Association of Friends
A global association of mutual friends, all with like-minded interests...
For as long as there have been markets where the hard-working people sell their wares, there have been the Association of Friends. They may call themselves something different depending on their location, but Friends know one another. They speak a common language - if not in voice, then in deed.
Even the lowliest Friend can rise to become the Grandmaster, adjudicating an entire country or bioregion - but they might just as easily end up with a knife in their back, even after deciding the fate of nations.
Structure
The Association of Friends has had a rough and turbulent hierarchy throughout its history, with assassinations, double-crosses, schemes, and plots to uplift or tamp down particular individuals or factions. But generally, the Association has had the same structure over the centuries:
Culture
Friends generally have specific "tells" that distinguish them from regular folks, such as the diagram pictured to the right (click to enlarge). Physically, this might generally follow the pattern of parallel bands of plain rings, earrings, or other accessories. Verbally, it opens with a hearty greeting of a prospective fellow Friend as-- well, as a friend. If the pair find they are, indeed, Friends, they would then progress to The Good News.
The Good News (aka: Thieves' Cant) is a means by which Friends can discuss their plans cloaked in banal, mundane language, such as in the scene to the right (click to enlarge). The meaning is clear to other Friends and those who know what to listen for, but to the outside observer, the pair featured here are simply discussing a possible dinner party.
Sign language is another means by which Friends can identify one another - what looks like a harmless off-hand gesture to the untrained eye can impart a wealth of meaning to one of the Friends. Graffiti can also factor into the Good News.
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