The Secret Code of the Ambulant Men
The guild of The Ambulant Men is a secret organization created fifty years ago or so after The Ambulant Apothecaries of Alven of Alven were deemed an illegal profession by the then Thane five years previously. The ambulant medics were driven to continue with their trade in the shadows, and very soon the guild was born.
The guild of Ambulant Men has grown to be an influential shadowy organization that deals nowadays in more than cold remedies. It still serves its primary function to the poorer sections of Alven society by providing healing services and goods to anyone who has the money to afford them. Due to the illegal nature of the transactions, the guild has developed a complex set of codes and signs to meet with its clientele and deliver its services.
SYSTEM
The code used by clients to communicate with the guild has its origins in the druidic symbols of the The Old Ways. Since The Archive was created to replace the unhealthy control of the clans by The Druids three centuries ago, the Old Ways have been mostly forgotten. People from the countryside might be the only one left who remembers the Old Ways. It is also possible that people who moved from the countryside to work in towns and cities could also still follow the Old Ways. The system is based on the plant lore of the druids, called The Green Tongue. By tradition, the folks of Alven are used to wear sprigs of plants on their person, and this has been put to good use by the guild. It is enough for an Alvenite to wear the plant or flower at the right time of year, and at the right place to be put in touch with a Chaser. A Chaser of the guild is usually a very young apprentice who is trained in finding out if you are a genuine client of the guild and not a trained agent from the Archive. Being a chaser is a rite of passage to join the guild and a good training ground for the young recruits. It is also a dangerous job and many a young man or woman who has thought to outwit the Archive in their role as chasers have been caught and ended up being sent to The Mend Troops in the East after a summary trial.Geographical Distribution
Different signs and codes are employed by different regional branches of the Ambulant Men. The local aspect of the code means that it is more difficult for the agents of the Archive to get a handle on the local markets. It has proved no use for the Archive to retrieve the code from local people. As soon as a code is known to have been broken, a new one is produced in its place. Besides, any would-be infiltrators have to be able to get past the keen eyes of the chasers. Chasers are not aware of the location of any Workshop and cannot give much valuable information if caught.
Example of a Code
The categories for the different products are called 'shelves' and are pretty much always the same throughout Alven. This guarantees that you will get the potion, pomade, or healing object you have requested. The price is set by the guild and will not change very much from year on year. The prices are common knowledge among the town and country folks.Shelves
short of breath infection, pus madness fatigue surgery (amputation) blood cleansing foul or down moods love filter (men) love filter(women) good luck charm curse of the beasts fevers shakes bone pains Other This would mean a personal meet with a higher-ranked Men. This code is not widely available. A full instruction would look like this: For a fever, wear a sprig of thyme on yourself and stand by the market fountain at twilight.
Comments