The Fellows

Summary

The Fellows are a collection of fences, informants, and smugglers who operate through Ecumene. Almost every major force in Ecumene has access to someone who's part of the Fellows. Fellows follow a code that allows them to compete over goods and information without creating lasting animosities or escalating problems.
Everyone in the know sort of knows the Fellows exist. Seneschals of Houses are the ones tasked with dealing with Fellows, but even they only know their own agents in the Fellows. Contacts are the currency of the Fellows. You hoard them, you protect them, you trade them. But if you need something that's desired or rare or dangerous, your Fellow is how you get it.

Participating Groups

The following organizations have access to at least one Fellow. Any major organization (Major House, colonial, serious gang) has more than one Fellow so that you can get multiple agents moving at once.

• Every Major House
• Every Minor House and most wealthy families (although they often share one)
• Every gang
• Colonial Powers and Government Forces
• Major Churches

History and Organization

The Fellows came into being during the Council War when the fighting between Houses and Colonials required business to keep happening under the scenes while the groups themselves had to remain in conflict. It started as a very loose code of permissible and impermissible actions, and it became more detailed and professional as more groups decided to take part.
In its modern form, the Fellows are adjudicated by two high level retired Fellows (surviving to retirement is a sign you were a good Fellow), one British and one French, called the Swells. Agents are mostly left to their own operations, but violations of the code are reported to an envoy who bring them to the Swells, and the Swells' word is final.
You become a Fellow by apprenticing with them. Most people don't choose to do this. They sort of end up hanging out with a Fellow and getting recruited before they realize it. If they can't follow the code, they never end up deep enough in to learn any secrets. If they do, they slide into more contacts and more connections until they are part of the Society.
The Code basically is as follows:

• What happens on a job stays on a job. When the job is over, you drop it.
• You don't attack another Fellow except in self-defense. A job is never a reason to attack another Fellow. There is never an excuse to kill another Fellow.
• Never share a name you weren't permitted to share by its owner.
• If a Fellow says anything is off record, you never heard it.
• Your Fellows are your family. Your employer is not more important than the Code. If someone violates the Code, go to the Fellows, not your employer.
• Property belongs to who holds it. If you hold it, it's yours as long as you do. Once you don't, it's not yours anymore.
• Lies you fall for are your fault. Plots you don't spot are your mistake. Do not hold others accountable for your failures.

Key Details

Founded: Loosely formed during the Council War
Leadership: Two Swells, Timothy Felgate and Sennett Rayne
Headquarters: Business is conducted out of the Café du Numi on the Waterfront
Membership: There are about one hundred Fellows in Ecumune at any given time.
Affliations: All large organizations have a loose connection to a member of the Fellows.

Type

Guild, Professional