Chamber of Shadows

The Chamber of Shadows is the most powerful criminal organisation in the Midrealms and has several related names, such as the Shadow Chamber but is most commonly just called the Shadows.

The organisation has its main power base in Capitoleum, where it dominates all levels of illicit behaviour. There are individual criminals working outside of the strong arm of the Shadows, but no larger groups.

Fundamentally, the Shadows isn't a cohesive whole, but a collection of various smaller gangs of criminals that follow a common goal due to internal forcings that ultimately derive from the original organisation of the Chamber of Shadows.

History

The Chamber of Shadows was originally so named as a joke on the Chamber of Commerce, as six of the seven founding members were their connections to funnel goods on the side. It started out as the "most high-end" level of a thieves' guild in Capitoleum but has evolved over time into its current "all-inclusive enclave of everything criminal" where all other criminals are controlled by power distribution, bribes, threats or violence.

The Seven's true identities are only known to the leadership of the Shadows, but their pseudonyms (internally referred to as "pseudos") are Wolf, Stack, Pale,

People of Capitoleum know a lot more about the Shadow Chamber than they let on. Most people know a representative, or at least "know of" one. This Shadow Chamber was originally so called as a joke on the Chamber of Commerce, and originally was just the thieve's guild, but it's now an all-inclusive enclave of everything that the Stripes do not like. Not to say that individual stripes don't enjoy a lot of the services offered in the shade, but officially they don't.

The Shadow Chamber includes the original Thieves' Guilds, the Assassin's Guild, the Beggar's Guild and many others. It's almost impossible to have a career in Capitoleum as a pickpocket without paying your dues to the Thieves guild, and adhere to its strict rules. Trust the administrative culture to turn thieving into a honest 8-5 profession...

These people work in symbiosis with the Stripes in many parts of town. In some parts there are hardly a single stripe, and there the Shadow Chamber makes sure that the populace isn't too taxed by theft and make sure that nobody dies that had not a large (enough) sum on his head first.

Among the guilds that makes up the Shadow Chamber, the Thieves' Guild is by far the most important and the Shadow Council is often synonymous with the Thieve's Guild. Though they don't themselves do forgeries, the Thieves' Guild has influence in most other shady guilds. Nobody messes with the Assassins though (the only reason they are part of the Shadow Chamber is because they are so few that it's beneficial to outsource the administration).

Any Stripes commander who tried to significantly alter the arrangement with the Shadow Chamber have turned up dying from some freak accident, so not much has changed in the last several decades.

This page is still being worked on.

Organisations within the guild

The Business

This is the name for the assassins. Originally there were particular trained individuals performing this most final of services in the city of Capitoleum and a few select other cities but the Shadow Chamber spent some considerable resources to convince them to join the guild. Even so, they have never truly integrated. It takes very special skills to work with the Business if you compare it to thugs with sticks. Besides the skill, patience, perception and precision, people don't like assassins, even crooks themselves. If anything it was a way to ensure control of these 'rogue' agents.

Regardless of the seeming incorporation of the Business into the Shadows, the group still takes jobs on ANYONE for the right price. This includes the guild masters of the Shadows themselves. Of course, such a hit would be ridiculously expensive.

DnD Rules

Use encounter lvl -1 but +1000 gold.

• 1 - 260 gp
• 2 - 550 gp
• 3 - 800 gp
• 4 - 1,150 gp
• 5 - 1,550 gp
• 6 - 2,000 gp
• 7 - 2,600 gp
• 8 - 3,350 gp
• 9 - 4,250 gp
• 10 - 5,450 gp
• 11 - 7,000 gp
• 12 - 9,000 gp
• 13 - 11,600 gp
• 14 - 15,000 gp
• 15 - 19,500 gp
• 16 - 25,000 gp
• 17 - 32,000 gp
• 18 - 41,000 gp
• 19 - 53,000 gp
• 20 - 67,000 gp

Influence

The Shadows is

• The dominant thieves' guild in Capitoleum, only some areas are under the control of others.
• The largest thieves' guild Gwennport, but not as dominating in Capitoleum.

Characters

Gwennport

• Hamlin family is especially adverse to the Shadows

Wellbarrow

• Nifty - Low-ranking runner and "hands".

Southshore

• Jantina of Southshore

Factions nav (e)
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Other: Tall

Roleplaying

Player character who have been or are members of the Shadows automatically learn a couple of crypts:

• Shadows standard - Used for non-essential communication between guild members. Updated every year few years.
• Personal crypt - Used between the member and her superior.

In addition, Shadows character can choose the following as a starting language, or learn by using a skill point in Linguistics:

• Shadows sign language