Tanglesnaggers, The

Ahh, the 'Snaggers, the unsung heroes of Sulatas!

I would not wish to be in their shoes, not that I have any feet of course but you get my meaning.

History of the 'Snaggers

A motley crew if ever there was one, and a more courageous one I have yet to see!

The Tanglesnaggers are more formally known as The Society of Disentanglement Specialists, and are not averse to being called SoDS. They are a mixed bag of around a dozen or so stouthearted individuals who hunt down tangles in the Gossamer Lace and remove them.

Sounds simple, yes?

Not quite; the devil is in the detail.

The Gossamer Lace is the 'fluffy-bunny' esoteric name for the Streams of Power, the unseen lines that interconnect the Nodes of Power the largest of which are the 5 Pylons. Imagine if you will the flow of water in streams and rivers; there are raging torrents and languorous drifts, currents and tides, floods and droughts. Inducers must navigate the same variables along the magical counterpart of those waterways.

Occasionally a blockage will occur, perhaps as a result of a single event or an extended syphoning of power at a given location.

Tangle Terrors

It should be no surprise to learn that Sulatas generates a high demand for magical power given the concentration of Manipulators in the city. From students in the College learning the art, to Masters in their towers performing who-knows-what; from the lamps that illuminate the city at dusk, to the trinkets and baubles in stores and homes.  All of this and more engenders disruption within the streams causing instability which may culminate in random, dangerous and potentially catastrophic events.

Examples range from the bakery goods that ate the baker to cats and dogs being able to speak; citizens spontaneously growing additional limbs, the dead rising, and demons appearing through tears in reality.

To allay panic amongst the general populace the Sodality pinched their noses and approached the Guild of Gongway Guardians, more commonly known as the Sewer Sifters. The reason for this unlikely engagement; the Sodality hypothesised that the focal points of instability most likely manifested underground.

A joint expedition was undertaken and the hypothesis proven correct with half the team engulfed by a... 'gong monster'! This is a genuine, though undocumented event, discretely managed to avoid panic. Lessons were learned and a more specialised group was formed as a joint venture between the Sodality and Guardians; The Society of Disentanglement Specialists were birthed!

This must have been over 90 years ago now, none of the inaugural members are still with the group though I believe a couple of Dwarves from the early years are still alive.

Gratitude & Grog

The Tanglesnaggers draw membership from both sponsors, to bring together Manipulator and subterranian expertise. Although magic-dampening Transformers are rare in society, the 'Snaggers usually succeed in attracting one to their team; a boon when facing unique magical effects, creatures and constructs.

The Society is theoretically independent, usually guided by a Sodality liaison who provides information on possible tangles while equipment is supplied by both sponsors. I have seen some of the accoutrements they carry, the eccentric patchwork uniforms comprised of layers of theoretically resistant materials, full helms with glowing crystal eye pieces, strange divining rods used to hunt the tangles, and elementally enchanted backpacks attached to coils of tube with wide funnels on the end, I believe to syphon up the errant energies.

Where those energies end up I could not say with any degree of certainty, though logically some form of 'safe disposal' must be involved.

The general populace rarely encounter the 'Snaggers today; most events are contained below ground before they can manifest within the city proper; large scale events have been avoided with efficient monitoring and interception and the Society tends to live and train in their stronghold somewhere beneath the streets.

I have it on good authority they do have a favoured 'wateringhole', The Carousing Canary. The owner is an old friend and reserves a discrete area for them, though discretion is not a cloak they wear well even off-duty. Their reputation for boisterous revelry is well earned and their need to experience life so fully in those moments is justifiable given the poor life expectancy of a 'Snagger.

Fortunately the regular patrons know them and appreciate the service they provide; it is the wider world that has become complacent and forgotten the dangers and sacrifices the Society endures on behalf of a largely ignorant populace. It is one thing for an insignificant group of peasants to refer to the 'Snaggers as the 'dirty dozen', it is quite something else to hear some senior members of the Open Assembly of Representatives calling for their disbandment.

Mercifully most rational-minded representatives understand the need for the group and Sodality advice carries a significant weight. To add insult to injury though, even some within the walls of the Sodality show contempt for their own members, with such terms as "Excrimentalists" and "Manipoolators" needlessly thrown around.

And so the city thrives mostly unaware of the dangers averted by the sacrifices of strangers.

Carousing at the Canary

If ever you find yourself in The Carousing Canary, I wholeheartedly encourage you to purchase a round of drinks for The Society of Disentanglement Specialists should they be present; it would be a richly deserved respite for them.

Iaro Gaunt

Type

Sanitation