The Fisherhook Gang

Aftermath of a Murderer

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Click Here for Audio Version

Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though I will always ask you call me Azrael. I have referenced the Fisherhook Gang in the past, especially during my discussion of Chabaal, but things have changed since those bloody days. Well, actually I think I should clarify that.

Things are still plenty bloody, but at least the Fisherhooks’ new leader doesn’t enjoy it like Chabaal did. The blood now is more of an unfortunate necessity; though, that’s to be expected when you’re the last thing Vānima the Veldriss wants dead. Second-to-last thing.

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Notable Players

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Raniero Veraldi

The Hood

Silas McGain

First thing’s first, though. We have to do a role call now that Chabaal has met his end. There was a bit of a reshuffling that occurred, no doubt thanks to Chabaal’s fanatical herald, Feyaga Hush. We’ll get to him next time. But eventually things settled down as much as is possible for the Fisherhook Gang, and its new leaders took center stage.
Technically the gang has only one leader. A human, surprisingly enough. His real name is Raniero Veraldi, but through his exploits, he’s gained “The Stallion” as a moniker. No doubt it has something to do with his heritage and a certain Woman in Red he brings up on occasion. Apparently his great grandmother had a run-in with her and . . . well, maybe that’s why Raniero is here at all. And by here, I mean Orosta.
But amidst this single leader, there are two others most people go looking for when they need something. The Hood is a Sithuwaye elf and a remnant of Chabaal’s time. He would have been the new leader, in fact, had he not deferred to Raniero. The Hood has always been one for the shadows, after all. Better to be Raniero’s second than ruin those shadows with a spotlight.
Lastly is Silas McGain, another human. This one, though, has a biting hatred for all Zurrinaih elves. If you knew what they had done to him, you might understand him a bit, but I do believe it’s gotten out of hand these last few years. We’ll have to wait and see.

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The Goal

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by David Mark from Pixabay

But at this point you must be wondering what the idea behind it all is. Now that Chabaal is dead, his mad vision of restoring the world to what it was must have died with him, right?
Well, yes and no. Chabaal may have been a psychotic killer in the end, but his original goal of making the world a better place was a good one. Granted, he didn’t phrase it like that, but that has come to be the current interpretation of his ramblings.
Therefore, the Fisherhook Gang’s main goal is what it always has been. A little polish has been applied, that’s all. Though, thanks to Raniero, one of the ways the Fisherhooks have begun improving the world and opposing Vānima the Veldriss is by helping to free humans from slavery. And thanks to the Hood’s presence, there is also a focus on giving shelter to Sithuwaye elves fleeing from Sicarius assassins.
No doubt many lives have been saved thanks to Raniero and the Hood’s efforts. But what do you do with someone after you’ve saved them? Naturally they’re going to need food, water, somewhere to sleep. It’s not enough to just cut the chains and say, “Have a nice life.”
What this means is that, unfortunately, the Fisherhook Gang’s greatest action is also its greatest weakness. They can’t move around like they used to in the old days. They need a base of operations to house everyone. They do have quite a brilliant setup at the moment, but the clock is ticking. Sooner or later, Vānima will find them. And once that happens, well . . .

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The Stain of History

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by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

And that’s nothing compared to the trouble that comes once you look a little closer at their current setup. I said it was brilliant, and it is, but its history is . . . hmm.
Believe it or not, but it’s thanks to Chabaal the Fisherhook Gang can operate the way it does now. It was Chabaal who found and lived in their current hideout. Indeed, when Litzana and Kieran were part of the Fisherhook Gang, this is where they lived, too. Unfortunately, this means that bloody history has a tendency to crawl from beneath the floorboards now and again. And all that polish, rebranding, and the like gets dragged back into the muck.
Say what you will about Vānima, but when she says a band of rogues does not a family make . . . she has a point. When she accuses the Fisherhook Gang of being violent criminals who use children to sneak into places adults never could . . . she has a point. And when she says she will hunt down every last Fisherhook because of how many Zurrinaih elves they have killed . . . she has a point.
Remember I said Silas hates Zurrinaih?
Not all Zurrinaih are Vānima’s assassins.
I have said this many times, but I’ll say it again. Nothing is as black and white as people would like it to be. It would be easy to make Vānima the villain. But it would also be easy to shudder at the memory of Chabaal and wonder if all that polish is being used to pretend this ragtag band won’t stop at nothing to get what it wants—no matter the cost. Dare I say Raniero, the Hood, Silas, and Vānima all have something in common?
Hmph. Oh dear, they’d rage into the wind if they heard me say that. Best I keep that to myself, I think. *wink*

Signed your fishing narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.

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Related Articles

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

“To Restore What Was Lost.”

Founding Date

The Month of Solas, Day 12, 14894 NS

Type

Illicit, Gang

Alternative Names

• The Fisherhooks

Demonym

Fisherhook

Leader

Raniero Veraldi

Location

Rhye

Notable Members

• Chabaal Hassa
• Feyaga Hush
• Silas McGain
• The Hood

Related Species

• Elf
• Jeenta
• Tressian
• Undine

Related Ethnicities

• Rhyonian
• Sithuwaye
• Zurrinaih