The Arken Den (Organisation)

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

## Description

One of the founding groups of the settlement of Whittengrove, the Arken Den remains as involved in the political, economic, military and social interests of a number of major cities to this day, even if not outwardly acknowledged as doing so. Though operating a wide range of legitimate ventures and businesses, ranging from taverns and bathhouses to mines and breweries, the Arken Den represents a wide network of organised crime, involved in smuggling, thievery, espionage, subterfuge and assassination.

Fort Arken, an outpost in the Tviatini Jungle originally constructed at the orders of Lady Zareyl Arkenviir has become the official headquarters of the faction, stationed to exploit the most productive mine in the region, Glintwall Pit. Just as few truly appreciate the scope of the faction's influence, Fort Arken's true extent is known to few save those that reside within its subterranean depths.

## Goals

The goals of the Arken Den are primarily self-indulging, that of success and expansion of the influence of the Den. The more politicians and military generals with pockets lined by Arken Den coin, or harangued by coercion from the shadows, the greater the scope of the group to guide the continent into new eras of collaboration, strength and success.

Lesser known to most, the Arken Den serves as the primary sentinel against the monstrosities, aberrations and other foulness spawned from the Underdark, While threats from beyond the Material Plane are hunting and persecuted with the upmost prejudice, the Den maintains that no mundane soul calling Ahlus home is the group's enemy, save those that seek to make themselves so by word or deed.

## Tenets of the Arken Den

* Seek no enemy that is of this world, unless they in turn seek your demise.
* Corruption and manipulation need not be acts of war, but mere tools to strengthen resolve and standing.
* The more convincing the misdirection, the greater the allure to avert one's gaze from what truly matters. Exploit those that lack attentiveness with the boldest of flourishes.

## Relationships

The Arken Den maintains a complicated relationship with many factions throughout the continent. Through their original supply lines and connections, the Den established itself promptly as a group that could ensure all manner of tasks were completed quickly and discreetly for those with need for such services, and their control of Glintwall Pit serves as a steady source of income. Aiming to provide the highest quality goods, provisions and services to any and all that seek them, the Arken Den likewise strengthens its position by serving as the foundations upon which many build their own business, thus investing them too in the continued success of the Den. In doing so, many governments have come to acknowledge that seeking to uproot the presence of the Arken Den threatens to destabilise widespread commerce, and thus their continued activities are largely condoned, provided they do not directly find conflict or antagonism with their own goals.

The Arken Den has found itself frequently at odds with Howell Holdings, the enterprising organisation operated by the Lord of Howell Town by means of overlapping goals of monopolisation. Despite ongoing efforts to achieve the opposite, the Arken Den continues to operate in the settlements of the Hoarfrost Expanse, spurring an escalation in punishments afforded to those captured and found guilty of membership. Skirmishes for territory between the Arken Den and other criminal syndicates are common, and though efforts are usually made to prevent them spilling into the public sphere, the grisly results are occasionally stumbled upon by the local populace. In response, local governors and officials may flush out a number of businesses and establishments associated with the involved organisations, though in time influence in the area gradually builds anew.

## Characters

Across its sprawling network, the Arken Den employs and maintains connections with all manners of individuals, organisations and factions. Whether willingly or not, many folk interact directly or indirectly with the Den as they go about their day-to-day life, though few amongst them might appreciate that the iron used to forge their new cooking pot was not correctly taxed when it arrived in the city, nor that by purchasing a cinnamon roll from the baker in their neighbourhood that they fund miltary expeditions taking place in the depths of the Underdark.

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