The Fishy Fingers
The Fishy Fingers are a consortium of Gnomes & Halflings in Parisius. Members are generally traders & book-keepers who have banded together to look out for their mutual business interests. It has all the hallmarks of becoming a guild. They usually feel left out or pushed aside from some of the more belligerent & larger species in Parisius so this helps give them a modicum of safety if anything should go wrong. They have a number of holdings in marketplaces around the city, and in merchant quarters, and at toll booth areas, as well as the docks. Scattered around are warehouses that are used for storage primarily.
At present they have a stranglehold on the buying & selling of fishing produce in Parisius that leads to their name. Rumour has it that they have struck a deal with the Thieves of Frankia. This allows them to avoid being targeted by the guild, and at the same time get the odd kickback from certain illicit deals carried out by the guild too. The guild also seems to frequent the Fingers businesses more than others, and both seem to offer each other 'special' deals & privileges on top of anything else, such as mutual protection.
Structure
The Fishy Fingers are run as a social group, meeting once a month. During these meetings anyone can bring up a subject by approaching a seat in the middle of the room they are meeting in. When they sit, others have to go quiet, and listen. When finished, the person is questioned as to what he or she feels needing done. When two or more courses of action or outcomes is presented, the whole of the Fingers present vote by choosing blindly a black or white stones from a sack. The more of the black stones, the more to the yes, and white, more to the no. As long as there is more black stones, then the vote passes.
When someone needs to lead a group or approach the authorities, then a few names are put forward. The stones are used again, and the more black stones acts as the leader, and the more the white stones are their second. That way everything is done democratically.
Culture
The Fishy Fingers are all about protecting their interests, and those of other Gnomes & Halflings. They are very democratic electing speakers and representatives as & when necessary. They do this by using black stones & white stones the size of peas to work out who is the leader and their second when this need arises. They hold meetings once a month unless necessary to conduct their business, and usually meet in a warehouse or private room in a tavern. The meeting usually involves plenty of food & drink.
They are not above doing illicit trade at times, and act as fences if the price is right. This helps them in their dealings with the Thieves of Frankia, and covers them if they do any business that involved dodgy items. It also prevents the thieves from demanding any protection money. The thieves also provide muscle when the Fingers need it, and the Fingers help with both money laundering & banking.
Public Agenda
The Fingers look to control the local fishing industry, and to provide a wide range of services for the public. Many of these are based around food, drink, clothing, and expensive furnishings. They are looking to expand these businesses further knowing that many nobles, as well as up and coming individuals, such as adventurers, always has a good bit of coin to spend.
Assets
Many of the members have local merchant businesses, as well as warehouses stocked with goods they are constantly looking to sell on. They have a crude banking system that allows them to store money and get loans to expand their ventures. A good many have invested in fishing fleets, both on the Seine, and at sea, which help bring in trade. A number of them also have names attached to taverns & inns that they can use or serve their wares in at little cost to themselves. A few are involved in farms outside the city, owning the land if available, and if not leasing from another individual in the Fingers.
History
The Fishy Fingers started 48 years ago in 752 AD, and was reported to have been started by a Halfling fisherman called Patrice "Fish Fingers" du Ath. He was sick of larger vessels taking his catch and trying to force him out of business. After taking a loan of sorts out with the Thieves of Frankia, he could start expanding, and felt the need to help out other Halflings. From there he found that many Gnomes were being forced out of business by other races, so he decided to set up a group with both working together. The name of this fraternity came from his nickname, and started to grow. At the same time, the Thieves of Frankia demanded their money back with a hefty profit. The fraternity paid it of without the profit, and asked if the guild would help out them expand. Seeing that it could be lucrative in the long term they agreed. Shortly after, du Ath suffered an accident in his boat, or so it is said. He was dragged out entangled in his own nets having drowned. Nobody has come forward as yet as to what happened.
Type
Consortium, Business
Location
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
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