The Salt

The Salt is an underground criminal organization that originated in the Berian Empire and quickly grew within the confines of Din’Lux after the return of the Starless Nights. Their operation is economically-focused, primarily profiting from black market sales, counterfeit antiquities, blackmail, bribery, and extortion.

Origins

Many years before the return of the Starless Nights, the Salt began as a local gang earning work as hired protection in and around the seaside capital of the Berian Empire, the Crimson City. With the empire besought with uprisings and conflict—and the rest of the region at war—sea travel through the strait and across the Great Sea was unsafe. Ships were frequently attacked and their goods stolen. The Salt provided their clients with onboard guards, port protection, and armed ship escorts. Though they charged a premium, they were known for being discreet and quite willing to participate in matters outside the law.

The peoples of this region—the Crimson City in particular—were well-known for their superstitions, and rock salt was traditionally used as a form of magical protection when sprinkled around houses or worn as pendants. As the gang grew more known for their services as hired thugs and bodyguards, locals began to refer to them as the Salt—a reliable safeguard and source of protection.

It wasn’t long before the Salt expanded their operation to include other illegal activities. Their most profitable venture was the smuggling of goods across the Great Sea. After several years, their agents spread all the way to the Luminated Alliance, including the great city of Din’Lux.

Symbol

As the Salt grew in numbers, it became necessary for the organization to have a symbol to signify membership and to use as a mark upon goods under their control. The symbol was first meant to be something discreet that didn’t attract attention, but it did not remain secret for long. The Salt grew such a reputation that most who knew its meaning pretended to be ignorant of it. Workers at every port accepted the Salt’s generous bribes and knew to turn the other way whenever goods with such a mark arrived.

The symbol was also crafted into blue coin-sized tokens made from valuable azurite and used as a sign of owed favors by members of the Salt and their clientele.

Because the symbol has become fairly recognizable, members of the Salt have taken to wearing shades of blue so that they might recognize one another on the streets of Din'Lux.

The Moonsickle Company

As the Salt’s organization expanded, it became a well-known name, whispered and recommended through disreputable circles. It quickly gained the attention of a powerful smuggling ring known as the Moonsickle Company, an orcish fleet of ships that controlled trade routes far beyond the Great Sea.

Little is known publicly about the dispute between these two organizations, though the popular account is that the Moonsickle Company, led by the Tuskrippers, first reached out to the Salt with an offer to absorb and expand their operation. Upon refusal of this offer, the Moonsickle Company declared war on the Salt. Even after the return of the Starless Nights, relations between members of the two groups have remained tense. While actual violence has been rumored, the extent is unknown.

In Din’Lux

After the return of the Starless Nights, what was left of the Salt were a group of wharf workers and agents posted at the port in Din'Lux and a scattering of higher level members who happened to be in the city at the time. The small group banded together at first as a means of survival.

Eventually, it became clear that their skills could find many uses in this new, chaotic world. They began with a variety of low-level criminal activities, including highway robbery and residential burglary, before expanding into black market sales, bribery, and extortion.

Through careful organization and planning, the Salt quickly blossomed in Din’Lux and its nearby villages, taking advantage of the discord and havoc brought by the Starless Nights.

Organization

Leadership of the Salt is split equally among three individuals, who are careful to never be seen together in public and primarily communicate through trusted messengers. There are whispers of their identities, but none have been verified. The Hierophant herself has on occasion been accused of having taken up leadership of the Salt after Vath so unceremoniously took over leadership of the city.

The rules of the Salt are strict but few. Loyalty and secrecy are the greatest tenets of the Salt and punishment for not following in line can be severe. The lower tiers of the organization are made up of small pockets of members, each with its own leadership and directives. The groups know little about one another and little about the broader goals of the Salt.

Operations

Much of the Salt’s activities in Din’Lux are centered on the Stumps, where valuable goods and recovered items are brought in by ship. In truth, though, the Salt has a presence in every level of Din’Lux society. For the wealthy and powerful, the Salt traffics in blackmail, extortion, and the sale of goods and antiquities recovered from beyond the city walls as well as strange items left behind by the Darkness.

In the lower parts of the city, the Salt provides protection and financial assistance to new businesses in exchange for a cut of the profits as well as employing several fences who service the many thieves and pickpockets.

Outside Din’Lux, members of the Salt are stationed along roadways to nearby villages, charging a toll for safe passageway. The organization is also prevalent within the villages themselves, using them as a base for riskier operations that are better overseen far from the eyes of city authorities.

The Cult of Altan

The Cult of Altan has in recent years accelerated its plans to take down the city of Din'Lux. The leaders of the Salt keep careful tabs on the Cult's operations. Though they of course do not want to see the world swallowed by the Starless Nights (taking their hard-earned profits with it), the Cult of Altan opened up some unique opportunities for the Salt. On occasion, their goals align and on others, the chaos sown by the Cult provides a useful diversion, helping to distract the authorities from the Salt's illegal activities.

The two groups have, on occasion, worked in conjunction with one another. The Salt, however, is careful to hold the Cult back just enough to prevent them from achieving their ultimate goals. They frequently (and strategically) tip off city leaders and guards regarding the Cult's activities and membership. At other times, they directly confront the Cult when their paths diverge.