The Nightingales - Revision history

Wvaske: Correspondence ledger now generates itself from the Correspondence table; founding letter linked to its own page

2026-09-17T19:39:46Z

Correspondence ledger now generates itself from the Correspondence table; founding letter linked to its own page

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:39, 17 September 2026
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	== The letter ==		== The letter ==
	''[[Merrivet Ashcombe]] arrived at [[Nuts Deep]] in the first days of the fortnight's downtime, on a hired mule cart, with two crates of paper and no letter of introduction. The letter itself came four days later, carried up from [[Elturel]] by a courier who would not come inside the walls and would not give a name. Gootcha keeps it folded inside the front cover of her notebook.''		''[[Merrivet Ashcombe]] arrived at [[Nuts Deep]] in the first days of the fortnight's downtime, on a hired mule cart, with two crates of paper and no letter of introduction. The letter itself came four days later, carried up from [[Elturel]] by a courier who would not come inside the walls and would not give a name. Gootcha keeps it folded inside the front cover of her notebook, and it is kept on its own page at [[Harper Letter: Founding the Nightingales]].''

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
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	== Harper correspondence ==		== Harper correspondence ==
	''~~Dispatches Gootcha sends down for filing~~, copied into the ~~cell's~~ archive by [[Merrivet Ashcombe]], who corrects nobody's spelling and files everything twice. Each letter is kept on its own page; the campaign-wide collection is at [[Correspondence]].''		''Everything that has passed through the cell's hands, copied into the archive by [[Merrivet Ashcombe]], who corrects nobody's spelling and files everything twice. Each letter is kept on its own page; the campaign-wide collection is at [[Correspondence]].''

	{\| ~~class~~=~~"wikitable" style~~=~~"width:90%;"~~		{{#cargo_query:tables=Correspondence
	~~! style~~="~~width:20%;~~" ~~\| Date !! Letter !! Between~~		\|fields=date=Date,_pageName=Letter,sender=Sent by,recipient=To,method=How it travelled
	\|-		\|where=cell="The Nightingales"
	\| ~~Hammer 14, 1489 \|\| [[Nightingale Dispatch: Eyes at the Bridge]] \|\| [[Gootcha]] → the archive~~		\|order by=sortkey
	\|-		\|format=table
	~~\| Hammer 17, 1489 \|\| [[Harper Reply: The Najara Question]] \|\| [[Leosin Erlanthar\|Leosin]] → [[Gootcha]]~~		}}
	\|}

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Wvaske: Correspondence broken out to individual pages; section becomes a ledger

2026-09-12T14:46:25Z

Correspondence broken out to individual pages; section becomes a ledger

@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 == Harper correspondence ==
-''Dispatches Gootcha sends down for filing, copied into the cell's archive by [[Merrivet Ashcombe]], who corrects nobody's spelling and files everything twice.''
+''Dispatches Gootcha sends down for filing, copied into the cell's archive by [[Merrivet Ashcombe]], who corrects nobody's spelling and files everything twice. Each letter is kept on its own page; the campaign-wide collection is at [[Correspondence]].''
-=== Filed from the trail north of [[Boareskyr Bridge]] ===
+{| class="wikitable" style="width:90%;"
-''Filed on the 14th of Hammer, 1489 DR.''
+! style="width:20%;" | Date !! Letter !! Between
+|-
-<blockquote>
+| Hammer 14, 1489 || [[Nightingale Dispatch: Eyes at the Bridge]] || [[Gootcha]] → the archive
-Merrivet,
+|-
+| Hammer 17, 1489 || [[Harper Reply: The Najara Question]] || [[Leosin Erlanthar|Leosin]] → [[Gootcha]]
-The following should be entered into the archives:
+|}
 == See also ==

Wvaske at 14:41, 12 September 2026

2026-09-12T14:41:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 12 September 2026
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	Four matters, and I want the fourth read slowly.		Four matters, and I want the fourth read slowly.

	One, Varram. I have been through what Berdusk holds on him twice and there is nothing in it that a yuan-ti should want. He is the Cult's man and his value is to the Cult, and every account we hold has the serpentfolk indifferent to the Cult's whole enterprise. I do not know why they are looking for him. I will not guess at it, and I ask you not to fill the gap with a guess of your own. I have put the question to our own people in the south, and when something comes back you will have it ~~unasked~~.		'''One, Varram.''' I have been through what Berdusk holds on him twice and there is nothing in it that a yuan-ti should want. He is the Cult's man and his value is to the Cult, and every account we hold has the serpentfolk indifferent to the Cult's whole enterprise. I do not know why they are looking for him. I will not guess at it, and I ask you not to fill the gap with a guess of your own. I have put the question to our own people in the south, and when something comes back you will have it.

	Two, the watchers at the bridge. Standing watchers ~~keyed to~~ one man are paid for, and paying for them means somebody with a treasury believes Varram will cross that water. Until shown otherwise, treat any stranger's interest in your own party's route ~~as part of the same purchase~~.		'''Two, the watchers at the bridge.''' Standing watchers looking for one man are paid for by someone, and paying for them means somebody with a treasury believes Varram will cross that water. Until shown otherwise, treat any stranger's interest in your own party's route with suspicion.

	Three, Othovir. Approved, and tell him nothing about the ~~four~~. A keeper at a crossing hears everything and is seen by everyone, so assume from the first day that other people ~~have~~ also ~~thought of~~ him. What he sends is worth most before anyone knows he is sending it.		'''Three, Othovir.''' Approved, and tell him nothing about the last item. A keeper at a crossing hears everything and is seen by everyone, so assume from the first day that other people area also listening to him. What he sends is worth most before anyone knows he is sending it.

	Four, Najara. Since midsummer we have had three reports of serpentfolk in the Backlands claiming to speak for a kingdom of that name. One came from a drover out of Soubar, one from a Zhentarim supply clerk who did not know what he was telling us, and the third I have promised not to source. I would trust two of the three. The archive lists Najara as a legend of the Serpent Hills, and that entry has not been touched since before I was born. If the serpentfolk are a kingdom rather than scattered bands, then most of what we hold on those hills is wrong, and wrong in the dangerous direction.		'''Four, Najara.''' Since midsummer we have had three reports of serpentfolk in the Backlands claiming to speak for a kingdom of that name. One came from a drover out of Soubar, one from a Zhentarim supply clerk who did not know what he was telling us, and the third I have promised not to source. I would trust two of the three. The archive lists Najara as a legend of the Serpent Hills, and that entry has not been touched since before I was born. If the serpentfolk are a kingdom rather than scattered bands, then most of what we hold on those hills is wrong, and wrong in the dangerous direction.

	So, a standing instruction ~~in place of anything you might have asked me. Send~~ back whatever crosses your path that bears on the serpentfolk acting as one body. Shared signs or tokens. Orders carried between bands. Tribute moving in a single direction. Any of them speaking of a king. Do not go looking for it. What finds you on that road will be enough~~, and I mean that as an instruction~~.		So, a standing instruction, send back whatever crosses your path that bears on the serpentfolk acting as one body. Shared signs or tokens. Orders carried between bands. Tribute moving in a single direction. Any of them speaking of a king. Do not go looking for it. What finds you on that road will be enough.

	Keep your eyes sharp. The watchword was chosen before my time and I have not improved on it. In the whole of our records I cannot find one account of the yuan-ti wanting the thing they first appeared to want, and I checked again before writing this.		Keep your eyes sharp. The watchword was chosen before my time and I have not improved on it. In the whole of our records I cannot find one account of the yuan-ti wanting the thing they first appeared to want, and I checked again before writing this.
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	— Leosin		— Leosin

	P.S. The breath orb. We have seen its like twice, both times in Cult hands. Spend the charge if you need it, but before you do, write down every person who asks after it. ~~The asking will tell you more than~~ the ~~orb will~~.		P.S. The dragon's breath orb. We have seen its like twice, both times in Cult hands. Spend the charge if you need it, but before you do, write down every person who asks after it. We don't know if the orbs have any significance beyond being a weapon.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

Wvaske: Record in-world dates: dispatch filed Hammer 14, 1489 DR; reply Hammer 17

2026-09-12T14:34:22Z

Record in-world dates: dispatch filed Hammer 14, 1489 DR; reply Hammer 17

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:34, 12 September 2026
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	=== Filed from the trail north of [[Boareskyr Bridge]] ===		=== Filed from the trail north of [[Boareskyr Bridge]] ===
			''Filed on the 14th of Hammer, 1489 DR.''

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	Merrivet,		Merrivet,
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	=== Returned from Berdusk ===		=== Returned from Berdusk ===
	''The reply wrote itself into the notebook overnight, three days after the dispatch was filed, in [[Merrivet Ashcombe\|Merrivet]]'s small copying hand, under one marginal note of her own: copied exact.''		''The reply wrote itself into the notebook overnight on the 17th of Hammer, 1489 DR, three days after the dispatch was filed, in [[Merrivet Ashcombe\|Merrivet]]'s small copying hand, under one marginal note of her own: copied exact.''

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>

Wvaske: Harper correspondence: Leosin's reply from Berdusk — Najara rumors, standing instruction on serpentfolk organization

2026-09-12T14:19:41Z

Harper correspondence: Leosin's reply from Berdusk — Najara rumors, standing instruction on serpentfolk organization

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:19, 12 September 2026
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	— Gootcha		— Gootcha
			</blockquote>

			=== Returned from Berdusk ===
			''The reply wrote itself into the notebook overnight, three days after the dispatch was filed, in [[Merrivet Ashcombe\|Merrivet]]'s small copying hand, under one marginal note of her own: copied exact.''

			<blockquote>
			Gootcha,

			Your bridge dispatch is filed, all five items. It is good work, and the Othovir recruitment is the best of it, which I will come back to.

			Four matters, and I want the fourth read slowly.

			One, Varram. I have been through what Berdusk holds on him twice and there is nothing in it that a yuan-ti should want. He is the Cult's man and his value is to the Cult, and every account we hold has the serpentfolk indifferent to the Cult's whole enterprise. I do not know why they are looking for him. I will not guess at it, and I ask you not to fill the gap with a guess of your own. I have put the question to our own people in the south, and when something comes back you will have it unasked.

			Two, the watchers at the bridge. Standing watchers keyed to one man are paid for, and paying for them means somebody with a treasury believes Varram will cross that water. Until shown otherwise, treat any stranger's interest in your own party's route as part of the same purchase.

			Three, Othovir. Approved, and tell him nothing about the four. A keeper at a crossing hears everything and is seen by everyone, so assume from the first day that other people have also thought of him. What he sends is worth most before anyone knows he is sending it.

			Four, Najara. Since midsummer we have had three reports of serpentfolk in the Backlands claiming to speak for a kingdom of that name. One came from a drover out of Soubar, one from a Zhentarim supply clerk who did not know what he was telling us, and the third I have promised not to source. I would trust two of the three. The archive lists Najara as a legend of the Serpent Hills, and that entry has not been touched since before I was born. If the serpentfolk are a kingdom rather than scattered bands, then most of what we hold on those hills is wrong, and wrong in the dangerous direction.

			So, a standing instruction in place of anything you might have asked me. Send back whatever crosses your path that bears on the serpentfolk acting as one body. Shared signs or tokens. Orders carried between bands. Tribute moving in a single direction. Any of them speaking of a king. Do not go looking for it. What finds you on that road will be enough, and I mean that as an instruction.

			Keep your eyes sharp. The watchword was chosen before my time and I have not improved on it. In the whole of our records I cannot find one account of the yuan-ti wanting the thing they first appeared to want, and I checked again before writing this.

			— Leosin

			P.S. The breath orb. We have seen its like twice, both times in Cult hands. Spend the charge if you need it, but before you do, write down every person who asks after it. The asking will tell you more than the orb will.
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

Wvaske: Add Harper correspondence section — first filed dispatch from Gootcha (trail north of Boareskyr Bridge)

2026-09-12T14:13:46Z

Add Harper correspondence section — first filed dispatch from Gootcha (trail north of Boareskyr Bridge)

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 * '''They are not diviners.''' No scrying, no seeing forward, nothing past the Sword Coast worth acting on. What arrives is what the network '''believes''', not what is true.
 * '''They can be bought''', and a bought agent looks exactly like a working one for a long time.
 == See also ==

Wvaske: Add the what-you-can-ask table and standing rules

2026-08-29T19:33:10Z

Add the what-you-can-ask table and standing rules

@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 | '''Corvin Ashe''' || Field scholar. Walks sites and reads what is left of them. || Travelling — [[The Grove Burnings]]
 |}
 == See also ==
 * [[Harpers]] — the faction; standings are tracked on the [[Renown Tracker]]
 * [[Nuts Deep]] — where the cell keeps its clerk
-* [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] · [[The Broken Latch]] · [[The Hearthwardens]] — the other companies' cells
+* [[The Anvil]] · [[Talonfall]] · [[The Broken Latch]] · [[The Hearthwardens]] · [[The Dawnwatch]] — the other companies' cells
 * [[Gootcha]] · [[Leosin Erlanthar]]
 [[Category:Campaign]] [[Category:Factions]] [[Category:Renown Feats]] [[Category:Rise of Tiamat]]

Wvaske: Voice pass — remove the shared summarising closer from Leosin's letter

2026-08-29T17:33:54Z

Voice pass — remove the shared summarising closer from Leosin's letter

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:33, 29 August 2026
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	Last. They are people. They can be followed and they can be taken, and they can be bought, and a bought agent looks exactly like a working one for a considerable time. Every question you ask moves somebody, and somebody moving can be watched moving. There are those who would find the four of them a great deal easier to reach than they would find you, and I expect you have already worked out who I mean.		Last. They are people. They can be followed and they can be taken, and they can be bought, and a bought agent looks exactly like a working one for a considerable time. Every question you ask moves somebody, and somebody moving can be watched moving. There are those who would find the four of them a great deal easier to reach than they would find you, and I expect you have already worked out who I mean.

	So think before you move them. I am aware you will do as you judge best regardless, because you always have~~, but~~ I have ~~set~~ it down ~~now and that is my part of it done~~.		So think before you move them. I am aware you will do as you judge best regardless, because you always have. I have written it down anyway.

	— ''Leosin''		— ''Leosin''

Wvaske: Rewrite Leosin's letter to the voice rules — plainer, fewer tricolons, less bold inside the quote

2026-08-29T01:53:49Z

Rewrite Leosin's letter to the voice rules — plainer, fewer tricolons, less bold inside the quote

Show changes

Wvaske: Letter into a blockquote; delivery preamble; rewrite Leosin's voice as a fussy scholar

2026-08-29T01:44:08Z

Letter into a blockquote; delivery preamble; rewrite Leosin's voice as a fussy scholar

Show changes