Night Blades

The **Night Blades**, also known as the **Ravens of Moonshadow** by many fey, are a criminal guild comprised of darklings and deep gnomes that reside underneath Silverymoon, in the caverns of Little Blingdenstone. Once a group of thieves and assassins in the streets of the fey city Moonshadow, the Night Blades were mostly pushed out of the Feywild and into the Material Plane, where they found a place as a guild of thieves, loansharks, and thugs in the shadowy corners and caverns of Silverymoon.

## Organization

The Night Blades are led by an mysterious figure known as the Master of Ravens, who only meets with and gives orders through his highest ranking agents. Most of these higher ranking agents, known by the title of 'Shadows', are Darklings, though at least one is a deep gnome from Little Blingdenstone. The titles of the Night Blades are not often used except in formal occasions, but are the following: "Footpad" (Rank 1), "Blackcap" (Rank 2), "Prowler" (Rank 3), "Crowblade" (Rank 4), and "Shadow" (Rank 5). Outside of the normal hierarchy of the guild are the fences and clients, who enjoy the guild's protection but do not have the ability to call themselves true Night Blades.

For the most part, Footpads, Blackcaps, and Prowlers are tasked with jobs of thievery, extortion, moneylending, and protection. The Footpads and Blackcaps are mostly composed of darklings and deep gnomes, but those few human criminals in Silverymoon who find themselves running with the Night Blades can also be found among these ranks. Footpads and Blackcaps are notable for being bound under serious oaths to never kill except when it is ordered by a superior of Prowler or above, which has earned the guild some begrudging respect from the populace of Little Blingdenstone. The Prowlers, however, are under no such restrictions. They act as muscle for the lesser ranks, sent out by the guild when lethal force or intimidation is necessary, or when an example must be made of someone. Their name is indicative of their methods, as most Prowlers stalk guild targets for tendays, instilling fear of the Night Blades for a time before they strike.

The Crowblades are the remnants of the assassin caste of the Ravens of Moonshadow. Once a group of shadow magic wielding assassins, now the rank is mostly populated by talented and stealthy killers with a penchant for either arcane or divine magic that can aid them in completing the toughest of the guild's tasks- usually heists and the occasional assassination of another figure in the criminal organizations of Silverymoon. The latter task has become less prevalent in recent years, as the Night Blades have gotten rid of their competitors in Little Blingdenstone, and authorities do not take kindly to assassinations that occur above the surface.

There are only five Shadows within the Night Blades. They serve the same role as the Crowblades beneath them, except that they also have the role of leading the organization on a night to night basis on the Master of Ravens' behalf. They also have the important role of being information brokers, as their connection to the enigmatic Master of Ravens gives them a deep pool of knowledge and secrets about the residents of Silverymoon and its feywild counterpart Moonshadow.

## Relationships

The Night Blades once ruled the dark streets of Moonshadow, the fey reflection of Silverymoon located in the Feywild. Their's was a rule of terror, where the fey were afraid to act against the Ravens of Moonshadow, and all sought to use the assassins and thieves among the ravens for their own ambitious plans. This was until they were pushed into the material plane by their enemies, gaining a reputation as the boogeymen of Moonshadow. As a result of their expulsion, the Night Blades of fey origin see the rulers of Moonshadow as eternal enemies, and have a mutually-antagonistic relationship.

Outside of their relationship with other fey, the Night Blades have a domineering relationship over the residents of Silverymoon's darker alleys and underground districts. The dwarves and deep gnomes of Little Blingdenstone and the other underground dwellings beneath Silverymoon are considered under the guild's 'protection', and the Night Blades harshly deal with other criminals who attempt to enter this territory or associate themselves with these groups. This includes the Zhentarim, who the Night Blades refuse to make deals with after a decree from the Master of Ravens. In fact, it is an open secret in Luruar that the safest place to hide from the Black Network would be the underground haven of Little Blingdenstone. When the Night Blades deal with other criminal guilds invading their turf or swaying those under their protection, the remaining assassins of the guild are often used against the meddling intruder. On the surface, the Night Blades are more willing to have a transactional relationship with minor gangs and independents, particularly those more capable of acting out during the day when most Night Blades must hide from the sun's light.

The Silverymoon's Watch and the Knights of Silver consider the Night Blades a menace, though the latter is too dedicated protecting the city from orc raiding parties to concern themselves with what happens underneath the streets of the surface city. The former has in the past acted against Night Blade attempts to become influential on the surface, but an all-out war on the streets has mostly been prevented by the oath not to kill without order the lower ranks of the Night Blades take. For now, the Watch tolerates their heavy presence in the deep gnome quarter, despite complaints from the local temple to Segojan Earthcaller.

## History

The founding of the Night Blades is shrouded in mystery, even to the Crowblades and Shadows of the organization. Some claim that Master of Ravens was an elder member of the Darklings, perhaps related to Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow"), the fey race's 'founder'. Some darklings in the modern day go as far to say that the Master of Ravens *is* Dubh Catha simply using another name. Regardless of who the founder of the Ravens actually is or was, it is widely accepted that he was a renowned thief, more capable than any mortal god or fey trickster. Talkative guild members often claim the Master of Ravens once stole the Summer Queen Titania's patience, Oberon's sanity, and the Queen of Air and Darkness' joy. While those legendary heists of emotions and character qualities are disputed, one provable heist can be considered the genesis of the criminal guild's founding- Domill's Folly.

### The Legend of Domill's Folly

This heist took place in the Feydark Kingdom of Inbharran, build in a shifting Feydark pass between the Underdark and the Feywild. This kingdom, ruled by the Formorion King Domill, was the richest of the Formorion kingdoms, owing to a river of gold that flowed around its capital city. The Master of Blades came upon this rich and small kingdom with its horrific-looking king, and decided he wanted the city's riches for himself. More than that, the Master of Blades wanted to prove he could steal not just gold- but an entire river. The Master of Ravens presented himself before the court of the Formorion king- apparently in the form of a beautiful eladrin prince (though this aspect of the story is often disputed or changed with retellings; many Night Blades claim the Master appeared as nubile nymph, a shadow elf, or even as a dwarven queen).

The Master of Ravens then began his heist with the easiest and the cruelest of thefts- that of Domill's heart. The Formorion, evil and ugly as he was, had never been prepared for flattery and feigned attraction. Domill was cautious of course, but over time, the Master of Ravens won the giant's heart, drinking in the formorion's feasts and courting him in the fashion of an archfey- an honor Domill had never truly had. With each bout of carousing, the Master of Ravens drank as a giant would, each time complaining of his cup always over-filling. Then, after months of playing with the formorion's heart, Domill asked for the two to be wed. The Raven agreed, under the condition that as a wedding gift, he would have a cup that could never be fully filled- a drinking cup that would never spill over. The King agreed, and had such a cup- commissioned from the greatest duergar smiths of the Northdark and the wicked hag under his service. When the cup was made, the two had their wedding night.

As Domill slept, however, the Master of Ravens left the city, and with his new found vessel he stole the entirety of the golden river's contents in a single night- leaving behind little for the king he had seduced and deceived. The Raven then left Inbharran in drought, changing forms and traveling to the city of Moonshadow, where his story of thievery and great riches allowed him to build a following in the dark corners of the city. Domill never forgot the deception of his supposed spouse. Although his kingdom and its river recovered from the grand theft, the king never opened his black heart to others again, becoming crueler, more paranoid, and more tyrannical than most of his kind.

### Ravens of Moonshadow

After the grand heist of Inbharran, the Master of Ravens brought his gold-filled drinking cup and his skills to Moonshadow, where he used those skills and resources to gain the loyalty and following of the Darklings that lived in the lightless tunnels under the city, as well as the city's dark alleys. Through his first followers, the first Ravens, he brought others under his service, before using his growing influence for a display of power. At this time, Moonshadow was ruled by an eladrin prince, loyal to the Seelie Court. The Ravens of Moonshadow, under their master's direction, kidnapped and ransomed the noble fey, making their presence (as well as their willingness to harm members of the court) apparent. For decades after the prince would begin many efforts to root out the guild, especially after they began to be hired as assassins instead of just being kidnappers and thieves. In response, the Ravens removed the prince completely, effectively placing themselves at the top of Moonshadow's hierarchy, at least until the Seelie Court sent a new noble to become the Lord of Moonshadow.

Under this new ruler, the Ravens were forced to be less bold, halting many of their contracts and instead offering rumors and information to the new lord to build a more amicable relationship. This bought the guild time, but eventually, after pressure from the Seelie Court to have the Master of Ravens captured and brought before Titania, an all-out war began between the Darklings of the guild and the fey loyal to the Lord of Moonshadow. The Ravens fought until it was better to hide, and in their years of hiding, they struck many times at local court officials, each time provoking greater retaliation until it became wiser to leave Moonshadow altogether. The Master of Ravens then sent his agents to different realms, with some leaving for the Material Plane, some venturing into the Domains of Delight, and some even searching the dreary Shadowfell for a place for the Ravens to reestablish themselves. Ultimately, it was the Shadow that returned with news of Little Blingdenstone's dark halls that prompted the exile into the Material Plane.

### Exile of the Night Blades

When the Shadows returned with reports on possible new homes for the Ravens of Moonshadow, the Master of Ravens saw the caverns and tunnels under Silverymoon as the most suitable home for his followers. From Little Blingdenstone, the guild could return with ease to Moonshadow when they needed, while staying out of the reach from Moonshadow's court. Thus the Master, through his Shadows, sent a majority of his followers to the Material Plane, tasking them with carving a place for themselves in the stagnant criminal underworld of Silverymoon and Little Blingdenstone. It was these agents that arrived in Silverymoon in the year 1470 DR that adopted the name 'Night Blades', which would later become the proper name for the organization. After half a decade of removing their competition from Silverymoon's underworld and introducing native deep gnomes into their ranks, the Night Blades welcomed the rest of their kin from the Feywild to their new base of operations.

Since the arrival of the Night Blades into Little Blingdenstone, many fey have been drawn into the city, either due to an interest in the organization or as an attempt to deal with the former Ravens of Moonshadow. Despite attempts by the city guard, the Knights of Silver, and rival gangs and guilds, the Night Blades became the dominant power in Little Blingdenstone in 1484 DR, dwarfing the authority of even the clerics of Segojan Earthcaller in the deep gnome dominated settlement. This rule does come with a forced acceptance of thievery, intimidation, and worse, but it has also provided some safety from the Zhentarim, as well as drow slavers who have attempted to prey on the deep gnomes while the forces of Silverymoon were focused else where.

Over time, the Night Blades began to expand their influence even to the streets of Silverymoon, though most of their operations there involve less obvious criminal behavior. In 1491 DR, moneylenders among the organization lent ten-thousand gold pieces to the renowned barber-surgeon Jooge Nopsmoth, who was unable to recuperate financially and repay his debts in time. Before the Night Blades could retaliate, the annis hag Errevastica bought Jooge's debt, in the guise of a beautiful noble lady with creepy iron teeth.