Dusk City Outlaws: Renaissance Fantasy Heist! [system game; interest check]

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When is a city actually two cities? When it is New Dunhaven, the Dusk City. The sprawling metropolis might seem like a single ever-growing urban area, but two cities occupy the space: the city inhabited by the law-abiding citizens of New Dunhaven, and the shadowy world of the criminal cartels that exists just under the surface of lawful society.

New Dunhaven’s size and the density of its population sustain thousands of stories taking place at once. Careers on the rise, tragic falls from grace, political and religious strife, and fortunes won and lost all touch the lives of individuals and groups at every moment.

That’s more than enough to occupy the everyday lives of law-abiding citizens. But beyond the mundane stories, just out of sight and hidden by a veil of deception and cunning, lies a vast criminal underworld. This city within the city consists of the Right Kind of People—those who blithely break the law for power and profit. Seemingly legitimate businesses serve as facades for cartel operations, and numerous supposedly upstanding citizens operate as agents of the cartels, living innocent public lives but secretly engaging in criminal deeds.

The eight cartels that abide by the Arrangement form the backbone of this secret world’s population. Where the law divides the city into districts, the cartels divide the city into claimed turf. Where law-abiding people depend on the Crown to watch over them, the Right Kind of People turn to the Black Council and its agents. As the lawful look over their shoulders for criminals, the criminals constantly keep their eyes open for signs of the Blooded or the City Watch. Almost everything in the law-abiding world has a reflection in the criminal underworld, with the cartels at its center.

Hiya! I recently had the chance to play Dusk City Outlaws, an absolutely fantastic and fun little tabletop RPG about heists in a renaissance fantasy setting. It felt like a game that might be really interesting to try in a forum setting as well, so, here I am -- seeing if I could interest three to six players or so in trying it out!

In Dusk City Outlaws, you will play criminals -- thieves, con artists, assassins, charlatans, racketeers, thugs, burglars -- each coming from one of the eight colorful cartels of New Dunhaven. These cartels have formed what is known as the Arrangement: basically, they all decided that "you know, we're all in this to make money; so rather than fight with each other, let's just respect each others' turfs, do our own things, and we can all profit."

As a way of upholding this Arrangement, the deal is that whenever there is a big job, a big score, a big heist, no cartel is allowed to do it on their own; instead, they must put together a crew combined of members of many different cartels, and share the profits equally. That way, everyone will profit, and no one needs to worry about the other cartels trying to hinder the job.

Your characters, coming from all the different cartels, have been put together for one such job. There is an actual heist you need to complete, within a time limit; using all your skills, wits, contacts, and creativity!

Dusk City Outlaws is a system game, but it is a very narrative and improvisation driven one. For the most part, anyone is free to describe their actions as they like, inventing locations, NPCs and the like on the fly. There is some dice rolling involved, but very rarely about anything as boring as "do I manage to stab this guy": instead, one roll will usually represent a lengthy course of action which anyone is free to describe as they feel; and the result will only tell how well you manage to reach your goal... and if it raises more interesting and dramatic consequences to the scene!



Do I need to know the system?
Not at all! Dusk City is designed to be a game which can be picked up with little to no preparation. The rules affect more the structure of the game than anything else, and I should be able to guide everyone through the rules as they come up!
(The game is available in PDF form at DriveThruRPG.com, but it's by no means a necessary purchase.)

What kind of theme and atmosphere will we be going for?
Dusk City Outlaws is a game about criminals, but it should be a fun, relatively light-hearted game. The characters should optimally be the kinds of "loveable crooks" we can root for; such as the crews in Ocean's Eleven, Firefly, and the like. Imagine it's a heist movie and the characters are the protagonists!

Will there be smut? What kind of content level?
This is Elliquiy, so yes, I would imagine there will be. The game is not inherently smutty though, so it is largely up to the players and what they decide to do! I think the game would go under Non-Consensual Human, to allow for all kinds of shenanigans should they come up; so, anyone joining should be comfortable to play in a game with such themes if they come up. For your own characters, personal on/offs will absolutely be respected though; there's no need for your character to be involved in any kinds of scenes you're not comfortable with.

How actively do we need to be posting?
I would love to keep the game rolling at a steady and consistent pace. It is a heist story where the players have a huge responsibility in planning and coming up with ways to gain information or prepare for the actual job, so I would hope for people to communicate in OOC and planning threads at least every couple of days or so; and when you're doing your actual legwork scenes, one post per week would be an absolute minimum, with two to three posts weekly much more preferable.

I do believe keeping up the momentum is absolutely vital for a successful group game. For this particular game, there is also an actual end goal -- the heist you'll all be preparing for -- and the game will have an end, eventually; so hopefully that will also help keep up the motivation!

Do I need to know my character yet?
This is just an interest check to see where we stand. You'll in any case need to know a bit more about how the characters are created before we get to that point; simply stating interest is more than enough right now!

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The Cartels

All player characters will belong to one of the eight following Cartels. Each cartel comes with its own style, look, heritage, and line of business; and during the course of your Job, you can use your Influence with your cartel in many extremely useful ways. Of course, you are more than welcome to style and theme your character however you like -- the sample characters and name suggestions are just examples!

The Circle

Your cartel is composed of refugees from the collapse of the Vladov Empire, far across the sea, and the allies they have made since arriving in New Dunhaven. Nearly every member of the cartel has spent some time in the city’s notorious prison, the Castle, as a result of an unjust decree by the Crown. The members of the Circle are tough, dangerous people with a reputation for violence, valued on crews as muscle and protection. The Circle uses intimidation to get its way, specializing in extortion, protection rackets, assassination, and coercion.

Appearance
You wear common clothes of a uniquely foreign cut and have a Circle tattoo on your left hand. You are conspicuous in Little Taona and in the merchant and noble districts.
Do you have visible prison tattoos? Scars from prison yard fights won and lost? Do you have bulging muscles or are you lean and fit, with strength that becomes evident only when you use it? If you are Vladov-born, is your Vladich accent thick or light?

Things You Know About
The Right Kind of People, the Castle, jails and prisons, Vladov history. You speak and write Vladich, the native language of the Vladov people. Other members of your cartel also speak this language.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Acquire an artifact of the Vladov Empire to use as a bribe
✦ Secure the release of a member of your cartel from a district jail
✦ Have Wolves of the Circle pay someone an intimidating visit
✦ Make contact with someone currently incarcerated in the Castle
✦ Convince a prison guard to look the other way while an imprisoned member of your cartel commits a crime
✦ Position a few Circle bruisers around the perimeter of a building to deter interlopers
✦ Obtain a heavy crossbow or other illegal non-firearm weapon

History of Violence
You can push your luck when brawling with, slashing, stabbing, or striking someone. When you do, for every 10 luck you spend, you increase your chance of success by 20%.

Sample Characters
Archon
Former nobles of the Vladov Empire, Archons occupy leadership roles within the Circle. They use their experience with the vicious politics of the Empire to plan for every possible contingency and pitfall on the Job. To create an Archon, choose the Mastermind specialty.

Comrade
More a way of addressing a Circle leader with respect than a formal title, Comrades have the charisma and willpower to bring an unruly crew together. They are usually the leaders of their crews, especially those who prefer smash-and-grab techniques to more subtle approaches. To create a Comrade, choose the Boss specialty.

Fang
Fangs are called upon to eliminate anyone who might get in the crew’s way, though their ability to move quietly and unobtrusively also makes them excellent spies. To create a Fang, choose the Assassin specialty.

Wolf
Wolves are the muscle that gives the cartel its reputation. Wolves prefer to let their fists and weapons do the talking, and they are hired for their intimidating presence as much as for their physical talents. To create a Wolf, choose the Brawler specialty.

Circle (Vladich) Names
First Names:
Alexei, Anastasia, Anton, Boris, Casimir, Dimitri, Elenia, Irena, Ivan, Katya, Katerina, Marina, Mikhail, Natalya, Nikolai, Olga, Piotr, Sasha, Sonya, Sergey, Xenia, Valentin, Vanka, Vasily, Vladimir.
Last Names:
Alenkev, Alvarova, Dragov, Havel, Ivankov, Koslova, Mashirin, Oleskin, Orlovski, Pavhalkin, Petranko, Semrevin, Stepanov, Vachenko, Volkovsky, Vostov.

The Family

Your cartel is the oldest and largest criminal organization in the city and the cornerstone of organized crime in New Dunhaven. The Family controls the largest swath of contiguous turf in the city, and oversees all crime in and around the city’s canals. Though involved in nearly every possible criminal pursuit, members of the Family portray themselves as legitimate businesspeople or local politicians, responsible for making sure everything keeps running smoothly for the common people who live in their territory. The Family is also the wealthiest cartel, and it often flaunts its riches to achieve its goals.

Appearance
You wear fine clothing that befits a wealthy commoner. You are conspicuous in Little Taona, the docks, and the slums.
Do you wear gaudy jewelry? Is your style ostentatious, or are you the respectable type? Are you full of puffedup bravado, or do you look cool and collected, like you have everything under control?

Things You Know About
Merchants, the canals, the Blooded.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge approved benefits:
✦ Gain the use of a Familyowned gondola for a full day
✦ Gain access to Family-controlled assets and secret warehouses connected to the city’s canals for the duration of the Job
✦ Commandeer the assistance of up to ten lowranking members of the Family for one scene
✦ Acquire goods that “fell off the back of a wagon”
✦ Obtain a single use of the services of a lawabiding commoner’s profession free of charge
✦ Convince members of the City Watch in a commoner district to look the other way for the duration of a single scene

It's Just Business
You add two advantage dice to any roll you make to interact verbally with merchants.

Sample Characters
Captain
The Family’s Captains are usually former Enforcers who are now coordinators and facilitators, making sure their crew has everything it needs to get the Job done. To create a Captain, choose the Fixer specialty.

Don
Generally older and more experienced cartel members in charge of strategy, the Dons take the long view on any situation. They rise through the ranks of the Family by keeping their cool and planning for every possible contingency. To create a Don, choose the Mastermind specialty

Enforcer
There comes a point at which the Family has to write off those whose constant defiance negates their worth as potential assets. Enforcers aren’t required to eliminate someone who is being troublesome; they need only demonstrate that defiance will not be tolerated. To create an Enforcer, choose the Assassin specialty.

Soldier
Soldiers watch over the day-to-day business, enforcing protection rackets and overseeing almost every type of crime. They work side by side with the
common folk who live in the Family’s turf. To create a Soldier, choose the Brawler specialty.

Family Names
First Names:
Alfons, Angelo, Antony, Ahmed, Arymilla, Beadora, Carlos, Coralina, Dario, Enrique, Farrad, Francisca, Franco, Liliana, Lucilla, Mariana, Marko, Omar, Salvatore, Selvadora, Talia, Tatiana, Vicente, Viviana, Zatanya.
Last Names:
Alonso, al Aqueño, al Verdanza, Bashir, Capozano, Castoro, de Montaña, Dominguez, Falcone, Malducci, Maggiani, Montenaldo, Naseeri, Rizzoletta, Sanabrio, Trabelsi, Valdiano, Venitez, Vespacci, Zafar.

The Forgotten

Your cartel is composed of hundreds of street gangs and independent criminals who call themselves members of a cartel to avoid the wrath of the Black Council. The Forgotten is the cartel that is not a cartel. Its street gangs quarrel and fight with one another almost as much as they clash with other cartels. Most of the city’s beggars are Forgotten, forming a loose information network that can spread rumors, gossip, news, and requests faster than any runner. The Forgotten mainly operate in unclaimed turf, though most of the slums are under the control of individual street gangs, and only the Forgotten can travel through or remain within the Old City for any length of time.

Appearance
You wear worn clothing in your street gang’s cut and colors. You are conspicuous in merchant and noble districts
What are the cut and colors of your street gang’s uniform? Do you advertise your connection to your band of ruffians, or are the signs of your allegiance subtle enough to be overlooked by a law-abiding citizen?

Things You Know About
Commoners, the slums, the Old City

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Tap into the Forgotten information network to learn the current state of a person or place
✦ Pass safely through the Old City (with your crew) during one scene
✦ Gain temporary shelter with a sympathetic commoner in a run-down apartment in the slums
✦ Start trouble with a rival street gang as a distraction
✦ Convince a pack of street urchins to swarm a merchant, begging for handouts
✦ Have a door or window propped open for you by a member of your cartel
✦ Have the beggars in a district watch an individual and report to you on their activities

Salt of the Earth
You add two advantage dice to any roll you make to interact verbally with commoners.

Sample Characters
Beggar
Most law-abiding citizens, even commoners, do their best to ignore the beggars that linger on street corners throughout the city. To the Forgotten, these Beggars form the foundation of a vast, city-wise informant network, with each Beggar a nigh-invisible watcher and listener. To create a Beggar, choose the Fixer specialty.

Faceless Man/Woman
The Faceless Men and Women specialize in being so unremarkable and forgettable that they blend into any crowd. These cartel members are excellent infiltrators and spies because marks are rarely aware of their presence. To create a Faceless Man or Woman, choose the Mole specialty.

Gang Leader
Leaders of the street gangs are called upon to join crews, bringing with them the muscle and numbers of the members of their gang. To create a Gang
Leader, choose the Boss specialty and invent a name and colors for the street gang that you lead.

Urchin
In the slums, many children grow up on the streets, engaging in skullduggery as a matter of survival. While some urchins grow up to become members and leaders of street gangs, others are so good at what they do that they are recruited for crews as youths. To create an Urchin, choose the Thief specialty.

Forgotten Names
First Names:
Alvin, Betty, Billy, Cyrus, Danny, Deena, Ernie, Fergie, Jenny, Jessie, Lucy, Micky, Rina, Ricky, Rudy, Sara, Simon, Tilly, Tommy, Veronica.
Nicknames:
Bloody Knuckles, Creepy, Lucky, Fast, Fightin’, Lightfinger, Mumbles, Old Man/Lady, One-Eye, The Knife, The Mouth, The Taker, Three-Fingers, Tough, Ugly, Yellow-Eyed.

The Gravediggers

Your cartel controls the city’s mortuaries and morticians, crematoriums, hearses, cemeteries, catacombs, and mausoleums. The business of death provides a fine cover for your cartel’s criminal activity, affording you convenient places where you can dispose of bodies and a cover under which members of your cartel can work in public without drawing too much attention. The Gravediggers also count among their members the corrupt members of the city’s plague doctors, who act on behalf of the Black Council to serve warnings or otherwise deal with criminals who draw the ire of their own cartels.

Appearance
You wear a musty-smelling outfit of fancy clothing, long out of style. You are conspicuous in noble districts, on the docks, and in Little Taona.
Do you appear sickly and on death’s door, or are you the picture of gothic beauty and dark allure? Does your appearance inspire fascination or dread, or something in-between?

Things You Know About
The Church, cemeteries, funeral parlors, ward houses, medicine.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Gain the use of a hearse for one scene, allowing your crew to travel the streets anonymously
✦ Obtain a corpse that looks roughly like someone you want it to
✦ Have employees of a cartel funeral parlor remove clothing or jewelry from a deceased citizen to complete a disguise
✦ Stage a funeral procession through a district of your choosing
✦ Order the Crown to quarantine a single district, allowing no one in or out for one full day
✦ Retain the services of a physicker on the take to provide medical care for the members of your crew
✦ Gain the use of a ward house or funeral parlor for a scene

Unsettling Presence
You can push your luck when making a mental attack to goad, intimidate, or frighten someone. When you do, for every 10 luck you spend, you increase your chance of success by 20%.

Sample Characters
Enbalmer
Like other members of the cartel, Embalmers serve a legitimate, legal function by preparing bodies for burial. Those outside the cartel don’t know that Gravedigger embalmers are also exceptional alchemists, using the bodies they prepare as the subjects of experiments. To create an Embalmer, choose the Alchemist specialty.

Mourner
Con artists who prey upon the grieving, Mourners are always on the lookout for a funeral in the city to infiltrate. They catch the deceased’s survivors in a moment of weakness and take advantage of their grief, using feigned sympathy to form a bond with their marks that can be later exploited. To create a Mourner, choose the Grifter specialty.

Parlor Man/Woman
Charged with overseeing the funeral parlors that serve as the cartel’s safe houses, Parlor Men and Women use their staffs as cleaning crews. They quickly dispose of bodies, clean up evidence left behind, and pay off witnesses to keep the heat off. To create a Parlor Man or Parlor Woman, choose the Cleaner specialty.

Plague Doctor
Not every plague doctor in the city is a Gravedigger, but those who are serve a purpose beyond their stated function. Plague Doctors use their anonymity as a shield as they send warnings to—and occasionally dispose of—the Right Kind of People who have earned the displeasure of their cartels. To create a Plague Doctor, choose the Assassin specialty.

Gravedigger Names
First Names:
Agnes, Alastair, Ambrose, Barnaby, Edmund, Ethel, Gideon, Hazel, Hester, Lenora, Mercy, Minerva, Octavius, Philomena, Phinneas, Rowena, Thaddeus, Thurman, Ulysses, Victoria.
Last Names:
Crowley, Frost, Gallows, Ghast, Graves, Grimes, Grymm, Hearst, Pall, Shrouds, Spector, Thanatos, Tombs, Wake, Wormwood, Wight.

The Mummers

The performers and entertainers of the city populate your cartel. Members of the cartel maintain perfectly legal professional identities as entertainers, using their careers as cover for their criminal activities. The Mummers are the most visible of the cartels; street performers, theater actors and stage crews, and tavern musicians all spend a fair amount of time in public places, honing their ability to draw the eyes and attention of everyone around them. The Mummers count as their turf almost all the city’s taverns, inns, alehouses, supper clubs, public houses, theaters, and other places of entertainment, which serve as neutral ground and embassies for the Right Kind of People within the other cartels’ turf.

Appearance
You wear brightly colored, elaborate, or ostentatious clothing designed to draw the eye. You are conspicuous in merchant districts, in the slums, and on the docks.
Do you dress as a professional entertainer, or as the fool? If you paint your face, is it more like makeup or warpaint? Do you appear comical, or is your outward persona more sinister? Do you look like a common entertainer, or do you present yourself as an elite thespian to blend in with the aristocracy?

Things You Know About
The Right Kind of People, entertainers, music, poetry, theater, literature, art, calligraphy.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Convince a performing troupe (actors, musicians, or other artists) from your cartel to act as a distraction for a scene
✦ Gain access to a safe house in a Mummers’ tavern or inn for the duration of the Job
✦ Arrange for your crew to be hired as entertainers for a party or other social event
✦ Obtain the use of a Mummer-run theater or playhouse for a scene
✦ Stage a performance of a play as a cover for your activities
✦ Secure an invitation to an exclusive social event by exploiting your fame and reputation

Charisma
You can push your luck when making a mental attack to convince or lie to someone. When you do, for every 10 luck you spend, you increase your chance of success by 20%.

Sample Characters
Bard
Hired entertainers are one of the most common status symbols among the wealthy of New Dunhaven. Bards are excellent entertainers as well as master politickers, capable of manipulating their marks through subtle means: forged notes, spreading rumors, planting false evidence, and so on. To create a Bard, choose the Mole specialty.
Laughing Man/Lady
Laughing Men and Laughing Ladies are the most visibly ostentatious members of the Mummers. They play the fool in public as a means of distracting and disarming their victims, though for some this is merely a mocking cover for their sinister criminal aims. To create a Laughing Man or Laughing Lady, choose the Dabbler specialty.

Mountebank
More than simple charlatans, Mountebanks combine a salesclerk’s dogged persistence with the charm and flair for the dramatic common to the theater to draw members of the aristocracy into complex confidence schemes, using their fame as a lure. To create a Mountebank, choose the Grifter specialty.

Tumbler
Consummate second-story workers, Tumblers are burglars who use acrobatics and athleticism to gain access to places that less daring thieves would consider too far out of reach. Tumblers plan overly complex stunts to show off their daredevil natures. To create a Tumbler, choose the Thief specialty.

Mummers Names
Beatrice, Bianca, Celia, Cordelia, Duncan, Fabian, Hecate, Horatio, Jacques, Lennox, Oberon, Ophelia, Orlando, Phoebe, Rosalind, Rosencrantz, Sebastian, Siward, Titania, Viola.

Red Lotus Society

Your cartel is largely composed of people of Taonan origin and ancestry, though it embraces people of other heritages drawn to the cartel’s schools. The Society is divided into schools, each of which has its own philosophies, fighting styles, and secret teachings. The Society controls crime on the city’s docks and in the districts of the city collectively referred to as Little Taona. The Red Lotus has exclusive control over the city’s black market for firearms and other black powder weapons and is the only cartel with a significant naval presence.

Appearance
You wear dockworkers’ clothes, or occasionally the garb of Taonese commoners, made from fine silks in the colors of your school. You are conspicuous in merchant and noble districts, and in the slums.
Do you wear the colors and symbols associated with your school? Do you have visible tattoos of mythical creatures? Is your heritage Taonan, or are you of another ancestry, admitted entrance to a school?

Things You Know About
Little Taona, the docks, ships and sailing, black powder, and Taonan history. You can speak and write Taonese. Members of your cartel and the people of Little Taona also speak this language.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Obtain one firearm or explosive for the duration of the Job
✦ Gain access to one of your cartel’s dragonships for the entire Job
✦ Have a member of your cartel set off fireworks to cover some noise
✦ Retain the help of two Little Brothers/Sisters from your school for a single scene
✦ Obtain art objects and heirlooms from Taona to use as bribes
✦ Gain the exclusive use of a tea shop, noodle house, or other public establishment in Little Taona for one scene without generating heat

Trigger Finger
You have a flintlock pistol (damage +40, deals 2 wounds when wounding, 1 action to reload), in addition to your other equipment. You can push your luck when using a black powder weapon. When you do, for every 10 luck you spend, you increase your chance of success by 20%.

Sample Characters
Gunslinger
The Society cornered the market on firearms, and the Gunslingers of the cartel mastered their use. Gunslingers make these already deadly weapons even more lethal, and there is no one quicker on the draw. To create a Gunslinger, choose the Sharpshooter specialty

Little Brother/Sister
The on-the-street foot soldiers of the cartel, these Society members are toughened by years of surviving in the treacherous dockside districts. These cartel members handle the day-to-day business of the society and work alongside veteran cartel members on a variety of Jobs. To create a Little Brother or Little Sister, choose the Dabbler specialty.

Master
The Society has a long tradition of rewarding those who dedicate themselves to study and mastery, honoring the students of the various philosophical schools. The Society’s Masters are true martial artists, having honed their fighting techniques through years of practice. To create a Master, choose the Brawler specialty.

Smuggler
As the only cartel with a naval presence, the Society relies on Smugglers to transport illegal goods to the shores of the city. These Society members coordinate shipments coming into the city and ensure that the proper bribes are paid to the right people. To create a Smuggler, choose the Fixer specialty

Red Lotus Society (Taonan) Names
First Names:
Adam, Chloe, Claudia, Daniel, David, Delilah, Diana, Eve, Gideon, Jacob, James, John, Mary, Michael, Naomi, Paul, Rebecca, Solomon, Susanna, Tabitha.
Last Names:
Ahmed, Bhati, Cho, Hong, Khan, Kwan, Lee, Lin, Mao, Rajid, Sadano, Singh, Shan, Shin, Tam, Wong.

The Vespers

Your cartel specializes in crimes against the nobility. To the aristocracy, the cartel’s members appear to be fabulous socialites and members of high society. They use their refinement and education to run confidence schemes on the nobility, tempt them with vices, and obtain leverage that can be used for future gain. The Vespers are the keepers of secrets and masters of blackmail, all of which is carefully recorded in the cartel’s Deep Ledgers. The Vespers use charm, seduction, lies, and secrets to fulfill their schemes, and they also employ poisons with some frequency.

Appearance
You wear expensive clothing in cutting-edge fashions. You are conspicuous in commoner districts, in the slums and Little Taona, and on the docks.

Does your appearance speak of charm and style, or do you cultivate a more forbidden allure? Do you dress to tempt or to blend in? Do you have tattoos or piercings that give you an illicit appeal, or are you all business?

Things You Know About
Nobles and the Royal Family. Additionally, you have a university-level education and have a comprehensive grasp of subjects taught to the scions of the noble elite.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Uncover a piece of blackmail-worthy information from the Deep Ledgers about one of the city’s nobles, a wealthy merchant, or a member of the royalty
✦ Gain the use of a Vesper-run gambling hall, poppy den, or house of pleasure for a scene
✦ Receive an introduction to a merchant or noble in a way that doesn’t arouse suspicion
✦ Arrange an impromptu soiree at an elegant locale for an evening
✦ Convince another member of your cartel to deliver a poisoned letter
✦ Have a servant plant evidence to pin the blame for a poisoning on the noble he or she serves
I Run in Certain Circles
You add two advantage dice to any roll you make to interact verbally with nobles.

Sample Characters
Advocate
Sometimes a plan goes awry and someone must clean up the mess. Advocates leverage their connections to make problems vanish by bribing magistrates, coercing Watch captains, and persuading witnesses to change their statements. To create an Advocate, choose the Cleaner specialty.

Pit Boss
Accustomed to coordinating the large staffs of the Vespers’ pleasure houses, poppy dens, gambling halls, and other vice establishments, Pit Bosses are sometimes placed on a Job to help the crew gel as a team. To create a Pit Boss, choose the Boss specialty

Siren
The Sirens are predators who prey upon the nobility. They tempt the aristocracy with vices and then use those weaknesses to gain leverage, squeezing the nobles for their blackmailworthy secrets. To create a Siren, choose the Grifter specialty

Viper
Vipers use their poisoners’ arts to handle situations that toughs and assassins would handle in other cartels: they make people go away, or at least take them out of the picture. To create a Viper, choose the Poisoner specialty.

Vesper Names
First Names:
Alexander, Arabella, August, Bridgitte, Caroline, Cassandra, Catharine, Edward, Eleanora, Elizabeth, Fantina, Julian, Karenna, Leonidas, Marco, Maximilian, Morgan, Richard, Victoria, William.
Last Names:
Auberois, au Reviera, Carolenne, de la Cleur, de Vere, du Monde, Dubois, La Fontaine, Le Croix, Le Montaine, Moreau, Renard, Rousseau, Santiera, Valois.

Wardens of the Night

Your cartel consists of outlaws, bandits, brigands, and rebels who have rejected the authority of the Crown and chosen a life outside of the law. Many members of the Wardens of the Night were wronged by the Crown or its agents, causing them to seek revenge on an unjust system. The Wardens of the Night target the wealthy and powerful in New Dunhaven, and their crimes are direct: robbery, burglary, assault, horse theft, and hijacking. The cartel claims the city’s forested Reserves as its turf and is the only cartel to have significant interests and contacts with criminals outside the city.

Appearance
You wear dark leathers and clothes befitting a hunter. You are conspicuous in all districts during the day, and at night you are conspicuous only if you reveal yourself to a law-abiding citizen.

Do you cover your face and wear a cloak like a vigilante, or do you dress more like a charming outlaw? Do you have the face of a hard-edged revolutionary, or do you look more like a dashing swashbuckler?

Things You Know About
The Crown, the Reserves, outside the city, nature and survival.

Spending Influence
You can spend Influence on these or other Judge-approved benefits:
✦ Gain access for you and your crew to one of the city’s Reserves
✦ Reach out to your cartel’s contacts outside the city for information
✦ Obtain goods or wealth stolen from traders coming into the city
✦ Have members of your cartel strategically place supplies near a target under cover of night
✦ Have someone smuggled out of the city under cover of night
✦ Have several members of your cartel posted on rooftops to relay a signal between your crew members

Everything Makes Noise...
Other characters cannot hide from you, surprise you, or sneak around you without you noticing them.

...Except for Me
You add two advantage dice to any roll you make to sneak around or hide.

Sample Characters
Eye of the Night
Eyes of the Night spend the majority of their time blending into society. They are the spies and information dealers of the Wardens, responsible for keeping their leaders apprised and singling out potential marks from among those who commit injustices. To create an Eye of the Night, choose the Mole specialty.

Marauder
Marauders are the scourge of the southern trade routes. They hold up caravans and rob travelers, funneling their ill-gotten gains back to the Wardens in the city. To create a Marauder, choose the Sharpshooter specialty.

Rake
Rakes are swashbuckling duelists drawn to the selfreliant lifestyle. Usually excellent with a sword and overflowing with panache, Rakes are showy and take few precautions to go unseen on the Job. To create a Rake, choose the Brawler specialty

Raven
Ravens are vigilantes who take the responsibility of punishing the city’s elite who escape justice into their own hands, urban rangers treating the city skyline as their forest. To create a Raven, choose the Assassin specialty.

Warden Names
First Names:
Arlyn, Benjen, Coraline, Dante, Dusty, Jalen, Karlyn, Mary, Rebel, Ria, Robin, Samuel, Shane, Sierra, Simeon, Tessa, Tevys, Victoria, William, Zara.
Last Names:
Breaker, Brewer, Camper, Crawler, Cutter, Driver, Finder, Hunter, Planter, Ryder, Seeker, Shooter, Skulker, Stalker, Stepper, Strider, Stryker, Tracker, Trawler, Walker.

[snowdrop]

Reserved.

[Metraxa]

Well I shall admit that I don't know the system. But this seems like a fun little RP so I'm on board to give it a shot. If you'll have me.

[snowdrop]

Thanks for the interest! No worries; everyone will get up to speed with what they need to know about the system quickly enough!

[dapoet]

I'm interested, I'll keep an eye on the thread. PM me if you'd be interested in a 1x1 in addition.