Shadow Knives

The **Shadow Knives** are criminal
organization based in the city of Lakehaven. They control the criminal
underworld of the city and are known for performing assassinations,
kidnappings, extortion, smuggling, and blackmail

## History

In 1033, the old docks of Lakehaven caught fire, a disaster that would cause the economy in the city to collapse. Criminals took advantage of the chaos, and needing to make ends meet, many who were not previously criminals turned to crime. In the years that followed, as order was restored, criminal gangs and guilds were established. Among them were the Shadow Knives, a band of thieves known for their breaking-and-entering skills. Unlike the other thieves’ guilds in the city and individual loners, the Shadow Knives grew unimpeded by the authorities of the city. According to rumors, the early guild masters secretly aligned themselves with House Redbow, with the two parties working together to achieve shared goals- the Redbows, the neutralization of the other noble houses in the city and the Shadow Knives the ability to operate without fear of official retaliation.

In the years since, the group has grown in both membership and scope. Comprised of over 100 members and associates, the Shadow Knives have evolved from mere breaking-and-entering and dabble in virtually every illegal venture in the city. The sole exception is smuggling, with the popular explanation being that a loss in tax revenue is a loss that House Redbow feels, and thus, does not permit.

## Attitude

Members of the group do not openly flout the law in most situations, but know that the law is easily manipulated by those with the means and knowledge to do so- and they do.

## Organization

The Shadow Knives are headed by a council of three. The group is structured so that the higher up the leadership chain someone is, the more protection that person has between criminal acts on the street and their presence, giving them “plausible deniability”. Each member of the council has his/her own lieutenants that report to them. Those lieutenants, in turn, have rank-and-file thugs, assassins, rogues, scoundrels, and ne’er-do-wells working for them.

## Regions of Influence

The Shadow Knives are based out of Lakewood and have a firm grip over the city’s underworld. As influential as they are there, the group has only just begun to branch out and involve themselves in the criminal affairs of other settlements. Slowly, they have been establishing footholds in northern Valouria and in Southhedge, across the Inner Sea.

## Leadership

The leaders of the Shadow Knives are a council of three, simply known as the council of three. The current members of the council are Merrik Cale, Mina Hedges, and Lester the Feeble. All three have underlings that are loyal to them, who are responsible for ensuring that orders are carried out efficiently. Because the organization is more of a loose association of criminals rather than a centralized, unified body, the council of three generally mediate disputes between elements of the underworld and ensure that no one individual or crew get too big for their own good and threaten the balance that the organization has attained regarding the legal and illegal world.

## Allies

The most powerful ally that the Shadow Knives have is House Redbow. According to whispers, the noble house works in cahoots with the criminal operation, looking the other way in exchange for favors. While such an alliance can only be confirmed by a select few- and those select few have no reason to speak on the truth of the matter- the Shadow Knives’ continued existence and prominence in Lakehaven seems to speak volumes.

Outside of Hose Redbow, the Shadow Knives have symbiotic relationships with many, if not all of the various guilds and merchants that do business in the city. These relationships come in many forms, but virtually every legal transaction that takes place in the city has a backdoor aspect to it. Merchants may utilize the services of the group to disrupt the sales of a rival, or protect his own, for example.

## Enemies

While the city guard of Lakehaven is supposed to go after the Shadow Knives, their ambiguous relationship with House Redbow has allowed the group to exist without much official harassment. While petty crime is dealt with when it becomes too blatant and obvious, the guard generally allows the presence of the organization and judges are generally lenient when important individuals belonging to happened to be arrested and put on trial.

In other settlements, officials have far less tolerance for the Shadow Knives. They are treated like any other criminal, though the organization is slowly attempting to expand their influence and change that.

## Joining the Shadow Knives

The Shadow Knives have more associates than they do actual members. Such associates are not necessarily direct members of the group but are involved in operations and businesses that are adjacent to the Shadow Knives’. Examples include merchants who knowingly purchase and sell stolen, fenced goods or appraisers that are known to inflate or deflate the prices of goods.

Because most members of the group operate on its lowest rung, the easiest way to become a member of the group is to simply join a small-time gang and work your way up. In virtually almost every case in the city, these criminal outfits have leadership that can be traced back to the Shadow Knives, though in many cases, these low-level gangsters do not even realize it.

## Costs and Benefits of Membership

Being affiliated with the Shadow Knives is a major boon for criminal rackets and merchants.