Adiya Code

Language of art and secrets

Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash

The Adiya code is a cypher allowing messages to be hidden in seemingly normal works of art or objects. It is mainly used in Nealephari, where the style of the symbols are relatively the same, keeping it hard to notice. Adiya cannot be spoken aloud, as it is an entirely written cypher. Symbols can vary from place to place, but usually mean the same thing. It can be useful in other places, such as different realms or continents, for covert communication. 
Many different forms of Adiya have evolved for different mediums, but as an example we'll use the mosaic version.
A horse symbol stands for travel, with the direction the horse(s) are facing being the direction for travel in relation to the viewer. The position of the sun or moon signify how long it takes to get there, with sunrise being less than a day and moonset being months long. Images in the landscape may also show the destination, or hold clues about the destination's name. If stars appear in the image, it may show a star chart for navigation with a comet, or the stars may form the written name of the place when connected together with lines. 
Danger is represented by a snake, and royalty with gold tiles in a lotus pattern. Water may stand for peace and prosperity, with flowers showing beauty, fish showing spies, birds meaning freedom, turtles symbolizing resilience, and oxen showing strength. Money is usually represented with small golden tiles and trade with two hands, each holding a trade good. Warriors and battle are shown with lions, red skies, or unusually spiky plants or trees. A temple means a safe haven, while blazing flames warn of assassins and ne'er-do-wells.
Hundreds of thousands of symbols exist in Adiya, permitting an entire story to be told in code in a painting or the raja's robe.