Tribes of Shadycreek Run
The collection of rival criminal families known as the Tribes ran Shadycreek Run for nearly a century before losing much of their dominance to violent infighting and internal power struggles. Comprised of the Mardoon family, the Uttolot family, the Trebain family, and the Jagentoth family, the Tribes still control most of the business that transpires in the city as they work against each other in secret. While each family centre is usually comprised of relatives by blood or marriage, their employees are also considered to be "within the family," so long as they remain loyal. The Tribes operate without a unified symbol or banner, and their interests lie in fencing stolen goods, importing and providing vice, and controlling the populace through confusion, intimidation, and fear.
The Mardoon family is a powerhouse of crime within the Greying Wildlands, thanks to its vast network of foreign contacts as well as its prosperous alliance with the Myriad. Known for relentless business acumen and a love of enforceable contracts, the Mardoons would rather shake hands than swing blades. Even so, when contracts are broken, examples must be made, and such circumstances demand a bloody show. The family fortune is made from brothels, jewels, and the slave trade, often specializing in exotic finds from Xorhas and beyond. Leadership is shared between Lord Anselm Mardoon, Kriemhilde Mardoon, Ophelia Mardoon, Demis Mardoon, and Rufus Mardoon.
The Uttolot family rose to prominence through a network of familial trade alliances, making it the foremost importer of goods difficult to find this far north of the empire. It controls the gates through the Quannah Breach, and anyone who passes into or out of the region must pay tolls to the Uttolots, making them a necessary partner to the other families whether they like it or not. They dabble in poaching dangerous beasts and monsters, and often clash with the hunters of the Greytrader Union, a collective of citizens who want to improve life for the people of Shadycreek Run. Unlike the other families, the Uttolots rely on the Grudge Gang of Shadycreek for most of their muscle. Leadership is shared between Lord Milos Uttolot, Mira Uttolot, and Jagoda Uttolot.
The Trebain family is the most covert of the houses, preferring to do its business through intermediaries and hired muscle. It lives beyond the boundaries of the city, deep within the Savalirwood, in a network of homesteads surrounding a stronghold. The Trebain family focuses on controlling hunting grounds and harvesting relics from the Ruins of Molasmyr. The family's interests put it in constant conflict with the Uttolot family and the Greytrader Union. The triangle of animosity between the Uttolots, Trebains, and Greytraders sometimes makes for strange alliances—after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, no matter how temporary that bond might be. Leadership of the family is shared between Lord Darko Trebain, Juraj Trebain, Tatia Trebain, and Zorka Trebain.
The Jagentoth family has earned a reputation for being especially brutal and unforgiving. Its members publicly execute perceived traitors and high-profile competitors, but promise great rewards in exchange for absolute loyalty. The family's most successful business ventures include assassination, cultivating and distributing illicit substances, and slavery (which puts them in direct competition with the Mardoon family). Leadership is shared between Lady Sulia Jagentoth, Reese Jagentoth, Numa Jagentoth, and Ionos Jagentoth.
Public Agenda
Conflict between the families is a constant in Shadycreek Run, but the apparent absence of Myriad activity has given the Tribes a unique opportunity to expand their horizons—and their influence. Lately, the Tribes have occasionally endured each other long enough to embark on joint ventures into the empire to rekindle old alliances with the Myriad.
Some see this age of tenuous cooperation as a chance to escape from the long shadow of the Myriad and stand alongside them as equals, but others fear that forging new bonds with the Myriad will just give it the freedom to destroy the Tribes from within.
Foreign Relations
The Tribes endure each other in order to maintain a level of civility within the otherwise cutthroat streets of Shadycreek Run, but they are each on the lookout for ways to subvert or weaken their opposition and become the city's dominant family.
All members of the Tribes are documented criminals within the empire, with bounties to match. Travel within the borders of Western Wynandir is dangerous for these criminal overlords, but each family has their own connections within the major cities of the empire that enable business.
In the past, the Myriad has oft attempted to subjugate the Tribes, but it has been rebuked time after time. The Tribes are too proud of their well-oiled engine of vice to permit the Myriad to take over. Even though the Tribes are pursuing new alliances with the Myriad, the people of Shadycreek Run fear that conflict between these shady powers is inevitable.
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Capital
Government System
Tribalism
Controlled Territories
Notable Members