The Iron Hands take the ore that The Davey Lamps bring out from underneath The Garden Wall and turn it into something useful. While this is their main source of income it is not the only one. The proprietor of the smelting and refining factories is an avid art enthusiast so encourages his workers to create beautiful metal sculptures the best of which are inlaid with Heart Wood imbuing them with a semblance of life. Though not sentient The Artifex take commands and simple instructions perfectly so are ideal as servants for the rich and powerful and command a truly eye watering price. The Iron Hands are very protective of their methods and with strict almost cult like initiation few secrets ever leave the factory floor.
Goldfoot Manor -The ancestral home of the Goldfoot's and Wila's current home which she fills with art produced by her chosen ones.
Brass Hall -A kind of auction house for the Artifex when they are sold.
"You ever see what happens to someone when they get thrown in molten Iron? No, well I have and if you don't want to see it first hand you'll steer clear of the Iron Hands and their territory."
-Green Cloak recruit
Public Agenda:
Publicly the Iron Hands exist to refine the ores and produce ingots for other factories to use in the creation of final products across the city. They also have a fair few hands in a number of artistic endeavours being a patron of the only theatre in Second Ring The Brass Hall.History:
The Iron Hands used to be part of The Davey Lamps in fact they were one company or more accurately a single family the ,Goldfoot family, that ran the entire end to end operation of extracting ore from the Garden Wall refining it casting it into ingots or whatever shape might be required and selling it on to various other companies who need it for their production runs. This arrangement had been in place for as long as anyone can remember and the thought was that it would continue like this forever. This changed 34 years ago when Roseni Goldfoot the heir to the family gave birth to twins, Wenret Goldfoot and a Wila Goldfoot. As two children now stood to inherit everything the only thing that was fair, at least in Roseni's mind was to split the business into the mines and refineries. You would have thought that being brother and sister might have let the two work closely together but by the time of their inheritance though the two were not on speaking terms. The day their mother died and passed the reins to them was the last day the two ever saw each other. It is a great secret what divided the Goldfoots with many rumors of a lost love, a business deal gone south or a treasured family member meeting an untimely end at the hands of the other. Whatever happened though spurred a deep hatred between the two and the only thing that keeps the ore flowing is the knowledge that the lives the two are accustomed to would suddenly stop if either interfered too much with the other."The Goldfoot's were at one time the 2nd or 3rd greatest power in Arbor, these days though they are lucky that one of them still has a seat on the Council, best they can do really is scrounge for scraps"
-Goldfoot family butler
Attire / Common Garb / Quirks:
The Iron Hands get their name from the odd gauntlets that they wear in order to protect their hands from working in the forges all day. Other than that most iron hands can be found wearing a leather smock, long pants and long sleeve shirt all designed to protect their skin from the horrible conditions most of them work in.Iron Hand Gauntlets
Crafted of a beautiful combination of polished steel, brass and Great Tree Wood the gauntlets are truly breathtaking works of art along with being nigh impervious to flame and heat.
The gauntlets serve a secondary more insidious purpose though they are means of tracking and controlling employees ensuring their silence in regards to trade secrets, including how the Artifex are created. The gauntlets can listen and a group of mages is responsible for keeping an ear out for any signs of treachery day and night. If such signs are detected the gauntlets activate and immediately begin strangling their wearer silencing them permanently. One might think that then all you had to do was remove the gauntlets before engaging in anything nefarious but to be an Iron Hand is to be one for life. The gauntlets are welded to the individual only to be removed upon death.
Written Description:
A set of full length thick trousers and a brown smiths smock cover up most of the person in front of you. The rest is obscured by a long sleeve shirt covered in burn marks. On their head is a large visored full face shield with a tiny glass window in the front. But it's their hands that draw the most attention ordained with beautiful steel, polished wood and brass are some of the most gorgeous gloves you have ever seen. Every rivet and curve is a work of art and they seem to move with the wearer as if they were born with them.
Structure and Hierarchy:
The iron hands are mostly a structure of workers and a single boss though she does have a few lieutenants that she delegates control of some parts of the facilities to when she is not around. For the most part though everyone works for her and few ever have any hope of advancement beyond simply being forced to do grueling work smelting ore. The one exception to this is if someone were to show an aptitude for the arts which may ingratiate the boss to them elevating them to a status before thought impossible for most. Wila calls these people her Chosen ones and they are afforded better living conditions and better pay for a while until she grows bored of them. As all of these positions are for life the pay is more than competitive if back breaking work so there is no shortage of people willing to take on the gauntlet.Notable People
- Wila Goldfoot (Owner of the Iron Hands)
Territory:
The Iron Hands control a sizeable amount of land and area such to the point that they are in charge of most of the branch where the refinery resides, First they control the refinery and most of the station where ore is delivered the exception being the track itself but the loading bays and surrounding areas are under the Iron Hands control. In addition to this they control most of the residential areas around the refinery along of which there are a lot. This makes one of the largest areas that is under control by a single group.Notable Structures:
The Refinery -A huge structure where most of the cities ore is funneled to for processing.Goldfoot Manor -The ancestral home of the Goldfoot's and Wila's current home which she fills with art produced by her chosen ones.
Brass Hall -A kind of auction house for the Artifex when they are sold.
Founding Date
-10
Leader
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments