The Dödsgänget

The Dödsgänget was a mercenary crew that specialised in infiltration, assassination and retributive jobs, making them a blood-mercenary group. They were never classified as an official Guild, and are therefore considered more in line with criminal gangs.

Or at least, that's how they appear on the surface.

Often simply known as the DG or the Death Crew, as well as the Death Nine, and larger than any other non-Guild assassination enterprise (most are only 5 members including a non-combatant, the Dödsgänget numbered at least 11 plus an extensive network of spies, guards, caretakers and researchers), they were the group you went to for the considerably less tasteful jobs, as well as jobs that required discretion for the sake of the country. They were known to be ruthless and bloody when needs be (hence Tord's codename, which means "wasteland" or "desolate place"), though also capable of subtleties and subterfuge, as shown with Mandy. They were known to have nine active (known as Face) members, and at least two support, all of whom had codenames. They operated under a veil of secrecy, and only took on jobs that would bring about the greatest benefits to society as a whole. As such, they were often discretely employed by people in positions of power to foil destructive plots against society, bring down corrupt officials, or subvert the efforts of criminal enterprises that were beginning to do more harm than good. As such, they were in fact more altruistic than their public persona and helped to "fix" a lot of complicated problems across Tordronnen.

While there were only nine Face Members and Two Support, I'm assuming, though this is only speculation, that most of the safe houses had minders or keepers, plus their guards, spies and researchers, who would also technically have been non-combatant members of the Dödsgänget, but Ruger has never been open about how all that worked.

The group "disbanded" (sort of) nearly ten years ago, and the remaining members now keep their pasts a secret.

Known Former Members

• Ruger Almgren (Rogue) - The Headman
• Tord der Bakker (Barbarian) - The Aune
• Armand Gates (Artificer) - The Larkspur
• Dexter Moon (Fighter; Deceased) - The Radivoj
• Unnamed Ranger (Whereabouts Unknown) - The Omphalos
• Unnamed Fighter (Whereabouts Unknown) - The Connla
• Unnamed Cleric (Whereabouts Unknown) - The Esmeray
• Unnamed Artificer (Whereabouts Unknown) - The Grinder
• Unnamed Druid (Whereabouts Unknown) - The Nova

Known Former Support Members

• Arlette Gates (Non-Combatant) - The Leatheress
• Unnamed Metalworker (Non-Combatant) - The Elidur

Expanded Network

• Marin Cromlech - Dolmen the Bonekeeper; Caretaker-Guardian of the Boneyard (Skonyre)

Assets

The full extent of the assets owned and utilised by the Dödsgänget are unknown, but I do know that many of them belong to Ruger himself. There are buildings in his name, as well as cabins in forest locations, and some forms of transportation.

Headquarters

The headquarters of the Dödsgänget is believed to be located in Skonyre, though nobody is sure exactly where.

History

I don't know the full history; I'm not sure anybody outside the former Dödsgänget truly does. But I have managed to piece together a few things from stories I've heard around the country, as well as things I've been told by Tord, Ruger, Mandy and Lettie.

The Dödsgänget was originally started by Rodman Almgren, the man who adopted Ruger off the streets. Rodman was a well known blood-mercenary going by the codename "the Broker", and he was famous for being able to recognise and cultivate talent, something he passed on to Ruger.

Originally, the founding members of the Dödsgänget were Rodman, Ruger, Tord, Dexter Moon, and two others, though Rodman was killed in Thornmune of 1219 by a rival group seeking to undermine his efforts. Ruger rose to the position of leader, despite his young age of 19, and his first order was to completely eliminate the rival gang, which the Dödsgänget did in a very bloody fashion, leaving dismembered body parts strung up across the gang's former territory.

Shortly after this, Mandy and Lettie were recruited, followed by the metalworker known as the Elidur, who Ruger says was specifically brought in to maintain armour. This suggests that at the time, at least one of the members used medium or heavy armour, though I have been told that Dexter, while a Fighter, preferred light armours for dual-wielding, and did not adopt a metal breastplate until a few years later. The final three members were recruited in late-1219/early-1220, creating the famous Death Nine. At the time, all the members were young; late-teens or early-twenties, while Lettie and Mandy were in their seventies (still considered children, by Elves), so many people severely underestimated them, especially Ruger. However, Rodman had raised Ruger to be his successor since he was young, and he quickly showed that the Dödsgänget were more than a match for any of the significantly older groups around.

Over the years the Dödsgänget proved themselves to be bloody, efficient, and utterly ruthless. Their only real taboo was harming children, which they wouldn't do under any circumstances. I think this is because both Ruger and Tord were orphans, and I'm told that many of the others didn't have great childhoods either. Lettie once said that their old man was a tyrant who ended up the first victim of Mandy's poisons, long before they arrived at the Dödsgänget. It's not surprising then that kids were off limits.

After 10 years of success, they lost their first two members, who left for personal reasons, somewhere around late 1229-early 1230. Apparently it was amicable, and they kept in touch for a long while, but none of Ruger, Tord, Mandy or Lettie seem to know where they are now.

Dexter Moon died some time around 1236; Ruger said he had some kind of illness that was passed down through his family; he deteriorated quickly, and in the end there was nothing they could do for him. I know it was quite a sad time for them, and I vaguely recall Tord coming to see my parents around then. I was only just six, and I remember Tord taking me and Fallon to play by the stream, and he looked very very sad, so I put flowers in his beard to try and cheer him up!

One of the other members took Dexter's death pretty hard, though Ruger never said who. By 1238 that member had left, seemingly unable cope with the loss, and in 1239 another member was declared MPKIA after an infiltration mission went south. In 1242, one more member and the Elidur parted ways amicably with the Dödsgänget, as they wanted to travel to the continent of Azelor. This was apparently in order to clear up some "personal grievances", though nobody has any idea if they succeeded; or indeed, survived.

In Blommune of 1247, Tord was almost killed when a target showed a mysterious power that had not been detailed in the request. Tord killed the target, but was ultimately pulled from a ditch by Alfhild, with whom he fell in love. After almost losing his closest friend, Ruger decided to wind down operations in order to keep his remaining people safe.

While the Dödsgänget was never formally announced as disbanded, they have not been active under that name for the last ten years so most texts that refer to them (law and history, mainly) record them as disbanded. The 12th of Shiomune is the last known interaction with any member of the Group, so this is often given as the disbandment date. Some people believe they all got arrested, or were recruited into a larger organisation, but we know that's not the case!

Disbandment

The Dödsgänget lost members over the years, though I don't know the specifics of what happened to many of them. I know Dexter died, and another disappeared under strange circumstances (presumed dead), but at some point, there was only Tord, Ruger, Mandy and Lettie left. The crew "disbanded" after Tord almost lost his life, though officially they have simply "gone underground". Some folks still ask around for the Dödsgänget, but I don't think they have responded to a request in the last ten years. The remaining members decided to settle down in Osthaven, keeping their former identities a secret.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

Our Ends Are Swift

Contents

24th Varmune, 1219 - 12th Shiomune, 1247

Type

Illicit, Other

Alternative Names

The DG, The Death Nine

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Veteran

Leader

Ruger

Founders

• Ruger
• Tord

Location

Skonyre

Controlled Territories

• Archer's Storage

The Tipped Wings

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The Dödsgänget

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While some of the Wings are aware of the existence of the DG, there are no official relations due to their disbandment. Members of the Wings are unaware of the real names of the former members, and are therefore unaware of their true presence in Osthaven.