Dead Family

Dwarven Assassins and Thieves are rare, as hundreds of years of military control have changed their culture to put less emphasis and value on material objects. To the point that some of the more propagandistic amongst them will earnestly claim that there are no dwarven thieves. That does not mean it does not happen however, rather those that do are usually forced to join dead families. These families die due to falling out of favor, or by more literal means due to infighting or war. They are then ‘adopted’ into the family, which grants them certain rights, such as the ability to own a business, sell things in the open market, etc. This ‘family’ officially should not exist and to start one you either need a considerable amount of bribes, clout with authorities or a really good paperman (Fancy name for lawyer/accountant/geniologist) After becoming a part of the family it is assumed that you are loyal to it until such time that you start your own, or die. Due to the open secret nature of these families they are held in disrepute, but are difficult to get rid of due to their power and influence. There are a few notable thief guilds masgeurading as old clans, such as the Silverhorn clan, the Flinthelm clan, and the Shadowbuckles. Assassin clans are rare, and usually don't advertise openly, appearing to outsiders as miners, merchants, or other more normal trade. Those with insider knowledge however, can contact these clans if they need to remove a political foe. Examples incldue, the Oreveiw clan, the Whitblade clan, or the Leatherblack clan.