Blades NPCs

Meet the citizens and factions of Doskvol.

## The Underworld

### The Circle of Flame (III)

The Circle of Flame are a refined secret society of antiquarians and scholars; which is a cover for extortion, graft, vice, and murder. They are very interested in collecting arcane artifacts. Their leadership are known as The Seven.

Faction NPCs:

* **Elstera Avrathi**, an Iruvian diplomat and member of The Seven. She was exiled from Duskvol by the Ministry of Preservation.
* **Ankhayat**, an Iruvian diplomat, war criminal, and devout member. He was a Leech archetype. He started as a cartel boss until his gang organized a coup to take over the Iruvian thrown for a short time, until a counter-coup ousted them. After, he lived in secret within Iruvia. He somehow received diplomatic immunity and relocated to Duskvol. He was assassinated by The Weird Sisters after being haired by Commissioner Naria Haig. Kija of the Weird Sisters holds Ankhayat responsible for the murder of her uncle.

### The Dimmer Sisters (II)

The Dimmer Sisters are house-bound recluses with an occult reputation.

They headquarter out of a fine old manor house. Apothecaries and witches lend the Dimmers their service.

Faction NPCs:

* **Roslyn Dimmer**, she was seen at the auction the Kenahora attended to steal the Seppiroth Sedarim. In her pursuit of them, she was caught halfway in a doorway to the ghost field when it closed, cutting her in half.

### The Fog Hounds (I)

The Fog Hounds were a rough smuggling crew that operated out of a boat. They teamed with the Tin Whistles on a job, which led to their unraveling. The Fog Hounds have now been absorbed into the Tin Whistles.

Their turf consisted of the North and East city canal routes, the Northern Void Sea routes, and the Old North Port supply caches. They headquartered out of an underground canal dock.

Faction NPCs:

* **Margette Vale**, the leader of the Fog Hounds. A cool, strategic woman, Margette's mind was broken by Murmur and she lost her hold on reality.
* **Goldie**, the crew's navigator. The Tin Whistles manipulated Margette into thinking she was a liability and engineered her assassination.

* **Bear**, Margette's second. Bear held a grudge when the Fog Hounds were brought to ruin by the Tin Whistles and teamed up with Nyryx's den to enact his revenge. He kidnapped Archibald, beating him grievously, and nearly brought the Whistles to their knees.

### The Grinders (II)

The Grinders are a vicious gang of former dockers and leviathan blood refinery workers. Their membership is made up of Skovlan immigrants. many worked in Lockport and were mutated by the toxic conditions. They are trying to raise coin to build a fleet to take back their homeland.

Their turf consists of the underground canal dock and they headquarter out of an abandoned dock warehouse. They are the boss of the Charhollow criminal underworld.

Faction NPCs:

* **Hutton**, the leader of the Grinders.

### Lord Scurlock (III)

Lord Scurlock is an ancient noble, vampire, and possible sorcerer. He is a man of great power and influence, and is in debt to forces beyond mortal man.

His headquarters is hidden and unknown to most.

Faction NPCs:

* **Lord Strangford**. Lord Scurlock discovered that amongst the Leviathen Hunters a demon cult had arisen, which was small and secret and well placed. Scurlock used this info to blackmail Strangford (presumably Strangford was a member of this cult) into aiding him in recovering the Lancets of Setarra and obtain the body of Forsinthia.
* **Forsinthia**, Scurlock's ex. He didn't take the separation well.

### The Lost (I)

The Lost are group of street-toughs and ex-soldiers dedicated to protecting the downtrodden and the hopeless.

Their turf consists of the poverty-stricken streets of Coalridge and Dunslough. They headquarter out of a converted rail car, in the Old Rail Yard. For a while, they tentatively shared the Old Rail Yard with the Tin Whistles.

Faction NPCs:

* **Cortland**, the leader of the Lost. The Lost broke him, along with other leadership members, out of prison. He is seen as an idealist and cavalier.
* **Levvy**, second in command of the Lost. While Cortland was in Ironhook Prison Levvy handled the running of the crew. Cortland and him also sometimes butt heads, as Cortland is idealistic and Levvy is more practical.

### The Oxbacks (II)

A stevedore's union structured as a Masonic order and cult.

The Dagger Isle immigrants Marko Coyle immigrated to Doskvol with were hired by a shipping company to, unknowingly to the Dagger Isle folk, break a strike. The Oxbacks, who organized the strike, retaliated by burning some of the Dagger Isle houseboats, killing many of the immigrants, including some of Marko's kin

### The Red Sashes (II)

Originally a school of ancient Iruvian sword arts, since expanded into criminal endeavors. They run drug dens in Crow's Foot and headquarter in their sword-fighting school/temple.

Faction NPCs:

* **Mylera Klev**, the strewed and ruthless leader of the Red Sashes.

### Ulf Ironborn (II)

Ulf Ironborn is a brutal Skovlander, newly arrived in the Dusk, fighting everyone for turf. He is determined to claw his way to power through violence and turf. He has been criticized by other Skovlanders for his lack of interest in their people's plight.

He headquarters out of The Old Forge tavern, a gambling den, and is boss of the Coalridge criminal underworld.

Faction NPCs:

* **Havid**, Ulf's second and spokesperson.

### The Wraiths (II)

The Wraiths are a mysterious crew of masked thieves and spies.

## Institutions

### Bluecoats (III)

The City Watch of Duskwall. Known as the meanest gang in the city. They are corrupt, violent, and cruel. They suck. Within the Bluecoats is *The Right*, a secret Akorosi supremacist group oppressing non-Akarosi citizens, specifically the Skovlander immigrants and refugees.

They claim the whole city as their turf.

Faction NPCs:

* **Commander Judd Cooper**, a small man with a mustache. He is a member of *The Right* and a secret Skovlander, whose original name was Judah Cooperman. He informed against Skovlan during the Unity Wars, as a child, and posed as an Akorosi when he came to Doskvol. The Kenahora abducted him and gave him to Ulf Ironborn to be tortured and worse.
* **Adr. Brance**, a high-ranking Bluecoat who put a bounty out on the Deathlands Scavengers.

### Leviathan Hunters (V)

The Leviathan Hunters are formed from the captains and crews that grapple with the titanic demons of the Void Sea to drain their blood for processing into electroplasm.

Their turf consists of the massive metal docks that house their huge hunter ships and the associated construction and repair facilities. As well as several small private leviathan blood processing facilities.

Faction NPCs:

* **Lord Strangford,** a member of the Leviathan Hunters, with ties to Lord Scurlock.

### The Ministry of Preservation (V)

The Ministry of Preservation deal in oversees transportation between cities and the disbursement of food and other vital resources. They also oversee the production of food and energy. They are one of the most powerful faction in the city.

Their turf consists of the electro-rail train lines of the Imperium, radiant energy farms, eeleries, and other food-growing enterprises throughout the city.

* **Amador Drezzar**, former secretary of the Iruvian diplomat Elstera Avrathi. The Weird Sisters were hired to murder him and recover sensitive information he was handing over to the Ministry.

### Spirit Wardens (IV)

The Spirit Wardens are bronze-masked hunters who destroy rogue spirits. They also properly dispose of corpses. Their identities are unknown to all, hidden behind their masks. They swarm to any deaths in the city to deal with potential ghosts.

They headquarter out of Bellweather Crematorium, which is also where they dispose of corpses.

## Labor & Trade

### The Ink Rakes (II)

The Ink Rakes are journalists, muckrakers, and a newspaper publisher in Doskvol.

Their turf includes Ink Lane on the Docks (home to several large newspapers), but have publishing offices and news stands all over the city.

### Nyryx's Dens of Iniquity (II)

Nyryx's Dens of Iniquity were Nightmarket brothels run by Nyryx and staffed mainly by Tycherosi. The operation consisted of two brothels. The original was called *The Arm’s of Marchessa*, an inn that did some non-illicit business and catered to lower-middle class clients, clerks, and barristers. It is located towards the center of Nightmarket, but not in the most profitable corridors of that neighborhood. The second brothel, unnamed, was annexed from Madame Klem and is located in a rundown tenement on a skid row, near the bridge to Coalridge.

After killing Nyryx, the Tin Whistles tried to take over her operation, but were initially only successful in claiming the unnamed tenement (naming it Klem's Place). Afterword’s, the new madame teamed up with Bear of the Fog Hounds to get revenge on the Tin Whistles, abducting Archibald Grey. The Tin Whistles later rescued Archibald and took control of the rest of Nyryx's operation.

Faction NPCs:

* **Nyryx**, rival to Pontiac Zo, though the exact details of that rivalry have not been revealed. She began to out compete Klem’s brothel, eventually seizing it. She was killed by Marko Coyle, who threw her over a very high ledge onto the ground below.

## The Fringe

### Deathlands Scavengers (II)

The Deathland Scavengers are convicts from Ironhook and desperate freelancers who roam the wasteland beyond the lightning barriers. They have gained some influence by distilling and trafficking a drug called Thought Essence.

Their turf consists of a few precious hold-fasts in the deathlands, secured by ancient rites against spirits.

## Crew Associates

### Associates of the Tin Whistles

* **Brynda**, a young ghost girl the crew smuggled into the city. She has aided them several times and wants their help to get her family physical forms.
* **Esme**. Tavern keeper of the *End of the Line*, and contact of the Tin Whistles.
* **Lucius Dabbs**, is a bookkeeper at Charhollow Downs. He will give out betting tips for bribes of the drug Quick. He is also looking for a large and reliable source of Spark for his buyer.
* **Madame Klem**. Madame at the brothel Pontiac Zo use to work out of. He knew her from the days he worked there. She told Pontiac about Nyryx taking her business.
* **Reed**, a Physiker who originally worked for the Lost but was lured over to the Tin Whistles, in part because of their access to sex workers.
* **“Sticks” Galen**, is a horse jockey who works for a noble and rival to Archibald Grey. He has known Archibald for a while.

### Associates of the Kenahora

* **Auntie Whispers**, a medium who assists Poor Violet in seances and attuning to the ghost field.
* **Bina's Boys**, a group of Skovlanders Bina poached from Ulf's recruits and convinced to help aid the Kenahora in defending the Skovlanders of Charhollow from the Bluecoats.
* **The Drudges**. A network of Skovlan refugees working as maids, valets, cooks, carriage drivers and other similar positions, working for the nobility of Doskvol. They gossip and trade information about their noble masters. They act as an information network for the Kenahora.
* **Jul**, a blood dealer and rival of Urich. She took great pleasure in informing Urich that his friend Veldren was working for the Dimmer Sisters. Urich invented a poison specifically to ruin her business, in response.
* **Lovely Rose**, Violet's deceased sister. Rose was apparently killed by Violet and forgiven for it but has a strong desire to cause strife and harm others. She has meddled in several jobs and once attempted to take control of the Golem's inert body. She eventually found human vessels to use. Poor Violet attempted to bind Rose’s spirit and stop her from hurting people, but was unsuccessful. In retaliation Rose stabbed Violet multiple times. Rose then ran off into the night.

* **Melvier**, an Old Skovlan physiker who has patched up Bina and helped Veldrin. When he immigrated to Doskvol, he was not accepted by the local medical guild. He runs a dry goods shop where he also runs an illegal underground clinic. He is also a contact of the Weird Sisters through Tabitha.
* **Veldren**, Urich's friend who attended the University until he was pressured out by a racist professor. Veldrin is mentally and physically disabled due to experimenting with poisons with Urich. He was eventually “recruited” by the Dimmer Sisters. Urich discovered that he was working for them, which confused and angered Urich.

### Associates of the Weird Sisters

* **Dr. Nieman**, a physicker. Kija temporally recruited her to aid the Weird Sisters.
* **Grotto Shade**. The Weird Sisters are haunted by a shade, a tortured and corrupted spirit. Mollie has somewhat befriended it and it has helped the crew on scores. It is possibly the reason for the crew's Crow's Veil. The shade could also possibly be the spirit of Nyrix, who seems to be the spirit who helped Kija find Commissioner Naria Haig on their first score.
* **Irimina**, a vicious noble who sometimes hired the Sisters. She was targeted by the Red Sashes, who called a blood hunt on her due to the actions of the Weird Sisters. Instead of helping her the Weird Sisters decided to remove her as a loose end, stealing her soul. As a result her remaining body was possessed by an anteater spirit, transforming her into a horrible monster. Monster Irimina tracked the crew to their hideout, where it attacked and was then destroyed. Her soul was placed in Mollie's Beetlejuice/Truman Show mini town, dubbed "Mollie Town".
* **Lord Scurlock**. Mollie appears to be something of a person friend or confidant of Lord Scurlock. She has helped him with his recent breakup and he gives her potential jobs. She calls him Scurly.
* **Mallista,** a priestess who serves at The Arms of the Weeping Lady and "rival" of Elisa. Mallista wants to save Elisa from her life of crime and also has secret feelings for her.
* **Meato**, one of the Weird sister’s skulks. A very small man that specializing in wriggling into vents and other cramped spaces for the purpose of infiltration.

## Non-faction

### Commissioner Naria Haig

A politician and chair of the Ethics Oversight Committee of Doskvol. She is a matchmaker and deal-maker in Doskvol. After being approached by the Weird Sisters she hired them to have Ankhayat taken care of. She is described as an attractive and elegant older woman.

### Professor Victor Ludwin

Professor Victor Ludwin was a racist professor known for his cruelty toward Skovlanders and the founder of The First. The Kenahora gaslit him into believing he was cursed unless he treated Skovlanders better. Unsatisfied with the professor's supposed change of heart, Urich secretly and successfully arranged for the man to be fatally poisoned.

### Salia

Salia is an information broker. She is not exclusive to any particular crew and sells information to whoever has the coin. For instance, she acts as a broker for both Archibald Grey of the Tin Whistles and Archibald Grey of the Kenahora. She is often found in a coffee shop, hopped up on espresso.

### Setarra

Setarra is a demon worshiped by many and currently trapped in the sea. Her followers work to free her of her shackles even as others defend the world from her power.