The Dockworkers' Guild

The Dockworkers of Skaug have only recently organized, much to the Chagrin of Lord Mristar, who doesn’t acknowledge or approve of any organization or authority outside his control. The workers of the Skaug docks are only a bare step above the slaves in the society. As such they are allowed into the camps but not into the Merchant Quarters. The few merchants that will deal with the dockworkers keep simple stalls near the port where the workers can shop for necessities, typically consisting of substandard merchandise that has been grossly overpriced. Primarily immigrants to the island, the dockworkers are still all human as any non-human race is fit for one thing and one thing only on Skaug—the slave camps. The rest of the humans on the island revile them or tolerate them but there are factions that actively seek their removal from the island altogether as they believe that they have settled there “illegally.” The dockworkers keep to themselves and live communally in wooden longhouses just off the shore, protected from the incoming tides by being built high on sturdy wooden beams.
The Dockworkers’ Guild doesn’t seek greater representation on the island or even really any more power. All they want is the right to be treated as equals on the island and to not have to endure the economic hardships imposed by their status. They largely live in fear of the day when the promised “cleansing” sweeps them off the island altogether.

ZORA MARSK

The de facto leader of the Dockworker’s Guild is Zora Marsk. She represents the Guild’s matters with the local government and is the only one who is allowed to leave the docks and venture through the slave camps to the Merchant Quarters (she is obviously not allowed near the capitol building). Marsk is studious and intelligent, quick-minded and logical. She argues with the Triumverate for more leniency and rights for the dockworkers and has very nearly convinced two of the three that the matter should be presented to Lord Mristar for greater consideration.
Zora is a passionate and intellectual debater who is proud of her Halruuan heritage but knows better than to make this the point of her arguments with those in power. She is grudgingly liked even by those who would spit on most of the people that she is representing.
As upstanding and righteous as she is, Marsk does have one secret worth noting. She is secretly infatuated with Atlan, the leader of The Thieves Guild of Skaug . Although the two of them have not been romantically linked externally they have secretly enjoyed one another’s company on many occasions. Marsk secretly basks in the thrill of the forbidden relationship, having been upright and dependable her whole life. But she is also keenly aware that its discovery could mean an end to all the reform that she has worked so hard to see realized. She would do almost anything to keep the tryst a secret.

ALLYING WITH THE DOCKWORKERS’ GUILD

If the characters can gain the aid of the dockworkers, these hard workers can provide tremendous benefits to the party during any confrontation. The dockworkers effectively control traffic in and out of the harbor. As such, they could sabotage the ships of the Skaug Corsairs to prevent them from bringing naval power to bear. They might even be able to provide the players with a ship to escape altogether if things go too far in the wrong direction.
Gaining the assistance of the Dockworkers’ Guild could be approached from a few different directions. The easiest way to ensure the cooperation of this guild would be to gain the cooperation of Zora Marsk. This could be done by discovering her secret relationship with Atlan and using this information to blackmail her (this will result in a grudging and tenuous alliance which might not yield as much benefit). Players could also opt to blackmail or sway members of the Triumverate to be sympathetic to Zora’s cause, which would result in a much more amicable pact. Or the characters could find a completely different way to approach the situation which would present mutual benefit both to the Dockworkers’ Guild and to the party in their attempts either to escape the island or to overthrow Mristar.

Type

Guild, Professional