Malavida

Once a civilization has grown sophisticated enough to establish a code of laws, it will also have a segment of its population that will have no compunction in breaking them. Time and time again, the history of Tel has proven that if the chance of profit is greater than the risk of being caught, some will be willing to steal or murder. Indeed, the fact that justice and order are such highly valued concepts in many cultures is due to the reality that their societies also have their fair share of individuals who engage in illicit activity. The various factions of organized criminal enterprises that exist across Tel are collectively referred to as the Malavida in the Common tongue. The various groups within the Malavida are catagorized into three groupings based on their primary activity, which are sarcastically termed 'guilds,' yet it cannot be denied that these groups do perform the majority of the same functions as guilds of more reputable craftsmen and merchants. As such, within one's local Malavida, people will speak of the Assassins' Guild, the Beggars' Guild, and the Thieves' Guild.

Assassins' Guild

Beggars' Guild

Thieves' Guild

Relations between Underworld Factions in the Aeriscan League

You Cheat! by Alon Chou

Three card sharpers of the Ratcatchers run a con on an unwitting mark.

Common underworld professions include:

• boothaler - marauder, plunderer
• burglar - one who breaks into, and steals things from, other people's houses.
• courtesan - a prostitute who uses his or her knowledge of court etiquette and the performing arts to attract wealthy, upper-class clients.
• diver - A Thieves' Cant term referring to a pickpocket
• fence - one who trades in stolen goods
• footpad - one who robs pedestrians and travelers on the road
• highwayman - one who robs travelers on a road and is mounted for a quick getaway.
• outlaw - a man wanted by the law
• pickpocket - one who picks pockets
• poacher - one who illegally hunts game or fish on privately held land.
• prostitute - one who exchanges sexual favors for money
• sharper - one who uses impromptu scams to trick individuals out of money or possession
• silk-snatcher - one who steals bonnets
• stewsman - a brothel keeper
• thimblerigger - a professional sharper who runs a thimblerig (a game in which a pea is ostensibly hidden under a thimble and players guess which thimble it is under)