“I feel like Thieves Cant doesn't get enough appreciation/use.
Or if it does, it hasn't been in campaigns that I've been a part of.
Anyone have any decent applications of it that you can share?”
https://twitter.com/addieplaysgames/status/1439964903981334532?s=21
BANDITS CANYON
The canyon town is hidden somewhere in the great forest. It’s platforms, walkways, ladders, rope bridges, huts, hanging rooms, delve far into the pit. Metal braziers provide light and heat, for cooking too. The forest above provides sufficient wood and nettle twine for everything.
It’s main building style is something very similar to modern day wooden pallets, because they can easily be relocated and used as either walls or platforms. The entire city changes continuously. The landlord-bailiff-sheriff-thugs patrol vigorously for those who rent here.
Wide freeways and side streets are markets for food, rope, wood, flesh, fabric, services of all types. Three laws apply: no open fire, always pay your rent, never block the vertical through-ways, access shafts between levels. Waterfalls inside the canyon provide water.
Below, far below, is a swamp of detritus, sewage, anything useful or awful dropped from above, only a flowing river through the mud banks cleans it when there is rain in the forest above. Incense is burned to ward off mosquitos and against the summer stench.
How does this relate to Thieves Cant? Notches in the wooden infrastructure and local dialects here are little else other than thieves cant - especially amongst the wardens. Some call it an open air prison where the bandits are the jailers, because for most denizens it is refuge.
Thieves Cant
Habitual Thieves Guild members think in Cant. To talk in Common for them is the posh and polite necessary for dealing with strangers and the authorities. Having bilingual-thinking keeps the mind quick. Thieves cant is all about building ongoing puns, double meanings, references
Thieves Cant is both symbols and slang. Cockney Rhyming Slang (apples and pears = up the stairs, etc). Also, read Brandon Sandersons Mistborn trilogy “we was wasing the was” - normal words used in wrong other contexts which make a lot of sense if you really think about it.
“Reading the signs” relies on universal coincidences. Thieves are creatures of intuition by default if they’re any good at it. If two ravens fly east as they are about to embark - it’s not superstitious nonsense, it relates to the mission at hand!
You have to describe it. The diamond serif carved atop a bland door in a side street means trading post for illegal goods. This could be light fencing or hire for major crimes - it’s a network so all possibilities are available if they trust you. A heart means brothel.
Symbol of Clubs and means weapons, possibly to buy or possibly to hire thugs. Staves is generally not used because indicating knowledges, that’s all word of mouth, not written down. I would be in trouble if people found out I had written this down.
