The Checkers

Whizzing about the city in yellow and black cabs are the checkers, a collection of individuals who for a price will get you anywhere in the city from the comfort of a small 4 person vehicle capable of traversing the streets of Arbor in record time. In addition to this obvious service the Checkers operate no small amount of smuggling moving product for other companies all throughout the city often times right under the nose of the The Green Cloaks. This is of no surprise to the Green Cloak however they rarely catch them in the act and it is a laughable open secret that the checkers continue to evade the detection of the cities finest.

From point A to point B faster than anyone else, and if you have the coin they might slip you something extra to make the night just that much more enjoyable... -Unkown

Public Agenda:

From outward appearances the Checkers operate a taxi service in the city of Arbor operating almost completely above board and providing a useful if costly service to those citizens that need it. They are also one of the few companies that will work with anyone and promise complete anonymity to all of their clients. So strong is this promise that it's said in the city the only thing less likely than the The Great Tree falling over is a Checker breaking their vow of silence.

Public Perception

Lower Class

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Most of the lower class have little to no interaction with them, the costs to enlists their services are high though not without good reason, that few if any could afford a ride in relative luxury. The one exception to this would be if a person needed to get somewhere they weren't supposed to be with no questions asked and a speedy getaway should the need arise.

Middle Class

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With more cause to use them there is a kind of begrudging respect for the Checkers here. The Middle Class see them as an occasional treat something to take at the end of a long week and enjoy a more relaxed journey rather than putting up with the noise and heat of the trains. Their vow of silence also comes in handy when one needs to visit a mistress or paramour.

Upper Class

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The Upper Class have personal drivers so have little cause to utilize the Checkers services, however. In the conduction of certain more nefarious business meetings the inside of a checkers car can be a useful neutral meeting place, many of the biggest deals within Arbor have been done this way and if the walls of the cars could talk who knows what secrets they might reveal.

History:

A very new company at least in its current form, the Checkers used to be the coach drivers who before the advent of steam engines and technology were using horses to ferry people about in the city. However when the new technology became available from Gilded a few of the drivers saw the writing on the wall. That while the large trains might be the first thing that people thought of it wouldn't be long before someone figured out how to miniaturize the technology and replace their horses all together. This caused a schism in the Coach Drivers a little more than half embracing the new technology and pouring resources into securing the correct contacts to begin manufacturing cabs. As for the other half as soon as the more reliable engines were online they were immediately put out of work and have since fallen into a state of poverty resorting to a life of crime and becoming The Midnight Riders.

The Checkers Secrecy

The Checkers take the secrecy of their clients incredibly seriously and there are specific vetting ceremonies to go through before one is even considered to join the company though all are free to apply. Most of the early tests involve created scenarios where people will try and work information out of an individual, some of the more advanced ones though are more elaborate magically induced hallucinations. Everything though is checked to make sure the reputation of the checkers is unquestionable. In addition to this the Checkers are very careful not to take any one who has any obviously exploitable attachments that could be used to apply leverage to and individual. This is not to say that a checker is barred from forming any future attachments but that they must be careful and always aware of any potential liabilities when doing so.

Breaking a Checkers Oath

Any person found to be breaking the oath taken by the Checkers will be dragged through the streets by their own car by their tongue until dead.

Attire / Common Garb / Quirks:

Rather than a single attire the Checkers instead have a few specific things that make them stand out most notably their vehicles which all bear the yellow and black checker patterns along their sides. In addition to this their steam cars also have a light atop their roofs that indicate if the car itself is in service. As for the drivers themselves there is no set uniform except a tattoo that marks them as a checker placed on the back of their right hand that must remain uncovered.

Checkers Tattoo

The Tattoo actually serves a specific purpose and that is to mark an individual as one of absolute trust that cannot and should never be questioned. It is both a mark of respect and one of honour and appears as a small checkerboard pattern 3x3 size.

Checkers Cab

The vehicle that all the checkers drive. This is a steam powered vehicle though it has no ability to make steam on it's own instead relies on canisters of compressed steam similar to the Steam Pistol though a much larger canister is employed and far more reinforced given the nature of the vehicle that they are being employed in. The current model is a black and yellow checkerboard patterned 5 seater enclosed car. Once inside the noises and din of the outside fall away as special magical glass sound isolates the occupants from the world outside. The front cabin is isolated from the back by a sheet of glass though the driver can hear their passengers should they make any requests. The vehicles are capable of quite a great amount of speed should the need arise and have many features that allow for a quick getaway.

Structure and Hierarchy:

In terms of a hierarchy within the checkers you have the boss man, the central authority which they lead up, the dispatchers and finally the drivers technically the last two are more or less the same rank but the dispatchers tell the drivers where to go and who to pick up so there might be some contention there.

Boss man

The head of the whole thing the current boss man is a weasely little Scaled Beastkin  named Lettuce Leaf, rumor is they won the company from the previous owner in a card game given the previous owner left the city in disgrace there is a lot of weight to this rumor, however whatever the case the Boss Man ultimately is responsible for setting direction of the Checkers and having final ok on any dangerous routes or pickups. For now he is happy to keep profits rolling in and changing nothing.

The Central Authority

The Central Authority is the final word in everything to do with the checkers they are a small group of advisors that the Boss man has kept on in order to help him run the company while they learn the ropes and how things need to operate. This group also includes the trainers and evaluators for the company some of which have magical abilities that allow them to discern the truth simply by hearing it a trade secret that the company uses to verify that their drivers and dispatch are keeping to their oaths.

Dispatch

Every Taxi is equipped with a specialized sending stone that allows for communication with the dispatch office each Driver is assigned a dispatch handler who has anywhere between 5-10 drivers under their care. They are responsible for routing cabs to where they are needed most and keeping a tally of how much each driver earns in order to make sure that everyone gets paid properly. They also take calls from outside which can come from Checker booths all around the city and then use that information to route the appropriate drivers to the location of the waiting customer.

Drivers

This is pretty obvious but they are the people actually driving around the city picking people up and dropping them off they are long days and sometimes long nights, but the pay is some of the best in the city even if the tests to get in are quite demanding.

Notable People:

• Lettuce Leaf Current head and Boss Man of the Checkers doesn't really know what they are doing yet but is happy to take in all the money
• The Old Man- Oldest Driver in the Checkers knows every street and alley like the back of his hand can get you anywhere and away from anyone might have an actual name but he's not going to tell you
• Maggie- Maggie is the dispatcher currently advising Lettuce of his purchase and the ins and outs of the business before this though she was being groomed to take over

Territory:

It can be thought that the checkers territory is the tiny space that exists inside their cabs however there is one place that they hold sway more than any other and that is the Central Authority and the surrounding area though almost no one would dare encroach on that territory as almost everyone in the city who might use violent means to take them over would find very swiftly that certain favours were called in and half the city would rise to their defense.

Notable Structures:

• The Central Authority - Situated in the heart of the Second Ring to provide easy access to the entire city the Central authority is the hub where all the Checkers in the city go to refuel their vehicles and where the dispatchers send their messages from.
• Checker Booths - These small black and yellow booths are scattered about the city and contain a sending stone that has a direct line to the dispatchers and can provide a person with a ride no matter what time of day.

We know nothing

Alternative Names

Cabbies

Demonym

Checks

Leader

Lettuce Leaf

Controlled Territories

• Central Authority