ELS

ELS is short for Equidistant Letter Sequences, a process for encoding a message within a block of text. The encoded message is found by looking at every n th letter, where n is determined by the encoder. This can be any length.

This process has been used to "find" hidden messages in the Bible -- Bible Codes. The statistical validity of these discoveries has been shown to be insignificant.

Els is also the semi-mythical second city in Edward Bryant's book Cinnabar. None living in that city of near immortals Cinnabar knows of anyone who claims to have been to "The city at the end of the tracks" as Els is referred to. Next to nothing is known about the city of Els, as the time belts that lie between it and Cinnabar are so numerous as to make travel between the two a near impossibility.