The Clock

"You could run, but there's nowhere you could go where they can't find you. You could hide, but there's no escaping their sight. You could try to fight but you'd already be dead by the time that thought of resistance crossed your mind, and no one would ever even hear you scream. If you had plans for the future my friend, forget them - you messed with the Clock, and now your time is running out."

— From a bloodstained letter found upon an identifiable corpse

On the streets of Sien things are never as pretty as they look on the surface, and behind the brass and stone lies a past of blood and gold. The Clock has existed in one form or another for as long as Sien has stood, even before the city developed into a kingdom with vast influence and wealth. In the early days of the City of Invention's life, a group known only as the Ock Syndicate made their presence known. While little is known about the extent of their activities it is believed they had an extensive smuggling ring and may have even played a role in the downfall of The Lisun Empire. Either way, the Ock Syndicate developed into the Clock and quickly established itself into the history and culture of Sien, and likely were a major part in the city growing its reputation as one of assassins and intrigue.

What do they do?

The Clock commits their crimes for one overall purpose of gaining power and wealth for themselves, this means that while primarily they are hired or paid by outside forces they will still pursue their own jobs for themselves on the side. The range of these jobs can vary wildly as the Clock engages in smuggling, kidnapping, blackmailing, extortion, sabotage and the staple of their reputation, assassinations.
It's often said it's not a true Siennian business meeting if there isn't some form of subterfuge going on, and the political mess of the city means that it's exceptionally hard for the higher echelons of society to maintain their position without dipping their fingers into some unsavoury pies and the Clock is usually their answer to such things.

Who are they?

The ranks of the Clock are said to be all drawn from middle-class families and above, the Inner Circle actually sneering and turning away lower-class individuals looking to work with them. This is in part why the Clock feud with the Road, a group of smugglers and thieves comprised of the destitute and disadvantaged. The rivalry between the two groups is not merely competition but classism as well.
While many of the Clock maintain the appearance of having more 'conventional' careers or use the organisation to further their other jobs and vice versa, the members that do a lot of the dirty work tend to be people who are disconnected from their family and other ties some way. In some cases individuals may seem to simply disappear, and it's unclear whether they were a target of the Clock, or one of its newest members.

What do they use?

While it's unlikely for a Clock member to be identified just walking down the street, there are some items that are commonly or semi-commonly utilised by individuals of the organisation. Shadowglass daggers are a mainstay of assassins who have a few good jobs under their belt. Clockwork Rings are another item members of the Clock enjoy having on them, a brass ring resembling a dragon coiled around a finger. The dragon is actually a tiny construct, and can be instructed to pick locks. Aside from these, some may carry small guns or protective magic items; while these may be odd items to those outside Sien, these items won't raise any eyebrows amongst Siennians.
What would draw attention is the contents of any bottles of poison one might carry. Notably the Clock seem quite fond of the poison Midnight Tears, which has no averse affects on the victim until the stroke of midnight, and Xill Venom, which paralyzes its victims.

Structure

With the Clocks secretive reputation no-one outside the group really knows for certain how it is run. It seems sometimes that merely mentioning their name is enough to call upon their eyes, that they are ever-present and acting in strictly co-ordinated unison that should be almost impossible. Yet plans do fall through occasionally, and intelligence of the Siennian Watch seems to imply the Clock is headed by a core group of unknown individuals, known only as the Inner Circle.
It is assumed this Circle processes requests, makes plans and delegates jobs to lower members, with the lowest only taking on the role as guards or general thugs for the syndicate. The exact division of labour within the group is unknown, and the groups exact size is also unknown. It seems the Clock deliberately aim to keep an appearance of being capable of striking anywhere throughout the kingdom, and thus could appear far larger than they actually are, though the reverse could just as easily be true.

"We can demonise those criminals all you like, at the end of the day the only reason they've survived this long and continue to grow is because we the people keep relying on them and enabling them. As long as we have people in power stooping to this game of backstabbing and betrayal - the Clock will remain."

Founding Date

Early 3E

Type

Illicit, Syndicate

Location

Sien

Related Ethnicities

• Siennian

---

Reputation

The Clock is quite proud of the fear its very name strikes into the heart of Sien's citizens, and they work quite hard to maintain their current standing. It's not unheard of for them to do public assassinations, leave threatening letters and warnings, or commit other brash acts that risk potential exposure of the involved just to add to their menacing reputation, and keep that fear ever-present within the community. Reputation alone can be enough to make guards turn a blind eye to a suspicious individual, as no one wants to risk their families and livelihoods. This, however, does not mean the Clock runs the city. While they have considerable influence, several raids and crackdowns have occurred over the years that do leave the syndicate significantly weakened, but the Clock always returns.

The War Effort

It is rumoured that some Siennian nobles have attempted to hire the Clock for jobs that would aid them in the effort against Cebran. There has been no formal confirmation of this fact, and Cebran lies far outside the Clocks normal operating radius. However, as desperation increases some nobles have been actually willing to suggest the idea of hiring the Clock officially to King Antonio Averett. Though His Majesty's response is recorded as being dismissive, he may have little choice if the war does not go in his country's favour.

The Punishment

In the case that a Clock member finds themselves unable to escape or convince the law to release them, they will find themselves executed after questioning, perhaps offered life in jail instead if they provide valuable information. Those caught hiring the Clock face a fine based on the act they were paying for, in addition to serving jail time up to a maximum of 7 years. However, imprisoned Clock members are often found dead in their cells before they can give up information, typically from some fast-acting poison.