On the Subject of Heraldry

Who doesn’t need a coat of arms on their bedroom wall?

See Appendix A for indicator identification reference.
See Appendix B for battery identification reference.
See Appendix C for port identification reference.
See Appendix H for heraldry reference.

This module consists of a book containing the representation of several crests. To disarm the module, select your family’s crest.

Each crest will have three different characteristics that you’ll need to attend to in order to identify the correct one: division of field, tincture and charges.

The Royal House

First, identify the crest of the Royal House. That crest will be the only one containing a charge representing a Lion colored with an Or tincture. Take note of that crest’s characteristics, as well as the Royal House’s family name. The Royal House’s family crest is never the solution.

Royal Crest Score

Use the following tables to obtain the Royal Crest score:

Division of Field		Tincture
+2 for each field division		+2 if has Gules, Azure or Vert
-1 if has "Party" in the name		-1 if has Purpure, Sable or Bleu-Celeste
+3 if symmetrical about the vertical axis (excluding Charges)		+5 if has any Stain

Charges		Family Name
+1 for each Animal		+1 for each letter in the name
+1 for each Cross		-1 for each word in the name
-1 for each other charge		+4 for each letter in the serial number that is in the name

Obtaining Valid Characteristics

Use the Royal Crest score to identify the correct grid below. If your Royal Crest score is not between 1 and 16, add or subtract 16 to it until it is. Then, rotate the correct grid 90° clockwise for each solved module on the bomb.

The correct grid corresponds to the Validity Table, with cells corresponding to the cells in the Validity Table that contain valid characteristics. Your family’s crest is the only one in the book that contains only valid characteristics.

Validity Table

A2	A12	A1	A4	A5	A6	T1	T3
A3	A7	A8	A9	A10	A11	A13	T4
C1	C2	D1	D2	D3	D4	C3	C4
C5	C6	D5	D6	D7	D8	C7	C8
C9	C10	D9	D10	D11	D12	C11	C12
C13	S4	D13	D14	D15	D16	S5	S6
T6	S7	S8	S9	S10	S11	S12	S1
T2	T5	S13	S14	S15	S16	S2	S3

Other Rules

Metals, Colors and Stains

Tinctures are divided into two main groups: metals (Or and Argent) and colors (all the others). For the purposes of this module, metals are considered always valid. Also, there is a subgroup of colors called stains (Sanguine, Murrey and Tenné). These are much less common than the other colors. Stains are also considered always valid.

The Rule of Tincture

Heraldry is essentially a system of identification, so the most important convention of heraldry is the rule of tincture. To provide for contrast and visibility, metals must never be placed on metals, and colors must never be placed on colors. If a crest breaks the rule of tincture, it is not valid, even if all of its characteristics are.

The Order of the Unicorn

If the bomb has exactly two batteries in one holder, a lit FRK indicator and no Serial or Parallel ports, you are actually an agent of the Order of the Unicorn, and the book contains a secret message for you. To disarm the module, disregard all other rules and select the crest with a Unicorn charge on it.

Appendix H: Heraldry Reference

Divisions of Field

Different shades of grey represent different colors.

Plain	Quarterly	Pile	Party per Chevron
Party per Pale	Party per Fess	Party per Bend	Party per Saltire
Pall	Fess	Bend	Saltire
Cross	Chief	Pale	Chevron

Tinctures

Or	Argent	Gules	Azure	Vert	Purpure

Sable	Bleu-Celeste	Sanguine	Murrey	Tenné

Charges

Animals

Lion	Eagle	Horse	Hound	Bear	Stag	Dolphin

Serpent	Ox	Boar	Griffin	Dragon	Seahorse	Unicorn

Crosses

Greek	Moline	Patonce	Flory	Pommee	Crosslet	Potent

Saltire	Voided	Fourchee	Pattee	Maltese	Bottony

Others

Roundel	Annulet	Mullet	Mascle	Fleur-de-Lis	Crown	Lyre	Shell
Sun	Moon	Tower	Keys	Swords	Flower	Leaf	Hand