The Glad Bracken

The Glad Bracken is a thieves guild known to be in operation in cities and towns along the Sword Coast. Although the extent of its influence is unknown, accounts of The Moonlight Vigil link its presence to Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Triboar, and Phandalin, indicating a widespread presence in both large cities and small towns.

Little can be verified about the organization, as its members are notoriously secretive. Even its nature as a thieves guild is the subject of some debate, as the usual indicators of such an operation (the accumulation of wealth; political influence; group tactics of intimidation; hired protection; notable symbols) are conspicuously absent in the activity of suspected members. Its name is unknown to many civilians who may otherwise be familiar with general facts about the criminal underground. It is thought that the group is essentially concerned not with personal profit but with reallocations of wealth to benefit the needy. No 'signature' of a theft is ever known to be left, and in fact it has historically been difficult for any aggrieved party to claim being burglarized by the guild, as the scant evidence suggests that what is stolen by The Glad Bracken is generally only what will not be immediately missed.

What information on this organization that can be gleaned from accounts of The Moonlight Vigil centers around the activity of Jember Hoplock, whose membership in The Glad Bracken was confirmed to those present during the infamous Trial at Skullport. Jember himself was not known to reveal details of the organization to his allies, or in fact even acknowledge its existence outside of the aforementioned trial, although a careful examination of all accounts suggests that he avoided telling outright lies to those closest to him, instead opting to sidestep potential accusations, or use deliberate language to avoid a direct falsehood.

It is thought that members identify one another in several ways:

An elaborate variation of Thieves Cant used in greetings, which usually seem to involve mundane discussions of weather
A visual indicator appearing somewhere in the members' clothing
A series of tones or short melody. It is thought that the indicator notes are 'concealed' within a longer series of seemingly idle hums or whistles.
A subtle sigil or mark, which could be left on posts, buildings, or doors.

The hierarchy or internal organization of The Glad Bracken is unknown, although conversation at the trial indicated that there are levels (Jember was at this time promoted to Level 3 by Glad Bracken representative Tarmen Wrenslayer, who identified himself as Level 7) and some kinds of ranks or orders (Jember was identified by Tarmen as a "Weed", and it has been suggested that there may be others called "Sparrows").