Rheuthen Basin Smugglers
One would think that the Rheuthen Basin would provide ample opportunities for thieves, between the Principality of Grennig's entertainment industry and the overly strict laws found in the Grand Duchy of His Lord Mennith. Fortunately for law-abiding citizens of both nations, however, their governments believe in strong law enforcement.
Each came to this conclusion for separate reasons. Grennig knows that their wealth comes from taxes on gambling and trade. They jealously guard both with strict enforcement by the Gambling and Trade comissons, with the assistance of the strong armed Grennig Shore Patrol. Of the two, Grennig holds gambling revenues closer to their hearts, meaning that the Brotherhood has almost no gambling activity in the Principality.
Mennith's reasons for tamping down on crime are purely theological. Crime and vice of any sort is wrong. As is magic and non-human races. With extreme monitoring from the priesthood and its many sects combined with harsh punishments - execution being the most common even for the pettiest of crimes - the Grand Duchy has created a situation where the risk of crime is clearly not worth the reward.
As such, the guild focuses on what one might expect from their name - smuggling operations. Despite relentless oversight from both governments, the amount of trade flowing through both nations is immense. Ships dock in Grennig daily. Caravans come from the west through Trai'dietch Pass and along the Trans-Rheuthengage Highway with similar frequency. The contraband list in the Grand Duchy is long, but many of the goods on this list still have markets north and south of Mennith.
This gives the Rheuthen Basin Smugglers several opportunities to generate revenue. First, many merchants are unwilling to pay the full tariff for goods arriving in Grennig. The faction maintains the right details about who can be bribed and who can't, when inspections are lightest, and even what routes will allow a caravan to circumvent the Trade Commission. This approach, more subtle than that of their neighboring guild to the north, requires clever execution and meticulous record keeping but results in less bloodshed. As a result, as long as revenues do not dip precipitously, the Trade Commission often turns a blind eye, focusing instead on those who seek to circumvent tariffs without guild assistance.
In Mennith, the guild with the arduous customs processes Mennith borders, caravans often back up, spending several days at a time in the town while they await inspection, giving creative Brotherhood members a chance to lighten the wagons. Others passing through Tehrith have goods – or even people – that need to pass the border in both directions without the watchful eyes of Mennith zealots. Finally, in Tehrith, all of the waiting leads to bored caravanners and their guards. This boredom invariably draws them to the tavern district for gambling, drinking, loose talk, whoring, and the occasional missing purse, the only place in the region where these activities flourish.
Jurisdiction in this border town is particularly fuzzy between the Rheuthengage Highwaymen and the Rheuthen Basin smugglers. A subtle push and pull always occurs in the shadows and, at several times, has bordered on outright war. The two often oppose each other out of principal when the the Nine Puppeteers meet.