The King's Paupers
A group of highly educated rich youths and nobles that have a desire for a darker side of life. While the King's Paupers are from the veins of the rich and noble, they are far from the same attitude of their fathers and the court. They took the name the King's Paupers in jest to the way their life was.
Name of Guild: The King's Paupers
Headquarters: City of Venkis, Kingdom of Kerrabar
Members: 4,401
Founding Date: 3568, Origo 21
History: Tam Josgar was the self important fifth son to Baron Taelwin. Ignored on most occasions due to his adventurous attitude and lack of discipline, Tam was viewed as the son who would be sent to some outpost to serve for a number of years out of the sight of the Barons court. Knowing full well the hardships that would befall him should he be sent to some frontier post, he sought alternate means of personal advancement.
He met many friends in his nightly escapades of the city and began enquiring of the other upper class and nobles children. More often than not he received the same answer from the third and sometimes second born sons of these highly influential families. Many having ties to the king by marriage or birth. With this in mind the idea struck. Why not form the very thing that would enrage their parents while being entertained.
What began more as a prank, than a concept, the first of the Paupers was born. They began, slowly at first, making their way into the darker sides of Venkis, learning whose toes not to step on and whose feet they could trample without worry. After all, they were the sons of nobles. The first few years of their creation they made many friends, but even more enemies. The underground looked down on these young upstarts as they were not only invading their chosen marks but also bringing undue attention on them for their lackluster skills and blatant petty thievery. It seemed that the Paupers were more in it for the thrill than the art of it.
While the Paupers were protected by their parents, a few of them would be found in the morning dawn tied to trees or lamp poles, naked and humiliated. While this embarrassed the youth's families, it enraged them further. One summer evening the King traveled to Venkis for a midsummer festival, as was his tradition to travel to a single city each year choosing a different one each year to visit. His entire family traveled with him as they came down stream. His youngest sons, nearly forgotten in the hustle of the festivities and politics, went out into the city streets looking for entertainment. When they came across, what they assumed to be a group of vigilantes sneaking into a merchants home they followed and cornered them. When they noticed one of them to be the very son of the Baron they were visiting they were intrigued even more.
Talks with Tam led to the two younger prince's liking the idea that he proposed. They to were tired of the lack of attention and boring lifestyle with the strict and suffocating rules that seemed to take the joy out of their life more than allowing it to enter. The three of them entered into talks for the next two days and when the King left with his retinue his two sons left with smiles on their faces and told their father of their willingness to return to the Baron's house anytime the need arose. It was then the King's Paupers were born.
Description: While the King's Paupers are from the veins of the rich and noble, they are far from the same attitude of their fathers and the court. They took the name the King's Paupers in jest to the way their life was. Granted, they are far from poor, which is the definition of pauper, but they do realize that life does not end with coins. There are people far less off in the world then they who have less and complain not at all. It is these very destitute individuals they pay homage to every night they pull a heist. While their family congratulates them on their interest in the poor and homeless, they are actually following a strict code of edict set down by the founders about giving to the people.
They are a group of highly educated rich youths and nobles that have a desire for a darker and more carefree side of life. This group has bound together to live on a care free side of life that they can not experience during the day. Founded by sons of the King of Volmara and the sons of the nobles of Venkis, it has now spread to other parts of the kingdom and is filtering into other kingdoms as well. The Kingdom of Cereb, having more active members than any other Kingdom other than Kerrabar, has caught the eye of the Paupers and is rumored to soon be asked into the folds of the Paupers. Only the upper classes are invited in to the hidden folds of the King's Paupers, and only on invitation only. They are not murders but tend to be adept thieves and burglars.
They have used their education and training that their parents have forced them to endure and have successfully established their stake on the Thieves Highway. While not as big as the other thieves guilds, they show a sign of respect for the lower class vigilantes and respect their chosen profession. To be free of law and rules, gives them an emotional high that the daily rhetoric of the noble society does not allow. They sneak into the homes of those who they feel deserve to lose a portion of their lives and will use a portion of it to fund their outings but give a percentage to the local guilds that follow a non violent way of working. They have also been known to donate to local orphanages and hospitals, especially organizations that their families have denied to give help to.
To further remove themselves from their status they call each other by their titles within the guild. Each one taken from a common member in society. They feel this better serves them and brings them closer to the people who they feel have it better with their seemingly carefree life style. Some take this concept a bit to far and begin acting as a normal member of society to better bring themselves to the people. This doesn't happen often however.
Breakdown of Members:
Leaders: The Merchants (3) Tam Josgar, Prince Kulryr and Prince Brelrik of Volmara. They are the mind and soul of the King's Paupers. They dictate the rules.
Second in Command: The Banker (1) It is the bankers job to let the merchants know what their stand is with the other guilds and to act as a mediator with them to make sure they are on good terms.
Advisor: The Sages (5) Sages are the voice of reason to the merchants. It is their job to let them know the reality of what they do.
Counselors: The Alchemists (10) It is their job to make sure everyone is kept in the loop of the ways of the guild. Rules and events go through them. Anything that needs to be known, can be found out through them.
Day Watchmen: Jewelers (12) In charge of the dealings of jobs during the day. No jobs are done without their permission.
Night Watchmen: Barkeeps (16) In charge of the dealings of jobs at night. No jobs are approved without their consent.
Guards: The Blacksmiths (63) The brawlers and fighters of the guild. They protect the others from the other guilds and keep them safe. Anyone wanting to hurt the guild has to go through them first.
Members: Civilians (3,452) The main group of members, all are from families who are rich, upper class, or nobility. They have been through their probationary period.
New Members: Commoners (791) New members who have just passed their recruitment phase and are doing their probationary period which lasts for no less than one year but no more than three years.
Recruits: Peasants (48) They are the new recruits. They must be invited in by no less than two full members of the paupers and must prove their significant worth within a set period of time determined by the Counselors standing over their application for acceptance.
Plot Hooks:
The Players are thrust into the beginning of a war between the King's Paupers and a local guild. One side saw the players at a heist and thinks they are working for the other group. They must leave town or be hunted by one guild, and sought after by another.
The players are hired by the local constable to seek out the increase in thefts in the merchant quarter of the city. A handsome reward is offered up for anyone who captures the thieves in the act. What is the reward when those captured are the King's nephews?
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? Responses (7)
It is somewhat fleshed out. Very clear in presenation. The Nobles doing things for thrills is a bit cliche.
Of course, these 'kids' will eventually leave their little group. Nobody would betray it, oh no, that would be wrong. However, they will be moving on to there noble duties.
Though one thing, these nobles will eventually be 'tapped' by those intelligencers and special agents of the crown. A touch of blackmail ('What would your mother think?') and a little appeal to their nobility and patriotism and you will have highly trained infiltration agents at your disposal.
In fact, the king's spymaster might of created the organization as a 'farm team' for his own. It has a two edge purpose of training and grading members as well as letting the rougher edges of the nobility get their kicks quietly.
Ah yes I remember this. This was part of an ongoing thread idea in the forums about guilds and such... I will have to edit this here in the near future and see if I can create it the way it should be.
I like the 'farm team' idea Moon. read a book where it had something very similar to it. May have to look into that a little deeper for the next one.
Updated: New rewrite.
As Moon said, a tad cliche. They are rich kids slummin' I say tad because this has an original 'oomph' of its own. Having said that, the story and detail is very good! The last plot hook would obviously make a great 2 part scenario. 1-catching them 2- oh crap Kings nephews, now what?
reminds me of a film I saw recently, Hungarian I think. Cant recall the name, but I'll remember tomorrow. Rich kids would break in homes of the even riccher, and rearrange furniture, drop sofas in pool, stack up beds and chairs, that sort of thing. Harmless anarchy they called it. They would leave a note..'Your Days of Plenty are Numbered'. Not the same thing I know, but same vibe for me. Well done Mourn!
This is interesting, though the scale of the organization seems severely too high to have any chance of secrecy. I really like the idea though.
I don't really think the scale was to large as the listed number of members isn't in a single city but in many. It's a vast number of groups through more than a single kingdom.
