Sending Slates (Patreon)

Wondrous item, rare

Sending slates come in pairs, with each chalkboard slate marked on the back with the same insignia as its twin so the pairing is easily recognized. Each slate has a stick of chalk attached. While holding a slate, you can use an action to write up to 10 words using the attached chalk. The words then appear on the paired slate, provided that both slates are on the same plane of existence. Either slate can be erased or written on using an action in this way, reflecting each change immediately on the paired slate.

The slates can be written on in this way up to 10 times. Alternatively, you can expend 5 uses of the slates to draw something more complex on it over the course of 1 minute. Erasing something from the slates does not expend a use from them. The slates regain all expended uses daily at dawn.

The guardswoman's gate duty was dull as ever. Waiting on merchants and half-wit con-men, tallying shipments in and out… living in purgatory. Too often her eyes slid to the cross-city slates; with an emergency message—whatever post it hailed from—she'd ditch the gate and assist.

Until then, she was stuck with this trader, repeating the script to get his name—"Hasol Halber, ma'am, just nobody"—a purpose—"goin' out for but more grain"—and other details, mind wandering, thoughts—

At the edge of hearing she caught some commotion towards the palace as the scratching of chalk stopped her, and she said, "Hold a moment, tradesman. I'll sign off your exit in a moment."

She turned, drawing the central city tablet from its shelf. On it was the man she'd been about to wave through, followed by Baron Halinalber, wanted: collusion in regicide.