The Shadowgate

X Worldbuilders:

GM James R

The Shadowgate was a secret organization launched by Killis Goodman during his tenure with SotS Inc. The goal of the organization was "to help those who were doomed to die as a servant to the guild". Over time, however, the guild expanded to help any guild member with any sort of morally-gray problem that the official faculty and staff of SotS would not allow.

About

The Shadowgate saw the Founders of SotS Inc as reckless and irresponsible, and believe that the entire guild is built on hero worship of terrible people. As such, they do their best to break the cycle of idolism surrounding the original 3 Sick of this Shit members, usually by showing off records of all the terrible things the founders did. Ironically, they see their undermining of the system as a reflection of what the founders themselves would have done.

History

Founding

The Shadowgate formed about 25 years after SotS Inc formed, and after the founder Anema E. Core had left the company to pursue new ends with his scholars guild AID.

Thought the guild originally operated in secret, they were discovered by Benny the Bard at some point during his tenure as guild leader. Benny threatened the group with disbarment, and the return of all its members to prison. However, leader Killis knew that Bards like Benny could be played. A deal was struck in secret, and Benny would allow the Shadowgate to operate in tandem with the main guild under two stipulations:

1. The Shadowgate would not report to Benny or SotS Inc, but would agree to be the "strong arm" in morally grey situations, which often popped up for the criminal-rehabilitation center.
2. The Shadowgate would continue to funnel a portion of their loot and riches into the guild to cover operating costs. This was for the benefit of the Shadowgate as well, as the guild's operation was vital in pulling in new members.

Going Legitimate

After it's discovery, it was important for the Shadowgate to have a formal presence in Granite as they were now listed as a benefactor of SotS Inc, donating nearly half the guild's monthly income. In order to keep the money funneling properly, the guild bought a small tower in town, and opened the Shadowgate Life Insurance Company as a front for their operations. Inside was a single office, and a secret tunnel to the headquarters of the secret guild.

Headquarters

The Shadowgate located itself in a custom hideout that was carved out of the antiquated sewer system that was abandoned in the creation of Granite in favor of a magical plumbing system. Sewer entrances led to a variety of hot spots in the city, including the library, SotS Inc guild quarters, and even under the city president's manor.

There were enough barracks in the sewer to house 5 or 6 operatives at any given point, and other chambers were reserved for protecting their massive horde of gold. Another chamber was designated for special operations, including creating portals to other planes of existence if necessary.

Guild Services

As part of the agreements with SotS Inc, the Shadowgate provided a variety of services to the guild itself to help it run.

Member Management

When the number of quests wane, and when the number of members are low, the Shadowguild takes the initiative to frame criminals and convince them to join SotS. Additionally, their members may commit small crimes in order to encourage more guild postings to go out.

If members become unwieldy or cause too many problems for the guild, it wasn't out of the Shadowgate's M.O. to eliminate problematic members, either by forcing them to flee to far ends of the realm, or to cause 'accidents' leading to them being unable to take quests anymore, this can include sabotaging missions to get them fired, or more severe sabotaging leading to disability or death.

Additionally, they will protect "High Priority" members by giving them private shelter in the Shadowgate headquarters, ensuring that they don't get fired or released from the guild.

Member Services

Intel Gathering

Members of SotS Inc were left in the dark when it came to their progress to freedom. They also were not allowed to know each other's real names or charges. The Shadowgate was able to easily secure documents ffrom the SotS vault in order to provide members with information they otherwise would never get ahold of, including how many quests they need before they will be released.

Quests

As a way to help members gain points quickly, the Shadowgate also creates faux "lethal" missions that members can undertake for lots of points with little risk.

Additionally, when trying to gain trust from members, they Shadowgate will gives SotS Inc members the ability to right their past wrongs, and work with their newfound allies to steal, kill, or otherwise take vengence on whatever power put them in prison to begin with.

Pardons

Experty forgers within the Shadowgate are able to create pardons from cities in Oppidan that are valid within SotS Inc, striking all relevant crimes from that member's record. These are typically only given out as a great thank you, or as a way to prove trust. For users who have crimes from many locations, the Shadowgate could also forge points and alter internal documents to give members of SotS more points than they actually have, expediting their release.

Scrying Protection

Several artificers within the Shadowgate work with SotS Inc members to keep the SotS Inc scrying department from keeping tabs on them in the field, in case they choose to finish their quests in...unfavorable ways

Known Members

• Killis Goodman
• Zorian Waymer (Wubwub Zoomzoom)
• Grumble Fitzpatrick
• Iris, who worked under the codename "The Conjurer", stole magic items and delivered them to the guild for resale or dissection.
• Krik-Et
• Hillevi