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The Battirovka Family
Much of the crime throughout the viscounty is orchestrated by a secret organization known as "the Family." It members are more than leg-breakers and petty criminals; even the lowest-ranked members of the Family are skilled rogues with quick feet and smooth words. Although the Family is pervasive—it certainly operates at minimum in Verbobonc City and Rhynehurst—its exact structure and headquarters are unknown. The Family is organized in a hierarchy, and members rarely know anyone outside of their immediate superior and subordinates. The lowest rank in the organization consists of "Friends of the Family," who receive their orders from "Cousins." Cousins, in turn, receive orders from "Brothers" and "Sisters," who seem to administer the Family’s operations. It is rumored that these "Brothers" receive orders from shadowy "Aunts" and "Uncles" of the Family, but these masterminds are virtually unknown. They have certainly never been captured or identified. Although the Family deals with vice, smuggling, and crime, its existence has arguably done more good than harm to Verbobonc. Most importantly, the Family knows it can only prosper when peace and wealth flow through the land; in many cases, the goals of the Viscount and the goals of the Family are the same (to drive away evil monsters, to increase the prosperity of the citizenry, and so on). Furthermore, the Family avidly guards against outsiders setting up thieving operations in Verbobonc. One of the foremost goals of all members of the Family is to look out for independent freelance operators—called "black sheep"—and see to it that they ply their trades elsewhere, or end up floating face down in the Velverdyva. This is not to say that the Family is without its enemies. Certainly, the Church of Saint Cuthbert would like to see all these miscreants thrown out of the viscounty. The Church of Zilchus, often victims of the Family’s burglars and pickpockets, also actively oppose the Family. In Verbobonc City, many Family members spend much of their time trying to stay ahead of the vigilant Gentlemen of the Watch. |
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