Sonmor

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Information
Realm: Aslar
Province: Mutorior-Lithalle
Predominate Races: Humans, Rashnaditz, Dwarves, rare halflings, and Mingits
Government: Kleptocracy



Origins & History

Sonmor is a large city in Eastern Aslar. It's known for its criminal element. At least a half dozen major criminal guilds operate in Aslar, their work made easy by the thief-friendly architecture and the entrenched corruption among the city’s political class. The fact that Aslar has a new king every year defies all meaningful attempts at change.

The thieves’ guilds often fight one another and just as often work together in uneasy alliances, while hiring independent operators and smaller bands as disposable assets. They have taken over just over half of the local economy and charge heavy tolls for protection but also keep the city’s market from going under, cracking down on excessive violence and making sure their income stream remains. Sonmor is a major midpoint in the slave trade that goes through the Road of the World.

The biggest Sonmor players are multinational and have smuggling cells operating in Arangoth, Najjir, Elluria, Bahija, Secca and the Alesian Imperium.

Layout & Architecture

The city sits on a deep bay with steep hillsides. Because of this, the city is as much vertical as horizontal, full of stairs, tiered buildings and sharply sloping streets that sometimes go over people’s rooftops. Sonmor rules over the Aslari provinces of Mutorior, the mainland bay and Lithalle. the triangular island directly across from it. The island is known for its large Nipangui minority living in a self-segregated ethnic enclave.

Criminal Guilds

House Pembrose

A well-established coalition of old-money nobles gone bad and their shady followers. They have a well-established coterie of trusted faces and are the likeliest to be found doing business with foreign nobles and heads of state. They also run a huge gambling racket, especially off high society games like Baccarat.

Downwind Cartel

A pirate outfit favored by commoners with skills and trouble with the law. They got their name from a snooty Admiral’s comment on their stench. The name soon stuck and the ‘Downwinders’ became well-known nuisances in the trade lanes.

Sonmorrow Syndicate

While it’s a full-fledged thieves’ guild with its hands in most types of trade-related racket, the syndicate is known to be a limb of the Berjeron Empire and one part of their foothold on Veth. It’s run by a centuries-old Berj Ley Savant and serves the Empire’s interests on the mainland.

Talamar Guild

A relatively new outfit, started by several disaffected prodigies from the other three guilds. Since it was founded by talented people with resources, the Talamar hit the ground running and gouged out a comfortable income at home before aggressively pushing to expand abroad. With the use of scrying magic, they are able to coordinate with other cells operating in distant cities and with the mobile cells.

Cells use varied means of identifying themselves to one another. Small tokens made from the talismans from the local deities or coin are often times notched with a code on the outer rim of it. The Talamar also employ hand gestures, coded phrases, as well as a written cipher. Those on the Ruling Council are required to know all of these forms, though the members are frequently only taught one or two phrases, and a few of the hand signs to identify one another.

Governed by the Ruling Council, the organization operates across the continent, staging scrying meetings twice a month for updates of individual cells and to further communicate the organization and positioning of the travelling cells. The Ruling Council consists of the leaders of all operating cells, in addition to the founding members of the organization. These meetings are conducted via silver mirrored bowls of water, enchanted especially to connect to one another during the meeting rituals.

Several ranks exist in the Talamar. Rules and regulations govern all members of the syndicate. Harsh discipline ensures compliance. Betrayal is not tolerated and the penalty of betrayal is a slow death. Anyone found assisting a traitor is considered a traitor and dealt with in like manner.

Initiates and recruits are treated with suspicion and often times with disdain. They are the lowest of the low, and generally not trusted on their own for anything. They are forbidden from knowing more than just the basics as to how the cells identify themselves to one another. Depending on the individual leaders of that particular cell, a new member can remain in this state for some time. Any acts that could even be minutely construed as betrayal are dealt with swiftly.