would go a long way. Please do NOT use anything but gloves, shoes, and your body to get to this cache. That is all I will say for now but a fair warning to all in that this cache IS dangerous and COULD result in blisters/rope burn, broken bones, or death! Have fun and good luck!
“Alexander! How many times do I have to tell you I do NOT have the rent! I am really sorry but I haven’t been able to sell anything these past few months.” Clause Delorme said. Clause Delorme was an average French man living in the 17ths century and his profession was painting. He was not very good at painting, heck, no one liked his paintings but he enjoyed painting so much he stuck with it. Alexander was his landlord and is about to evict Clause for not paying his rent that month. “Alexander, how about I get you the rent by the end of the week? I am sure I will be able to find 50 livres somewhere and if I don’t, you can evict me!” Clause begged as he tried to reason with Alexander. “You have til the end of the week, then you’re out of here!” Alexander barked. Then turn around and stormed out of the house, slamming the door on the way out. Clause, a poor painter had to figure out what to do as he had to support himself and his wife, Isabelle Amber Delorme. Isabelle was a usual house wife, stayed at home, took care of cooking and cleaning but was very pulchritudinous for her social class and Clause even teased her sometime that the royal family would come and someday take their princess back. Clause somehow had to come up with the rent though and had almost no way to do so. He couldn’t bring himself to sell his art supplies and almost none of his paintings would sell, except he was working on one new one. The one painting he was working on was called “The Gateway to the Proving Grounds”, a painting of an ancient arch leading into the Roman Colosseum. Clause spend 5 hours a day painting it and working on every small detail from the bricks in the wall to the small faces of the people and he was almost finished with it. Simon Deborge, Clause’s good friend and an art merchant who always tried to sell Clause’s paintings, knocked on the door and walked in. He was a tall, yet slim man who was so emaciated he looked like if he was sent to jail, he could slip out of the bars themselves. Simon, though he was slim and tall, was actually very strong and went out jogging with Clause every other day as they discussed news and politics. Simon, though he tried to sell Clause’s paintings was still somehow very successful and sold many other masterpieces he had acquired. Simon was here today to look at Clause’s newest painting, which Clause had not let him see at all until it was finished, and Clause thought he would be finished today but had a few details to add he had thought of extemporaneously. Simon walked in and Clause, just remembering Simon’s visit, covered the painting and went to open the door. “Salut Clause! Bonjour! How are you? Is that next masterpiece of yours finished yet?” Simon asked for the thousandth time, as he was so eager to see the new painting. “Simon! Salut! Come in, I am doing well. I have been working night and day on the painting and still have a few details to add, so maybe tomorrow? Would I be able to offer you anything to eat though? Isabelle made some delicious ratatouille for dinner and there is a bit left over.” Clause squeaked, trying to distract Simon, as he had promised that today would be the unveiling after doing the same thing a week earlier. Simon would not have it though: “Come now Clause, I have been waiting for this all week and counted down the minutes from the time I woke up today. Some ratatouille would be nice as I’m sure it’s as good as Isabelle is good looking.” Simon said with a smile and then begged, “At least let me see it as it is now. S'il vous plait?” “Oh, alright, I have been a bit rude putting it off for so long, which I am sorry for, here it is.” Clause said as he uncovered his newest painting. When Simon saw it his eyes seemed to shine and he was speechless. The painting looked beautiful and Simon thought stated looking at it in detail and muttering things like “Beau!, Délicieux!, Incroyable!” “Clause! This is going to be the next masterpiece and will go down in history! I know at LEAST 15 people who would look at it and buy it on the spot. It will make you rich! How should we go about this? I could take it and have a showing of it to a few potential buyers today and see what they would pay for it. How does that sound? Here, take this money for it is an honor to be the seller of the next French wonder” Simon said with cheer and handed Clause a good 100 livres. “Its not finished yet.” Clause protested but then he thought of paying the rent, being rich, and making Isabelle happy was too much. After a few long seconds he agreed: “Take it and see what is worth though I don’t know if it will sell as I am just an unknown painter in this city.” “But Clause! I am a famous art merchant and will be able to sell this for tens of thousands! I will set up the unveiling for this evening at the auction house. Wear your best clothes and meet me there at the 7th hour.” Simon said. Clause covered the painting and handed it to Simon as Simon left. After Simon left, Clause jogged over to the house at the end of the street belonging to Alexander. He knocked sharply on the door and as Alexander opened it he said, “Here is the rent for this month and next month! Bon soir!” as he handed him the 100 livres and started to leave. “Wait!” Alexander called out, “Where did you get this money? Did you steal it? You know I won’t take stolen money!” Clause turned around sharply and said in the most audacious voice he could: “I got it from a down payment on a painting. You remember Simon? He gave me the money as a down payment for my most recent painting and there is going to be a showing tonight. He thinks it will make me rich and he has never been wrong about a painting!” Clause turned away from the dumbfounded landlord and walked with a vigorous, pompous stride back to his home and told Isabelle everything that happened. “Why Clause that is amazing! We will be among of the bourgeoisie! I love you so much! Just know these two things though, I will never care how much money we have, just so long as I have you and, that when we get this fortune we must take some and spread the wealth to all of our good friends.” Isabelle said thoughtfully. “Why of course! There are so many people who could use our help and it would be a sin not to help them!” Clause said “I have been thinking on the paint though, in that I didn’t finish it. I wonder if Simon will let me finish it or touch it up before it is sold.” Clause walked to Simons villa and asked him if he might be able to touch up or change the painting at all: “Absolutely NOT!” Simon said, “That painting is perfect as it is and doesn’t need to be finished or added to or anything! Don’t you want to be rich and live well for once? You can buy all the art supplies you want and live in a big mansion with Isabelle.” “Ok.” Clause replied sullenly, “I should go get ready for the showing though, so I will see you back here at 7?” “Indeed. See you here at 7! Remember the showing is at 8 and the bidding starts a little later!” Simon said. At that point in time Clause skulked home and into the dining room and had an early dinner with Isabelle and they talked about how fortunate and lucky they were and as they ate thought about what they could do with the money but Clause, in his head, kept thinking about how the unfinished painting irked him and once he was done with dinner, made the decision to break into the auction and change it at the last minute. Once Clause finished up dinner, he and Isabelle helped each other choose outfits and headed to the auction. Clause sneaked his paint brush and some black ink into his pocket and hatched a plan to ‘finish’ his painting, one way or another. When they arrived the painting was in the center of the room with a cloth over it, chairs set up all over the room, and attendants busily fussing with food and curtains and making everything perfect. Simon was finishing up talking to what looked like the head attendant and was standing with another man then he walked up over with the other man and greeted Clause and Isabelle. “Bonsoir! Good evening Clause and might I say you look amazing tonight Isabelle?” Simon said “The attendants are just finishing up and should be done within the half hour and people should start arriving about 20 minutes after that. This is going to go down in history Clause! Are you excited? Also, here I have Inspector Ernest Delacroix who is going to help with security and guard the painting, or should I say masterpiece!” “Good evening, and nice to meet you” Ernest said as he shook Clauses hand and kissed Isabelle’s, “I hope this all goes well this evening and will do my best to make sure this masterpiece stays safe and am excited to see it myself too” Clause seemed a little suspicious of the inspector and thought that he might hinder his plans to alter the painting but he dismissed the idea and decided it might be good to have the painting more guarded against others and he could easily say he was touching up something if he was caught changing it. The clock towers bell rang as 8 o’clock stroke and the bourgeoisie flooded in to get seats and see the new masterpiece. Clause and Simon walk to the front and start the auction. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen! My name is Simon Deborge, if you didn’t already know me, and I will be running this auction that will go down in history for this painting is going to be the next French masterpiece and top that of even the renaissance geniuses!” Simon boomed to the crowd, “This here is the artist, Clause Delorme, an unknown, unrecognized, talented painter who has been given gifted hands by god to paint such a painting. He will also be supervising the auction and hopes you all like the painting! Now let the auction begin at 15,000 livres!” As Simon announced these last words, hit a gavel against the podium, showed the painting and heard the amazing remarks by the buyers, the lights went out. Everyone was stunned for a few seconds before panic started to arise but was hurriedly assuaged by the return of the lights but something horrible had happened. “The Gateway to the Proving Grounds” had been defaced with weird looking hieroglyphics that no one understood except one old Wiccan woman who started shouting gibberish and bolted out of the room. The buyers were startled and worried and Simon was about to say how they could remove the writing but the lights suddenly went out again. This time it was shorter and about a minute before the lights were rekindled but now the painting was gone and a small origami butterfly was in its place. “My god! That’s the mark of the famous art thief, Le Messier Vinci!” shouted the Inspector, “We have to catch him and retrieve the painting before the ink dries and the best masterpiece this world has ever seen becomes nothing but a piece of trash!” “I agree” Simon quickly said “Clause, you, me, the inspector, and Isabelle have to go chase down Le Messier before he gets away with it! It looked like he went out the side and is running due West” “Well, lets go!” Clause said as he, Isabelle, Simon, and the Inspector chased off to catch Le Messier. Le Messier has gotten a head start and by the time the group even saw where he was going, it was too late. He had climbed up into his personal safe that was so high up it was impenetrable to everyone as everyone when they tried usually got about 10 feet up, then their legs started shaking from adrenaline, and then a few more feet up, when the looked down, they were doomed. Now it is up to you to go find the location of Le Messier’s safe, climb up to reach it, and crack the safe to get to the painting. 
Note about the story: The author would like to convey that this story is all fictional (though if you happened to see the same Saturday morning cartoon Febuary 15, 2003 as he did, then you may see some similarities to the story), the characters are all fictional and none (except one) are based on real people, and that there is no hidden code or text in the story and he persuades you to not go looking through it to find some hidden message that is so plainly, not there. Have fun and be safe out there!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx hc naq qbag snyy!