The Horizon Syndicate
On the surface, the Horizon Syndicate appears to be nothing more than a merchant conglomerate that facilitates trade between the surface communities and those in the Underdark. A good number of its members strive to do just this, and these representatives deal fairly in their negotiations. Given the draw's penchant for treachery, however, it should come to no surprise that not all its members are as committed to this new enterprise as the organization claims.
Compared to others of their kind, drow members of the Syndicate have a more cosmopolitan approach in their dealings with other races. Although they might harbor some bigotry toward what they perceive as lesser folk, they hide it well. Most are shrewd negotiators, and they are adept at coming out on top in their dealings. Since members travel a great deal, these drow are accustomed to dealing with other cultures and might embrace a variety of customs and beliefs that make them decidedly unusual representatives of their race.
History
After the widespread destruction defining the last century, a growing faction of drow divorced themselves from the old ways to follow a new path. They believed the only way to weather the troubles affecting the lands would be to approach their dealings with other races in a way that did not always result in violence. Rather than taking what they wanted, when resources were already scarce, perhaps they could achieve better results by engaging their enemies in trade, exchanging valuable metals, gemstones, and other goods found exclusively in the Underdark for commodities generally absent from the depths of the earth. A group of merchants set aside their private agendas to forge a new commercial enterprise they called the Horizon Syndicate and set out to deal with their surface neighbors. The results have been mixed, for their enemies have long memories, and the drow have proved time and again unworthy of trust, but a smattering of ambitious merchants have seized upon these new opportunities in spite of the risks, seeing these ventures as an excellent way to expand their presence into new markets. In the years since their founding, the Horizon Syndicate has sent its tendrils across the continent, expanding their enterprise throughout the Realms.
Recent Status
The Syndicate is an excellent place for drow who disagree with the shifting politics and treachery of their homelands to seek to escape and integrate into surface communities. Some join the Syndicate for a time in the hopes of breaking away once they establish a network of allies to give them haven during their transition out of their societies. Others join the Syndicate to put distance between themselves and the experiences of their childhood, hoping to mask their memories with new ones forged in a world far from the terrors of the Underdark. Overall, the Syndicate enjoys a diverse membership and has even expanded to allow nondrow to join their ranks in the hopes of spreading their presence into markets ordinarily closed to the drow.
The Horizon Syndicate is traditionally a drow institution and thus membership has, up until recently, been exclusive to drow candidates. As the organization has grown, other races that have no compunctions against
working alongside the drow are welcome, though the Factors are ever watchful for spies.
A Horizon Syndicate Campaign
For players wishing to play drow characters, the Horizon Syndicate offers an excellent opportunity for introducing their characters to an adventuring party. Since the Syndicate is careful to maintain peaceful relations with their clients, their drow membership has a bit more freedom and acceptance than has their nonaffiliated kin. Syndicate members see the organization as being truly devoted to its founding principals, thus allowing the character to seamlessly work within another adventuring party. In fact, nondrow characters could also join the Syndicate, which gives the DM a good way to spark new adventures by sending the PCs on missions for the organization.
If the DM desires, the Syndicate might, in fact, be just what people suspect—a spy network. If so, the organization that might have fostered the drow PC might eventually evolve into a sinister and villainous group, with the transformation of its role occurring when the adventurer learns more about the Factors and their personal ambitions. The campaign could see the drow PC and any allies working to purge the rogue elements, restoring it to its original purpose, or oppose it, fighting its agents in a protracted campaign.
Membership
To join the Horizon Syndicate, a new member pays a small fee (10 gp) and becomes a junior member with few privileges. These low-ranking members are assigned to departments based on their talents, such keeping the books, packing cargo, or scouting out new trade routes to distant clients. The Syndicate uses this training period to assess the character's loyalties, objectives, and talents, and so junior members are monitored almost at all times to judge the new member's worth. Those who look as if they might compromise the organization vanish, but some might be kept on as junior members for the entirety of their careers if they have talents the Syndicate finds useful. Only those who prove their worth and loyalty are welcomed as full members, a position in which the character has some authority and freedom. Such agents can determine which missions they would undertake and are free to take jobs outside the organization provided they continue to devote some time to the Syndicate.
The highest-ranking members, called Factors, form up the Syndicate's core. They oversee the expansion of the organization into new communities, broker larger agreements, and vet junior members to determine their suitability to become full members. There are eight Factors, and their motivations range from the peaceful to the downright sinister, with some truly abiding by the principles on which this organization was founded, while others seek to exploit the Syndicate's connections to work their villainy.
The Horizon Syndicate welcomes members of all occupations and most races. By far, drow are the most numerous members, but the Syndicate has a number of humans and a few half-elves as well. Other races are represented in smaller numbers.
Just about any character can join the Syndicate, though rogues and wizards are preferred, followed closely by warlocks, rangers, and fighters. Paladins and clerics are not usually welcomed, but there have been exceptions, and rumors hold that at least half of the Factors are in fact priests.
The benefits a character attains by membership depend on the character's standing. Junior members receive free room and board in spartan accommodations if needed, and receive free passage to other Syndicate holdings provided the travel relates to the Syndicate.
Full members receive a small stipend to pay for a permanent residence in any community friendly to the Syndicate they desire and also receive compensation for clothing, food, and basic necessities. They also receive a 10% discount on all mundane goods. They never need pay passage on any Syndicate ship and once a year they can requisition a vessel for a mission unrelated to the Syndicate's operations.
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