Chocolate Cartel

Overview

The Chocolate Cartel is that what spawnes when prices rise, armies march and provisions run empty. In this case it was the underground organisation which started to steal and "organise" boxes, bags, bars or cups of chocolate or the beans. Some in smaller, some in larger quantity but everytime so sneaky and unobtrusive that it wasn't that obvious.

Obviously the Cartel could also dictate prices like the Desertwalkers, but they were mostly beneath the prices the merchant guild asked. Which was still a relatively high amount of coin. In some areas one can even buy whole cakes when one is fast.

It is a false statement that the Cartel is one of Pisocenias organisations. It is decentralised and operates in smaller scales so if they are going to be detected only a small cell of the Cartel goes down and not the entire organisation.

Organisation

The organisation of the Cartel is simple from the inside and complicated from the outside. There are the two leaders guarded by four bodyguards - right now two Dragonborn and an Orc couple - and supported by two other Dragonborn as their accountants.

Then they have four so called "runners" which are basically very fast running messengers. Besides that there are only the other members who are just that: members, blue-collar workers, streetrats. People who can archieve, procure and distribute things.

Starting from here the organisation leaders decide where they want to have cells; small outposts which report to the main cell. Those have a Supervisor, one or two Dragonborn for the accounting (written numbers and orders are treacherous), the occasionally runners and around two dozen members.

At the peak of their might during the Chocolate War they had twenty fully-fleded out cells around the continent, in some larger cities sometimes even two cells.

Tasks

Well, the tasks of the Chocolate Cartel are simple: procure and sell everything which is too exclusively for the normal citizen or just reserved for royal / nobel households. Sometimes it is just a different flavour of chocolate which a café or restaurant needs or wants. Other times it is a noble house which wants the beans or the flavour from another house or from a specific shipment.

Everything is possible in here. Even procuring an entire assortment of cakes for an event.

Underground

There is no secret handshake, only whispered words, connections and knowing where to look. The Cartel procured old warehouses, basements, some wine cellars and in one case an entire abandoned winery. Sometimes with force, but most of the time they asked or payed. If a cell is about to get dismantled from guards or rivals they burn the entire house just to cover their tracks. The Dragonborns knew everything so it didn't really matter.

There are people stationed inside the city guards and other critical points so they can warn the (main) cell or do damage control.

Connections

As stated previously the member of the Chocolate Cartel are really good connected. This includes also royality of some nations, a lot of nobility and an uncounted number of restaurants, kitchens and cafés.

Those connections come with a price. Not only a percentage of the procurement price but also a monthly fee. That fee is not really high, but it gives a small, steady income for the cells so they do not have to worry. If the institution can't pay the monthly fee then the connection is disbanded until the next order and it is added to the procurement price. So most people pay the monthly fee because it is way easier to stay in touch.

Impossible things immediately; Wonders might take a while.

Type

Guild, Thieves