Caravan Traders

Taima-Rika

The Taima-Rika is a scientific movement. It is based in the city Agano in a secret underground location.   It aims to expose falsehoods and promote the use of reason and evidence as part of a journey to uncover the truth of the world. It is constantly under threat by the main religion in the region, The House of the Seven Divines, as they try to find the city's location and destroy it.   The city has easy access to many basic resources and necessities at its location, but in order to survive, it must trade with the outside world. For years it has strived successfully to set up a trusted network - it now has agents in every capital city and most other major cities in all nations across the region.   It also has hundreds of its own people operating caravan trading routes that encompass the entire network. But the dangers remain high as its enemies attempt to infiltrate and expose them.   They have developed a simple code which the caravan traders deploy as they enter cities. Agents of Agano, knowing the timetable, observe the arrival of the caravan and determine if all is well and whether there are any special messages that they need to act upon. Enemies may be watching so they know that direct contact with the traders may not be possible on any given visit.   Caravan traders have long acted as a cheap method of transport for passengers - occasionally they will transport those affiliated to the Taima-Rika.  

The Code

Two levers are attached to the caravan in easy reach of the driver - usually on the brake lever. They are between twenty to forty centimeters in length. The exact size does not matter as long as one lever is clearly longer than the other. The range of dimensions used is deliberate so each driver can better disguise them among the decorations on their particular caravan.   The code is reflected in two main ways:

• the positioning of the two levers - each can be rotated to any point on a circle. Using the dial of a clock to give the number of positions, the short and long levers are placed to send the appropriate message to the agent.
• colors - certain colors are used to indicate an overall message that is easily visible. Green is used for danger, blue for all clear, and red indicates that there is a Taima-Rika passenger on board. The colors are usually applied using ribbons, or sometimes paint.

When a green color is displayed the city agent will not approach the caravan but instead observe the situation and look for other signals from the trader.   Traders may also change the position of the levers during their stay to confer additional information if necessary.  

Other Ciphers and Signals

Ciphers have long been used by members of the movement to communicate secretly among themselves.   They have used symbols, colors, hand signals, and facial movements.   The latter two are used by caravan traders when more information is required to be conveyed to a city agent when danger has been signaled.