Thieves Culture

Thieves, Smugglers, Assassins, Mercenaries, and other trades of the ne'er-do-well hold a unique culture in Sunaria. As their professions have been established for eons past you will find very similar cultures among thieves in any realm you find yourself in.

### Thieves Cant

#### Language

Classified as a language, most of the words are derived from the common tongue and jargon. Thieves Cant isn't altogether it's own language but a system of rearranging words and topics as to pass by as common chit-chat while relaying important and valuable information, the most important of which is: that you know the language and are a part of the culture. You might easily pass by two thieves talking about their most recent heist and dismiss it as two friends discussing an old tale from their younger age, but by their selection of words and body postures they are relaying the split of wealth they each will take and who they will sell their gains to for fencing.

#### Symbology

Thieves Cant also comes with a written language either in the form of the jargon spoken written in letter form or by way of the symbols used to mark certain territory and relay information about the area. These symbols can tell a practitioner at a glance many useful things, such as, if a manor is guarded by animals, if it is run by a fellow practitioner, whether to be on guard for magical deterrents, and if medical help can be found nearby. The symbols and their arrangement can be used to denote hundreds of thousands of quick messages to likeminded individuals for a variety of reasons. These symbols can be hidden as graffiti, chicken scratch, and even simple wear and tear in some cases, making it so that only a discerning eye and someone "in the know" can find and decipher them.

#### Accessories

The way you present yourself can say a lot about a person, more so if you speak Thieves Cant. Those who have a skill to play will generally adorn themselves to advertise that they are in a particular trade. Those who dabble in the acquisition of information might wear earrings, while an assassin might wear a thin gold band that slashes across their throat, thieves will foster rings to show their proficiency, and smugglers will wear a coat with extra pockets. Some in the trade will make these adornments more pronounced with tattoos in the appropriate areas and those that dabble in many areas might have a mix of ink and jewelry. In all these instances most in the trades will mask these items as common wear and be indistinguishable from their non-illicit counterparts within their communities.

#### Posture

"Your posture now determines your portion later" is a common refrain in finishing schools and upper-class society, but it holds true for those in the ranks of the trades in the underbelly of society as well. The way someone holds themselves and their posture can communicate a lot during a conversation in Thieves Cant. Fiddling with a ring while talking about your lost dog might convey that you need a thief to help you get back something that was stolen. Someone with their arms crossed across their chest while bantering about playing the local sport might be advertising a mercenary band wanting in on some local action. Someone stirring their drink with their pinky while touching an earring with the other hand might be conveying that they need to hire someone to steal incriminating information from a rival.

### Hierarchy on the Kellefon Isles

#### Pontiffs

Pontiffs run the show. They are individuals who run whole networks of criminals in their trades, as well as, leading the Essandee Guild to help guide their affairs in a more legitimate light. There are at any time only three pontiffs though there may be a few more among the ranks who run their own networks, a networked individual simply has connections while pontiffs use their connections to gain incredible power.

#### The Networked

The Networked are individuals who have plied their trade for many years, lived, and made connections within the community to facilitate larger deals. Because of their position in the ranks they are a bit easier to make out from everyone else as they wear an array of accessories to denote not only what they do but who they have access to, they will often link some pieces of jewelry together or wear lace, net, or other such clothing to denote that they are "linked" to others.

#### Everyone Else

Just that. Everyone else in the trades is everyone else. You make a name for yourself and rest on those laurels alone until you earn enough respect to become a networked individual, and one day a Pontiff if you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to find yourself there.

1. ↑ Pontiff Urzak, Pontiff Cerrilee, Pontiff Lyvernus.