Shadow Thieves
A thieves guild originating in the City of Coin, now headquartered in Mercaster and seeking to expand into the city of Brightridge through the efforts of Xev.
Structure
The Guild operates as a strict hierarchy designed to insulate the upper levels of the organization from direct involvement in criminal affairs, and to provide plausible deniability of knowledge of the actions of the lower level associates.
Culture
Code and Ethics
All members of the Guild adhere to a strict ethical code.-
A Shadow Thief does not steal from the poor, or other Shadow Thieves.
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A Shadow Thief does not "squeal": If captured by authorities in the course of or as a consequence of a job, he must not reveal the identities of his partners, fences, informants, or other professional contacts.
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A Shadow Thief will honestly report how much money or valuables are taken in a job; he will not "burn" his partners.
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A partner in group operations will share their score equally among themselves, or according to the contribution of each to the job, arranged and agreed upon beforehand.
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Shadow Thieves will share some of their earnings or influence with other Shadow Thieves who have been incarcerated (to help pay fines, bribe officials, etc.).
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Shadow Thieves will help one another, even in spite of personal differences or enmity between them.
History
The Shadow Thieves' Guild was established in Acovas by Everton Gresham in 1456. They rose to power through a trade deal with the Elves of the Velden Isles for Glimmer and The Dose. Trading the Elven commodities and nacrotics gained the guild access to the social elites of Acovas. Through this relationship, the Guild gained social power, wealth, and a modicum of protection.
Wanting for more power over the local authorities, Everton Gresham worked closely with Syllia Dallana to develop magical spells that could control, modify or even steal memories. Using these spells, the Guild stole key memories of political corruption, philandering, and looting, among the wealthy elite, and leveraged these to solidify their hold on the local government. As trade volume increased, the Guild brought on more operatives and associates. These members operated as fronts, fences and dealers throughout Acovas, and eventually expanding their influence to other coastal trade centers, such as Mercaster, in the south of Arenia After the Empire of Vudon seized control of Acovas and the city's laissez-faire approach to ruthless mercantilism and corruption was threatened by Imperial control, the Guild moved their primary base of operations to Mercaster in Sintria. The Guild still holds their collection of memories to strong-arm and blackmail the elite within Acovas, but they felt it prudent to move to avoid any potential crack-downs and new taxes on their operations.
Wanting for more power over the local authorities, Everton Gresham worked closely with Syllia Dallana to develop magical spells that could control, modify or even steal memories. Using these spells, the Guild stole key memories of political corruption, philandering, and looting, among the wealthy elite, and leveraged these to solidify their hold on the local government. As trade volume increased, the Guild brought on more operatives and associates. These members operated as fronts, fences and dealers throughout Acovas, and eventually expanding their influence to other coastal trade centers, such as Mercaster, in the south of Arenia After the Empire of Vudon seized control of Acovas and the city's laissez-faire approach to ruthless mercantilism and corruption was threatened by Imperial control, the Guild moved their primary base of operations to Mercaster in Sintria. The Guild still holds their collection of memories to strong-arm and blackmail the elite within Acovas, but they felt it prudent to move to avoid any potential crack-downs and new taxes on their operations.
Type
Guild, Thieves
Leader
Leader Title
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
