1. Organizations

Boromar Clan

Crime Syndicate

The Boromar Clan is the most powerful criminal organization in Sharn. From a humble start as a gang of smugglers and thieves, the Boromars have risen to become one of the most influential forces in the city. The Boromars have a stranglehold on the smuggling trade and own the majority of the gambling halls in the city. Most of the fences and thieves in Sharn either work directly for the Boromars or pay tribute in exchange for independence. They control a vast network of extortion, blackmail, and graft that extends from the slums of Lower Dura to the heights of Skyway, with its headquarters in the halfling district of Little Plains (in Middle Menthis). But their influence reaches far beyond the criminal underworld. The early Boromar patriarchs invested wisely over the centuries, and today the Boromars are one of the Sixty families of Sharn. The Boromar Clan owns many of the warehouses in Precarious and Cogsedge. It owns taverns and inns throughout the city, and has a considerable interest in the shipping trade. A Boromar heir sits on the city council of Sharn, and the current patriarch is a member of the Gold Concord of the Aurum.

While the Sharn Watch is well aware of the criminal enterprises of the Boromar Clan, the Watch rarely interferes with Boromar activities. The Boromars have been bribing Watch captains for generations, and this is largely taken for granted. Those councilors and Watch captains that have chosen to fight the Boromars have always suffered swift and mysterious deaths, and the lesson has not gone unheeded. In addition, if the Boromar Clan collapsed, the underworld would erupt in anarchy as dozens of petty crime lords fought for territory and position. As much as many of the councilors would like to see the Boromar Clan destroyed, it simply hasn’t been an option—until now.

Over the past two years, the Droaamite organization known as Daask has been launching raids against Boromar holdings. These attacks have been becoming bolder and more frequent with each passing month, and the monsters are also beginning to muscle in on many activities traditionally controlled by the Boromars. The Boromar Clan is hampered by its size; Daask is a mobile organization using guerilla tactics, and the Boromars can’t afford sufficient security to cover all of their operations. The Boromars have many enemies on the city council who are happy to see them cut down to size, and these opponents have prevented the resources of the Sharn Watch from being deployed against Daask.

The Boromar Clan is a massive organization, and it will not fall overnight. But for centuries, it has been resting on its reputation of omnipotence—and this reputation is quickly being shattered. Even if Daask were destroyed tomorrow, the long-term damage would still haunt the Boromars for years to come. Saidan Boromar needs to find a way to counter Daask, and he needs to do it soon. A group of mercenary adventurers might prove far more effective than the soldiers Saidan usually hires for muscle work—but does the party really want to help the Boromar Clan?

Modus Operandi

Most criminal cabals resort to thuggery to earn their coin. The Boromar Clan is more enlightened. Violence is bad for business. THe halflings made their fortune with the promise of stability. THey established Sharn's most powerful and long-standing criminal empire through skillful maneuvering of assets and carefully executed planning. Protection rackets and smuggling contraband traditionally make the most money for the Boromar Clan - as the family's old timers like to say, "Common criminals rob and kill, we provide services to the community, and all we ask is a little gold and respect in return."

Extortion earns a good income, and while some merchants are none too eager to be fleeced of their hard earned coin, others happily hand the halflings a few silver to keep their storefronts safe and their goods secure. The boromars declare those who pay as untouchable, and they promise dire consequences to any other criminal harassing these protected businesses. Up-and-coming gangs of ne'er-do-wells with no sense of the Boromar's rich history in crime often mistake the halflings as "soft criminals" or "stumpy little dandies." The truth is, the halflings avoid violence as a rule because it disrupts cash-flow, but when someone threatens their interests the Boromars respond with ruthless measures.

While other criminal organizations favor public displays of brutal violence, the Boromars long ago learned the power of the unpredictable and utterly inexplicable disappearance of a loved one. When someone crosses the halflings, that person's wife, son, father, or other very close relative simply vanishes. A vanished person is never found. The foolish individual who believed he could cross the Boromars and get away with it is left to wonder forever what horrible fate his loved one met.

The Boromars own and operate dozens of warehouses in Precarious and Cogsgate, where contraband - such as illegally obtained dragonshards, casks of Sarlonan dreamlily, dangerous restricted magical weapons, deadly poisons, blank notarized Sivis documents, and all manner of stolen goods - cool off before the halflings fence them. Much illegal contraband is smuggled into Terminus via lightning rail coaches or ferried in onboard cargo barges floating down the Dagger to the sky docks of Precarious.

No smugglers operate in the city without the Boromar's say-so. Those who try go missing, their ships scuttled in the Hilt. On occasion, the Boromars use a third party to encourage up-and-coming smuggling organizations to make in-roads into Sharn. They then seize these fledglings' ships, mercilessly dispatch the crews, and fence their cargo for a quick profit. Saiden particularly enjoys this scam, although engaging in this too often makes long-time smuggling partners of the Clan jumpy.

Above all, the Boromars prefer blackmail. "A dead man can't earn" is a favorite saying of the Boromar Clan. Simply killing an enemy, while removing an obstacle, is an expenditure of resources (Whether paying corrupt Watch members or hiring House Tarkanan killers). The halflings prefer to turn a thorn in their side into an asset, and blackmail is the key. Instead of murdering an enemy, the clan digs up the dirtiest little secrets they can find and hold these secrets over the head of their erstwhile foe. A spotless reputation and absence of ill-doings is no protection from the industrious scam-artists of the Boromar Clan, who are masters at orchestrating a sinister crime and framing their enemy for it. WHen faced with the option of a ruined reputation (or languishing in the Citadel jail) or obeying the Boromar Clan, most poor saps willingly concede to serving at the halflings' pleasure. The Boromars use these dupes to expand their influence and pay a steady stream of gold to keep their ill deeds from coming to light.

RFTLW ch. 1

The Boromar Clan is the most powerful criminal organization in the city of Sharn. From its humble start as a gang of smugglers and thieves, the Boromars have risen to become one of the most influential forces in the city. They have a stranglehold on the smuggling trade and own the majority of the gambling halls in the city, while most of the fences and thieves in Sharn either work directly for the them or pay tribute in exchange for independence. The Boromars control a vast network of extortion, blackmail, and graft that extends throughout the city, and their influence reaches far beyond the criminal underworld. The early Boromar patriarchs invested wisely over the centuries, and today the Boromars are one of the Sixty, the elite tier of Sharn’s aristocracy. The Boromar Clan owns warehouses, taverns, and inns throughout the city, and it has a considerable interest in the shipping trade. A Boromar heir sits on the city council of Sharn, and the current head of the clan is a member of the Gold Concord of the Aurum (described in chapter 4).

As much as some members of the Sharn Council and the Watch would like to see the Boromars disbanded, the syndicate is unlikely to collapse any time soon.

Membership. The core membership of the Boromar Clan—comprising about one in six of its members—is an extended family of halflings descended from immigrants who came to Sharn from the Talenta Plains. Another third of the members are unrelated halflings, and the rest belong to other species. The syndicate employs a wide variety of bookkeepers and administrators as well as burglars, con artists, smugglers, and other criminals. When a situation calls for physical violence, the Boromars usually hire freelancers—members of the Sharn Guard or agents of House Tarkanan. The Boromar family proper has a team of personal bodyguards called the Clawfoots, who are mostly fierce halfling warriors recently relocated from the Talenta Plains. They primarily defend Boromar holdings and headquarters in the halfling district of Little Plains.

Allies. The Boromar Clan has a reputation for omni­potence that makes even the forces of law and order in Sharn hesitant to cross it. It’s far safer to be an ally of the syndicate, or at least to stay out of its way, than it is to be its enemy—and it’s more lucrative to boot. The following groups count themselves among the Boromar Clan’s closest allies:

  • House Jorasco. The head of the Boromar Clan, Saidan Boromar, is married to an unmarked heir of House Jorasco, Mala Boromar d’Jorasco. This marriage has created important ties between the Boromars and the halfling healers of Sharn. Members of the Boromar family can secure healing for free, and other members of the syndicate receive a 10 percent discount at Jorasco houses of healing.
  • Sharn Council. Of the seventeen members of Sharn’s city council, four have close ties to the Boromar Clan—including one, Ilyra Boromar, who reports directly to the head of the syndicate. These four vote as a bloc to ensure that the council doesn’t take direct action against the Boromars, while enough of the other council members fear the syndicate that they tend to carry the vote. A member of the Boromar Clan can call in a favor to secure an audience with one of these councilors, though such does not guarantee aid.
  • Sharn Watch. The Boromars have been bribing captains of the Sharn Watch for generations. What’s more, if the Boromar Clan collapsed, the underworld would erupt in anarchy as dozens of petty crime lords fought for territory and position. As a result, a member of the Boromars can call in a favor to get minor criminal charges dismissed.

Enemies. Despite the Boromar Clan’s position of strength in Sharn, it has many foes, and their unrelenting assaults have put the syndicate in what might be its most precarious position ever. Currently, the following groups pose the greatest threats to Boromar interests:

  • Daask. The monstrous criminal guild called Daask, a pawn of the leaders of Droaam, has started launching violent raids against Boromar holdings over the last two years. A mobile organization using guerrilla tactics, Daask has managed to circumvent Boromar security and avoid serious reprisals for a range of violent thefts and sabotages. Agents of Daask go out of their way to harm up-and-coming Boromar agents.
  • Sharn Council. Despite four friends on the city council, the Boromar Clan has several enemies as well. At least three councilors oppose the Boromars because of genuine concern for their constituents; two more oppose the syndicate because they’re part of rival organizations (the Aurum and the Tyrants). Because of their influence, the council has so far refused to devote any resources to combating the rise of Daask, hoping the monstrous guild will bring down the Boromars. Individual members of the Boromar Clan can be sure that these councilors will oppose any petition they might bring to the council.

Benefits

Assignments. The Boromar Clan doesn’t pay you, but it might assign you to particular tasks. Sometimes these are tasks someone has hired the syndicate to perform (such as an assassination), in which case the syndicate passes 85 percent of the fee on to your group. Other times, your aim is to enrich the syndicate (such as by pulling off a heist), in which case you have the privilege of keeping 85 percent of what you steal. Other syndicates might take more or less than a 15 percent share, at the DM’s discretion.

Contraband. You have access to your syndicate’s “business” of dealing with contraband, such as poisons or narcotics. You don’t receive a discount on these goods, but you can always find someplace to purchase them.

Fences. Members or associates of your syndicate are skilled at disposing of stolen goods, and you have access to this service as well. Fences are useful for selling not just illicit goods but also expensive items such as works of art and even magic items. In the case of magic items, this allows you to delegate the work of finding a buyer (a downtime activity described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) to the fence. The drawback is that you don’t get to choose whether to accept the offer you might receive—the fence makes that call for you.

Immunity. As a member of the Boromar Clan, you are protected from other members of the clan. No one in your syndicate targets you for their own criminal operations. (Of course, the same is expected of you.) On the other hand, if you have rivals within the clan, they might find other ways to interfere with your activities.

Syndicate-Owned Businesses. The Boromar Clan owns several businesses, primarily as fronts for laundering money. When you buy from one of these businesses, you get a 5 percent discount. The DM decides what goods and services are available.

Build Your Group

Naturally, a large portion of the Boromar Clan’s members come from a criminal background. There’s no reason characters with other backgrounds can’t be part of the syndicate, though. The Boromars recruit ex-soldiers as muscle, trained sages for research, sailors to crew smuggling vessels, and charlatans and urchins for their unique talents. Consider some or all of these roles for characters in your party:

Bruiser. Sometimes subtlety means breaking just one of a snitch’s kneecaps. The Bruiser uses force and the threat of force to make sure that the crime syndicate gets what it wants. Strength is a natural prerequisite for the role, but Charisma can also be useful, especially when combined with proficiency in Intimidation to reinforce the danger inherent in the Bruiser’s presence. Plenty of Bruisers have a criminal past, but former soldiers are often recruited into this role as well. Fighters and rogues make natural Bruisers.

Burglar. Agile and nimble, the Burglar relies on Dexterity and proficiency in skills such as Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth to get in to a target location, take valuables, and get out without being noticed. Some Burglars specialize in certain types of theft, such as housebreaking or picking pockets. Besides characters with the criminal background, young urchins often find a place in criminal syndicates by filling this role. Rogues are natural Burglars, but anyone else with the right combination of skills and abilities can do the job.

Mastermind. Somebody has to be the brains of any criminal operation—that’s where the Mastermind comes in. A high Intelligence benefits this character, as does proficiency in skills such as Insight and Investigation. Masterminds often come from backgrounds such as acolyte, noble, or sage, that give them a broad range of knowledge to support their schemes. Bards, rogues, and wizards are often drawn to this role.

Safecracker. The “breaking” part of “breaking and entering” is the Safecracker’s job. A typical Safecracker might have proficiency with thieves’ tools, as well as the Dexterity required to use them expertly. Intelligence can be important for figuring out complicated locks and secret doors. Many Safecrackers also boast a high Strength for those cases where lockpicks fail. Safecrackers often come from criminal backgrounds, but characters with experience using other tools and devices, including guild artisans and even sailors, also fall naturally into this role. Artificer or rogue makes a natural class choice for the Safecracker.

Talker. From con artists to fences, anyone who relies on interpersonal skills and a network of contacts falls into the role of the Talker. Charisma proves useful for this role, along with proficiencies in skills such as Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. The charlatan background is perfect for Talkers, but criminals, urchins, and others can fill the role with the right skills. Bards are a natural fit for the job as well.

January 28th, 2020 January 28th, 2020

Types of Crime

Your work as syndicate members involves more than simple street swindles or pickpocketing. A team with your skills comes together for greater purposes—more dangerous risks and far more splendid rewards. As a group, consider the options on the Syndicate Crimes table and work with your DM to decide what kinds of work you do for the Boromar Clan.

Syndicate Crimes
d6 Crime
1 Acquisitions and Retrieval. Your job is to acquire assets for the syndicate. You might steal important documents or clear out a location for use as a hideout.
2 Heists. You plan and execute elaborate robberies that require the skills of everyone on your team.
3 Gang Warfare. Your primary job is to ensure that no other crime syndicate (such as Daask or House Tarkanan) gains a significant foothold in your territory.
4 Internal Affairs. Your task is to keep all the corrupt, headstrong, and avaricious members of your syndicate in line with the goals and rules of the group.
5 Assassination. Your work involves killing prominent people—the sort who have numerous bodyguards and elaborate security systems to circumvent.
6 Topple the Powerful. Your syndicate might be criminal and your methods illegal, but your goals are righteous. You help people who are powerless to defend themselves against exploitation by the rich and powerful.
January 28th, 2020 July 17th, 2022

Infamy

Even among the notorious Boromar Clan, your group has a distinct identity and a reputation. What’s the event or unique trait that makes your crew stand out? Consult the Group Infamy table for suggestions on how your group might stand out within the larger syndicate.

Group Infamy
d6 Notorious Element
1 Tattoos. Each member of your group has a distinct tattoo that inspires fear in others. When possible, you use the symbol as a calling card to mark your work.
2 Outfit. Whether it is a leather duster with a group symbol or a distinctive handkerchief tucked in your pocket, your gang has a signature accessory.
3 Infamy. Your group is linked to an infamous crime, one that remains the talk of the town.
4 Idols. A certain type of person finds criminals alluring, and your band has acquired a group of such hangers-on. They’re not criminals themselves, just outsiders who admire you for your brutality, cunning, or flair.
5 Legitimate. The Boromar Clan has a legitimate front, though everyone knows the truth behind it. You’re part of that facade of legitimacy, but you have a reputation for getting away with (literal) murder.
6 Legends. You have an air of mystery, and people whisper that you command strange powers. True or not, this reputation keeps people out of your way.
January 28th, 2020 July 17th, 2022

Rival Outfit

Some criminals believe you can’t do a job without betraying your partners. Perhaps you have your own share of adversaries you’ve angered. The Group Rivals table presents a host of groups and individuals who might—legitimately or otherwise—hold a grudge against you.

Group Rivals
d6 Rival
1 The Law. Someone in the Sharn Watch has vowed to put you in prison or die trying.
2 Gang War. Some members of a rival syndicate (such as Daask, House Tarkanan, or the Tyrants) hate you, probably for good reason.
3 The Press. Your group’s adventures make for great headlines. Your every move is reported in the broadsheets and your steps are dogged by journalists.
4 Infighting. Another group within the Boromar Clan is jealous of your success or angry about a past wrong. They do everything they can to undercut you.
5 Vigilante. A citizen you wronged has sworn vengeance. Around any corner, you might find yourself facing a vigilante or a posse of angry citizens out for your blood.
6 The Bosses. The halfling family in control of the syndicate has its eye on you, taking pains to keep you in line and make sure you stay loyal.
January 28th, 2020 July 17th, 2022

Crime Syndicate Contacts

Everyone has a well-defined place in the Boromar Clan hierarchy. You report to a contact who oversees your work, giving you assignments, and collecting the syndicate’s cut. This person might be a criminal mastermind who plans all your exploits, or they could leave the planning to your group. In any case, the Syndicate Contact table can help you define the personality of this contact.

Syndicate Contact
d8 Contact
1 A surrogate parent who views you as challenging but beloved children
2 A no-nonsense boss who treats the syndicate’s work as just another business
3 A hardened criminal with no mercy, no patience, and no moral compass
4 A former urchin, now fabulously wealthy, who wants to see everyone in the syndicate find the same success
5 The boss at a gambling den or similar house of vice who enjoys the business just a little too much
6 A kind-hearted crook who’s grateful to finally be able to delegate the dirty work on the streets to you
7 A miserable cynic who only cares about how much money you bring in to the syndicate
8 A former law enforcement officer who is full of cheerful tips for avoiding the law
January 28th, 2020 July 17th, 2022

Rising from the Last War ch 4

The Boromar Clan began as a family of halfling immigrants from the Talenta Plains. Today the Boromars are one of Sharn’s most influential families; there’s a Boromar on the City Council. Also, the Boromars have close ties by marriage to the local branch of House Jorasco, and clan members can be seen at every Skyway gala.

The Boromar Clan specializes in gambling, theft, and smuggling. In addition, it governs a wide network of lesser gangs and crime lords across the city. In the past, the clan’s reputation was sufficiently strong to prevent any challenges. Over the last decade, however, the Boromars have been fending off a serious challenge from Daask. Those monsters have been aggressively targeting Boromar agents and holdings, and the feud between the two forces grows more heated all the time.

Having a connection to the Boromar Clan makes you part of the established power in Sharn. It’s an organization that values tradition and prefers to avoid violence. As an associate of the clan, you’ll be expected to respect the hierarchy and follow the rules, and you might be targeted by Daask just as if you were a Boromar yourself.

If you have a contact in the Boromar Clan, you might know someone on the Boromar Contacts table.

Boromar Contacts

d6 Contact
1 Sundry (gnome) is a fence who runs a pawn shop in the Bazaar of Dura and has ties to many smugglers, sailors, and burglars.
2 Canon (halfling) is a pickpocket who works across Sharn and is at home throughout the lower districts.
3 The Rake (dwarf) runs a handful of gambling dens and sets odds on the sporting events of Sharn.
4 Myri Olar (halfling) is a burglar and socialite, familiar with many of the mansions of the upper districts.
5 Hass Faldren (half-elf) is a smuggler and the captain of the elemental sloop Ice Storm. Hass is also well connected on the docks and in the warehouse districts.
6 Cala Boromar (halfling) is a lawyer by trade but with specialties in blackmail and intimidation. Cala loves engaging in the art of negotiation and is always interested in acquiring secrets.

The most powerful criminal organization in Sharn started as a family of halfling immigrants from the Talenta Plains. Operating out of its headquarters and key holdings in the Little Plains district of Middle Menthis, the Boromar Clan controls gambling, smuggling, and theft in Sharn. Most of the city’s burglars, pickpockets, and fences either work for or pay tithes to the organization. The Boromar Clan’s network of extortion, bribery, and blackmail extends from Lower Dura to Skyway.

 

The Boromars’ influence extends beyond criminal enterprises into many legitimate circles of power. Ilyra Boromar sits on the city council, and a number of other councilors are close allies of the clan. The family has ties by marriage to House Jorasco. A Boromar attends every Skyway party. The family owns tenements throughout Sharn and invests in shipping, storing both legal goods and contraband in many of the warehouses in Precarious and Cogsgate. In many districts, local officials and Sharn Watch officers have been taking bribes from the Boromars for generations.

The criminal nature of the Boromar Clan is an open secret, and in some districts the Boromars are seen as hometown heroes. They are immigrants who’ve made good, common people who’ve risen to rival the barons and kings. They give the people what they want, whether it’s untaxed gambling, cheap spirits, or dreamlily. The clan operates with a degree of impunity because its operatives adhere to an unspoken rule: whenever possible, criminal acts against individuals should target tourists and travelers. Boromar pickpockets don’t prey on the people they see every day. Instead, they seek out the many strangers who move around the city all the time. The Watch officer who turns a blind eye to a pickpocket thus feels justified, since it’s not the citizens of Sharn that are victimized.

Boromar’s longstanding status at the head of Sharn’s criminal enterprises has recently come under challenge. After nearly a decade of slow growth, the Droaamish mob known as Daask has recently started targeting Boromar holdings. The halfling clan hasn’t faced such a serious threat before, and it’s scrambling to figure out how to deal with Daask’s guerrilla tactics.

Boromar Operations

The Boromar Clan has a hand in all types of crime in Sharn. Most Boromar leaders despise unnecessary violence, but the clan has a host of enforcers and a handful of capable assassins. The clan’s web of extortion is so thoroughly woven into society that many residents simply consider it another form of tax. Boromar specializes in three fields of activity: gambling, smuggling, and thievery.

Gambling isn’t illegal in Sharn, but all legal games are taxed by the Brelish crown and are required to follow regulations that spoil the experience for many. Boromar’s operations are cheaper to participate in and offer the lure of greater profits.

Smuggling has become an increasingly important business since the Last War disrupted many traditional lines of trade. The clan’s primary import is the narcotic called dreamlily. But the Boromars traffic in a wide range of goods, from arcane and alchemical weapons to foreign luxury items that have been made scarce by embargoes and sanctions. Under Boranel’s law, it’s forbidden to sell Aundairian wine in Breland, so if you want the good stuff, you’ll need to work with the Boromars.

Boromar-sanctioned acts of thievery include the activities of the ubiquitous pickpockets that can be found across the city as well as the well-planned jobs of professional burglars. As mentioned earlier, Boromar thieves focus their attention on visitors to Sharn, thus avoiding friction with local law enforcement. When appropriate, stolen goods are transported out of the city by the fences and porters that drive the clan’s smuggling operations.

Boromar Clan NPCs

The Boromar Clan employs people of all races, but most of the organization and nearly all of its inner circle are made up of halflings. Some of the organization’s most important people are these:

  • Saidan Boromar is the current patriarch of the family. He grew up in Lower Dura and worked as a thief and assassin there before taking over the organization.
  • Mala Boromar d’Jorasco is an heir of House Jorasco and the Boromar family matriarch. Her position in the family ensures that important members of the Boromar Clan receive Jorasco healing services at no cost to them; Saidan reimburses Jorasco from the clan’s treasury.
  • Councilor Ilyra Boromar is the eldest daughter of Mala and Saidan and a member of the city council. The Boromars’ enemies on the council have grown bolder in the face of increased Daask attacks against the clan, and some of Ilyra’s influence has eroded as a result.
  • Halak Boromar is the family’s chief enforcer. A recent immigrant from the Talenta Plains, Halak leads the Clawfoots, the Boromars’ personal guard, and is an accomplished warrior.
  • Ilsa Boromar is the family’s leader in Callestan. She is ruthless in protecting her family’s interests.
  • Castar, a gnome, is the lone non-halfling in the Boromars’ inner circle. He serves as Saidan’s chief advisor and the organization’s intelligence expert. The family looks to Castar to come up with a plan to defeat Daask, but so far none of his ideas have worked.

Shady Nightclub

The Boromars control gambling dens and nightclubs throughout Sharn. The finer establishments are places for the Boromar Clan to wine, dine, bribe, and extort the city’s powerful elite. At the other end of the spectrum, the run-down gambling halls and dreamlily dens in the poorer districts are places where those in the employ of the Boromars plan heists, store smuggled goods, hide bodies and wanted criminals, interrogate Daask spies, make good on threats, and unwind.

These places are public and expertly run by the city’s most powerful criminals, so an openly violent approach to problem-solving in such a spot is likely to end in tragedy for the characters. When combat does occur in one of these nightclubs, it’s usually because the instigators have brought enough strength of arms to take on the Boromars.

Shady Nightclub Features

The nightclub shown on map 4.12 could be tied to the Boromar Clan, or it could be any Sharn nightclub you need it to be. Made to accommodate customers from halflings to ogres, the club’s double doorways are 10 feet wide, and its ceilings are 15 feet tall. Hooks, shelves, handrails, and furniture are provided at three different levels and sizes.

The nightclub has three entrances. Two are connected to the outside: a main entrance guarded by a bouncer and a back door that is locked from inside. Another locked entrance is connected to a stair that leads up and down to other levels in the nightclub’s tower.

The club’s main entrance opens into an entry vestibule. The attached cloakroom has a hidden door that leads to a secret room where criminal meetings and illegal activities take place.

The casino floor in the nightclub has tables running games of chance, a bar, and a raised stage. Bathrooms, a kitchen, and private rooms for high-roller games (and more criminal meetings and illegal activities) are accessible from the casino floor.

Boromar’s security and management offices are connected by a hallway to the casino floor, the secret meeting room, and a second secret area used to store illegal contraband or captives. Occupants of both offices can see into these attached areas by way of magic one-way mirrors.

map412_nightclub.jpg

Map 4.12: Nightclub

View Player Version

Shady Nightclub Adventures

The Shady Nightclub Adventures table offers reasons for the characters to enter one of these dangerous places. If the characters have a Boromar patron, that NPC could use a shady nightclub as a base of operations.

Shady Nightclub Adventures

d6 Adventure Goal
1 Get accepted into a private high-stakes card game, and try to win the grand prize.
2 Find out which Sharn Watch captain has a private meeting with a Boromar fence, and steal whatever the captain is buying.
3 Track down a missing noble hunted by assassins.
4 Steal a hidden stash of dreamlily.
5 Broker a deal with the Boromars on behalf of a city councilor who’s too scared to face the family in person.
6 Find evidence that could be used to blackmail a member of a dragonmarked house.

Boromar Villains

With few exceptions, Boromar villains shun violence and would prefer to bribe, deceive, or manipulate the characters rather than send a squad of goons to attack them. That said, any of these villains and their minions will respond in kind if they are attacked or threatened.

Examples of Boromar Clan villains appear on the Boromar Clan Villains table.

Boromar Villains

d6 Villain
1 A halfling dreamlily dealer (an excoriate of House Ghallanda) smooth-talks new customers into sampling her wares. If pressed, she can call in favors from a number of dangerous clients.
2 A judge known as “the Turnkey” always rules in favor of Boromar Clan members.
3 A halfling pickpocket using alter self to pose as a child of another race plants contraband on people the Boromars are trying to frame.
4 A Boromar rogue has kidnapped the child of a strongly anti-Boromar city councilor.
5 A kalashtar psychic serves the clan by detecting thoughts that suggest possibilities for blackmail. What stray thought might they pick up from an adventurer?
6 A Boromar smuggler is bringing unstable explosives or an especially addictive form of dreamlily into Sharn, and innocents are being hurt.

Boromar Clan Campaign Themes

The true power of the Boromar Clan lies in its institutions: watch officers who have been allied to the clan for generations, judges who are blackmailed into compliance, and officials who receive lucrative bribes in exchange for their cooperation. Adventurers who oppose the Boromars might discover that people they think of as friends and allies are in the pocket of the clan. The Boromars are villains in the noir tradition, and adventurers determined to tangle with them will be drawn down into the mud.

The Boromar Clan could serve as a group patron for a party of adventurers, as described in chapter 1. The Boromar Clan Assignments table provides goals for adventurers who are working with the clan, and the ”Crime Syndicate” section of chapter 1 includes additional ideas.

Boromar Clan Assignments

d6 Assignment
1 Find evidence of an affair between two members of different dragonmarked houses.
2 Collect from a fence who is late with a payment.
3 Steal the bank records of a city councilor.
4 Convince a Sharn Watch captain to aggressively root out Daask operatives.
5 Retrieve a package of dreamlily that has gone astray.
6 Discover the location of a Daask safe house.

Boromar Clan Adventure Hooks

The Boromar Clan Adventure Hooks table presents ideas for additional adventures themed around the Boromar Clan.

Boromar Clan Adventure Hooks

d4 Adventure Hook
1 Daask forces capture Boromar family members who are visiting Sharn from the Talenta Plains. The Boromars offer a reward for the safe return of their family and a larger reward for the kidnappers’ heads, leading to gang violence in the streets.
2 A beloved Sharn Watch captain who openly spoke out against the Boromar Clan disappears. The Boromars claim they had nothing to do with it, but some Sharn Watch members use the incident as an excuse to go after the organization.
3 A changeling stole a smuggled artifact of great value from the Boromar Clan. Boromar enforcers shake down people all over Sharn to find it, and clan leaders consider going to war with the Tyrants.
4 The Boromars stage a festival in Callestan for Saidan’s birthday. All of the family’s allies will be there, creating opportunities for espionage and assassination.
January 14th, 2020 July 17th, 2022

Members

Most of the 260 core members of the clan are halflings, many being bookkeepers, administrators, or expert thieves. The clan insulates its inner circle (108 halflings, 32 of which are related to Saiden by blood or marriage) from any criminal liability through echelons of command, fake businesses, and coded messages. Accusations leveled at inner circle Boromars never amount to much more than a few lower-level scapegoats paying for the crime. The clan's best enforcers are the Clawfeet, a band of barbarian/rogue halflings under Halak Boromar's command. Beyond its core members, the clan employs hundreds of unafilliated thieves, money lenders, debt collectors, con artists, and sellswords as well.

June 25th, 2019

Background, Goals, and Dreams

The Boromar Clan seeks to maintain its tradition and dominate over Sharn's underworld. Daask is shaking a foundation that's taken centuries to build. But Saiden and his most loyal among the inner circle understand that true power persists, and while Daask makes waves now, the halflings have their eyes on the future. Saiden's forces can't match Daask one on one, but he is carefully maneuvering pieces in place as he moves toward the absolute elimination of the monsters. In the meantime, he continues to pursue more ways of legitimizing his clan's influence and increasing his political moxy. Respect is everything to the Boromars. They will not rest until the entire population of the city acknowledges their ultimate supremacy over Sharn's underworld.

June 25th, 2019

Enemies and Allies

The Boromars survived hundreds of years on top not by eliminating the competition but rather by assimilating or subordinating them. The halflings are by far the wealthiest of Sharn's crime rings, and they enjoy their success by focusing their efforts on a narrow spread of illicit activities. Drug trade, burglary, smuggling, and extortion are the only areas of crime the halflings care about. To date, the Tyrants' endeavors in prostitution and information gathering has posed no real threat to the Clan, and the Boromar Clan often uses the services of House Tarkanan assassins. At the moment, only Daask poses a serious threat to Boromar power. House Jorasco offers healing to the clan's halfling members, and perhaps more importantly, sometimes denies its services to the Boromars' enemies.

June 25th, 2019 July 17th, 2022

Members

6