The Broken Latch - Revision history

Wvaske: Add Correspondence ledger (generated from the Correspondence table)

2026-09-17T19:41:57Z

Add Correspondence ledger (generated from the Correspondence table)

@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 * '''One acquisition per hand.''' A season-long buy means you are running on three.
 * '''They are hired, not sworn.''' Anyone can meet their price. A bought hand does not vanish — they keep working, and what they send is accurate and slightly the wrong shape, and it will be months before you catch it. Keep track of what they are owed.
 == See also ==

Wvaske: Add the standing-orders table and the Acquire timetable

2026-08-29T19:31:18Z

Add the standing-orders table and the Acquire timetable

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 | '''Sable''' || Housebreaker, and the one sent when leaning is called for. Gets into shut places and is persuasive with whoever she finds inside. || [[Nuts Deep]], between jobs
 |}
 == See also ==
 * [[Zhentarim]] — the faction; standings are tracked on the [[Renown Tracker]]
 * [[Rian Nightshade]] — leader of the Zhentarim
-* [[The Nightingales]] · [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] · [[The Hearthwardens]] — the other companies' cells
+* [[The Nightingales]] · [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] · [[The Hearthwardens]] · [[The Dawnwatch]] — the other companies' cells
 * [[Shade]]
 [[Category:Campaign]] [[Category:Factions]] [[Category:Renown Feats]] [[Category:Rise of Tiamat]]

Wvaske: Timeline fix — the crew has been owed twenty weeks, not two years

2026-08-29T17:32:44Z

Timeline fix — the crew has been owed twenty weeks, not two years

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:32, 29 August 2026
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	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	You should have had people ~~two years~~ ago. The Network was slow about it and I have come to fix that myself rather than send someone.		You should have had people twenty weeks ago. The Network was slow about it and I have come to fix that myself rather than send someone.

	Ollam Pryce is at your fort already. He came up with the Elturian carts a tenday back and nobody told you because there was no reason to. He handles your freight, and he handles whatever leaves your gates that you would rather nobody wrote down. He does not travel. Four others do. Four now, and more when the Network has more use for you.		Ollam Pryce is at your fort already. He came up with the Elturian carts a tenday back and nobody told you because there was no reason to. He handles your freight, and he handles whatever leaves your gates that you would rather nobody wrote down. He does not travel. Four others do. Four now, and more when the Network has more use for you.

Wvaske: Strip AI-isms from Rian's speech — antithesis, tricolons, and aphoristic closers

2026-08-29T17:23:23Z

Strip AI-isms from Rian's speech — antithesis, tricolons, and aphoristic closers

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:23, 29 August 2026
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	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	You should have had people two years ago. ~~That is not an apology, it is an accounting. Viper is owed a crew and the~~ Network ~~has been~~ slow, and I have come to ~~settle it~~ rather than send it.		You should have had people two years ago. The Network was slow about it and I have come to fix that myself rather than send someone.

	Ollam Pryce is ~~already~~ at your fort. He came up with the Elturian carts a tenday back and nobody ~~mentioned it to~~ you because ~~nobody needed~~ to. He handles your freight ~~— what arrives~~, and rather ~~more usefully what leaves~~. He does not travel. Four others do.		Ollam Pryce is at your fort already. He came up with the Elturian carts a tenday back and nobody told you because there was no reason to. He handles your freight, and he handles whatever leaves your gates that you would rather nobody wrote down. He does not travel. Four others do. Four now, and more when the Network has more use for you.

	~~Four now. A fifth when the Network has more use~~ for ~~you, and a sixth after that~~.		Three things you can ask them for.

	~~Ask them for three things~~.		Move. Anything or anyone, anywhere, with nothing on paper afterward. Maskell has never lost a load and he will find a way to tell you how many that is.

	~~Move~~. ~~Anything~~, ~~anyone~~, ~~anywhere~~, and ~~no record of~~ it ~~afterward~~. ~~Maskell has~~ never ~~lost a load~~ and ~~will find a way to tell~~ you the ~~number~~.		Acquire. Things that are not for sale, and that includes the enchanted kind. I want you to understand how slow it is before you start asking. Ysolde does not produce an item because you have asked her twice. She finds who holds it, works out what they would take for it, and waits for those two to meet. Small things come in days. A rare piece can take a season, and while she is on it she is doing nothing else for you at all. Some things she will never get you, and for those you buy the location instead, which is worth having.

	~~Acquire~~. ~~Things~~ that are ~~not for sale~~, ~~including the enchanted kind. Understand that this~~ is ~~slow~~. ~~Ysolde does~~ not ~~conjure a thing because you have asked twice — she finds who has~~ it~~, finds what they want, and waits for the two to line up~~. ~~A trinket takes days. Something rare takes a season. Something very rare takes most of a year and one of your four hands does nothing else the whole time~~. ~~There are items she~~ will ~~not get~~ you ~~at all, and for those you will have to settle for knowing where they are, which is not nothing~~.		Lean. For when somebody needs to reconsider their position. Sable does that work. She gets into places that are shut, and she is persuasive with whoever she finds inside. You will not enjoy watching it. Send her carefully. She will assume you meant it.

	~~Lean~~. ~~When someone needs~~ to ~~reconsider~~. ~~Sable does that work. She gets into places that are shut and she makes an impression on~~ the ~~people inside them~~, and you ~~will find she is very good and that you would rather not watch. Do not send her where you would not go yourself, because she will assume you have thought about it~~.		Times. Hours across a city. Three to five days across a region. Ten days or more to cross the coast, and while they are walking they are no use to you.

	~~Moving them costs you time. Hours across a city, three to five days across a region, ten days or more across~~ the ~~coast. On the road they are worth nothing to you~~.		Now the part that is different from your friends.

	~~Now the part your friends~~' people do ~~not have~~.		The Gauntlet's people are sworn to their order. Yours are hired. I am not going to pretend those work the same way and you should stop assuming they do.

	~~The Gauntlet's soldiers are sworn~~. ~~The Harpers' agents are sworn~~, ~~whatever~~ they ~~call it~~. ~~Yours are paid~~. ~~That is not the weakness you are about to decide it~~ is, ~~but~~ it ~~does cut in a direction~~ you ~~should think about tonight rather than in six months~~.		Hired people know their price to the copper, and somebody else can always meet it. When one of yours is bought, they do not disappear. They keep working. They keep sending. What they send is accurate and shaped slightly wrong, and it will be months before you catch it.

	~~Paid people know exactly~~ what ~~they~~ are owed~~. Any figure can be met by somebody else. A bought hand keeps working and keeps reporting and everything they send you will be true and slightly the wrong shape~~, and ~~you will not notice for a long while~~.		So keep track of what your four are owed, and settle it before anyone else offers to.

	~~So watch what your four are owed, and settle it before someone helpfully offers to.~~		Then do the other half of it. The Cult hires as well. Every one of them has a price and I have never once met a cultist who was paid properly. You hold a fort and you are sitting on more coin than is good for you. I expect you to be buying their people well before they get round to buying yours.

	~~And then~~ do the other half of it. The Cult~~'s people are paid too~~. Every one of them has a ~~number,~~ and I have ~~not yet~~ met a cultist who was properly ~~compensated~~. You ~~have four hands,~~ a fort, and more coin than is good for you. I expect you to be buying ~~theirs long~~ before they get round to buying yours.

	~~That is the whole of the instruction~~.

	I will find you after the Council.		I will find you after the Council.
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	\| '''Petrin Quill''' \|\| Forger. Writs, seals, letters of passage, and the occasional convincing will. \|\| [[Waterdeep]]		\| '''Petrin Quill''' \|\| Forger. Writs, seals, letters of passage, and the occasional convincing will. \|\| [[Waterdeep]]
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Sable''' \|\| Housebreaker, and the one sent when leaning is called for. Gets into shut places and ~~makes an impression on the people~~ inside ~~them~~. \|\| [[Nuts Deep]], between jobs		\| '''Sable''' \|\| Housebreaker, and the one sent when leaning is called for. Gets into shut places and is persuasive with whoever she finds inside. \|\| [[Nuts Deep]], between jobs
	\|}		\|}

Wvaske: Rewrite — Rian delivers in person at Elturel; Sable given a function; no early-grant framing

2026-08-29T17:10:58Z

Rewrite — Rian delivers in person at Elturel; Sable given a function; no early-grant framing

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:10, 29 August 2026
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	'''The Broken Latch''' is the [[Zhentarim]] ~~cell~~ given to [[Shade]] by [[Rian Nightshade]]. They move what should not be moved, acquire what is not for sale, and lean on people who need leaning on.		'''The Broken Latch''' is the [[Zhentarim]] crew given to [[Shade]] by [[Rian Nightshade]]. They move what should not be moved, acquire what is not for sale, and lean on people who need leaning on.

	They ~~took~~ their name from the burglar's mark — the scratch left on a door to tell the next one through that the place has already been opened.		They take their name from the burglar's mark — the scratch left on a door to tell the next one through that the place has already been opened.

	''~~The letter below~~ was ~~not delivered~~. Shade ~~found~~ it ~~already inside~~ her ~~coat~~.''		== The meeting ==
			''[[Rian Nightshade]] was in [[Elturel]] during the fortnight's downtime, on business with the Black Network's man in the city, and sent for Shade rather than writing. They spoke in the back of a chandler's shop for rather less than an hour. Shade set the whole of it down afterward, from memory, the same evening — she does not trust her recollection of a conversation with Rian to survive a night's sleep intact.''

	~~== The letter ==~~		<blockquote>
			You should have had people two years ago. That is not an apology, it is an accounting. Viper is owed a crew and the Network has been slow, and I have come to settle it rather than send it.

	~~Shade~~ —		Ollam Pryce is already at your fort. He came up with the Elturian carts a tenday back and nobody mentioned it to you because nobody needed to. He handles your freight — what arrives, and rather more usefully what leaves. He does not travel. Four others do.

	~~I have been reading about~~ you~~. That is not a figure of speech; there is a file~~, and ~~it is a good deal thicker than it was when I last put~~ a ~~rank on you~~.		Four now. A fifth when the Network has more use for you, and a sixth after that.

	You have made me money. You have embarrassed several people I dislike. You cured a city, which I am told was a consequence of your method rather than an attack of conscience — I have chosen to believe that, and I would be disappointed to have misjudged you twice.		Ask them for three things.

	~~So here is a cell~~, and ~~here is the part you should pay attention to: '''you have not earned~~ it ~~yet~~.~~''' By our own reckoning this comes~~ to you two ranks early. I am giving it to you anyway, because I would rather you had it now than have it exactly when you deserve it. Consider what that means about how I expect to be repaid, and then stop considering it, because there is work to do.		Move. Anything, anyone, anywhere, and no record of it afterward. Maskell has never lost a load and will find a way to tell you the number.

	~~=== What they~~ are for ~~===~~		Acquire. Things that are not for sale, including the enchanted kind. Understand that this is slow. Ysolde does not conjure a thing because you have asked twice — she finds who has it, finds what they want, and waits for the two to line up. A trinket takes days. Something rare takes a season. Something very rare takes most of a year and one of your four hands does nothing else the whole time. There are items she will not get you at all, and for those you will have to settle for knowing where they are, which is not nothing.
	~~Ollam Pryce keeps your freight at~~ that ~~fort of yours~~ — what ~~arrives~~, and ~~rather more importantly what quietly leaves~~. He does not ~~travel. Four others do~~, and they ~~go where you send them. A fifth hand when your name carries further~~, ~~and a sixth after that~~.

	~~Three things~~ you ~~may ask of them~~.		Lean. When someone needs to reconsider. Sable does that work. She gets into places that are shut and she makes an impression on the people inside them, and you will find she is very good and that you would rather not watch. Do not send her where you would not go yourself, because she will assume you have thought about it.

	~~'''Move~~.~~''' Anything~~, ~~or anyone, from anywhere~~ to ~~anywhere~~, ~~without it being seen and without it being written down~~. ~~Cargo, a person who should not be where~~ they are ~~going, a body that should not be where it is~~.		Moving them costs you time. Hours across a city, three to five days across a region, ten days or more across the coast. On the road they are worth nothing to you.

	'~~''Acquire.''' Buy what is not for sale. Set them a price and give them time; the harder the thing, the more of both. They will not conjure you a relic out of a good mood, so~~ do not ~~ask~~.		Now the part your friends' people do not have.

	'~~''Lean~~.'~~'' Put pressure on a person or a business until~~ it ~~reconsiders~~. ~~A debt recalled at an inconvenient hour~~, ~~a rumour set down where~~ it ~~will do the most work,~~ a ~~door that turns out not to lock any more. This produces results. It also produces enemies, and the enemies keep~~.		The Gauntlet's soldiers are sworn. The Harpers' agents are sworn, whatever they call it. Yours are paid. That is not the weakness you are about to decide it is, but it does cut in a direction you should think about tonight rather than in six months.

	~~=== Moving them ===~~		Paid people know exactly what they are owed. Any figure can be met by somebody else. A bought hand keeps working and keeps reporting and everything they send you will be true and slightly the wrong shape, and you will not notice for a long while.
	~~Hours to cross a city~~. ~~Three to five days to cross a region~~. ~~Ten days or more to cross the coast. On the road~~ they ~~are doing nothing for~~ you and ~~are at their least useful~~.

	~~=== The part nobody else will tell you ===~~		So watch what your four are owed, and settle it before someone helpfully offers to.
	~~Your friends in the other companies have people who~~ are ~~'''sworn''' to them. Paladins and rangers~~ and ~~whatever the Harpers are calling themselves this decade. Theirs will stand somewhere until they die of~~ it.

	'~~''Yours~~ are paid.~~'''~~		And then do the other half of it. The Cult's people are paid too. Every one of them has a number, and I have not yet met a cultist who was properly compensated. You have four hands, a fort, and more coin than is good for you. I expect you to be buying theirs long before they get round to buying yours.

	~~I say this without embarrassment, because paid~~ is more reliable than sworn right up until it isn't. Paid people remember what they are owed. They remember it precisely. And what they are owed can always, always be matched by somebody with deeper pockets and a reason.		That is the whole of the instruction.

	~~So: know what your people are owed, and settle it before someone helpfully offers to settle it for them. A bought hand does not run away. It keeps working, and keeps reporting, and everything it sends~~ you ~~will be perfectly true and slightly~~ the ~~wrong shape, and you will not notice for months~~.		I will find you after the Council.
			</blockquote>

	~~=== One more thing ===~~		== The crew ==
	~~When Varram is finished — and he will be finished, one way or another — come and see me.~~		'''Ollam Pryce''' — freight clerk, resident at [[Nuts Deep]], and not counted among the four. Handles everything that comes through the fort's gates and a good deal that does not. Mild, forgettable, and has never in his life been caught holding anything.

	~~There is a piece of work I have been holding. I have not been holding it for just anybody.~~

	~~Do try to survive the errand.~~

	~~— ''Rian Nightshade''~~

	== The ~~cell~~ ==
	'''Ollam Pryce''' — freight clerk, resident at [[Nuts Deep]], and not counted among the four. Handles everything that comes through the fort's gates and a ~~fair amount~~ that does not. Mild, forgettable, and has never in his life been caught holding anything.

	{\| class="wikitable" style="width:90%;"		{\| class="wikitable" style="width:90%;"
	! Hand !! Trade !! Currently posted		! Hand !! Trade !! Currently posted
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Maskell Vane''' \|\| Caravan master. Has never lost a load and will tell you the number of loads if you let him. \|\| The Trade Way		\| '''Maskell Vane''' \|\| Caravan master, and the crew's mover. Has never lost a load and will tell you the number of loads if you let him. \|\| The Trade Way
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Ysolde Crow''' \|\| Fence. Knows what a thing is worth, what it can be sold as, and who must never learn it surfaced. \|\| [[Baldur's Gate]]		\| '''Ysolde Crow''' \|\| Fence and buyer. Knows what a thing is worth, what it can be sold as, who holds it, and who must never learn it surfaced. \|\| [[Baldur's Gate]]
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Petrin Quill''' \|\| Forger. Writs, seals, letters of passage, and the occasional convincing will. \|\| [[Waterdeep]]		\| '''Petrin Quill''' \|\| Forger. Writs, seals, letters of passage, and the occasional convincing will. \|\| [[Waterdeep]]
	\|-		\|-
	\| '''Sable''' \|\| ~~''Unstated~~.~~'' Ollam schedules her~~ and ~~does not discuss it~~. \|\| ~~Wherever she is~~		\| '''Sable''' \|\| Housebreaker, and the one sent when leaning is called for. Gets into shut places and makes an impression on the people inside them. \|\| [[Nuts Deep]], between jobs
	\|}		\|}

Line 65:		Line 56:
	* [[Zhentarim]] — the faction; standings are tracked on the [[Renown Tracker]]		* [[Zhentarim]] — the faction; standings are tracked on the [[Renown Tracker]]
	* [[Rian Nightshade]] — leader of the Zhentarim		* [[Rian Nightshade]] — leader of the Zhentarim
	* [[The Nightingales]] · [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] — the other companies' cells		* [[The Nightingales]] · [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] · [[The Hearthwardens]] — the other companies' cells
	* [[Shade]]		* [[Shade]]

	[[Category:Campaign]] [[Category:Factions]] [[Category:Renown Feats]] [[Category:Rise of Tiamat]]		[[Category:Campaign]] [[Category:Factions]] [[Category:Renown Feats]] [[Category:Rise of Tiamat]]

Wvaske: Create The Broken Latch — Shade's Zhentarim cell, given early by Rian Nightshade

2026-08-29T00:25:30Z

Create The Broken Latch — Shade's Zhentarim cell, given early by Rian Nightshade

New page

'''The Broken Latch''' is the [[Zhentarim]] cell given to [[Shade]] by [[Rian Nightshade]]. They move what should not be moved, acquire what is not for sale, and lean on people who need leaning on.

They took their name from the burglar's mark — the scratch left on a door to tell the next one through that the place has already been opened.

''The letter below was not delivered. Shade found it already inside her coat.''

== The letter ==

Shade —

I have been reading about you. That is not a figure of speech; there is a file, and it is a good deal thicker than it was when I last put a rank on you.

You have made me money. You have embarrassed several people I dislike. You cured a city, which I am told was a consequence of your method rather than an attack of conscience — I have chosen to believe that, and I would be disappointed to have misjudged you twice.

So here is a cell, and here is the part you should pay attention to: '''you have not earned it yet.''' By our own reckoning this comes to you two ranks early. I am giving it to you anyway, because I would rather you had it now than have it exactly when you deserve it. Consider what that means about how I expect to be repaid, and then stop considering it, because there is work to do.

=== What they are for ===
Ollam Pryce keeps your freight at that fort of yours — what arrives, and rather more importantly what quietly leaves. He does not travel. Four others do, and they go where you send them. A fifth hand when your name carries further, and a sixth after that.

Three things you may ask of them.

'''Move.''' Anything, or anyone, from anywhere to anywhere, without it being seen and without it being written down. Cargo, a person who should not be where they are going, a body that should not be where it is.

'''Acquire.''' Buy what is not for sale. Set them a price and give them time; the harder the thing, the more of both. They will not conjure you a relic out of a good mood, so do not ask.

'''Lean.''' Put pressure on a person or a business until it reconsiders. A debt recalled at an inconvenient hour, a rumour set down where it will do the most work, a door that turns out not to lock any more. This produces results. It also produces enemies, and the enemies keep.

=== Moving them ===
Hours to cross a city. Three to five days to cross a region. Ten days or more to cross the coast. On the road they are doing nothing for you and are at their least useful.

=== The part nobody else will tell you ===
Your friends in the other companies have people who are '''sworn''' to them. Paladins and rangers and whatever the Harpers are calling themselves this decade. Theirs will stand somewhere until they die of it.

'''Yours are paid.'''

I say this without embarrassment, because paid is more reliable than sworn right up until it isn't. Paid people remember what they are owed. They remember it precisely. And what they are owed can always, always be matched by somebody with deeper pockets and a reason.

So: know what your people are owed, and settle it before someone helpfully offers to settle it for them. A bought hand does not run away. It keeps working, and keeps reporting, and everything it sends you will be perfectly true and slightly the wrong shape, and you will not notice for months.

=== One more thing ===
When Varram is finished — and he will be finished, one way or another — come and see me.

There is a piece of work I have been holding. I have not been holding it for just anybody.

Do try to survive the errand.

— ''Rian Nightshade''

== The cell ==
'''Ollam Pryce''' — freight clerk, resident at [[Nuts Deep]], and not counted among the four. Handles everything that comes through the fort's gates and a fair amount that does not. Mild, forgettable, and has never in his life been caught holding anything.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%;"
! Hand !! Trade !! Currently posted
|-
| '''Maskell Vane''' || Caravan master. Has never lost a load and will tell you the number of loads if you let him. || The Trade Way
|-
| '''Ysolde Crow''' || Fence. Knows what a thing is worth, what it can be sold as, and who must never learn it surfaced. || [[Baldur's Gate]]
|-
| '''Petrin Quill''' || Forger. Writs, seals, letters of passage, and the occasional convincing will. || [[Waterdeep]]
|-
| '''Sable''' || ''Unstated.'' Ollam schedules her and does not discuss it. || Wherever she is
|}

== See also ==
* [[Zhentarim]] — the faction; standings are tracked on the [[Renown Tracker]]
* [[Rian Nightshade]] — leader of the Zhentarim
* [[The Nightingales]] · [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] — the other companies' cells
* [[Shade]]

[[Category:Campaign]] [[Category:Factions]] [[Category:Renown Feats]] [[Category:Rise of Tiamat]]