From time to time we've all come across a strange message in the office and wondered what they actually meant.
Early in the year a topic appeared on the forums dedicated to figuring out what some of the more obscure messages meant,
and who they referred too, and some of the answers were actually quite interesting and curious to read.

http://kr.forenserver.de1.cc/viewtopic.php?t=766

Needless to say the topic didn't last long, but looking back recently I came across it again and thought to revive it since we had a couple of new messages in the office now with a few more to be added sooner or later to add to the mystery.

In this article I will list a few of the messages, and attempt to describe the meanings behind them.
So without further delay lets find one at random ...

Do you recall the strange tale of the legendary lost island of Kapiland?
A guy in very outlandish attire has just crossed my path, asking for directions to get there ...

A reference to another of UpJers games, Kapilands, a modern alternative to Kapi-Regnum.
Kapilands itself is primarily based around Europe and thus this could be the "lost island" the person is referring too.
The outlandish attire most likely refers to the fact they are wearing modern clothing that doesn't fit into the time period here.

We have got to start reducing our emissions! Our caravan nearly starved on its way through the desert!

Actually .. I have no idea! If the caravan nearly dehydrated going through the desert I could understand,
but what does emissions have to do with them starving?

We have found a cheater hiding in the woods. Can we set him/her on fire?

A reference to Burning at the Stake, which today is considered a cruel and unusual punishment.
People were burnt at the stake typically for acts of treason, heresy or witchcraft.
In some sense cheating in Kapi-Regnum could be considered an act of treason (e.g Disregarding the T&Cs)
and thus could warrant such an act, of course not in a real manner.

A mysterious Knight knocked on our door in the blackest of night and asked if we had found a sacred Cup.
Grail he called it - what a strange word. He seemed quite desperate when I told him I had never heard of it.

A reference to the Holy Grail, perhaps to Sir Galahad himself who is credited as having found the Holy Grail alongside his father Lancelot, and Perceval, all knights of the Round Table. Lancelot is only allowed to see the Grail however, but not touch as he was sinned with Adultery, from which Galahad was born.

I just stumbled upon this strange guy. Came out of a blue box smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Said he was the doctor, mind you not "a doctor", but "the doctor". And he had a blonde damsel with him that was practically naked!

Many of you will recognise this as a reference to Doctor Who - As far as I can gather specifically to the serial "The Time Warrior" in Season Eleven where the (third) Doctor travels back in time with a new companion, Sarah Jane Smith, who could be who this damsel is; though I don't see how the 'practically naked' reference comes into play.

I have heard of a valiant rogue living in a forest no to far off. Calls himself Robin of the Hood.
He's known for helping out the poor and destitute. Mayhap you should try to find him...

Anyone from Nottinghamshire? Chances are you'll recognize this immediately as a reference to Robin Hood,
and his story of robbing from the rich, and giving to the poor.

A travelling salesman tried to sell us these strange tubers yesterday. He said they were called potatoes.
They tasted so horrible, we had to use them as missiles to chase him through the city gates!

There could actually be many reasons for this; Potatoes are in the Nightshade family, a poisonous plant.
Plus they also don't taste particularly nice uncooked, but as many would agree cooking them either by boiling,
or roasting adds to the taste.

Oh, what a lovely apple! How thoughtful of you. What? You want me to put it on top of my head?
And what's with that crossbow? Oh, dear, you've been reading about Swiss heroes again, haven't you?

A reference to a Swiss Hero, William Tell.

Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian Vogt of Altdorf raised a pole in the village's central square with his hat on top and demanded that all the local townsfolk bow before it. As Tell passed by without bowing, he was arrested. He received the punishment of being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son, Walter, or else both would be executed.

Tell had been promised freedom if he shot the apple. On November 18, 1307, Tell split the fruit with a single bolt from his crossbow, without mishap. When Gessler queried him about the purpose of the second bolt in his quiver, Tell answered that if he had ended up killing his son in that trial, he would have turned the crossbow on Gessler himself.

Gessler became enraged at that comment, and had Tell bound and brought to his ship to be taken to his castle at Küssnacht. In a storm on Lake Lucerne, Tell managed to escape. On land, he went to Küssnacht, and when Gessler arrived, Tell shot him with the crossbow.
Tell's defiance of Gessler later sparked a rebellion leading to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

Well, that's all for now. There are still a few more messages out there however each surrounded in mystery, and meaning.
Some are just random, others have hidden references - In later editions of the journal I'll cover a few others.