Skudrunners

Since the dawn of civilization, cities have proved to be both its greatest boon and its greatest ill. Cities provide a locale for one to attain every need; from shelter to community to self esteem. For the select few a unique experience known as self-actualisation can be realized, a true enlightenment. However, a city also provides a perversion to all these needs. Communal ridicule, cheap access to intimacy, the spreading of diseases and crime as well as the contamination of food and water. To this end Arbor is no different.
When the perversion of city life takes route a class of citizen immerges; the beggar. For some reason life hands them a bad card and they are forced to wander the streets, hoping for some soul to pity them. But in Arbor, even pity is a currency, who’s golden coin is now tainted by the cruel march of commerce. Enter the Skudrunners.
To the untrained eye a humble beggar prostrating themselves is a normal sight. However in reality they are a member of a vast and informal network of beggars, troubadours, guttersnipes, pickpockets and urchins. All of whom set on scraping whatever they can from the naive denizens of Arbor. Using masterful plans they document their targets, assigning a value to them and ensuring that at some point in their day they relent. Either through pity of the beggar, entertainment from the troubadour, harassment by the guttersnipe or theft by the pickpocket; one way or another they will get their tithe.
Yet why does one become a member? In a city where one’s most basic needs are met by the Great Tree how does one succumb to squalor? In reality it is by choice… Efforts have been made by sociologists and concerned denizens to understand their mindset but many come back empty handed. Every beggar has their own reason for begging: laziness, community, enlightenment are all common reasons, some even make mention of being embraced by a set of hands that are both warm and cold… Regardless, those few scholars that cared to indulge them have been left stumped. Is it a sentient mage hand or Bigby’s hand that caressed these people? Or is it something else like a Memoria intra objectum?
An important distinction must be made at this time, not every beggar is a Skudrunner, but every Skudrunner is some kind of beggar. Those that join the organization all share an open secret, they have been touched by the Warm and Cold hands and can be identified by them wearing a single glove.

“It comes as a calling to be honest, like a voice whispering just behind your ear. No matter how fast you turn you’re always unable to catch it. Eventually you’ll feel it; the warm yet icy embrace of a set of hands clasping your ears.It’ll call to you like a teacher, like some philosophical elder… Do not live off the tree, live off those who feed on it… I heed its call in hopes of once again feeling its comfort. I know others heed it simply because it's provided them purpose” -Agrippa the tramp, alleged former member of the The Order of the Fallen Leaves

Public Agenda

Publically the Skudrunners are nothing more than an organization of the downtrodden. Though to those in the know they are a valuable asset, it is an open secret that the Skudrunners possess a great degree of intrigue within the city. Having agents on every street corner makes for a valuable surveillance network. In turn the Skudrunners are an integral ally to those seeking covert information, for a fee that is. Though this does come with its risks, the Skudrunners hold no allegiance and covert information can quickly turn to blackmail should someone make a better offer. Which is why some consider them to be more of a force of nature or rogue actor rather than an actual organization.

Public Perception

Lower Class

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Despite making up the lowest of the low they are generally despised by the lower classes. To them it doesn’t make sense that someone would resort to begging when the Tree provides so much. In addition they seem to be more aware of the tactics employed by the Skudrunners and know it's often easier just to pay a troubadour than to intimidate a guttersnipe. This has often led to bars and other establishments hiring Troubadours as entertainment or guttersnipes as bouncers to ensure their patrons and themselves aren’t harassed by beggars or pickpockets. Beggars that have not felt the touch of the Warm and Cold Hands view members as enlightened or mystical and desperately try to find the Hand’s embrace. This desperation often worsens any underlying mental health issues. At the same time a degree of bitterness has developed in some beggars who envy the organization

Middle Class

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The middle classes seem to be the most ignorant of the Skudrunners and are typically the easiest to exploit. Naivety is a powerful tool exploited by Skudrunners and they make good use of it here. Due to the increased Green Cloak protection it is not uncommon for the Skudrunners to willingly anger them so as to be publicly beaten or harassed. This display is often an effective tactic in inciting pity and has created a subclass of beggars known as busters.

Upper Class

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Due to the prestige of their class it is often difficult to actually gain access to a member of this echelon. By and large the Skudrunners are seldom seen by the upper classes and are more or less a concept to them. When they do encounter a member they either instill pity or disgust depending on the regality of the person. Regardless, the Skudrunners do sometimes target the Upper Classes, though mostly it is for surveillance and espionage as opposed to actually stealing from them.

History

Known only to a select few, the Warm and Cold hands felt by members of the Skudrunners is in fact a Memoria. The circumstances that cause this to occur is unknown but the incident is so compelling for some that they seek to give up whatever lives they had before. The Memoria is most common for those in the lower classes but cases have occurred when members of the upper classes forsook their position. Its occurrence most commonly takes the form of a set of hands clasping one's ears, and faint whisperings whose wording is different every time. One hand is warm and it is always the person's dominant hand, the other is cold. The whisperings usually make mention of the Tree and instruct the person not to live off of it, but rather to live off those who do. The significance of these words is so compelling that the person in question seeks out the Skudrunners to attain enlightenment or some other form of self-actualization.
No one knows when the Skudrunners first came to be but it is likely when steam power became commonplace. The rampant advance of society left many behind and the population of the downtrodden exploded.

Attire/Common Garb/ Quirks

Members of the Skudrunners always wear one glove on their dominant hand. This is used to signal that they have been touched by the Warm and Cold hand, with the dominant hand symbolically being warmed by the glove. In terms of other garb they are free to wear whatever they like; discarded clothes, rags or even nothing at all. Troubadours have the best fashion sense however, top hats, damaged suits, broken pocket watches all herald their superior rank.
Due to the nature of their living conditions it is not uncommon for members to possess the ills that come with homelessness. Depression, Schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, paranoia and substance abuse disorders all plague its members. Though the sense of community offered by the Skudrunners seems to alleviate the worst of these symptoms for some. Common biological afflictions that affect its members include tuberculosis, syphilis and hepatitis.

Structure and Hierarchy

Beggar

Beggars serve as the lowest rung of Skudrunner members. Their role is to act as the first contact point for a potential target by attempting to instill a sense of pity within them. Prostration, crying, and exposing oneself are all employed tactics. In addition some beggars even scar themselves so as to appear more desperate, some willingly have their limbs or eyes removed so as to appear even more destitute. Their secondary role is to serve as surveillance and to identify potential targets but also to document important events, especially those that can be used as blackmail

Buster

This is a subset of beggars that employs the Green Cloak for their acts. These beggars have distinct battle scars such as broken noses and busted jaws from which the name is derived. The use of the title is so commonplace that even the Green Cloak refer to rowdy beggars as buster as a warning. “Watch it buster!” holds a sinister warning given this context. Common tactics employed include shouting, public defecation and urination, drunkenness, rowdiness, destruction of property and affray, with the express purpose of angering the Green Cloaks. An “innocent” beggar being beaten up by police is a good way to inspire pity.

Troubadour

These are the hard done by and failed musicians and comedians that make up the ranks of the Skudrunners. They are by far the most respected members within the organization and are directly responsible for managing all the other ranks. Money obtained through begging, stealing and mugging is collected and managed by a Troubadour and then distributed among the members equally. This degree of local distribution often leads some to incorrectly assume that Skudrunners are in fact a local network. In reality the Troubadour’s have higher masters that mastermind and manage the network.

Guttersnipe

These members make up the muscle within the group. They are directly responsible for mugging and harassing targets that refuse to pay. They work closely with Pickpockets and are often used as distractions and decoy’s for more sophisticated plans. They are usually employed in cohorts so as to overwhelm targets. Tactics include harassment, intimidation, petition requests, crying wolf and blackmail. Petitions are a recent innovation within the tactics as due to the rise in social consciousness the guttersnipes realized that requesting opinions is a good way to not only distract a target but also to gather their personal information. This information is sold onto interested parties such as debt collectors, criminal gangs and The Silver Council should they seek to conduct a census. Street children and adults alike make up the ranks and they are granted a great degree of freedom when acting on orders. To the untrained eye they may appear as urchins but in reality they hold a sinister purpose. Sometimes a Guttersnipe runs a network, in this instance they are known as a “Bubba” and are usually the biggest within the network.

Pickpocket

These are the lone wolves within a network and are responsible for covertly stealing from targets. Either they act alone or are under the decoy of a guttersnipe. When employed there is usually a specific object on the target’s body that they are tasked to steal, such as a watch or wallet. The amount to be stolen is always larger than the initial amount set for the target and is meant to serve as an extra tax for those that did not heed earlier attempts. Pickpockets are also employed as spies when the operation requires is

Notable people

Bubba Jones: A brutal guttersnipe that runs a network within the lower districts. If any establishments make use of Guttersnipes it's a good chance they report to him. Despite his squalor he is morbidly overweight and requires the aid of a cart to move around. Despite his brutal nature he exudes a calm and friendly demeanor to those in his service. To those in the know he is an absolute pleasure to work with, but an absolute nightmare when he’s not on your side.
Talentless Jack: This Troubadour is essentially a talent agent for other troubadours. As the name suggests he is a terrible performer but this is in fact by design. As part of his contract he is required to be the opening act for the main talent, by playing so terribly he actually serves as a hype man for the main act and elevates their performance. Personality wise he is approachable and friendly but exhibits a tired smile. Those with enough insight will discern this as a coping mechanism for his stress, as being booed off stage hasn’t done wonders for him. Some within the Skudrunners call him the Troubadour Buster, given that his role is to be booed off stage, which is akin to inciting Green Cloak reprisals like a Buster does.
Silent Jenny: She is a pickpocket based in the middle class districts that has a knack for stealing from The Green Cloaks. She employs a great deal of Busters in her ranks to serve as distractions. From this she has amassed a great deal of Green Cloak attire and her goons often impersonate Green Cloak to fulfill their tithe by intimidating targets. In addition her attire collection grants her the unique ability to gather intrigue on the Green Cloak which serves as another revenue stream. It is important to note that every member of her network are females and they all go by the name Jenny. No one actually knows who the real Jenny, including those within the network, but the cult of personality that she commands is so strong that every members believes themselves to be the real Jenny

Type

Illicit, Gang