The Lightfingers

The Lightfingers is a major faction operating within the continent of Ahlus.

## Description

One of two major criminal syndicates that started in Rydoon before sprawling across the continent with the growth of civilisation, the Lightfingers specialises in thievery in all its guises, ranging from petty pickpockets operating in bustling market squares to elaborate heists targetting arcanely protected private collections. The Lightfingers offers its services and targets all aspects of society, though generally recruits predominantly from those languishing near the base of societal hierarchy. Members of the Lightfingers frequently use cyphers hidden just out of sight for passersby to signal to each other of potential marks, patrol routes, trusted fences and safehouses.

Recently, the Lightfingers have expanded their scope to focus more heavily on that of smuggling and trafficking, with a growing market for the acquisition of information in place of physical goods.

## Goals

Since their founding several hundred years ago, the Lightfingers have shifted trajectory on several occasions, but rarely deviate from the aims of profit unhindered by conventional laws, expansion of territory and influence and maintenance of a profile low enough to avoid the direct scrutiny of governments and other organisations of authority.

## Tenets of the Lightfingers

* Tread boldly but without hubris. A single cut or tear can render the entire net useless.
* Eyes were made to watch, ears made to listen. Never allow either to falter, lest an opportunity passes you by.
* Whether acting with a concocted plan, or from an extemporaneous decision, trust your instincts and adjust as necessary.

## Relationships

Fierce competition rages in the criminal underworld between the Lightfingers, Arken Den and the Other Hand, with each vying for dominance in an increasingly saturated market of unlawful activities. Traditionally, the Lightfingers and the Other Hand fulfilled different aspects of illicit trades, but with the aggressive ingress of the Arken Den both have been forced to diversify, and thus find conflict with growing frequency as their areas of operation continue to overlap.

Raids on properties suspected to be operated by the Lightfingers by the authorities are common, whether businesses acting as fronts for the group or abandoned buildings requisitioned to serve as meeting points or safehouses. Clashes with city watches are uncommon but not entirely unheard of, but the Lightfingers generally prefer to retreat with the approach of guard patrols so as not to further garner the ire of the governments and regimes in the settlements they operate.

Occasionally, the Lightfingers are said to be commissioned by the Eclectic Eclipse to acquire certain objects that have caught the eye of the Antiquarian, though with no evidence of such dealings ever recovered, such sensationalist and spurious rumours are simply that, or such operations are carefully orchestrated to prevent any culpability or traceability.

## Characters

While most members of the Lightfingers may have found themselves driven to a life of crime by the downward trajectory of their prospects, others instead seek out a life of crime, seeking out the lucrative paydays that success can bring for those with the skills necessary to ensure said favourable outcomes.

While all races may find themselves involved with the Lightfingers, the group features a disproportionate number of both halflings and kobolds.

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