The Midnight Riders

In times of great transition you have two choices, apabt to the new or cling to the past, the midnight riders are a cautionary tale on what happens if you cling too hard and the future passes you by. Born from a schism in the leadership of The Checkers, the company who used to operate the various coaches that would provide transportation to the upper crust. Today instead of providing transportation for those in the city use their skills on horseback for the grisly job of contract killing and they are some of the best in the city. In darkened alleys and wide empty roads the sound of hoofbeats on the cobblestones sends shivers up the spines of those who walk them late at night.

"clip, clop, clip, clop and that was the last thing he heard before the world went sideways and his head rolled plop" -poem about the Midnight Riders

Public Agenda:

Attempting to avoid all encounters directly with the public has kept the Riders out of the Green Cloak's clutches. They only appear when they have a job to do but always have their horses nearby, which has led to a more than one false arrest of someone who just so happened to own a horse. If one knows the right people though their services can be enlisted in the removal of any individual in the city and depending on the difficulty and the targets standing could be quite costly. Thus their agenda is simple they are killers for higher forced into a profession they didn't really want but found they were damn good at it, a horse is a scary creature barreling down at you in the middle of the night and that fear makes for an easy target for the Rider's weapons.

Public Perception

Lower Class

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For the Lower Class the Riders are something of a bogeyman to tell children about, the sounds of hooves on cobblestones is a noise that every child might know as the one that will get you if you're being naughty. They have ceased to be at least for them a real group of people and instead are more of a myth striking fear only into the hearts of those that are too young to understand that the Riders do not kill discriminately and instead are paid killers and most people aren't going to be worth their time or a clients money.

Middle Class

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For much of the middle class the Riders simply do not enter into their consciousness, they are a problem for people who make enemies and for the most part they may not have even heard of the Riders or what they do. For those few unlucky souls who have had a run in though and lived they and the sound their horses make are a source of absolute terror.

Upper Class

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Those at the top of the pile have one viewpoint alone for the Riders and that is as a useful tool for removing problematic and difficult to get to people. They also take some amount of precautions against the riders as well knowing that anyone with enough money can enlist their services so they try to make the price as high as possible or at least high enough that they can continue to make people miserable without fear of reprisal.

History:

As everyone knows there are 4 main ways of getting about the city, The Checkers, The Ferrymen, the Trains and walking. Now it was not too long ago that the checkers vehicles the Steam Cars didn't exist and instead carriages pulled by horses were the prefered method of transportation in Arbor. Of course with progress comes change and when the Steam Engine was invented the horse as a method of transportation was living on borrowed time.

A Meeting is Called

The Checkers company gathered all of the various drivers in the city to discuss what to do, the train was here and before long much of their business would be eroded. About half said that the steam technology was unsafe that it would just be a fad and simply fade away once there was an accident or two I mean an iron tank filled with boiling water that could explode if put under too much strain no way would this catch on. The other half though thought of adopting the technology and ditching the horses all together, it would mean retraining but the cost saving would be worth it and could give the checkers a place in the city and allow them to expand their company to the middle class or well anyone who could pay. The arguments went into the night neither side giving ground.

A Split

With no decision to be had or common ground to be reached the Checkers split divided over the issue, half stayed as the original company intended to adopt the new technology and make it work for them rather than against and the other half took the horses and would make it without them. At first it looked like the Riders would handily beat the Checkers but when the engines proved safe, the ride smoother, quieter and most importantly faster, it was no contest. Slowly but surely no one wanted to hire a Rider when you could sit in comfort of a Steamcar.

A Change of Vocation

As jobs started to get fewer and fewer much of what was once the Checkers began finding other work, a few managed to eek out a small niche for themselves providing romantic rides along the waterfront touristy things for the rich nobles visiting. Most were faced with the prospect of selling their horses to feed their families, It was around this time that a stranger clad in black approached the remaining Riders, offering them a job and a deal. All they had to do was get rid of a former Checker that had decided to break the vow of silence. Of those approached all were willing to take up the job, the sting of choosing the wrong side still fresh and the blame against them while unfounded fueled this job. They caught him as he was going to enter his vehicle the horse ran him down in the street crushing him under its hooves. Those that saw the incident said when the hooves hit the cobbles it was like the flames of hell were following it.

A Deal

What follows is at best conjecture and at worst merely rumor but it's what's told to keep young children inline and stories such as these have a grain of truth to them. The man in black congratulated the Riders on their return, they had been ruthless and efficient and they would be paid well. The Stranger said he was so impressed they should consider this a permanent line of work they had a real talent for it after all and if they should choose to do so he would be more than willing to set them up with clients who had need of their services. When they agreed he had them sign in blood a contract, he would provide equipment, contracts and a place to house all of this and them in return they would work for him. When the contract was signed the man in black revealed himself to be a demon from the Trees upper branches. He gave all that he promised and more, their horses transformed into nightmare steeds all black with blazing red eyes, he gave them new weapons blades that swung out on long steel cables as they rode passed and finally they could slip into shadows to stalk their prey from beyond where they could be seen by mortal eyes. For those that had signed the demons contract they did not age or sleep and found no solace in earthly pleasure only in the killing.

Attire / Common Garb / Quirks:

Clad from head to toe in black the Midnight Riders are a truly terrifying sight for any to behold though few if any ever have and lived to tell the tale. Their mounts are equally as black as they are though it's their eyes that are tuly terrfying with glowing red eyes that seem to burn with an intensity that is truly unnatural. Their weapons though is what many that have borne witness remember, thin blades on long strings that they twirl and hurl through the night air whistling like the sound of a kettle on the stove for too long. These are the weapons that remove limbs tear through bone and flesh and make short work of even the toughest armors, they leave behind scorched flesh and bone in their wake almost as if the weapons themselves are on fire.

Structure and Hierarchy:

The Riders, their hierarchy and internal structures are largely a mystery, and with the rumors of demonic entanglement swirling around it's little wonder that their inner working remain a black box for those on the outside. There are few known things however such as how to hire them and a few contacts in order to facilitate such things. Beyond that little knowledge all that is known is that the Rider and horse are inseparable, that to be marked by one is certain death and to contract with them is very expensive.

How to acquire a contract

In order to hire a Rider for a job one must know the right people and in this case that isn't hard. There exists a pub in the Twigs called The Devils Den one of the few known locations where the Riders are supposed to frequent, occasionally a Green Cloak will get it into their head that they can capture or question a Rider while they drink and are away from their weapons. Somehow though, they always know and the Green Cloaks have never found anyone matching their description despite repeated attempts.
However for those seeking them out for their intended purpose simply leaving a message with the publican and a small down payment will put into motion a series of events that none may stop once initiated. From here a Rider will appear upon a doorstep with three questions and three alone. Name, is the most straightforward referring to the name of your intended target. Sound, The intention here is the kind of killing public or private. Finally mercy, the Rider can make the death painless or excruciating but the choice is left to the client. With three questions asked and answered a Rider states a cost and each time the cost is different it may simply be Leaves these are the simple transactions, sometimes though there are other methods of payment demanded.

Notable People:

It would be kind of silly if there were notable people in a group of assassins wouldn't it? However the Publican that runs the Devils Den is a known figure in the organization even if they are not directly involved in the Riders affairs.
Inea Silver (Publican of the Devils Den and the main contact for the Riders)

Territory:

None the Riders maintain no known territory though rumors persist of a stables somewhere in the city that houses there nightmare steeds.

Notable Structures:

The Devils Den(A seedy pub in the Twigs that serves as the initial meeting point for the Riders)

Type

Illicit, Gang

Alternative Names

The Riders

Predecessor Organization

• The Coachmen