The Quiet Ones
Scampering in the early dawn light. The hooded figure scurries along the walk of the second ring, just above the ground level. Another is doing the same below. They slip small pouches of food into the cloth bags set outside of doors. They have been blessed with silence and are accompanied by spirits of sleep and confusion. The few mortals see mist or doze off. The Half Dead and Vampires are warned against and their perceptions clouded. This is one of the missions of the Quiet Ones. The Runners.
Structure
The Quiet Ones have several wings.
- The Outside Wing: These are initiates and those interested in helping the communities and opposition to the Lords. The Listeners who gather information for the Ears. The Givers carry out delivery of goods in answer to "prayers" and appeals. A few coin here. A pouch of food there. They whisper the words 'You are seen." or "You are heard". They are given their missions by the Eyes. After a year of initiate missions they may be advanced to Lesser Eye or Ear. The lessers may be given teaching or other jobs. They also gain a tattoo of a winged pouch. If advanced they get the Eye or Ear, rarely both. If they have proven themselves, they may gain opportunity for the stylized rat tattoo.
- The Inner Wing: Tattooed in the inner side of arm or leg with a centipede in blue. These are the hundred feet. They are the bosses of work or bully juvenile gangs who report to Rats. They spot the skilled thief or fighter for the criminal gangs who get the black uncolored centipede. Red centipedes are unreliable and remain petty criminals. If they can work reliably for the organization they become Green Centipedes and are moved into jobs and positions in the city and the sectors. Here they meet the Rats where they may be selected for the deeper organization and the rat tattoo.
- Rats: These are the official Quiet Ones. They have seen the lesser activities. They see the network and may chose to move up in rebellion (become a rat), change place or withdraw. They may be fighters, thieves, administrators or skilled laborers. If they have trouble they can be moved to different sectors. If they have proven loyal, they will be tested by a priest or the commander who have powers that compel the truth. They gain the rat tattoo. Some may vanish into the Lair or work outside. These are Ears and Eyes coordinators, the runners on special delivery missions with magical aid, the ones who handle threats that can be made to vanish or spirits encouraged to create accidents. Of the Lords, only Heteraki and Infernals have much lore of spirits. Heteraki deal in ghosts and Po while Infernals mostly deal with Banes and Manitou.
Education
The clandestine meetings are schooling for the children of the commons. Such a thing is considered wasted on them by the nobles and pointless by the Lords - excepting apprenticeship for essential and valued skills. The Quiet Ones teach letters and numbers to children and philosophy and history, a thing almost unknown except to the lords.
Promising students may be suggested to The Guild, which is the secret order of teachers. All teachers have another official job or position. The common people mostly think well and kindly of the teachers and try to protect and hide them.
The trouble makers can either join the Dhampir's gangs or the "rabble" gangs or "rab". The Rab are not just territorial and bullies but are also training and recruiting. By 12 or 13 children are expected to be out of the paths and yards and in apprenticeship. Gang members may delay that to 16, especially if under a Sheriff. The Rab learn to thieve small things from the mills and shipwrights. They advance to dealing in clandestine goods. Attitude against the Nobles and Lords is encouraged. They also discourage squeelers who may suffer injuries as warning, suffer accidents or find themselves in life threatening positions with Mages or facing giant rats, ghouls or even a Risen that may have somehow found it's way in.
Promising students may be suggested to The Guild, which is the secret order of teachers. All teachers have another official job or position. The common people mostly think well and kindly of the teachers and try to protect and hide them.
The trouble makers can either join the Dhampir's gangs or the "rabble" gangs or "rab". The Rab are not just territorial and bullies but are also training and recruiting. By 12 or 13 children are expected to be out of the paths and yards and in apprenticeship. Gang members may delay that to 16, especially if under a Sheriff. The Rab learn to thieve small things from the mills and shipwrights. They advance to dealing in clandestine goods. Attitude against the Nobles and Lords is encouraged. They also discourage squeelers who may suffer injuries as warning, suffer accidents or find themselves in life threatening positions with Mages or facing giant rats, ghouls or even a Risen that may have somehow found it's way in.
Leader
Location
Notable Members
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