Thieves' Cant

This hidden language is mainly used in the dark guilds or between thieves and rogues. It is used to hide messages in plain sight in order to deliver or acquire information or relay messages.

Instigating the conversation or the switch of speech is often denoted by a double tab of a beverage or the likes but might be other tells based on region in the country.

Greeting:
Presumably, the roguish messenger seeking out the party will know your identity. The greeting they use identifies them as a representative of their profession within a particular thieves’ guild.

Note: On bear hug, Pickpocket attempts to remove ones purse and place it in a different pocket.

Nostalgia
As with many old friends catching up, the messenger says something like “I haven’t seen you since…” The exact phrasing does not matter. The important element is the time frame, which reflects the urgency of the message to follow.

Catching Up
The messenger mentions a relative of the PC. There are two elements to this innocent statement. First, the specific relative mentioned identifies the source of the message or quest. Second, the tenor of the statement reflects the subtext of the message. The tone of the message may be friendly, neutral, or hostile.

Chit-chat
This part can vary the most. It gives the nature of the job or message, as well as additional information such as identifying targets, cautions, or other parameters. If necessary, the relations listed above can be used again with the same meanings. For example, “Your uncle says don’t forget to wish your step-mother a happy birthday,” meaning “a government official wants you to assassinate a rival guild leader.”

Enough about me, how are you?
The messenger would gladly skip payment info. Contract negotiation is much more favorable for the quest-giver after the job is done. If the recipient neglects to ask for payment, it’s their own fault. They can ask and negotiate by inquiring about the Messenger’s family.

“How’s your little (tyke, baby girl, nephew, poodle, whatever)?” means “How much does the job pay?” “Oh, he’s great. He’s 9 now.” In-game, the number indicates a range on a scale of 1 – 20 how much the quest-giver is offering. “Really? I thought he was, like, 12.” or “So your older girl is 12, then?”  This represents the PCs demand: I want level 12 payment for this job. ”Yeah, but junior will be 10 next month.” This is the messenger’s counter-offer: level 10 payment.