Abyssal Knife
Mystical: This is more typical of Eastern organized crime than Western organized crime, but its particularly well suited to a D&D setting. In this structure, the guild is organized like a religious cult, with secret initiation rites, oaths, secret marks, mysteries, and inner circles. In a D&D context, the guild is probably indistinguishable from the cult of one or more deities that have dominion over or interest in things like larceny, theft, prostitution, drunkenness, narcotics, murder and so forth. Clerics of these deities not only oversee the training and initiation of members of the guild, but are high ranking leaders and supervisors within it. Interestingly, real world guilds actually operated in a quite similar manner to this. The leftovers of that can be seen in things like modern Masonic lodges.
Led by a Tiefling name Culdred. Culdred has become a powerful warlock with an incredibly powerful patron. He has started the Abyssal Knife to draw his patron into the material plane. By finding enough shards he can construct a device which will break the barriers of reality and create a crack wide enough to let his patron cross over.
Structure
Run by a Tiefling warlock/Rogue named Culdred who has ties to a nefarious otherworld being. The thieves guild is a front so that he can amass enough power to bring his patron into the material plane. He meets with very few people and he has 5 lieutenants who manage most of the business. Each lieutenant has an inner circle of their own and through all of this obfuscation Culdred is able to keep his true intentions secret. They employ dark clerics to keep the members healed and on task. They also have several initiation rites and secret ceremonies with promises of more money and power.
Their true purpose means that their criminal empire is a front for more disturbing scheming going on behind the scenes. All the petty theft, prostitution, and smuggling allows their inner circle to acquire ancient artifacts and shard infused items to begin their greater ceremony. Once they have acquired everything they need they will begin to break down the material plane walls that keep their patron out.
Initiation - To be admitted into the Abyssal Knife requires several vetting steps. Step one is get notices by the Knives, doing pickpocketing or having exceptional thieving skills will start the process. Step 2 - The heist - Low Level members of the Knife will task the prospect with stealing a valuable artifact. Usually a statue in a temple or a vase from a noble men’s mansion. The object will not be all that valuable it is more of a test of loyalty. Many thieves will just pocket the item and try to net some gold. Those that bring the object back to the Knife move on to step 3.
Step 3 - Acquire a Shard - The Rogue who takes this next step must acquire a shard of at least a centimeter square. That much shard would power several magical items and also proves a Rogue’s skill.
Step 4 - Tip of the Knife - In a small ceremony underneath Lamborginus in the abandoned tunnels one of the clerics will meet the Rogue with several other members. The Rogue will be asked to present their wrist. A small incision will be made into the the skin just above the wrist in the arm and a small worm will be placed their. It will painfully burrow itself into the arm and stop in between the Ulna and the Radius. (This allows the cult to monitor the Rogue unbeknownst to them. It is a small magical tracker and transmits some basic life function data to the clerics and warlocks of the guild. It also alerts them to moments of extreme stress and functions as a basic lie detector.)
Step 5 - Ceremony of the circle - After a Rogue nets several thousand gold worth of artifacts, gems and cash they will be granted access to a specific Circle. These circles each have designated Clerics and circle masters that keep the Rogues ignorant of the greater purpose.
Step 6 - If a rogue gets this far and has proven themselves loyal they can become Circle leaders. At this point they may be granted an audience with Culdred who may begin to inculcate them into the true purpose.
Initiation - To be admitted into the Abyssal Knife requires several vetting steps. Step one is get notices by the Knives, doing pickpocketing or having exceptional thieving skills will start the process. Step 2 - The heist - Low Level members of the Knife will task the prospect with stealing a valuable artifact. Usually a statue in a temple or a vase from a noble men’s mansion. The object will not be all that valuable it is more of a test of loyalty. Many thieves will just pocket the item and try to net some gold. Those that bring the object back to the Knife move on to step 3.
Step 3 - Acquire a Shard - The Rogue who takes this next step must acquire a shard of at least a centimeter square. That much shard would power several magical items and also proves a Rogue’s skill.
Step 4 - Tip of the Knife - In a small ceremony underneath Lamborginus in the abandoned tunnels one of the clerics will meet the Rogue with several other members. The Rogue will be asked to present their wrist. A small incision will be made into the the skin just above the wrist in the arm and a small worm will be placed their. It will painfully burrow itself into the arm and stop in between the Ulna and the Radius. (This allows the cult to monitor the Rogue unbeknownst to them. It is a small magical tracker and transmits some basic life function data to the clerics and warlocks of the guild. It also alerts them to moments of extreme stress and functions as a basic lie detector.)
Step 5 - Ceremony of the circle - After a Rogue nets several thousand gold worth of artifacts, gems and cash they will be granted access to a specific Circle. These circles each have designated Clerics and circle masters that keep the Rogues ignorant of the greater purpose.
Step 6 - If a rogue gets this far and has proven themselves loyal they can become Circle leaders. At this point they may be granted an audience with Culdred who may begin to inculcate them into the true purpose.
Public Agenda
The Abyssal Knife owns the brothels and runs protection rackets all over the area. They are trying to control the alcohol and substance flow all over the region. On the surface they act like any other criminal cartel.
Assets
The Inculcur Worm- A small worm mutated from a corpse worm. Infused with a bit of magic from Chon and some divine chaos magic these worms now are magical parasites. They burrow into the fore arm of victims and begin to ingest small amounts of blood and bone marrow. They eat very little so their is no pain to the host, but their magical signature is detectable from thousands of miles by the warlocks and clerics of the Abyssal Knife. Some of the individual signals can be read by the clerics and grant them information about the physical well being of the host.
Founding Date
2990
Type
Guild, Thieves
Leader
Location
Notable Members
Related Plots
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