Boromar

The most powerful criminal organization in Sharn started as a family of halfling immigrants from the Talenta Plains. Operating out of its headquarters and key holdings in the Little Plains district of Middle Menthis, the Boromar Clan controls gambling, smuggling, and theft in Sharn. Most of the city’s burglars, pickpockets, and fences either work for or pay tithes to the organization. The Boromar Clan’s network of extortion, bribery, and blackmail extends from Lower Dura to Skyway.
The Boromars’ influence extends beyond criminal enterprises into many legitimate circles of power. Ilyra Boromar sits on the city council, and a number of other councilors are close allies of the clan. The family has ties by marriage to House Jorasco. A Boromar attends every Skyway party. The family owns tenements throughout Sharn and invests in shipping, storing both legal goods and contraband in many of the warehouses in Precarious and Cogsgate. In many districts, local officials and Sharn Watch officers have been taking bribes from the Boromars for generations.
The criminal nature of the Boromar Clan is an open secret, and in some districts the Boromars are seen as hometown heroes. They are immigrants who’ve made good, common people who’ve risen to rival the barons and kings. They give the people what they want, whether it’s untaxed gambling, cheap spirits, or dreamlily. The clan operates with a degree of impunity because its operatives adhere to an unspoken rule: whenever possible, criminal acts against individuals should target tourists and travelers. Boromar pickpockets don’t prey on the people they see every day. Instead, they seek out the many strangers who move around the city all the time. The Watch officer who turns a blind eye to a pickpocket thus feels justified, since it’s not the citizens of Sharn that are victimized.
Boromar’s longstanding status at the head of Sharn’s criminal enterprises has recently come under challenge. After nearly a decade of slow growth, the Droaamish mob known as Daask has recently started targeting Boromar holdings. The halfling clan hasn’t faced such a serious threat before, and it’s scrambling to figure out how to deal with Daask’s guerrilla tactics.
The Boromar Clan has a hand in all types of crime in Sharn. Most Boromar leaders despise unnecessary violence, but the clan has a host of enforcers and a handful of capable assassins. The clan’s web of extortion is so thoroughly woven into society that many residents simply consider it another form of tax. Boromar specializes in three fields of activity: gambling, smuggling, and thievery.
Gambling isn’t illegal in Sharn, but all legal games are taxed by the Brelish crown and are required to follow regulations that spoil the experience for many. Boromar’s operations are cheaper to participate in and offer the lure of greater profits.
Smuggling has become an increasingly important business since the Last War disrupted many traditional lines of trade. The clan’s primary import is the narcotic called dreamlily. But the Boromars traffic in a wide range of goods, from arcane and alchemical weapons to foreign luxury items that have been made scarce by embargoes and sanctions. Under Boranel’s law, it’s forbidden to sell Aundairian wine in Breland, so if you want the good stuff, you’ll need to work with the Boromars.
Boromar-sanctioned acts of thievery include the activities of the ubiquitous pickpockets that can be found across the city as well as the well-planned jobs of professional burglars. As mentioned earlier, Boromar thieves focus their attention on visitors to Sharn, thus avoiding friction with local law enforcement. When appropriate, stolen goods are transported out of the city by the fences and porters that drive the clan’s smuggling operations.

Type

Illicit, Gang

Leader

Saidan Boromar

Notable Members

• Mala Boromar d’Jorasco
• Saidan Boromar

Related Ethnicities

• Halfling