The Shadow Quarter
"I don't make deals with the Devil, Richy. The Devil makes deals with me - and I hold him to them." - Tony Blandstead, Founding Kingpin of the Shadow Quarter
History of the Shadow Quarter
All cities have their own underground, be it a small drug trade or a major fighting ring hidden in the depths. Yet few cities, if any, have one as large as the Shadow Quarter. Funded with drugs, slaves and various crime-dealings, the faction lies in the underbelly of Rharne and possesses incredible influence and power throughout the city. With political figures, wealthy merchants and lowly thieves all playing a part in the dealings and crimes of the Shadow Quarter, they are an imposing group that has given the Lightning Knights and Thunder Priestesses trouble for hundreds of Arcs now.
The Shadow's Founders
Dating back to the Arc 524, the Shadow Quarter was founded by a small criminal organization with bigger dreams. Aspiring to become the greatest in Rharne, the group set out to negotiate with the wealthy, slowly making their way through the different Quarters of Rharne until they had eyes and ears everywhere. Now, the divide of wealth in Rharne holds no barriers to the Shadow Quarter, having important figures both current and historically from every tier of wealth and every area of Rharne.
Becoming a member
All members of the Shadow Quarter are followed at first, viewed from afar by the many spies in the city as the higher-ups scout out potential accomplices and allies. Once a Season of this scouting has gone by the person in question will be approached by a low-ranking member, who is also being watched, and will be told that they are invited to join the Shadow Quarter and that failure to do so will result in death. Should they decline the offer the low-ranking Shadow Quarter member is to kill them. Should they fail to do so both will mysteriously disappear that night, neither being seen again, as a higher-skilled assassin will be sent to deal with them and they will be left to rot in their home as a statement - or thrown into the river to never be seen again.
In order to join the Shadow Quarter you may:
A.) Request an existing PC member to bring you in
B.) Speak with a Rharne Mod about being initiated. This initiation can be self-modded but requires mod approval first.
NOTE:Before any form of initiation you must register as an applicant OOC and a moderator must approve the initiation attempt. This allows us to be aware of all of those being initiated so we can step in if we don't believe that the character in question would be suitable as a Shadow Quarter Member.
Apply here to join the Shadow Quarter
Due to the investigation that occurs before you can be brought in, it is incredibly rare and difficult for morally good PC's to be allowed in, with security high for the secrecy and safety of the Shadow Quarter and its associates. Any PC looking to join the Shadow Quarter should be morally grey at best, utterly void of Empathy at worst.
Shadow Ranks
Ranking up in the Shadow Quarter is different from the other, official factions of Rharne as the ranks are based on trust and performance. Due to this the Shadow Quarter has two sections. First, the Base Quarter, is the beginning of someones career with the shady underground. Told very little and uninformed, sometimes even given wrong information on who is in charge, the Base Quarter is full of anyone not trusted by the higher-ups. Over 99% of the members of the Shadow Quarter are in these ranks and will stay that way, very few ever rising to any of the roles and jobs in the Higher Quarter. These select individuals are not only trusted, but powerful and accomplished in their trade, showing true potential and ability to run the Shadow Quarter with full trust and secrecy. Most will never know of the existence of these individuals and those that make their presence known do so with a fake persona, claiming to be many ranks lower than what they truly are.
Base Quarter
Prospects: As they are first approached and are considered for their role in the Shadow Quarter, the Prospects are given no information and are solely told they are now a part of the Shadow Quarter. No guidance is given other than to continue to make profit and store it, waiting for the time they are truly allowed into the Quarter.
Affiliates: Finally a part of the Shadow Quarter, the Affiliates are true members, given tasks and jobs on occasion and talking directly to their Shadow Lord in order to receive payment and give back to the Quarter. These members are still watched from afar, their progress being monitored to see if they are worthy of any higher ranks. Most of the members of the Quarter stay at this point or die before they can progress further.
Soldiers: Soldiers are a simple but trusted role, progressing above affiliate and being given jobs that others may not. Small groups of soldiers will be tasked with taking out important targets or protecting valuable cargo, silencing witnesses and other various tasks. Despite the name Soldier, these roles are not all fighters, many are simple drug-traders or smugglers that are given special permissions and are able to do jobs beyond that of an affiliate.
Shadow Lords: Seen as the "highest rank" to any uninformed, these are the head of the Base Quarter and are the only role in this category that knows of higher ranks existing, though they know nothing of who the real top dogs are. Any and all Base Quarter members are to answer to Shadow Lords. However, these members are still given little to no information on the real important aspects of the Shadow Quarter and are, therefore, expendable.
The Higher Quarter
Boss Hand: Working directly under the Kingpins, the Boss Hands are powerful and influential members of the Shadow Quarter. While there is no exact limit to how many Boss Hands there can be in the Shadow Quarter, the highest number to date is seven, with five currently in play. Each Boss Hand answers to one particular Kingpin, working as a direct part of their criminal empire, usually selected based on shared talents or interests.
Kingpins: The top of the food chain in the Shadow Quarter, these five individuals are directly in charge of all the events in the Shadow Quarter, even if most don't realise it. Nothing slips past the infinite eyes of these five. Should one wish to become a Kingpin they have to show more than just devotion to the Quarter, but talent and potential. As well as this, the existing Kingpins are unlikely to give up their own position, meaning a spot would have to be opened - be it through natural causes or strange occurrences.
OOC NOTE: Kingpins may not be used in self-moderated plots without moderator oversight/permission.
Shadow Quarter Rewards
NOTE: Not every tier is given a reward by the Shadow Quarter, due to the lack of trust and risk of handing out "branded" or "Identical" items to those that may well lose them or reveal secrets. Due to this, rewards are few and far between, but the ones that are given will help massively.
All Members - Thrice spoken Word: A simple but straightforward strategy, the Shadow Quarter has a word that changes by the Cycle. This seemingly innocent word, or perhaps phrase, is used to identify other members of the Shadow Quarter by inserting it three times into a standard conversation. This word changes by the Cycle and will be updated by the Rharne Mods when needed.
The current word is Citrus.
Shadow Lords - Darkness' Blessing: As men and women shrouded in Darkness it is only fitting that a weapon of their choice is too. The Shadow Lord is given either a new, Good+ weapon of choice or a prior weapon they owned can be given the enchantment of darkness. This enchantment alters the weapon, shrouding it in low light. While the normal daylight or the light of a torch will give the weapon it's usual shape the darkness will conceal it, making it entirely invisible in any situation dimmer than candlelight.
Boss Hands - Shadow's Ring: With a job that requires frequent stealth and caution, the Boss Hands are given a ring that they keep should they become a Kingpin - a ring that allows entire stealth. Their body becomes invisible and their vision clearer, able to see perfectly fine in total darkness. Using this during daytime or any light can be blinding and prolonged periods of it will cause permanent eye damage. In darkness, however, the Boss Hand is near impossible to see. Only their sound and general stealth skill limit them.
Kingpins - The Five Artifacts of the Quarter: The Five artifacts are all powerful gemstones, capable of granting the wielder a unique but useful effect. These five gems stay within the Kingpins and no new ones have been made since the originals. Because of this, and the nature of the role of Kingpin, the only way to obtain one of these artifacts is to become a Kingpin yourself by killing the previous wielder. These Gems are seemingly alive, beckoning people that fit their personality and power to them, meaning no Kingpin can ever feel safe in their position and must constantly stay alert. As one final trait of the gems, their powers can not be used on another wielder, meaning the Kingpins in-fighting is handled with raw power, magic and blessings alone - not with help of the gemstones. Because of this, no two gems can be used at the same time by one person, making it impossible for one Kingpin to rule over all of them.
The five gems are as follows:
The Hiding One - The Delana Gem: A powerful, unique gemstone for those that wish to avoid any interaction with the Immortals and their followers - the Delana gem allows the user to hide from any Immortal that is looking for them. While this ability can not prevent them being found through normal, mortal means such as tracking or stalking, the stone is still incredibly powerful for the Kingpin that wields it.
The Voracious One - The Blood Gem: A gem that feels almost sentient and malicious to the one possessing it, the Blood Gem fuels the fear behind the Kingpin that wields it, giving them an aura of intimidation beyond that of any skill or personality. Anyone who makes eye contact with the Voracious Kingpin finds themself uncomfortable with high discipline and paralyzed with fear at any discipline below competent.
The Watchful One - The Scouring Stone: The Watchul One is granted the ability to read the thoughts of one other individual at a time, reading the mind of even the most mentally durable. However, the higher their Discipline or Meditation is will result in fewer words being understood and heard. Unless the person has total mental block from a magic or ability, however, their mind can still be read.
The Defensive One - The Reflex Stone: Rather than active ability, the wielder of this stone is granted a mysterious instinct when their life is in danger. A few seconds before they are about to be attacked the Defensive One feels a strange chill down their neck, warning them of oncoming danger. While they don't know the direction or form of danger they are in, this artifact gives enough time for them to react accordingly to most situations.
The Opposing One - The Kata Crystal: Seemingly useless on the surface, with no blatant abilities, the Kata Crystal grants immunities to any form of mental communication, control or manipulation. This effect has no bias, impacting both friendly and enemy attempts at Telepathy or positive emotions being shared, but will equally negate all negative ones.
Ranking Up
Ranking up in the Shadow Quarter follows no point system, only promoting those that are trusted and useful. Because of this the promotion is done on a case-by-case basis, judging their chance of rankup based on how many threads they have done as a member of the Shadow Quarter. While any threads, no matter how small, will make a difference you can only be promoted if you have done well with your level. Any of the Higher Quarter jobs will require a plot to be done in order to be promoted, on top of all the usual work.
Post here to claim threads for rank up.
These threads can ONLY be threads you have done at your current rank, not any prior or older ones
These threads can ONLY be threads you have done at your current rank, not any prior or older ones
Current Members
N/A
Important NPC's:
OOC NOTE: Kingpins may not be used in self-moderated plots without moderator oversight/permission.
Rewritten by Joey Lupo and Vyto