Silhouette
When one thinks of old powers still leaving a shadow on the present world, it is difficult to get more literal than the Silhouette. The "shadow on the wall" was the first true criminal organization--and perhaps the first true ruling body--in Lockhinge City, and may still hold the record for weilding the most power. They rose in influence before there were other organized groups capable of opposing them, but they then continued to hold onto their title unopposed for supposedly centuries, until their abrupt disappearance.
Such a reign has left indelible marks on the fabric of Greymantle. Everything from the way certain areas of the city were built to turns of phrase that still exist today still bear the shadow of shadows.
Structure
The organization of power throughout the syndicate was poorly understood, seemingly even during its reign. The proliferation of rumors has always been one of their greatest tools, as evidenced by how many are still living strong to this day.
According to the rumors, every individual with any power--merchant, noble, and guildmaster alike--was a Silhouette. This of course led to the temptation for anyone to claim to belong to the group, throwing around Thieves' Cant and poorly-understood code words to make certain implications, but the rumors (and sometimes cold, hard evidence) of what would happen if one lied about belonging were just as pervasive. Even now, telling stories or making claims having to do with the old syndicate is accompanied by glances thrown over the shoulder.
Culture
The most commonly-known aspect today about the culture of Silhouette is their extensive use of coded phrases, along with the contributions they'd made to Thieves' Cant.
Mentions of light dimming, shadows growing long, and discussions of one's cousins, were all used to communicate between members, as well as feel out who was in the know and to express who or what was being protected under the Silhouette--even with competing gangs. If someone mentioned that their cousin had come to visit them, it was a clear sign to those in the know that they were not someone to be messed with.
Disbandment
While there have always been big rumors and myths surrounding Silhouette, the biggest mystery of all is about its dissolution. No one can agree on how it happened, the claims are all wildly different from each other, and there is hardly a shred of surviving evidence to guide the arguments. Silhouette left behind plenty of ghosts in the form of documents, surviving personal accounts, preserved graffiti and coded art and arcitecture, but very little of it hints at how the syndicate truly found its end.
Most popular theories (whether or not they hold more water than less-popular ones) include: the competition and in-fighting causes the group to spectacularly tear themselves apart, they were dismantled through an organized strike of bribery and secretive raids, or--most popularly--the group never went anywhere at all. That latter theory alone has multiple variations in the rumors that branch from it, primarily divided down the line of whether the group still operates behind the scenes, or the leaders mutually decided to "graduate" from crime and retire to positions of power once there was no one left to oppose them.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
You can't evade your own shadow
Type
Illicit, Syndicate
Alternative Names
The Silhouette, Shadow on the Wall, Cousins
Location