Type of Establishment: Secret Society/Thieves Guild
Guildhouse Colors: Ebon and vermilion
Description of Establishment: Bluffside's thieves guild is run by Will Tooley, a stocky and temperamental dwarf who served as a lieutenant under Commander Brakk in the early days. As the city grew, so did Will's interest in getting a larger cut in what was going on around him, and so he took to a life of petty crime. Will started small, running the occasional protection racket, ensuring local business men would not lose business should they provide small cash donations to Will and his team. He slowly built up his knowledge and his network. Will was in a position to offer organization to the small groups of thieves and rogues taking up residence in town. Now, over two centuries later, he sits at the head of Umbra Incognita, an organization of thieves, rogues, assassins and enforcement agents. Will has close connections with many leading figures in Bluffside, helping to strengthen his grip on the city.
Will Tooley has an extensive network in the sewers, with multiple entrances throughout the city. The largest such entrance leads through the Coach & Six Market and up through a couple of residential buildings in New City. The streets of Bluffside are riddled with Will's informants, and any thief entering the city is identified and approached to determine his business within minutes of his arrival.
Under Will's leadership, Umbra is unconcerned with anything going on beyond the city. It is Will's preference not to involve himself nor his organization in the machinations of politics and trade outside Bluffside. However, should a tempting enough opportunity present itself, he would likely accept it if the reward were great enough.
Umbra uses a tiered structure of operatives, designed to insulate the upper levels from easy infiltration. Will meets all new recruits personally, though rarely alone or appearing as his true self. Once candidates pass Will's approval, they are assigned the most basic status, commonly called a Rook. Although it refers to the member being a rookie, Will extends the chess nomenclature throughout the rest of the organization, with the next step up being referred to as Pawns. The Pawns make up the bulk of Umbra's assets, and perform the majority of the grunt work. They report to the Knights, who act as head operatives in the field. They in turn report to the Bishops. The Bishops are Will's inner circle of advisors, master rogues, specialists, and confidantes. Will himself represents the King in the operation. Rumor has it that there is a Queen as well. However, if this is true, no one can name him or her, nor has anyone actually ever seen such a person.
Prospective members are approached by Pawns and given a copper coin, usually among others, that is marked with a "U.I." on it. When presented to an appropriate contact, the recruit is given basic instructions on how to find one of the routes to Umbra's underground operations. In every case, these routes are riddled with traps and locks, designed both as a test to weed out the unworthy and as a defense to slow down imposters. The coin is usually returned to the recruit, should they need to access the network from another location. If invited to join the organization, they recruit is usually told to return to their lodgings until they receive instructions as to their (next) job.
Guild Stats
Guild Purpose: Control crime in Bluffside
Guild Membership: Profession (Rogue or Bard)
Joining the Guild: Invitation, Service
Membership Criteria: Entrance Tests
Guild Size: Grand (101-500 members)
Guild Structure/Advancement: Graded (Criteria)
Benefits: Bonuses to Skills, Black Market, Networking, Above the Law
Disadvantages: Experience Cost (500 XP per guild level), Fees, Time (as Demanded by Guild)
Guild Advancement:
Grade
XP Cost
Fees
Benefits Gained
Rook (0)
0
special
none
Pawn (1)
500
40%
Bonus skill points, black market
Knight (2)
1000
30%
Bonus skill points, networking
Bishop (3)
1500
20%
Bonus skill points, above the law
Fees: Those who attempt to practice larceny of any kind in the city without the guild's approval quickly learn otherwise, as they will likely have everything they appropriated taken by the guild, often with an additional "penalty" for violating the guild's rules. Those within the guild can take whatever they want, provided it is not from a protected target, and of course assuming they don't get caught. The guild demands a cut of any job, however. Higher ranking members pay a lower percentage than lower ranking members do. Rooks are often told what they are allowed to keep, as determined by their Pawn contact, but 50-60% of the haul is customary.
Bonus to Skills: For each rank a member achieves within Umbra Incognita, they may spend 4 bonus skill points. These must be chosen from the following skills: alchemy, craft (rogue-related), diplomacy, gather information, innuendo, intimidation, knowledge (rogue-related), knowledge (local: bluffside).
Black Market: Members have access to all standard, legal gear at 75% of book rate. Masterwork gear is usually available within one week at 85% book value; if trying to purchase sooner than that, cost is 95%. Illegal gear is also available; base cost determines availablility. Generally, items costing less than 10gp are available all the time at 110% of book value; they can usually be purchased at book value if the member is willing to wait a week. Illegal items greater than 10 gp but less than 100gp in value are usually available within 2 weeks at 110%, 125% within 1 week, and 150% of book on the same day. Illegal items in excess of 100 gp in value are generally not available for same-day purchase, and can cost anywhere from 125-300% or more of normal market, depending upon rarity and the speed it is needed.
Networking: Knight members may call upon Pawns to serve for Umbra-related business without question. They may also hire Pawns for non-Umbra business. Bishops may do the same with Knights, and may also call upon Pawns for any business at any time, with no reason or need of explanation.
Above the Law: Bishops are so well connected that they are generally immune to the law. Any Bishop level member that gets caught will normally be released and cleared of all but the most serious of charges. Even in such cases, such as murder or grand theft, they are often receive the most minimal punishments such as fines, time served, or community service.
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