The
Blue Dragon Association
What’s
mine is mine, what’s yours is negotiable
An
Association created by Ray
Turney
Web Adaptation by Nick Eden
| Note! This is a
fan contribution. The information may be contradicted by official
material. |
The Blue Dragon Association used to be a Yelmi
resistance organization, from Sanken, who believed that since "We are
all one in Yelm", the lunar claim to rule, which descends from an
illegimate Dara Happan Emperor, is false. What is needed is a
true Yelmi empire, adhering to the Sankenite teachings, where "We are
all Us" is realized in a true Yelmi empire. This idea has not
died out in Sanken, but it has pretty much disappeared from the Blue
Dragons. Working with gangsters in the underworld has pretty much
changed them into just another organized crime syndicate
Common
Names
|
The
Sanken Mob |
| Form: |
Ruthless organized
crime syndicate, interested in maximizing the wealth and power of the
men at the top. |
| Typical
Homeland: |
The top echelons
tend to be descendants of the founding clans from Sanken, most of the
soldiers are Pelorians from the slums. |
| Ideology: |
"Vice is virtue,
because the vices of the Empire will destroy it,
creating room for a rule of virtue. Besides, we only give the
people
what they want, and it makes us as rich as a Satrap" |
| Look
and Feel: |
Murder, Inc.
|
| Purpose: |
Monopolize the
hazia trade, the supply of black magic, the protection
racket, and off track betting, in the Lunar Heartland. Oddly,
they
mostly avoid the pimp business, largely because it offends what is left
of their Yelmi sense of ethics. Some prostitutes have
actually
invited them in This group is also trying to move into the Carmanian
rackets, with at best mixed success. Other goals are to
infiltrate the
Danfive cult, control the blue racing faction, and intimidate or buy
off judges. |
| Headquarters: |
This group is
rumored to have a central HQ in and under Sanken. The exact
location and function of this HQ is unknown. It is not thought to
have influence on normal operations. |
| Reactions: |
Most people are
vaguely aware the group exists. Their reactions range from
revulsion to admiration, but the most common response is numb
acceptance.
Other crime syndicates are less enthusiastic, but
tend to be afraid of them, very afraid.
They have a long running,
but low intensity, feud with the Elz Ast criminal investigators.
They tend to have excellent relations with the Rufelza and Lanbril
cults in their area.
A lot of low level lunars officials take
bribes from them; these officials are not really sympathetic, but they
do not believe the group can be resisted, and the bribe money is
useful.
High level lunar authorities tend to view them as a
problem, but low on the priority list.
|
Resources
| Leader: |
"Zorak" Zalmoxis,
the High Fist is the leader of the Association. A brutal man {who
looks a lot like Bob Hoskins", he is very intelligent and very
direct.
He can be quite charming if you do what he wants; and can go into a
terrifying berserker rage, if crossed. He once killed a
great troll in single combat, and is rumored to personally torture
members of the group who betray him.
He is wanted by the authorities and has no fixed residence.
|
| Renowned
Members: |
Persius "the
Priest", the Fist in Glamour, is a short, very intense man who can
breathe fire. He also seems impossible to hurt with a
sword. He is a very smooth talker, and rumor has it that
the group supports him as a priest of Etyries. Though tough, he
is not the toughest member of the association in Glamour. He is
very good, though, at extracting the last lunar from its operations,
and at convincing people who are tougher than him that they are better
off with him as Fist than they would be fighting it out with the other
tough guys for the position.
Asterius "the Assassin" is Zalmoxis’s chief enforcer. He is
rumored to be able to turn invisible, ignore magical defenses, locate
even people hidden underground, and to be able to assassinate someone
in a locked room without going inside. He has a number of
disguises and fake identities. Not all of this is true, of
course, but enough of it has been demonstrated to seriously concern
judges who oppose the Association, rivals of the organization in the
crime area, and members of the association thinking of challenging
Zalmoxis.
Rabirius "the Rhetorician" is the association’s most prominent
advocate. He is of minor heroic level in rhetoric and law
lore. His rhetoric and legal argumentation before a judge who
knows about Asterius, and who has received suitable financial
incentives, can make any case very strong. In one case, when a
judge was bribed to let an association member go free, and failed to
deliver; Rabirius sued the defaulting judge and got another judge to
order the defaulter to return the bribe. The defaulter,
humiliated, repaid the bribe and "committed suicide". This case
has made Rabirius legendary. Rabirius lives like a very rich
merchant in Glamour, and has recently been granted a title of nobility.
Avidius "the Avid" used to be the Fist in Elz Ast, but volunteered to
lead the Association’s move into Carmania. He has been reported
in Kitor, Harandash, and Zern. He is a patron of both the Lanbril
and Rufelza cults, with a dazzling assortment of magical items and
capabilities. He dresses very well, and speaks fluent
Carmanian. He is rumored to have been the leader most responsible
for making the deal with the Spolite witches described under Other Contacts, below. He has
reportedly been designated the Fist for all of Carmania.
Ursinicus "the Ugly" is the new Fist in Elz Ast. He used to be a
septon in the Army, has Rufelzan chaotic powers, and has been on a Hero
Quest to the Otherworld. He is rumored to be a big believer in
alchemy, and is likely to be hiring alchemists to find a formula to
increase the kick in a hazia drink. He is also rumored to be
personally interested in alchemy as a path to immortality.Berossos "the
Brutal" is the Fist in Joranit. He was formerly the leader of an
independent criminal association, but is reported to have cut a deal
with Zalmoxis as an alternative to a meeting with Asterius. He is
a brutal thug of little distinction, but has a small guard of Humakhti.
Verus "the Victor" is the Fist in Yuthuppa. He is a former
gladiator and a major investor in lanistae {gladiator schools}.
He has two gangs of gladiators he maintains as strong arm men for the
Association. One is composed of Shargash followers, another of
gang slum kids who have joined Rufelza for the chaotic features, and
seek to make a name for themselves as toughs.
|
| Membership: |
There are several
different types of members of this association:
There are a number of legitimate business operations in which the
association is an investor. The people working for these are like
their counterparts in other organizations.
There are a lot of small time thugs, thieves, hazia sellers, etc.
They do what they’re told, call the association for backup when they
need it, and know little or nothing of the inner workings of the
association.
There is a core, or cadre, of leaders; the High Fist, and his council,
the various Fists in each city and their close associates, etc. These
are the guys who make the decisions, know what’s going on, and get most
of the loot.
Finally, there are the elite of tough guys. The most prominent of
these are the Oslir River Society, so called because they worship the
river by sacrificing dead bodies to the fish in the river; the Blue
Dragon and Rainbow of Death Lanistae in Yuthuppa; and the Claws of the
Phoenix Security Agency. These guys do most of the fighting and
wet work, etc. They don’t make policy; but they make trouble for
people who make trouble for the association |
| Other
Contacts: |
This
group is known to be in contact with the Spolite Witch Hero Hertha, and
her Dawn of the Dead Movement. Cooperation apparently goes both
ways, with the Association selling the services of Spolite witches as
mercenary magicians, and magical equipment stolen by the Spolites in
the Heartland, and the Spolites lending witches and assassins to the
Blue Dragons.
They are thought to be in regular contact with Orlanthi criminal/bandit
elements; and are know to both brought in Orlanthi assassins to do
their dirty work and performed assassinations at the request of the
Orlanthi.
Most of the underground Lanbril temples in the Heartland, and some
Rufelzan Demagogues are effectively in the pay of the Blue
Dragons. Some Deshkorgos worshipers support them; and the
organization has a number of Etyries types. In Sanken, there are
some ancestor worshipping shamans who work with the Blue Dragons.
They are known to have the ability to summon at least three demons, any
one of them tough enough to equal a typical small hero band.
They have, in the past, used sorcery associated with the Carmanian,
Eyzaal, and Deshkorgos schools; though there are no reports of members
of these schools working directly.
The members of this group seem to be regular and heavy users of Danfive
Xaron magic. It is not known how they acquired this magic.
The new Fist in Elz Ast earned his reputation and promotion by funding
the development of exotic alchemical weapons, and a way to use alchemy
to give Hazia more kick; and making these developments. Weapons
are known to include a very nasty ice dart, and an urn which can be
thrown and shattered, producing a keening sound that attacks everyone
in the room except the thrower.
The group is rumored to have regular contact with Ralzakark, though the
truth of this rumor has not been verified.
If the legend that the founder got a revelation from a dragon, which
led him to found this group is correct; it could be part of a much
deeper plot that one would at first think |
Other Resources:
|
The
group owns a small shipping company; Eagle of Gold Transport, which a
small moonboat, and about a half dozen small ships.
The group has several small estates in the Talastar hills, which they
reportedly use for training their members, for reasons unknown.
The group is believed to have a large cave complex in Sanken, which is
rumored to store wealth and weapons.
They have a an office in Glamour, which seems to be used only for
legitimate business, and a Blue Dragon Charities group in Glamour
which funds Teelo Norri orphanages and Buserian scholarly
activities.
|
Organization
This group is fairly centralized. It has a High
Fist, who runs the entire association. Then each city or area has
a Fist, who runs everything in that area. Each Fist has a number
of Fingers, who run an individual racket (the hazia trade, unlicensed
betting, etc) or legitimate business (warehousing, garment making,
etc). The High Fist, each Fist, and the individual fingers, have
advisors/ thugs etc to support them. The Fingers do what the fist
tells them to, on pain of expulsion from the group or
assassination. The Fists do what the High Fist tells them to, or
face replacement.
It is hard to get much information on the organization
and operations of this association, since members who talk to outsiders
have this nasty habit of ceasing to exist.
The association is active in most cities of the
Heartland; the Fists mentioned under renowned members are not the only
ones. It is known that the organization does not have a Fist in
Alkoth, since they seem to think Alkoth is too dangerous to be worth
penetrating. They also avoid Graclodont; this is apparently
because they don’t understand what Great Sister is trying to do in
Graclodont, but do think it is probably just as well to avoid becoming
a problem on Great Sister’s agenda.
Membership Keyword
| Membership
Requirements: |
New members
must be known to three existing members, who are willing to vouch for
the candidate member; must have committed at least one crime; and be
willing to swear an oath of loyalty to the Association, the High Fist,
and the local Fist. This oath is magical, and magic to detect
breach of the oath is known to other members of the association.
Usually, members start at the bottom, working for a Finger; some
favored members of the Sankenite founder clans have been known to start
as fingers. |
| Skills
taught: |
Brawling,
Intimidation, Street Wisdom |
| Typical
Personality Traits: |
Tough,
Brave, Secretive, Unscrupulous |
| Magic: |
<>Common:
avoid
recognition, precise dagger throw, look very tough
Divine: Many members also worship Lanbril, the group’s founder-hero
Sositheus described below, or Shargash. |
Sositheus the Chosen of the Dragon (Guardian)
Sositheus the Chosen lived shortly after Sheng Seleris was defeated,
after the Emperor’s Return. He was a wandering adventurer, from
Sanken. While leading a small group in the Talastari mountains,
searching for a sacred item lost in the time of Gbaji, a dragon came to
him, and spoke. He thought he was dreaming, but the other members
of his party also heard the conversation. It commanded him to
organize and lead a group to bring back the power of the male, and
restore Yelm to his rightful place in the feminized lunar world.
The dragon claimed that humans are all one in Yelm, as well as being
all one in Sedenya; and that the peoples of Dara Happa had forgotten
this, and needed to remember this. The dragon then gave
Sositheus a long speech in Auld Wyrmish. Sositheus had no
knowledge of Auld Wyrmish. A stunned Sositheus was unable to comprehend
this event; when the Blue Dragon offered to answer one question for
him, he asked the Dragon about the location of the sacred item.
The Dragon rolled his eyes, and answered them.
This changed both Sositheus and his band. Formerly a hedonistic
adventurer whose greatest quest was for loot, he became he became a
pious committed supporter of the Sankenite interpretation of
Yelm. His followers swore allegiance to him, and became the core
of the new association.
He can be summoned at any temple which follows the Sanken version of
the Yelm tradition; but only when a Fist or High Fist of the
Association is present. He is mostly summoned to impress and
bless association members. Sositheus knows a lot of things, but
many of them make the current High Fist and most other Fists
uncomfortable. Sositheus has a habit, when summoned, of asking
about progress on the quest he was originally given by the Dragon; this
tends to be limited, since most current members of the Association do
not care about its original purpose.
| Method: |
Manifestation |
| Form: |
A Certamus {A
winged Sky Warrior, see Anaxial’s
Roster p. 191} An observer who has seen both reports that he is
not a real Certamus, most others think he is one. |
| Communication: |
There is no
need to speak to Sositheus, association members present when he is
summoned report that as soon as they think something, Sositheus becomes
aware of their thought. If Sositheus wants to communicate with
only one individual, his communication appears in the image of words
written in golden fire, in the head of person he wants to communicate
with. If he wants to communicate with an entire group, he
materializes the image, so that all can see it. He always
communicates in classical Dara Happan, not the form used in Sanken when
he lived or now; but the language as it is in the Golden Age. |
Guardian Requirements:
|
To
summon Sositheus, a High Fist or Fist must be present and want to speak
with him. Everyone, including the Fist, prays to the Sankenite
version of Yelm; and a ceremonialist performs a ritual. If the
ritual is successful, and the prayer is of appropriate intensity, he
appears. He will fight enemies of the society, confer blessings,
and answer questions. If a question is asked, he gets to ask one
back; so the Association rules prohibit anyone other than a Fist or
High First asking a question.
|
| Functions: |
Intellect:
Answer questions posed to it in Dara Happan, confer vision of something
important as seen from the Sky
Defense function: Fights as a weak {bottom of the Anaxial’s Roster
range}, Certamen
Blessing Function: Intercedes with any Dara Happan deity, or Lanbril,
on behalf of association members. |
|
