Gangs of Sanctuary

I am preparing for a new campaign that will take place on the planet Abbith, a setting we created in our last big D&D game. It will be play test of the Damsels and Demons rules, with the players beginning the game trying to survive the streets of a seedy free port on the edge of civilization. This is the player facing introduction.

Introduction

You were raised in the Vat Guild School for Special Children, an orphanage funded by Pasha Belgratore and administered by Senior Guildsman Dr. Mephisto. You were isolated in the clean white facility and your needs were attended to by rubbery skinned Guild Scientist. You were well fed and had the company of other orphans of your own age. At night you slept in a cold metal pod and you never had any dreams. One day after you had reached pubescence the Guildsmen told your class that there would be test while you slept. You have no memory of the test, but when you emerged the next morning the liquefied remains of most of your classmates were being drained from their pods. Dr. Mephisto took precise measurements of your “body and soul” while the Guild med-bots inserted a device into your brain. Something had definitely changed, you felt more experienced, confident and skillful. With teary eyes and love in his voice Dr. Mephisto thanked you for your time in the School for Special Children and released you to the streets of Sanctuary.

You share a deep bond with the other survivors of the Vat Guild orphanage, a bond that kept you alive through the first few days in the dangerous alleys of the city. With nothing more to your names than a talent for violence your misfit band quickly seized a shack belonging to a petty criminal gang and set about making a mark on the city of Sanctuary.  

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The Alleys of Error

The local neighborhood sits just to the west of the Ziggurat of Bishma, formally the Temple of Erroneous. It was once the home of merchants and citizens of middling means. During the reign of Jabba the area was overtaken by Deep Ones who found its proximity to the cities underground sewer network to be conducive to their semi-aquatic lifestyle. The area was further degraded during the Battle of Sanctuary when an errant laser blast from the giant robot Cerebus demolished many of the buildings. Since the liberation of the city, the neighborhood has never really recovered, becoming a haven for refugees and the dispossessed. Its location just north of the Bazaar has made it a favorite haunt of criminal gangs who ply their trade at the market and docks and can flee to the Alleys for refuge.

Known Local Gangs

The Alleys of Error are home to several criminal gangs, most of whom are engaged in vicious turf wars.

The Mistaken Men: A gang led by the disposed priests of Erroneous, they claim the rights to all gambling operations in the Alleys of Error.

The Crosses and The Naught’s: Two gangs of urchin thieves distinguishable by “X” or “O” tattoos.  

The Dead Crakes: Formed from a load of Yarapolkan slaves that did not sell at the bazaar, The Dead Crakes are thugs who specialize in armed robbery and murder for hire. They use a dead crake on a pike as a banner. Their leader is a mighty warrior known as The Spatchcocker.

The True Bloods: Former Thugee troops of the last Pasha and their descendants. The True Bloods are arrogant nativists who believe that the enterprise of any gang that didn’t exist before the rise of Jabba is illegitimate. They have a particularly vicious feud with the Dead Crakes.

The Shoggoth Mob: A band of extremely territorial native Shulimites. These colored men often graft protoplasmic tentacles to their bodies and are rumored to actually possess a Shoggoth. They run prostitution rings, and deal in lotus powders.

The Ghouls: A Yebish gang who control the disposal of the dead. They are sometimes hard to distinguish from actual undead. Their leader Lord Touchwick is widely suspected to be a Lich.

Beam Boys: A cultish group who fetishize the Pasha’s Thunder Bot’s. They claim the rights to any ancient technology in the Alley and sometimes carry lasers. They specialize in protection rackets and blackmail.

The Murgatroyds: Beneath Sanctuary is a maze of sewers and tunnels, many of the buildings in the Alleys of Error are connected to this underground. The Murgatroyds are Sea bloods and Deep Ones who live in this dank world and charge tolls for anyone trying to pass.

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Other Criminal Forces of the City

The Welts: A mercenary band turned bodyguards; the Welts are loyal to Nantoo the Rakka Man and provide security in the Bazaar.

The Cats: Five fierce she warriors and their pet cats. They ostensibly serve Mistress Jangaiva and provide protection at the brothel known as the Jade House but the cats tend to pursue their own agendas

The Black Fingers: An organization of highly skilled assassins led by a charming killer named Toadvine. The Blackfingers have a global reach and their base is in the city of Sanctuary.

Belit the Pirate Queen: Master of the largest pirate fleet to sail the Western Sea. Belit and her captains mostly pay their dues to the Pasha in exchange for the use of Sanctuary’s harbor and the protection of the Thunder Bots.

Azax the Flayed: A Mad wizard who lives in the Pasha’s palace. Azax controls the trade in alchemical products and employs invisible familiars to spy on rivals. It is common for mothers in Sanctuary to warn their children to behave by telling them that “The Flayed Wizard is watching you!”

The Pasha: The true crime lord of the city. Pasha Belgrator’s power comes from 20 foot tall war machines called the Thunderbots, and the loyalty of a highly skilled band of dinosaur mounted cavalry called The Red Lancers. The Pasha levies a 1/10 tax on all goods sold for over 1 GP, and takes 1/10 of all booty brought back by the pirates. Protection contracts are also offered on an individual basis.  It is not unknown for the Pasha to use the gangs of the city to encourage the purchase of protection contracts.