The Bladed Pouch
The Bladed Pouch is a sinister organisation made up of different rogues from many diverse European backgrounds. They are notorious for being a breakaway guild from the main Thieves & Assassins guilds found throughout western & central Europe. Hated and constantly at war with these guilds in the shadows, and feared by the ruling classes who are constant targets by them. Many communities fear & hate them too due to them taking the young of smaller settlements to train them as thieves & assassins, while using drugs & magic to alter & damage the memories of these children.
Structure
The Bladed Pouch is ran by a character only known as the Master. Each grouping of the guild is led by a character referred as a Jarl, and followed by the standard membered referred to as Blooded. New initiates are referred as Unblooded.
Culture
Ruthlessness and secrecy is of overall importance, followed by taking up any job no matter the fallout. They regularly use violence & intimidation as a matter of course, and blackmail & bribery is applied quite liberally. Backstabbing & removal of outside knowledge of their guild is regularly employed to silence potential leaks. Outside jobs are acquired through leaving payment of some kind (preferably something personal) at a sacred site of deities given to evil, along with a note of who the target is or what is wanted. Jobs are expected to be carried out in any way the agent wants, and anybody viewing the agent at work can be killed.
Public Agenda
The Bladed Pouch is viewed by the public as a group of savages who only carry out thefts & assassinations at any cost with no regard for life. Along with this, they refuse to work with the authorities when needed. Their ongoing shadow war against the established guilds has attracted unwanted attention, especially from the rulers of many empires, settlements & peoples. Coupled with the kidnapping & mind-controlling of young children, has led to it's secretive nature being partially exposed.
Assets
Primarily made up of thieves & assassins, the guild has a few others attached such as scouts & trickster rogues. Split into smaller bands, they keep their lairs hidden by all means with the use of traps, magic, and misinformation. These are split into different out of the way places, usually with small headquarters in these. Messages are sent by magic between the Jarls (who usually are trickster rogues), and these leaders have hidden agendas & identities that make it harder to bring down. The Master has their own lair in an unknown location, and nobody seems to know anything about their identity.
History
The Bladed Pouch was estimated to have split from other Thieves & Assassins Guilds roughly 200 years ago. The exact reason is unknown but a number of tidbits can be ascertained.
The mysterious Master who runs the guild is hinted at being a powerful trickster rogue, who fell into worshipping some type of murderous god. This led him or her to try to impose this worship on other guild members with a minority following suit. Many of the others who didn't forced these people out of the guilds and they were banished from the main regions controlled by the guilds. The Master took up residence in some abandoned region long forgotten and started to truck with creatures of pure evil. The creatures seemed to persuade him / her to capture promising individuals to make up numbers and showed them the way to get contracts by using unholy magical means. This they have practised since, though the Master could be anyone after those 200 years, and likely someone separate now.
They have sought to wreak havoc on their old allies as they are now viewed as apostates to the cause. Any member captured & interrogated seems to have holes in their memory, especially in their past, as if there is some type of mind control. Many talk of a coming darkness where the shadows will rule and the light will burn out. This belief has got stronger over time, and those that have only tenuous contact or get out early by various means speak that most of the ardent guild members will speak of this openly in their safehouses.
They are rumoured to have been searching for the grave of an ancient assassin & thief dating back to ancient Celtic times in western Frankish territory. It is meant to contain a set of magical gear that would make the user almost unstoppable. These are said to be a climbing rope that can be extended & never cut or burned, a blade that is forever envenomed & permanently severs the soul from the body, a suit of leather armour that is as light as the air itself, and a matching cloak to the armour that forever shrouds the wearer in shadowy darkness.
Only the outcome is important
"There's a cancer out there. A damn nightmare that's going to come back and kill us if we're not careful. The Bladed Pouch, it's called. It happened when too much greed & power is used in our profession. Evil things take notice. That's how this abomination took root, and driven off. Should have been killed there and then.
So, to you new recruits, watch yourselves. If you suspect anything get us to help. We need to stamp them out once & for all."
Floki the Tramp speaking to new Thieves Guild recruits at The Slinky Seine.
Founding Date
Unknown, but rumoured to be over 200 years ago
Type
Illicit, Gang
Leader Title
Location
I really enjoyed this article
Thanks. Ripe for expanding down the line too when the players find out more about this guild.