In most cities on the continent, all you need to send a message across town is a reliable teen with a thirst for a couple of pennies. The steep stairwells and roads of Moru Kel’s tiers make it far more difficult to navigate, though. If you have patience, the broadbacks can move a message. Slowly. To certain parts of town.
If your needs are more demanding, you’ll want to look to the Runners. To be fair, some of the Locals are similar to what you’d find elsewhere: fit teens and children, running only within the local neighborhood. These Locals are paid in accordance with the demands of their job, supplementing the family’s income or perhaps eking out barely enough to survive.
The Long Runners, on the other hand, can make a decent (if not quite comfortable) living. Some Iswari, some young and spry citizens of all races, the Long Runners will deliver a note or small package quickly. For a couple extra silver, they’ll even stop to fetch something, like medication, along the way. The better they are paid, the more quickly they will deliver. They also know not to look closely at letters or packages that they are tipped well to deliver. Even if you’re delivering locally, it’s worth investing in a Long Runner if privacy is paramount.
There’s one place the Runners can’t deliver, though: their territory ends where Kilpo Bay or the first plank of the docks begins. They can deliver throughout the port districts, but if you need a message out on the docks proper — or to someone aship in the bay — then they’ll have to hand it off to one of the Broadback Guild’s messengers. Which will require some extra coin, of course.
The Runners are highly competitive with each other, keeping track of delivery times and even organizing an annual circuit race around the city. The race is open to anyone, but it’s been 15 or more years since anyone other than a member of the Bronze or a Runner won it.
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