Sister Scripts

Sister Scripts is a particular kind of spell that the Trade Guilds in Otorveia use to communicate shipping information in real time. The magic is most commonly seen on Bills of Lading which serves as a record throughout a shipment's journey of where it goes and who handled it. Several pages are pasted together to form a booklet, though for shorter deliveries, only a couple pages may be used. The spell works by allowing two sheets of information to share information. What's written on one is written on the other, and they're paired in a way that one can write on either page. They remain paired unless one copy is destroyed in which case the other sheet simply becomes and ordinary page, and the text remains as it was in the last state. However, the magic means that the item the spell is cast on can only be destroyed through magical means thus adding an additional layer of durability. The spell is a closely guarded secret by the trade guilds. Along with messaging marbles, the guild is able to maintain superior control over imperial trade. It was developed by the mage Arcon Ledeseis who was the son of a merchant a dedicated student of divination. The spell, once learned, is easy to cast, and the guild teaches it to all of its mages. The one big limitation of sister scripts is that they can only have one pair, and anything written on the sheet is permanent. The only way to get rid of something is to scratch it out with ink because that will obscure the text on the paired page. In practical use, the guild attaches half of the paired pages to the shipment, and the other half stays at the shipper's local guild hall. To avoid anyone from trying to replicate the spell, shipping documents always stay in the guild's possession. Even when a shipment is delivered, the guild keeps the packet for their records. There have been many attempts to steal knowledge of the spell, but so far, all have failed. Shipping documents are kept in closely guarded vaults, and only the shipper or receiver may request access. Sister scripts have many other uses, but those remain unexplored due to the guild's tight control.