The White Fox

Yes, he's real. No, I don't know where to find him. No, I don't advise actually looking for him either. Why? Because I don't even know if it's a gentleman you're looking for! Waste of time. Trust me on one thing - you won't find them unless they want to speak to you. If that's the case, Masali's luck to you.

— Guard Captain Saul Angelo, Sanguine

Across most of the Rhyliss Empire there are thieves' guilds operating inside major cities, anywhere illicit activities can be made profitable. These organizations are often little more than a loose association of various talented people who wish to use their talents to enrich themselves at the cost of others. There are two things keeping these guilds from causing 'law' to slide into 'chaos', one of these things being the mentoring of an individual known only as "the White Fox". Through his firm guidance, the guilds managed to become less of a nuisance for the Imperial Guards to worry about, and more respected as a means to keep those not associated with the guilds in check within the city. All because the White Fox believes there are far more important things to aspire to than to merely 'be rich'.

Interestingly, as influential as the White Fox is, there are few times where they personally have been witnessed at a scene or have been spoken with. Most information about them is gathered from informants, though they are both reluctant and unreliable for detailed information. What is conclusively known is quite sparse: they present themselves as a humanoid in well-made white clothing, and wearing a porcelain mask of a fox's face over their own. Whether they are male, female, human, or otherwise is unknown; most people cannot even find a way to describe the White Fox's voice, or the various descriptions contradict each other sharply.. It as though their memories are simply incapable of recalling it properly. Between these details, the Guard has been feverishly quashing the idea there is not one 'White Fox' but several different people who use the name and wear similar outfits.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

According to records from the Imperial Guard, the White Fox first appeared almost ninety years ago, with the first recorded appearance happening in Sanguine. Thieves independent from the guild had stolen several valuable pieces from the estate of a prominent elven noble who had recently arrived in the city to discuss trade arrangements. One day after the theft was reported to the city, two bodies were delivered to the governor's mansion with the stolen objects on their person and a very flowery apologetic note simply signed 'The White Fox'. A second note was addressed to the noble, but it was not reported what the contents were. Some other cases in the city of unsavory activity were met with the offenders being left for the Guard with similar notes on their persons. Many of the perpetrators were alive, yet when brought before the Carroway they were insistent of their own guilt and requested the maximum punishments.

Similar events began to unfold within other major cities in the same year. In High Harbor, along the western coast, a few dockhands stole cargo from a ship with the intent to fence them for a profit. They were found by the ship's captain tied to the outside of the railings along the deck, with a white fox's tail affixed to a belt. At Farrohol, a break-in caused considerable damage to a smithy and the store's strongbox was ripped out of the floor. Two days later, a pair of half-orcs were found tied up outside the shop's door with a small satchel of coins and simple note reading "Sorry about the mess -WF". Informants who were paid to look into matters brought stories of a single individual who had begun turning the loose organizations into focused brotherhoods. Crime did not exactly cease to be an issue, but violent crimes against residents began a sharp decline. Within five years, it was clear this individual calling themselves 'the White Fox' was tempering criminals into something else.

Morality & Philosophy

"While the Imperial Guard believe we're an aberration, I feel the need to set the record straight. Thieves' guilds are an inevitable consequence of civilization, laws, and humanity not taking kindly to people telling them 'no'."

— The White Fox

One thing consistent within the various appearances of the White Fox is their code of ethics, which they have taken great pains to bring the the various thieves working the Empire's cities. First and foremost, they have strongly opposed attacking or robbing residents of the city simply for money. Secondly, they have shown little remorse for 'independent operators' who do such things within cities the Fox's guilds operate in. Lastly, there is the most most peculiar reservation: the White Fox is adverse to killing these people, preferring to use them as an example. However, some cases have turned up where the targets performed a truly heinous crime - and in these cases the White Fox did deliver corpses and apologized for the inconvenience with notes left on the bodies.

The most notable case of these was when the daughter of a noble was kidnapped for ransom, only to never be seen again after the ransom was paid. A note was delivered to the noble, inside a crate holding twice the amount of the ransom, insisting the perpetrators had been discovered trying to dispose of the body and "were sent to be judged by the same Gods who allowed your child to die". When it was found a member of the Imperial Guard had been assisting the kidnappers, their body was prominently left visible with a white fox tail affixed to their belt and evidence implicating them for assisting in the plot.

Lest it be considered the White Fox is a force for justice, there are other cases on file where their marks were left behind. The White Fox seems to have no trouble stealing from nobility or merchants who publicly denounce them, leaving either mocking notes or a fox tail behind to let them know who was responsible. The 'Black Baron Trading Company' has a steadily-increasing bounty placed for the White Fox, after a caravan of trade goods was made to disappear on the Southern Imperial Road. The Imperial Court has advised numerous times for detaching some of the Imperial Guard to pursue the Fox, however jurisdictional disputes have caused such things to be left unfinished. Adventurers, however, have been assured a live prisoner who can be verified as the White Fox will be met with titles and a reward which would rival some dragon hoards.