Black Network of the Rat King

On the surface, Zobeck appears to be a civilised city-state run by an upstanding Consulate and defended by a devout order of Griffon Knights and fearless, incorruptible Gearforged. But beneath appearances there is a thriving black market and rampant criminality, which sometimes threaten to overthrow law and order in the City of Gears.
One shadowy figure is reputed to keep his own brutal brand of order in the underbelly of the city, known only as the Rat King (and as the Mouse King by those who dare to scorn him). Thought to have many of the city’s governors and law-enforcers in his pocket, the name of the Rat King has been around for centuries, making some believe he is an immortal lycanthrope, an Elf, or a Doppelgänger; others claim the Rat King is merely a title that is taken by a succession of mob bosses who have effectively silenced their rivals.
Either way, it is the consensus that without the Rat King’s influence, Zobeck would long ago have been turned to chaos by warring factions of petty criminals and neighbourhood gangsters.