Железный Трон -The Iron Throne

Headquarters: Unknown
The Lords, the Watch, and anyone involved in large scale mercantilism knows that the Iron Throne is in Waterdeep. The problem is that no one actually knows where or who they are. A smuggling operation scaled up to the size of a full trading coster, the Iron Throne deals in weapons smuggling, drug running, and the dealing of both poisons and smokepowder. If it is illegal or heavily taxed, the Iron Throne will attempt to turn a profit by making it accessible to those who want it, consequences be damned. Lest one assume they are merely traders, the Iron Throne's agents have also engaged in assassination, thuggery, and extortion as well.
The Iron Throne turns over agents frequently and ruthlessly, giving its representatives more than enough rope to hang themselves with. Of course, the rewards for their consortium's work is significant, so there is always someone bloodthirsty and cunning ready to step in and replace the one whose reach exceeded their grasp. The Iron Throne frequently finds and absorbs bandit and street gangs, smuggling groups, heist crews, and assassin groups. As such, any criminal element has the potential to be coopted into the Iron Throne at any time...or may already be working on their behalf in the way the Iron Throne prefers: quietly and subtly.

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Лошади каравана в панике вздымались и метались, когда бандиты неслись по краю оврага, идущего рядом с пыльной дорогой. В мгновение ока в караване фургонов воцарился беспорядок. Атака была настолько быстрой, что не оставила владельцам фургонов времени организовать защиту. Усмехающийся лидер бандитов приблизился к владельцу каравана, который щурился на солнце, чтобы разглядеть черты большого человека.
"Хорошая встреча, Мастер Гаэдинн!" - вырос перед ним вооруженный и бронированный наездник. - "Прекрасный день для поездки по этим опасным диким землям, не так ли?" - Уши владельца каравана Гаэдинна задергались. Он не знал этого бандита, но преступник отлично знал его. Умен, подумал он. Это не обычный набег.
"Берите то, что Вы хотите", - он ответил тоном, предполагавшим, чтобы он далек от счастья. - "Я подозреваю, что нам так или иначе не удалось бы Вас остановить".
"Вы слишком добры", - с улыбкой промолвил бандит. Он поглядел вокруг на своих людей, стремительно разгружавших из фургонов коробки, корзины и бутыли. Очевидно, удовлетворенный увиденным, он вновь обратил свое внимание на владельца каравана и сказал: - "Теперь, Гаэдинн, есть маленький вопросик о вашей беседе три ночи назад в той таверне, с таким глупым названием..."
"Пьяный Дроу?" - рискнул вставить Гаэдинн, решив, что это может оказаться полезным. Бандит вновь усмехнулся.
"Она самая! Вы говорили с одним из своих конфедератов, неким торговцем древесиной из Врат Балдура. Вы сказали ему, что беспокоитесь, что не наняли достаточно охраны для этого торгового предприятия. Как видите, Вы были правы, но это несущественно". - Бандит понизил голос; его улыбка исчезла, а глаза стали холодными. - "А важное состоит в том, что Вы сказали своему другу, что подозреваете, что бандитизм на этой дороге поддерживался Железным Троном. Вы опять же были правы, но ваши подозрения стоят дороже торговых товаров". - Быстрее, чем Гаэдинн смог уследить, бандит вскинул ручной арбалет и прострелил ему горло.
На поверхности Железный Трон кажется еще одной гильдией торговцев. Группа якобы посвящена преследованию монополии на торговлю оружием в определенных частях Фаэруна - цель, которую она преследует с необузданным рвением. Хотя другие торговцы обвиняют Железный Трон в увеличении его доли торговли оружием через такие сомнительные методы, как бандитизм и убийства, такие жалобы едва ли необычны между конкурентами. По крайней мере, так говорят торговцы, являющиеся номинальными лидерами Железного Трона.
Правда - в том, что эта коммерческая компания является не просто еще одной бандой жадных торговцев, делающих золото ценой этики. Общественные лица Железного Трона - просто прикрытие истинных лидеров организации, безжалостных убийц, которые не остановятся ни перед чем для достижения экономических целей Железного Трона. Владыки Железного Трона не гнушаются никакими из грязных уловок. Однако, зловещие аспекты группы идут глубже простых убийств. По сравнению с коллегами-торговцами, с использованием которых Железный Трон намеревается получать свою грязную прибыль, он, конечно же, намного необычнее, не говоря уже о том, насколько опаснее.

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Краткая история

Железный Трон - относительно недавнее развитие экономической истории Фаэруна. Изначально он был детищем уникального индивидуума - Сфены, дочери мощного дьявола. Квалифицированная убийца, она использовала свои таланты для служения своему отцу и в его междоусобных войнах против других жителей Баатора. Странный несчастный случай случился со Сфеной в течение одной из ее миссий по уничтожению врага на Фаэруне в 1347 DR. Все ее тело стало твердым и прозрачным. Случай, столь изменивший ее, также освободил ее от Баатора, позволив ей остаться на Фаэруне. Сфена задумывала Железный Трон как средство своего восстановления. Она намеревалась обменять всю организацию дьяволу или, возможно, другой экстрапланарной силе в обмен на восстановление ее тела. Она придумала название для организации во время речи перед первыми своими миньонами: "Мы будем управлять Сердцеземьем железным кулаком. Мы будем управлять им с Железного Трона, построенного из оружия, которым мы торгуем, из кандалов наших рабов, из простых гвоздей наших фургонов и из железа в крови тех, кто выступит против нас. У железа есть сила и власть - и у нас они будут".
Слова Сфены были пророческими. Железный Трон быстро получил значительную долю в торговле оружия, отделившись от области оснащения для торговли и коммерции (типа караванных фургонов, лошадей и сопутствующих припасов). Тактика Сфены проектировалась таким способом, чтобы ее представители могли настаивать, что организация всегда действовала в пределах буквы закона. Однако, она не пренебрегала воровством, диверсиями или убийствами, и другие торговцы быстро узнали, что пересечь путь Железного Трона - значит начинать готовиться к различным атакам и вмешательствам против себя и своего бизнеса.
Сфена исчезла немногим более года назад, в 1371 БЯ, при обстоятельствах, предполагающих причастность дьяволов. Ее главные лейтенанты подозревали, что ее отец или один из его врагов уволок Сфену обратно в Баатор. Когда она исчезла, организация была повергнута в хаос. Боевые линии были быстро протянулись между лейтенантами Сфены, каждый из которых думал, что станет идеальным лидером торговцев в отсутствии их властительницы. Второй в команде после Сфены, Кракош, в конечном счете захватил управление группой, объединившись еще с несколькими лейтенантами. Однако, ко времени победы в конфликте Железный Трон уже потерял землю под ногами в торговле оружием. Теперь Кракош и его помощники заняты серьезными попытками по восстановлению и превышению прежней силы организации.

Организация

Штаб: Торговые офисы в Сюзейле
Члены: 3530
Иерархия: Сегментированная
Лидер: Кракош
Религия: Железный Трон как организация не почитает никакого специфического божества. Популярные религии - Келемвор, Маск, Шар, Вокин.
Мировоззрение: ЫТ, ТЕ, СИ, СЕ, ЛЕ
Тайна: Высокая
Символ: Стилизованный железный трон. Еруппа использует упрощенный набросок этого символа как метку своей собственности и троп.

Иерархия

Нижний эшелон Железного Трона разделен на единицы, действующие независимо. Только Кракош, Мариди и их самые близкие помощники знают всю переплетенную структуру организации. Тех, кто занимается повседневными делами, информируют строго по мере необходимости.
Кракош (СИ мужчина штормовой гигант колдун 10) встретил Сфену во время злополучной попытки убийства, изменившей ее форму. Ее отец назначил ей устранить дочерь знатного штормового гиганта, жившего на Фаэруне, но предположительно строившего планы нападения на владения лорда-дьявола. Штормовые гиганты почуяли и казнили ее. К немалому всеобщему удивлению, она не погибла, когда голова ее покинула плечи - удивительно, но ее кости и ткани кристаллизовались. Она была вполне жива, хотя решительно гротескна.
Кракош, штормовой гигант, живший в цитадели во время прихода Сфены, был полностью неудовлетворен своей жизнью. Сын придворного, лишенного покровительства правящей знати, Кракош посчитал оскорбление своего семейства труднопереносимым. Он давно собирался покинуть дом, и появление интригующего маленького убийцы оказалось тем катализатором, которого он ожидал. Освободив теперь кристаллическую Сфену из подземелья вельможи, он помог спасти ее из цитадели гигантов и путешествовал вместе с ней при помощи амулета изменения себя, маскировавшего истинную форму штормового гиганта. Молодой штормовой гигант во время путешествия влюбился в свою странную компаньонку; в свое время обещала ответить на его привязанность. Он стал ее главным лейтенантом, когда она основала Железный Трон. Кракош знал, что коммерческие амбиции Сфены мотивировались желанием восстановить ее тело, и он стремился помочь ей в этом. Крайне преданный Сфене, он предпринимал любые задачи или миссии, которых она требовала. Простое его присутствие помогало держать других ее лейтенантов и их лакеев "в струнку".
Когда Сфена исчезла, Кракош сначала полагал, что она была убита при перевороте, начатом некоторыми из агентов Железного Трона. В отместку он начал разрушительные атаки против тех, кого считал ответственными за это, всеми средствами разжигая войну среди оставшихся адъютантов. Он объединился с волшебником Мариди, после чего заклинатель убедил Кракоша, что не только не следует ничего делать с исчезновением лидера, но что есть все шансы, что она все еще жива и находится в руках некоего дьявола или конкурента. Пара выиграла борьбу за управление Железным Троном, и с тех пор Кракош посвятил себя возвращению создания своей возлюбленной к его прежнему состоянию. С Мариди в качестве помощника штормовой гигант уже добился в отношении этого больших успехов.
Кракош редко появляется в своей гигантской форме, предпочитая проходить на человека со своим амулетом изменения себя.
Мариди (ЛЕ мужчина полуэльф волшебник 13/жулик 3), сембиец по рождению, первоначально связался со Сфеной и Кракошем из-за силы и богатства, которые они предложили. Он продолжал работать с Железным Троном, но по мере хода лет его уже не удовлетворяли выгоды, которые могла предложить организация. Он начал исподволь выяснять мотивации и способности Сфены. Марид полагал, что Железный Трон может удвоить или даже утроить свою ежегодную прибыль, если за все отвечать будет кто-либо более интеллектуальный - он сам, например. Зная дьявольские связи Сфены, Мариди решили воспользоваться преимуществом ее истории. Он сумел переслать словечко лорду-дьяволу - отцу Сфены, уведомив его о местонахождении его ребенка. Как он и ожидал, миньоны дьявола в конечном счете захватили Сфену и вернули ее в Баатор, где, надеется Мариди, она останется навечно. Для Мариди было несложно манипулировать мучающимся Кракошем, контролируя штормового гиганта.

Побуждение и цели

Кракош желает прежде всего обнаружить Сфену и вернуть ее. К сожалению, он не имеет ни малейших идей, с чего начать, да и Мариди тоже (или по крайней мере он так утверждает). Он приказал всем членам организации обыскивать области, в которых они ведут дела, на предмет признаков или слухов о своем пропавшем лидере. Тем временем он намеревается увеличить операционную область Железного Трона, чтобы область поисков также могла быть расширена. Все знают, что Сфена находится в руках одного из их торговых конкурентов или гниет в подземелье некоего короля, ожидая спасения. Он готов ради нее обыскать Фаэрун и не смутится использовать любые средства для ее возвращения. Он плотно полагается на суждение Мариди и консультируется с волшебником перед тем, как делать какие-либо важные решения.
Тем временем Железным Троном через своего штормового союзника в значительной степени управляет Мариди - так, как ему заблагорассудится. Кракош послушнее всего, когда это касается изменения деловых методов. Все, что требуется от Мариди - заявить или подразумевать, что его советы позволят штормовому гиганту сделать Железный Трон более успешным, надавливая на его возможность обнаружить потерянную любовь. Когда придет время и Кракош сослужит свою службу, Мариди намеревается устранить его и управлять Железным Троном самому. Мариди уже убедил Кракоша, что группа должна начать торговать наркотиками, приобретая их в анклавах Красных Волшебников и перепродавая их по более высокой цене в других местах.
Рядовые члены состоят прежде всего из торговцев, владельцев караванов, солдат, бандитов, жуликов, ездоков, ремесленников, шпионов, убийц и диверсантов. Подаляющее большинство этого народа, охватывающего почти все цивилизованные фаэрунские расы, имеет своим первичным желанием обогащение. Часть из них желает богатства и силы, и самые талантливые и квалифицированные среди таковых продвигаются на авторитетные положения в пределах организации.
Железный Трон фактически занимается законной торговлей оружием и доспехами. Их караваны приветствуются в многочисленных городах по всему Сердцеземью из-за мастерской работы и магического оружия, которые они привозят (многое из которого украдено, вытащено из подземелий нанятыми приключенческими партиями или сделаны ремесленниками, лишенными своей законной прибыли). Группа также занимается контрабандой оружия для избежания налогов и других неудобных законов. Однако, их самая успешная тактика в торговле оружием - набеги на караваны их конкурентов. Железный Трон всегда очень осторожен, гарантируя, что налетчики кажутся не более чем простыми бандитами. Общество поощряет своих законных торговцев стремиться поддерживать дух респектабельности. Лидеры понимают, что проявление честности помогает противостоять обвинениям в обратном.
Организация нанимает значительное количество агентов, которым приказывается выслеживать и наказывать тех, кто пересекает ей дорогу. Те, кто нарушают контракты с Железным Троном, вероятно, будут убиты, опорочены или проданы в рабство - в зависимости от того, что окажется целесообразнее и рентабельнее.

Вербовка

Железный Трон рекрутирует широко и без разбора из числа отбросов общества для преступных дел, которые требуются для исполнения его пожеланий. Заработная плата разумна, выше, чем обычная для подобной работы в этой географической области, плюс щедрые премии для тех, кто демонстрирует подлинный талант к своей работе. Железный Трон активно нанимает авантюристов и приключенческие партии для обыскивания подземелий и других опасных мест на предмет ценного оружия и доспехов. Организация хорошо платит авантюристам, но настаивает на контракте, который обязывает работников сдавать любое найденное оружие и доспехи мастерской работы или магические.

Столкновения

Столкновения с Железным Троном - как правило, столкновения с их намными агентами, типа бандитов, контрабандистов и воров или торговцев, связанных с их законными караванами. Если авантюристы получат информацию, которая позволила бы Кракошу кое-что узнать о нынешнем местонахождения Сфены, они могут оказаться в конфронтации с самим владыкой Железного Трона.

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A.K.A. None. Group Mark: The Iron Throne uses a symbol that also can be interpreted as a wide blade (perhaps a stylized punch dagger) or possibly even a shield.
Group Colors/Livery: The lesser members of the Iron Throne dress as appropriate to their career—merchants dress like merchants, guards dress like guards—with the highest-ranking member present bearing a small iron badge with the Iron Throne’s symbol on it. Hie senior members of the organization remain unknown to the world at large, and refuse to wear identifiable ornamentation.

The Iron Throne has been active less than a score of years as a mercantile organization. It claims to want only a stake in the trading of weapons and of equipment used in transporta¬tion and commerce. However, its agents are usually recently recruited thugs or brigands who often revert to their old habits. The Iron Throne has been charged with acts of assas¬sination, extortion, and smuggling of contraband substances (including poison, drugs, and smoke powder). They vocifer¬ously deny all such accusations.

GoaLs

The Iron Throne wishes to control the trade of transporta¬tion and commerce-related equipment and weapons in Cormyr, Sembia, and critical nearby cities such as Hillsfar and Westgate. While the group professes to be made up of only honest merchants, in truth it is filled with ruthless manipulators who are unafraid to backstab its temporary allies for material or political gain. The group instructs its thuggish employees to raid rival caravans and disavow all knowledge of such actions once the goods have been distrib¬uted through the Iron Tlirone’s network. They hope to gain a chokehold on this trade within the area, allowing them to dictate terms to the egion’s leaders, backed by the threat of negating a nation’s ability to mobilize and defend itself.
Sfena, the leader ot the Iron Throne, ultimately wishes to have her body restored. It is possible that she plans to use the power of her organization as a bribe to a greater baatezu in exchange for magical assistance with her plight. The organ¬ization (or perhaps just a sacrifice of its members, victims, and benefactors) would be turned over to this infernal being at the completion of the aid.
Krakosh’s loyalty (and geos) for Sfena approaches the level of obsession. He secretly wishes that she were whole again so that they could be lovers. He has been consulting various wizards, necromancers, and priests, trying to find some way to return her to normal, or possibly clone her and transplant her mind into the new body. He is hampered hy the secrecy about Sfena’s nature and the fact that she is totally undetectable to any sort of divination spell. (The intervention of a deity would work, but he lacks the clout or finances to arrange such a thing.) Sfena knows none of this, of course, and would likely reject the idea of consorting with a mortal, let alone a sea giant. While Maready swore an oath to Sfena and is compelled by a geos, he cannot help wondering what it would be like to lead the Iron Throne himself. He would have to eliminate Krakosh, which would not be easy, but thinks that Ritchar might switch allegiance if the circumstances (and the pay) were right.
Maready has been organizing a subset of his employees, ones that he believes are more loyal to him than the Iron Throne. He hopes to find a way to circumvent his geas so that he can order one of his followers to destroy Sfena and free him from the geas. Ritchar has intuited Maready’s ambition and has arranged to have the wizard followed by one of his imps (usually in polymorphed form) at all times. While he does not have any evidence yet, he knows that the wizard eventually will make a mistake and when that time comes, Ritchar intends to tell Sfena and get the chance to assassinate the traitor. The most annoying thing to Ritchar is that Maready acts so friendly toward him, as if they were close friends; fortunately, his skills as an assassin allow him to return this friendliness, keeping the wizard off guard. Hogley has heard rumors about Red Wizards joining the Iron Throne. As a former Thayan slave, he resents this greatly, and if he ever finds any of them, he will take an axe to their heads. So far, he has kept quiet about this complaint, knowing how his employers treat those who make nuisances of themselves.
Skitt is content to serve as a Lesser Arm until Ritchar is too old to work any more. Skitt's dwarven half keeps him fit for many years longer than his assassin mentor, and he respects Ritchar too much to attempt to oust him. He is greatly annoyed by the dwarf Hogley, considering him crude and dishonorable, and would welcome the chance to find a more worthy replacement.
While its members may work against each other, none of them is actively attempting to sabotage the workings of the group as a whole. Upper-level personnel changes may tem¬porarily upset the workings of the Iron Throne, but it is likely that this effective criminal cartel will continue to plague the Heartlands.

Histony and MotioaCion

The creation of the Iron Throne is linked to a seemingly unrelated event in the Year of Many Bones (1278 DR)—the birth of Sfena, the daughter of the baatezu Glasya, Princess of Hell, and an unknown father. Sfena’s gestation and birth were a surprise to Glasya, who thought that all female devils were infertile. However, Glasya’s unique position as daughter of Asmodeus apparently made her an exception to that rule, and one of the Dark Prodigy’s liaisons proved fruitful in the form of Sfena. Glasya had many mortal and supernatural lovers in her long years, and she has never disclosed the identity of Sfena’s father. Rumors in Hell rage about this, claiming one mortal or another, or possibly the archdevil Viscount Mammon of Minauros, with whom she had a long¬time affair.
Sfena aged rapidly for a devil and was kept firmly under the control of her mother and grandfather. As she grew, she developed her natural diabolic abilities, which were honed and altered by her family (usually through torture, both mag¬ical and mundane) to suit their needs. Sfena was trained as an assassin, used against other devils acting against Asmodeus or his daughter. Her mother and grandfather kept careful track of her through arcane means and divination magic. Sfena served methodically but without enthusiasm, resenting being forced to comply simply because of the nature of her birth. Unlike most other devils, she was not given the oppor¬tunity to advance herself by tests of pain. (Of course, given the long life span of true devils, perhaps her family would not consider her worthy for such a trial until she was many cen¬turies older.
In the year of the Bright Blade (1347 DR), Sfena was sent to assassinate the daughter of a Torilian storm-giant noble named Urdalshone; the noble was planning an attack on Avernus, the first layer of Hell in conjunction with a sur¬face-wizard ally. At the time, the pit fiend Bel (ruler of Avernus) was in especially good favor with Asmodeus and so the Dark Lord of Nessus chose to intervene by sending Sfena. However, she was caught by surprise by one of the noble’s guards, who knocked her unconscious. Before she could be rescued, she was tried and beheaded by the storm giants. Strangely, she survived, in a manner of speaking. Her flesh and bone hardened into a crystallike consistency, and she soon regained consciousness. Horrified by her condi¬tion, she was amazed to find that the magical bonds that tied her to her mother were broken. Free and yet imprisoned at the same time, she convinced one of the young storm giants to pull her remains from the outgoing refuse and flee with her.
With her storm giant ally, Krakosh, she began to gather individuals she felt she could trust or control. One of these was an evil wizard experienced in the contacting and sum¬moning of infernal beings. With his help, she was able to’ contact certain former allies with power and question them on the ability to restore her to normal. None of them was willing to risk the attention of Asmodeus unless they were greatly rewarded. Sfena conceived of a plan where she could gather enough mercantile and political power to fulfill the demands of her diabolic allies and be restored to her former self.
To this end, she began recruiting small bands of merce¬naries and bandits to guard select merchant caravans and harass others. With her infernal contacts and strange allies, she quickly established several essential trade routes, which were largely under her control in the name of a mercantile guild called the Iron Throne. Once the Iron Throne was a known name among the people of Faerun, Sfena sent letters to political leaders in her territory, proclaiming the group’s intent to control overland trade in weapons and certain sorts of equipment, and prom¬ising not to wage war or assume direct political power.
Sfena named her organization the Iron Throne after a speech to her agents, “We shall rule the Heartlands with an iron fist. We shall nile them from an Iron Throne, built of the weapons of our trade, the shackles of our slaves, the common nails of our wagons, and the iron in the bkxxl of those who oppose us. Iron has power, and so shall we.” The Iron Throne is still a young organization. Its highest- ranked leader is likely to have a long life and therefore is 41 % . patient with minor setbacks or failed plans. The group’s habit of using expendable and unrraceable agents in the lowest end of the organization protects its leaders, and the magical protections of the leaders keep them safe from most who would wish them harm. Sfena and her allies are content to slowly build power over the years, cutting their losses in cer¬tain areas when sacrifices are necessary, sowing the seeds of plans that will not come to bear for a decade or more.
Eventually, Sfena plans to hand the Iron Throne over to one devil or another in exchange for wholeness of body, at which point she will be truly free . . . and perhaps looking to pay her mother an unexpected visit. Sfena has little interest in power for herself; she just wants to be free to choose her own course. Once her body is whole again, the Iron Throne has little value to her, and she will not care if every one of her employees is draggedscreaming into Hell for eternity. Her allies and employees are unaware of this, of course.
While the representatives of the Iron Throne insist that they act within the bounds of the law, Sfena only chooses minions that are as dedicated and unscrupulous as she. They negotiate deals and then break them when it is convenient (usually through the actions of a few well-placed teams of “brigands”), but always in a manner that can be explained away as a rebellious employee and not an intentional act the Iron Throne. Preserving a veneer of civility is important to Sfena—a throwback to the decades she spent following 

Aneas of Operation

The influence of the Iron Throne permeates Cormyr and Sembia. The group’s trail-runes mark many routes through these countries, and little of the trade the group is interested in avoids its watchful eyes. The group has a strong foothold in Hillsfar, Starmantle, and Tantras, with a respectable pres¬ence (at least four agents) in Westgate and select cities in Impiltur and Thesk. While the Iron Throne concentrates on the Heartlands, the group has been discreetly placing agents in cities such as Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and Caliinport, mainly to learn of any new opportunities. These agents oper¬ate out of their own homes (or rooms, as the case may be), since the Iron Throne wishes to keep a low profile in these areas and will not justify the expense of setting up safehouses at this time. Sfena and the advisors spend most of their time in Suzail, where they have an office above an expensive restaurant. They have a secondary base in Selgaunt that uses a classy fes¬thall as a front. The advisors occasionally travel outside of the Cormyr-Sembia region, but they prefer to rely on their underlings to give reports rather than risking themselves. Their major area of influence is Cormyr and Sembia, and for now, they plan to keep it that way. They fear that should they grow too quickly, they may attract undue attention.

Allies and Enemies

The Iron Throne’s nature as a respectable-yet-covertly-ille- gal organization creates some interesting situations. The Zhentarim have been known to attack caravans protected by the Iron Throne, and yet the Iron Throne occasionally has cooperated with the Zhents by jointly attacking especially powerful foes and by exchanging valuable information. The group’s caravans are sometimes attacked by humanoids, but they supply other humanoid tribes with weapons. (It is possible that these attacks are a result of misunderstanding, rogue tribes, or because the Iron Throne caravans have wan¬dered too far from their “safe” paths of travel.) The group has been banned from Cormyr at least twice, and yet its secret base of operations is in the heart of Cormyr’s capital. Shad- owdale, Mistledale, and Tilver's Gap have refused to work with the Iron Throne, yet other Daleland communities closer to humanoid lands relish the quality weapons the Iron Throne offers.
The group does have some long-term allies. Certain groups of Garagathans have allied themselves with the Iron Throne, relishing the opportunity to attack and plunder car¬avans. The coastal members act especially friendly to priests of Umbertee in order to ensure safe passage for ships carrying goods for the Iron Throne. Finally, Krakosh and his family have worked out their differences, and he gets along agree¬ably well with them, although they do not know of his asso¬ciation with Sfena or that the mercantile group he’s working for has any criminal ties. Krakosh can call upon them should monsters in the Sea of Fallen Stars (his first home) become a threat to shipping. Even a few Red Wizards of Thay have disguised themselves as locals and joined the ranks of the Eye to promote trade across the Inner Sea. The group also has allies among the smugglers of Baytown and the Pirates of the Falling Stars. The Iron Throne is hesitant to spread southward because of the influence of the Shadow Thieves in Amn. While their interests only overlap tangentially, the Shadow Thieves are powerful enough in that land that if that group chose to make trouble for the Iron Throne, it could easily do so. Fighting a covert war in the home territory of the Shadow Thieves is something the Iron Throne prefers to avoid.

Status Quo

Recently, the Iron Throne’s'activities have begun to annoy Cormyr again, and certain members of the royal family are mumbling about banishing them once more from the borders of the land. Ritchar has suggested assassinating one of the minor nobles making such statements, hut so far, Sfena has counseled caution. Instead, she plans to cut back on the number of raiding groups and instead focus more on the group’s legitimate activities in that nation. She also has directed Ritchar to have his agents recruit more adventuring companies in the Heartlands, preferably those with paladins or priests of good gods, and have them protect shipments not only Iron Throne shipments, but those of competing inter¬ests as well.
This goodwill gesture is actually part of an attempt to bring these other merchants under the influence of the Iron Throne. The merchants in question were already close to joining the Iron Throne, and the presence of expensive adventurers acting as guards is not only a status symbol but evidence of the Iron Throne’s power and prosperity. Sfena will then arrange to have these caravans attacked by token forces of bandits or humanoids in order to let the adventur¬ers show their strength and have the caravanecrs see the benefits of being guarded by the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, Maready’s agents have heard that a large shipment of smoke powder weapons are going to be trans¬ported from the temple of the Wonderbringer in Tilverton to Aglarond, in order to outfit some of that nation’s soldiery against the Red Wizards. Naturally, the Iron Throne leaked this information to its Thayan allies, who promised to pay handsomely if proof could be delivered that this material was destroyed in transit. The Iron Throne plans a calculated strike against this caravan, using specially trained warriors and hopefully some sort of weather magic to bring a hard rain, ruining any smoke powder used against attackers.
The druid Seecher has been under increased pressure from his rural druid allies. Warring humanoids in the Goblin Marches have been setting great fires in each others’ territo¬ries and salting the earth as they retreat. The druids are call¬ing upon Seecher to increase their funding and support to prevent this destruction, but few people in the city seem interested in saving some wild scrublands. He is tempted to ask his superiors for help but suspects that he will get a sim¬ilar reaction from them. He may turn to outside groups to stop the goblins’ practices or drive them away long enough to give the druids time to repair the damage. I

Структура

Рука: The Arm of the Iron Throne handles the top-level mercantile deals and organizes trade routes and smuggling operations.
Глаз: The Eye of the Iron Throne is a wizard or priest responsible for communication among the widespread mem¬bers of the group as well as divining information magically.
Ноги: The Foot of the Iron Throne is responsible for hiring and training the guards of official Iron Throne caravans as well as hiring the various bandit groups and thugs used to thwart rival caravans.

Onganization

Below Sfena herself, three individuals each control one part of the business, and each of them has three lieutenants administrating contacts among the lower levels of the organ¬ization. Sfena’s three advisors are chosen by her, and any change in the nine lieutenants has to be approved by her. Should the organization grow or need additional top-level administration, Sfena would increase the number of her lieu¬tenants to suit.
Sfena’s three adjutants are known collectively (and infor¬mally) as the advisors. Each of them has swallowed one of the crystallized bones of Sfena, which protects them from all attempts to divine their identities, auras, or thoughts. The Arm of the Iron Throne handles the top-level mercantile deals and organizes trade routes and smuggling operations. The Foot of the Iron Throne is responsible for hiring and training the guards of official Iron Throne caravans as well as hiring the various bandit groups and thugs used to thwart rival caravans. The Eye of the Iron Throne is a wizard or priest responsible for communication among the widespread mem¬bers of the group as well as divining information magically.
Beneath the three advisors are the lesser advisors, whose titles include that of their superior (so there are three Lesser Arms of the Iron Throne). These lesser advisors have more hands-on involvement in the workings of their respective divisions and are usually the only high-ranked members of the Iron Throne known to merchants and military leaders. No one outside of the Iron Throne knows how many lesser advisors exist, but it is assumed that there are at least five.
Beneath the lesser advisors are the large numbers of ordi¬nary merchants, guards, bandits, spies, assassins, and thugs. They have no titles within the organization and usually have little contact with the upper echelons of the Iron Throne except through secondary agents or semianonymous messen¬gers. These people come from all walks of life and most of the civilized races. There is a high turnover rate in the thugs, assassins, and bandits as different groups are expelled from the Iron Throne’s payroll for “acting without permission.

Chain of Command

• Sfena (NE tiefling(?) female T10, AC 0, hp 58; Dex 19, Con 16, Int 15, Cha 14): The Head of the Iron Throne, was once a strangely beautiful short woman with dark red skin, pointed ears, and small horns high on her forehead. Now she is only a red-black crystalline severed head and an inanimate skeleton of crystallized bones. She retains all of the intelligence and magical abilities she had as a diabolic being. Once per round, at will, she can use charm person, geas, invisibility, infravision, suggestion, and blending (as a robe of blending). She takes half damage from fire or poison, has a +4 bonus on all saving throws against cold attacks, and has no need to breathe (she is much more like a golem than a living creature at this point).
When she was alive, she carried a +3 short sword of venom. Despite various tries, mortal magic has so far been unable to reattach her head to her body or restore flesh to her bones, and so she remains unable to move herself other than through the command of other beings. She can speak several languages. She has discovered that any¬one carrying her head or one of her bones cannot be detected with any sort of divination spell, nor can divina¬tion spells reveal information about them (a power she possessed before her death which is apparently conveyeJ through her crystalline form). She can also track any of her bones as long as they are on the same plane, and she can send empathic urgings to anyone carrying one of them. All of her advisors and die lesser advisors have swallowed one of her smaller finger bones, which have become lodged within their respective intestinal tracts; this protects them from investigative magic and prevents these valuable items from falling into enemy hands. Sfena places a geas on all advisors and lesser advisors to obey her, and the advisors are required to visit her at least once a month to report.
Krakosh (CN male storm giant): The Foot of the Iron Throne made his way into Sembia with Sfena’s remains after borrowing one of his tribe’s potions of diminution (commonly used when the storm giants want to walk among the land people). Once there, Sfena was quickly able to charm a townsperson before the potion wore off, and that person was sent to locate a wizard. Sfena suggested that the wizard should help her. The wizard cast polymorph other on Krakosh as a temporary measure to deal with his size, making him an aquatic elf. Eventually the wizard created a magic bracelet of form that allowed Krakosh to alter his shape between a man-sized form and his true form up to four times per day. Once that was accomplished, Krakosh killed the wizard under orders from Sfena and stole all of his magical equipment—which was later used to bribe the wizard Maready into joining the organization. Krakosh is loyal to Sfena due to dissatisfaction with his previous life, reinforced by a geas from Sfena. He will kill anyone she tells him to, and is rarely more than a hundred feet from her unless he needs to speak to the Lesser Feet of the Iron Throne. He is an adult specimen of his race and has all of the powers of an adult storm giant.
Maready (NE male half-elf M15; Gin 16, Cha 15): The Eye of the Iron Throne was hired by Sfena and Krakosh with a payment of spelllxxiks and magic items, plus a promise of material wealth later. He eventually swore loyalty to Sfena (backed up by a geas) when she revealed her diabolic ties and he began to understand the power and  influence he could gain through her. The wizard currently oversees the transfer of information among the groups agents, using both mundane carriers and magical couriers.
Abused by other children while he grew up, he ran away from home and was fortunate to find a wizard men¬tor who noticed his natural talent for wizardry. When he completed his apprenticeship, he betrayed and killed his mentor in his sleep, taking all of the older wizard’s goods for himself. He thus established a pattern of scheming, agreeing, and betraying which suited him well as he developed his magical abilities and forged contacts with the lower planes. Maready’s most prized magic item is a figurine of won¬drous power—a possibly unique figurine called a howlice manticore. White in color with black veins, the item works exactly like a marble elephant save that it turns into an adult manticore with maximum hit points.
• Ritchar “the Red Man” (LE human F8; Int 17, Dex 16): The Arm of the Iron Throne is a former assassin and smuggler. Sfena hired him because of his knowledge of trade and shipping in the Heartlands as well as his strange sense of morals: He has none, other than his adherence to hts word once given. He got his nickname from a unique magic item, the red mask of Leira, which causes any who view the wearer to save vs. spell every round or become confused about the wearer's physical description, remembering only a person of average size and build dressed in red clothing (spells, items, or abili¬ties that protect against a forget spell protect against the powers of the red mask). Ritchar committed a score of assassinations while wearing the red mask, and the few eyewitnesses could only attest to a “red man” being responsible. Today Ritchar coordinates merchant contacts, studies trade interests in remote cities, tad watches competing trade companies for opportune times to attack. Ritchar is loyal to Sfena even without his geas; he enjoys manipulating people and rev¬els in the intricate machinations necessary to run a large- scale mercantile operation. He has two imp servants, Riv and Winger, who spend most of their time in raven form. • Hogley (NE dwarf F7: Str 16, Con 18): The Lesser Foot of the Iron Throne is an escaped slave from Thay. He used to run a small adventuring company for hire out of Cormyr, but his evil disposition eventually turned most of his employees against him. That same disposition made him extremely suitable for training and leading bandit groups for the Iron Throne. His wild red hair conceals the many tattoos his former master inked onto his forcibly- shaven head. His weapon is a dwarven ax +3. He travels extensively through the Iron Throne’s territory, recruiting bandits and mercenary or adventuring groups to work for the Iron Throne as legitimate employees. He knows full well that his masters will eventually cut them loose to take a fall, and he enjoys the irony. • Seecher (N half-elf D6: Wis 15, Cha 15): The Lesser Eye of the Iron Throne is an urbanized druid. Publicly he is known as an activist for the preservation of timberlands and wildlife, garnering support and resources for his brethren in the country and wilderness. In private, however, he works for the Iron Throne, using his animal affinity and spells to train pigeons, hawks, and other birds as carrier animals for messages to the widespread agents of his employers (avoiding the use of the more powerful message-sending spells makes the operating costs of sending messages much lower, as well as making it less likely that the messages can be tracked magically). Most of his pay from the Iron Throne is given over to other druids, or used to buy goods and supplies to aid them. He is depressed and lonely about living in the city, and often takes a week off to reacquaint himself with nature again. Seecher works for the Iron Throne in part because of a geas. He has also come to believe that by controlling trade, the destruction of nature can be minimized.
• Skitt (LE male half-dwarf F6; Str 18/87, vor/xil broadsword): The Lesser Arm of the Iron Throne was transported to Faerun by a wild surge in a summoning spell cast by a itin¬erant wizard. He worked as a gladiator in Manshaka until he earned enough money to support himself. He quickly picked up the Common tongue and made a living as a sellsword.  He was discovered by the Iron Throne while forking as a caravan guard tor a rival merchant house; Skitt slew every one of the bandits sent to destroy his caravan and was hired by Hogley when the dwarf heard his tale.
Ritchar found that Skitt had an unerring sense of direction and an innate sense of a person’s motives. He talked Hogley into letting Skitt take a job as one of the Lesser Arms. Skitt flourished in this new position and greatly enjoys his work. His somewhat odd appearance is distracting to some; Skitt is completely bald and beard¬less, but he has the broad frame and strong features of his dwarven father. He is a shrewd businessman and uses his odd looks and any other means at his disposition to close a deal in his favor.

Rank and File

• Thond of Wyvemwater (LN male human Div5; Int 15, Cha 15 Thond acts as a spokesman for the Iron Throne. This middle-aged man is a respectable dealer in lumber and boatbuilding. While many people say he has magical powers, he never demonstrates them in front of others. He owns much of the woodlands around Wyvemwater (which sometimes put him in conflict with the allies of Lesser Advisor, Seecher). He uses his divination magic to find good sources of wood for his lumberjacks and to receive messages from the Iron Throne (he scries a particular table in an Iron Throne stronghold once aweek and reads any papers left there for him). His goods are shipped and protected by the Iron Throne.
Bosson Ketanya (NE human T5; Dex 15, ring of human influence) works for the Arms of the Iron Throne. He sneaks into the meeting places of other merchants to find out their plans, using the powers of his ring should he need them. He is a sneaky, cautious fellow who prefers gray clothing and tight-fitting caps. Bosson travels from city to city doing his work, passing whatever information he discovers through a series of local Iron Throne informants. • Posetarik Woodlock (CN male elf F5/T5; Dex 18, Cha 18 A skilled painter, he is an occasional leader of caravans protected by the Iron Throne. With long red hair and an angular face, this handsome gold elf always seems to be looking just past the shoulder of whomever he is talking to. He is also a very graceful swordsman, and occasionally teaches the finer points of swordsmanship to the ruffians recruited by Krakosh’s subordinates. 1 Ie is very open and friendly, and only works for the Iron Throne because they pay him well enough to support him when he decides to spend a few months painting.

Rato RecRafCs

• Joshto Wanner (NE human F3, Str 16, Dex 15): A long¬faced man with many skull tattoos on his arms, he is the second-in-command of a group of caravan guards. Joshto has a strong survival instinct. If he thinks the battle is going against his group, he will cut his losses and attempt to retreat. He will hold a grudge against whoever is responsible for such a defeat, determining their identities and planning a surprise reunion. He is fond of racing horses.
• Sebendo (LE human Div2, Int 15): A pot-bellied man who has been intimidated into working for the Iron Throne, he acts as a message carrier and diviner of simple information (including appraisal and identification of items taken in raids by employees). Should he be confronted with physical threats, he is likely to confess whatever he knows (which is not much, given his inexperience and temperament). If this happens and the Iron Throne discovers it, his superiors will have him tortured and geased into obedience. Later encounters with the player characters will find him a greatly changed individual.
• Jikosstian (LE male gnome Tl; Int 15): A crafty man with a growing business in small clockwork items, he also acts as a fence and smuggler for some of the stranger goods | transported by the Iron Throne (such as smoke powder and some of the more exotic drugs). He keeps a small amount of gems on his person and a larger amount in a hidden place in his storefront, just in case he needs to make a quick exit and set up shop somewhere else.  • Crodan (CN male human P2 of Garagos; Str 16): A bloodthirsty maniac, he has a small home in Westgate but spends much of his time wandering the wilder parts of Cormyr and Sembia, recruiting bandits and mercenaries in the name of the Iron Throne. Crodan works for the Feet of the Iron Throne. Though has been called on by the Eyes at times, he is too unruly for their tastes.

Methods and Actiuitfes

The three divisions of the Iron Throne operate semiau- tonomously. In general, employees of the Feet defer to equal- ranked employees of the Hands, who defer to equal-ranked employees of the Eyes.
For legitimate trade, the Eyes determine what goods are needed and which merchants have those goods, the Arms arrange the caravans to transport it, and the Feet guard the caravans when traveling. For illegal operations, the Eyes find where their competitors are destined, the employees of the Feet attack them, and a contingent of the Arms travels with the Feet to take over the liberated caravans.
Should any members of an enemy caravan survive (usu¬ally by fleeing the scene), the Eyes are responsible for check¬ing nearby towns and villages for reports of the attack, and (if heard) disavowing allegiance to the bands responsible. Because of this risk, mercenary and bandit units are only used on caravans where the cargo is not especially valuable. The true employees of the Feet are well trained in hunting down every member of a caravan (and some even hire an Eye to assist the tracking). It is these latter units that may bear a token of the Iron Throne (as described in the Group Colors/Livery section at the start of this chapter).
In addition to attacking enemy caravans, units in the service of the Feet are set against small groups of Gondsmen (or their smaller temples) in search of smoke powder. This dangerous material is then sold on the black market in vari¬ous ports in the Throne's territory. The Iron Throne has been known to hijack shipments of medium-quality weapons and sell them at relatively cheap prices to humanoids raiding out of Anauroch. Its members frequently receive shipments of contraband from the Unapproachable East, such as drugs and poisons, and they have infrequent but profitable contact with traders from Calimshan for similar goods.
Above all, the Iron Throne acts to preserve the illusion of honesty and fairness. Any agents that compromise that posi¬tion are eliminated, enslaved, or exposed as liars, criminals, or cultists. Most of the Iron Throne’s slaves are former employees or members of enemy caravans, all of whom are exported to places far from the Iron Throne’s holdings, where their tragic tales can be dismissed as a poor slave attempting to find sympathy. Persons who make claims against the Iron Throne are ignored, ridiculed, publicly pitied, refuted, enslaved, or assassinated—depending upon the influence, position, and believability of the spokesperson (note that assassins tend work for the Eyes more than any other part of the group). Quite often, any claims of illegal activity can be refuted with soothing words, a charitable donation, or distracting rumors. The Eyes of the Iron Throne are masters of misin¬formation.
Within the organization, the various merchants, soldiers, and information specialists usually do not know other mem¬bers of the Iron Throne unless they work directly with them (such as part of a mercenary group or a hired group of priests). The leaders of groups (such as merchant families or guilds, military captains, and senior diviners) may not know other members in their own or other branches, but they can contact a lesser advisor or a person who does. The lesser advisors know all group leaders of their division within their particular geographical area, and most know a few group leaders within the other two categories in the event that a team needs to be assembled quickly.

EmpLoyee Abilities

Employees of the Feet of the Iron Throne are trained in offensive and defensive group tactics, specifically those that are appropriate to caravans and road scenarios. Most warriors are specialized in their weapon of choice, and all are profi¬cient in shortbow or some sort of crossbow. They are also trained in putting out fires quickly and rudimentary siege 'defenses (should they need to circle the wagons or find a defensive place to hole up during an attack).
Bandit and mercenary employees of the Feet receive some additional training, such that at least 10% have weapon spe¬cialization, most with bows or crossbows. Those that the group’s trainers think have the potential to be full employees are worth such a long-term investment.
The employees of the Arm are generally charismatic and intelligent. The Iron Throne wants charming and friendly people organizing its caravans (most have the Diplomacy and Etiquette proficiencies) or, failing that, shrewd business owners that can squeeze a profit out of just about anything. All are literate, and most know at least two languages.
The employees of the Eyes are either mundane folk with an expansive web of contacts or spellcasters with access to divination spells. They tend to know a lot about local history, astrology, religions, languages, and other cultures. Wizards favor spells such as charm person, clairandience, clairvoyance, dream, ESP, magic mirror, magic mouth, message, sending, and whispering wind. Priests favor spells such as augury, charm person or mammal, divination, magic flmt, messenger, and reflect¬ing pool. Of course, both types of spellcasters relish the chance to use magic items that duplicate these effects (including crys¬tal balls and rings of human influence).
The rare assassins used by the Iron Throne are hired for their discretion and stealth, and often anonymously. An assassin’s ability not to be spotted or traced back to the Iron Throne is much more valuable that incredible fighting prowess; a poisoned blade in the dark is just as effective as a well-placed backstah. The group’s own assassins are skilled in moving quietly, hiding, and distraction, or have magic that accomplishes such necessities for them.

ReSOURCeS

Because they trade in arms and equipment, the foil employ¬ees of the Iron Throne tend to have the best sort of equip¬ment available, even in places where such materials are scarce. As the group has a number of wizards and priests in its employ, caravans have a surprising number of minor magic items, ranging from potions and protection scrolls to magical arrows and low-charge wands usable by any class. Most of these items are present to protect a shipment or eliminate a large number of enemy caravaneers without causing property damage (such as scrolls of sleep, or wands that cast color spray). Their monetary pay is slightly above standard, and part of their compensation comes in terms of equipment, training, and advancement opportunities. Potential leaders are pro¬moted to lieutenant positions and have the possibility of becoming leaders of their own teams.
The more powerful members tend to have stronger ties to the infernal; many of the wizards in the groups employ have imp familiars or servants (through favors called in by Sfena). At least one or two have strange items such as a lemure potion—a crystalline flask that releases a lemure when broken, attacking the owner's enemies until slain. Most of the organization does not know of Sfena’s existence or her ties to Hell, however, and they assume that powerful wizards in the employ of the Iron Throne make these things.
The bandit groups hired by the Iron Throne use their own equipment but are paid well, and sometimes are given a few strange potions to enhance their fierceness. (These potions provide a berserker effect, giving a +2 bonus on melee attacks and a -2 penalty to Armor Class). Of course, the Iron Throne pays the bandits when they are in the city, and preferably within a tavern, festhall, or inn which the group owns. This way, some of that money circulates back into the group’s coffers.
A merchant-coster member of the Iron Throne gives five percent of its net earnings to the organization every month, in exchange for protection of goods in transport. Should the merchant's shipments by captured by monsters or bandits, the Iron Throne compensates them for the losses after magical verification of the events. Employees of the Eye earn a salary commensurate with their abilities, varying by how often their services are needed and by how reliable they are.

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