Gangs

In Seregon, criminal gangs operate in the shadows, often beneath the notice of the more powerful and established thieves guilds like the Seven Sins and the Bargemasters Guild. These gangs serve as breeding grounds for potential guild members or are eventually absorbed into the guilds if they prove their worth. It's understood that even the lowest level Seven Sins member can scuttle any gang caper with just a word. It's not uncommon for a protected citizen to have their stolen property returned with an apology from a gang member. Gangs are also sacrificial, when necessary. If a gang can't un-do an unacceptable caper, it's like the guilds will turn on them. Stay in the shadows, eat your crumbs, don't draw attention.

Below are two criminal gangs for each of the six districts, detailing their activities and how they manage to coexist without crossing into the territories of the larger guilds.

Kerkhof Ferry District

1. Undertakers

   • Activities: The Undertakers specialize in body disposal and clandestine burials, particularly in the Old Necropolis. They offer discreet services to those needing to hide evidence of a crime, such as murder or illegal experiments. They also have a side business in harvesting and selling organs and alchemical components from the deceased to interested parties, such as necromancers or alchemists.
   • Guild Relations: Their focus on the dead and their macabre services keep them out of the more traditional crime businesses of the guilds, making them useful for occasional discreet jobs that the guilds don’t want to be directly involved in.

2. River Rats

   • Activities: This gang operates small-time river piracy, targeting unprotected or poorly guarded river traffic. They hijack shipments of goods that aren’t of high enough value to attract the attention of major smuggling operations but are still profitable enough to sustain their gang. They also dabble in low-level extortion of riverside merchants.
   • Guild Relations: The River Rats carefully avoid interfering with the more significant smuggling and protection rackets of the guilds. They know their place, staying small enough to avoid becoming a nuisance to the guilds, but large enough to be a minor player in the district.

Harbour District

1. Barnacle Boys

   • Activities: The Barnacle Boys are experts in scavenging and salvaging from shipwrecks and abandoned vessels. They often sneak aboard docked ships to strip them of anything of value, focusing on ships that have been impounded or left unattended for long periods. They also have a side hustle in scrapping old ships, selling the materials to local shipbuilders.
   • Guild Relations: Their work is too small-scale and specialized to draw ire from the larger guilds. They’re also known to occasionally tip off the guilds to particularly valuable finds in exchange for protection.

2. Dockside Delvers

   • Activities: This gang runs a black-market auction house for stolen maritime goods, including maps, ship plans, and rare nautical artifacts. They cater to a niche market of collectors, adventurers, and rival merchants looking for an edge. They also deal in illegal diving expeditions to recover sunken treasures.
   • Guild Relations: The Delvers operate in a gray area that doesn’t directly conflict with the guilds’ larger operations. They often collaborate with other small-time criminals and stay off the radar of the more prominent players by keeping their dealings quiet and selective.

Upper District

1. Lampblacks

   • Activities: The Lampblacks engage in high-end burglary and theft from the wealthy estates and government buildings in the Upper District. They specialize in bypassing magical wards and traps, stealing valuable documents, art, and heirlooms. They sell their stolen goods discreetly through a network of fences, many of whom are former nobility.
   • Guild Relations: By focusing exclusively on high-risk, high-reward targets that the guilds usually avoid, the Lampblacks avoid stepping on the guilds' toes. They also occasionally sell particularly sensitive information to the guilds, fostering a fragile alliance.

2. Gilded Hands

   • Activities: The Gilded Hands are involved in forgery and counterfeiting, producing fake legal documents, noble credentials, and rare currency. They also have a side business in art forgery, creating replicas of famous paintings and sculptures for wealthy clients who can’t afford or locate the originals.
   • Guild Relations: Their specialized services in forgery are valued by the guilds when they need discreet, high-quality work done. The Gilded Hands ensure they never sell fake guild documents, keeping them in good standing with the larger organizations.

Starfire Hill District

1. Shadowtail Circle

   • Activities: This gang is known for discreetly arranging and executing blackmail schemes against the district's wealthy residents. They gather incriminating information, often using the district’s luxurious establishments as hunting grounds. They also facilitate discreet meetings and transactions between powerful individuals who prefer to stay out of the public eye.
   • Guild Relations: Their focus on high-society blackmail keeps them in a different lane from the guilds, and they often act as intermediaries for the guilds when dealing with the upper class, ensuring that they remain tolerated.

2. Ivory Masks

   • Activities: The Ivory Masks specialize in hosting and organizing exclusive, secretive masquerade balls where illicit deals are made, and darker pleasures are indulged. These events are invitation-only, often attended by the rich and powerful seeking anonymity while engaging in illegal or immoral activities.
   • Guild Relations: The Ivory Masks’ ability to keep secrets and maintain discretion makes them invaluable to the guilds, who occasionally use these events to meet with clients or rivals away from prying eyes.

Old Knot District

1. Ironmongers

   • Activities: The Ironmongers run a protection racket specifically for the district’s numerous blacksmiths, metalworkers, and artisans. They also engage in illegal arms manufacturing, producing weapons and armor that are either too experimental or dangerous to be made legally. They sell these items to mercenaries, adventurers, and occasionally to the guilds.
   • Guild Relations: Their focus on the blacksmithing trade keeps them out of the guilds' broader protection and smuggling operations, making them a low-priority target. They occasionally provide the guilds with specialized weaponry, keeping relations smooth.

2. Emberhearts

   • Activities: The Emberhearts are arsonists for hire, specializing in burning down buildings to cover up crimes, settle scores, or collect insurance payouts. They also run a lucrative fire insurance scam, where they offer to "protect" businesses from mysterious fires—for a price.
   • Guild Relations: The guilds find the Emberhearts' services useful for dealing with rivals or troublesome businesses. The Emberhearts ensure they don’t target businesses under guild protection, maintaining a careful balance.

Westerpark District

1. Sable Scholars

   • Activities: This gang of rogue academics and expelled students engages in illegal research and the trafficking of forbidden knowledge. They run an underground library and sell rare, often dangerous, tomes and scrolls to those willing to pay. They also offer tutoring in dark arts and illegal spellcasting techniques.
   • Guild Relations: The Sable Scholars’ focus on academia and magic doesn’t conflict with the guilds’ primary interests, and their knowledge can be valuable to the guilds for specialized jobs. They maintain a low profile, operating in the shadows of the district’s many colleges and academies.

2. Veilbreakers

   • Activities: The Veilbreakers are involved in illegal summoning rituals and the binding of spirits, demons, and other supernatural entities. They perform these services for clients who want to harness supernatural power or get rid of spiritual enemies. They also dabble in necromancy, offering resurrection services and the creation of undead minions.
   • Guild Relations: Their activities are too niche and esoteric to bother the guilds, and the Veilbreakers occasionally work with the guilds on supernatural matters that require specialized knowledge, ensuring a degree of mutual respect.

Here are 10 third-level rogue builds that are members of various Seregon gangs, blending jungle survival skills with social expertise to thrive in both the city and the wilderness. Each build is tailored to their gang’s activities and offers a mix of stealth, trickery, and role-playing opportunities.

1. Rogue of the Undertakers (Mastermind)

• Gang: Undertakers (Kerkhof Ferry District)
• Abilities: The Mastermind subclass allows this rogue to excel in social interactions with criminals and clients. With Insight and Deception proficiencies, they can negotiate body disposal deals or run alchemical side businesses.
• Jungle Role: Using Disguise Kit and Thieves' Tools, they cover their tracks in the jungle, and Master of Tactics lets them assist allies during secret burials or organ harvesting in dangerous locales.
• Social Role: In urban environments, they act as intermediaries in the body disposal business, engaging in clandestine conversations with necromancers or guild clients.

2. Rogue of the River Rats (Swashbuckler)

• Gang: River Rats (Kerkhof Ferry District)
• Abilities: The Swashbuckler excels in agility and charisma, perfect for hijacking river shipments and navigating social waters. Fancy Footwork allows quick escapes during ambushes on river traffic.
• Jungle Role: Their agility and speed make them adept at moving through jungle riverways, quickly getting in and out of combat with finesse.
• Social Role: In town, they excel at charming riverside merchants or extorting them for information, blending combat prowess with charisma.

3. Rogue of the Barnacle Boys (Scout)

• Gang: Barnacle Boys (Harbour District)
• Abilities: The Scout subclass gives this rogue survival skills like Skirmisher and Survival proficiency, making them excellent at scavenging and exploration.
• Jungle Role: They are skilled at navigating through shipwrecks in dense jungle swamps, using Cunning Action to move quickly and Expertise in Perception to spot hidden dangers.
• Social Role: In urban settings, they are information brokers, tipping off guilds and negotiating deals for valuable shipwrecks, using Scout abilities to stay ahead of rivals.

4. Rogue of the Dockside Delvers (Thief)

• Gang: Dockside Delvers (Harbour District)
• Abilities: The Thief subclass excels at stealing and selling maritime treasures. Fast Hands and Second-Story Work are ideal for sneaking onto ships and reclaiming valuable artifacts.
• Jungle Role: The Thief's quick climbing ability and stealth make them useful for scaling cliffs or ruins to recover treasures hidden deep within the jungle.
• Social Role: They can blend into black-market auctions, using Sleight of Hand and Deception to move stolen goods discreetly and arrange illicit diving expeditions.

5. Rogue of the Lampblacks (Arcane Trickster)

• Gang: Lampblacks (Upper District)
• Abilities: Arcane Tricksters blend magic and stealth to bypass magical traps and wards during high-end burglaries. They use spells like Mage Hand and Disguise Self for theft and infiltration.
• Jungle Role: In jungles, their magic helps them manipulate environments, scout, and avoid detection while exploring ancient ruins or evading predators.
• Social Role: In town, they operate among the elite, using Charm Person and Deception to gain access to high-society parties and steal valuable information or goods.

6. Rogue of the Gilded Hands (Inquisitive)

• Gang: Gilded Hands (Upper District)
• Abilities: The Inquisitive rogue is perfect for uncovering secrets, with abilities like Eye for Detail and Insightful Fighting to expose forgeries and spot liars.
• Jungle Role: In the jungle, their keen eye helps them track prey, decipher hidden clues, or expose counterfeit maps or supplies in an expedition.
• Social Role: In urban environments, they excel at forgeries and high-stakes negotiations, navigating upper-class circles with their ability to read people and subtly manipulate outcomes.

7. Rogue of the Shadowtail Circle (Mastermind)

• Gang: Shadowtail Circle (Starfire Hill District)
• Abilities: The Mastermind rogue is perfect for orchestrating blackmail schemes, using Master of Tactics and Insight to manipulate targets discreetly.
• Jungle Role: Their strategic mind allows them to plan ambushes in the jungle, using their team coordination to outwit both enemies and wildlife.
• Social Role: In the city, they specialize in blackmail and backroom deals, working behind the scenes in Seregon’s high-society scandals.

8. Rogue of the Ivory Masks (Assassin)

• Gang: Ivory Masks (Starfire Hill District)
• Abilities: Assassins thrive on secrecy and deadly precision. With Assassinate and Infiltration Expertise, they are perfect for discreet assassinations during secret masquerade balls.
• Jungle Role: They are adept at silently eliminating threats in the jungle, setting up ambushes or carrying out swift kills when needed.
• Social Role: In town, they play the role of a masked attendee at exclusive parties, using stealth and social finesse to eliminate targets without raising suspicion.

9. Rogue of the Sable Scholars (Arcane Trickster)

• Gang: Sable Scholars (Westerpark District)
• Abilities: The Arcane Trickster rogue blends arcane knowledge and thievery, with spells like Detect Magic and Disguise Self helping them navigate the illegal research and forbidden knowledge trades.
• Jungle Role: Their magical abilities make them invaluable for casting protective spells or identifying magical anomalies in jungle ruins.
• Social Role: In Seregon, they sell dark knowledge and rare scrolls to those interested in dangerous magical experiments, using magic to avoid detection by authorities.

10. Rogue of the Veilbreakers (Phantom)

• Gang: Veilbreakers (Westerpark District)
• Abilities: The Phantom subclass is deeply tied to death, with abilities like Whispers of the Dead and Wails from the Grave allowing them to commune with spirits and command supernatural power.
• Jungle Role: Their connection to the dead helps them in the jungle when dealing with ancient spirits, undead threats, or uncovering lost tombs.
• Social Role: In town, they perform illegal necromantic rituals and help clients summon or banish spirits, making them valuable for supernatural consultations and ghostly interrogations.

These rogue builds provide a wide variety of skills and specialties, making them useful both in the dangerous jungles outside Seregon and the shadowy underworld within the city. Each is tailored to the unique needs and activities of their gang, balancing combat, stealth, and social interaction.