Volkian Shorthand

Since their inception in the middle of the Mayokan Civil War, the Volkian Rangers were tasked with operating in a number of functions all over Arpium and abroad. During the civil war itself, Rangers frequently had to operate behind enemy lines in Mayoka itself to carry out espionage, assassinations, sabotage, propaganda and sedition among other acts against the Komon regime. Given the extreme level of danger these actions entailed if the operatives were to be caught, it was necessary to communicate in an inconspicuous manner that could nevertheless be easily understood by other Rangers in the field.   To this end, it was deemed necessary for a code language to be developed, and in conjunction with the acting General of the Royal Army at the time, the Rangers developed Volkian Shorthand, a combination of key phrases and pictographs used to communicate information without the risk of being exposed. By utilising regular phrases and words with double-meanings, two Rangers could communicate sensitive information openly without blowing their cover. For example, when discussing the number of guards in a particular area, Rangers would start a conversation about how many baskets they had woven in a day, or when discussing the location of supply drops, they would mention a particular event that took place in the location in question.   This was supplemented by pictographs, usually expressed in the form of graffiti or etchings. The symbols were usually quite arbitrary; for example, a smiley face was used as a symbol to illustrate a heavily guarded area at one point. In both verbal and pictograph form, the meanings of words change frequently to keep anybody from piecing together the meanings, and Rangers must constantly keep themselves abreast of the changes.   Even after the civil war ended, the Rangers continue to use Volkian Shorthand in their day to day operations, finding its usefulness to extend beyond active warfare.


Cover image: by Vertixico

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