If you like you can look at the (sketchy, incomplete) GM notes as well.

The Dockyard Rats

Hence, most of the criminal concerns in the Docks - the smuggling rings, the pirate fleets, the whoremongerss and card sharks and entertainers - have been organised amongst themselves for some time. It is said that as long ago as the First Age the Rope-Bound Brotherhood, a secret society of pirates, terrorised the high seas, finding sanctuary in remote islands beyond the Imperial reach. However, the Docks were contested territory; it would not be until the latter days of the Second Age, however, that the local gangs would join together to become one the oldest mob in the city that is still extant. The origin of the Rats is a tale often told in the Low City, because it is the tale of the legendary Long Duel.

By then there were three major groups in the Docks: the Rope-Bound Brotherhood of swashbuckling legend, Jude's Concern (a smuggling ring which had managed to unite all the other dockyard smuggling rings fairly recently) and the Shoreleave House, the biggest brothel in the Docks which had gained a strangehold on all the other legal and illegal dockyard entertainments, from inns and pubs to gambling and prizefights. Tension was high, and gang war was close at hand. The three mobs of the docks realised that war would be terrible for business, and so a three-way duel was called between the three leaders: Queen Alice of the Rope-Bound Brotherhood, Jude the Sly of Jude's Concern, and "Uncle" Tony of the Shoreleave House.

On the night of the twin full moons, in the courtyard of the Riverview Tavern, the pirate, the smuggler, and the pimp fought all the night. None could gain an advantage; each realised that the other two were his or her equals. By sunrise, they were exhausted, and none had won the duel. They lowered their swords and spoke quietly for a while, and then grasped each other's hands to seal a pact that would last to the present day. And that was how they all won and all lost the Long Duel. Each duellist took his or her turn in the Captain's Chair of the Rope-Bound Brotherhood, which now was the symbol of the leadership of a new mob, the Dockyard Rats - first Queen Alice, for it was her chair first, and then Uncle Tony after she was killed at sea, and then Jude the Sly after Uncle Tony was knifed by a mysterious stranger.

To this day, the three cliques within the Rats have fulfilled their traditional roles. The Rope-Bound Brotherhood has expanded to include land-based bandits as well as pirates, and also the numerous fences and corrupt officials required to keep the pirate ships registered as "independent trading vessals" and to sell the pirates' booty. Jude's Concern maintains smuggling ships, makes deals with merchants to help them avoid customs and to sell the Concern's wares, and can provide you with the most common narcotics at a very decent price (although they may have trouble getting hold of some of the rarer varieties). The Shoreleave House operates numerous venues, legal and illegal, within the Docks, ranging from pubs to fighting pits to gambling dens to good old-fashioned whorehouses. These are somewhat more upmarket places than those found in, say, the Slums, and are much more diverse - they have to cater to the tastes of sailors and travellers from all over the world, after all. It's said that you can't get a decent Jurican coffee outside of the Docks.

Whilst the political machinations within the higher ranks over who is to sit next in the Captain's Chair are constant and fraught with danger, the rank and file of the three subfactions get on remarkably well; the Concern and the Brotherhood often make use of each other's contacts when the need arises, and both enjoy the comforts that the Shoreleave House provides. Indeed, it's not unknown for people in the middle ranks to switch subfaction without recrimination; for example, a pirate may retire to become a bartender at a Shoreline House-owned pub, or take to smuggling as a safer option.

In terms of gangland politics, the Dockyard Rats are conservative sorts: very much in favour of traditions such as the Twin Silvers and the Riverview, staunch supporters of the Under-Chamber. Peace and quiet on the streets means people are happier about coming out for a drink and a "dance" in Shoreleave, after all...

Recent History

However, the Rats didn't have it all their way. Towards the end of the year the location of Plunder Island, a major base for the Rope-Bound Brotherhood, was exposed by forces unknown. Even more mysteriously, "Bob" vanished at the end of the year; an individual disguised as "Bob" appeared at the Riverview Tavern on Horizon's Day, but was exposed as an impostor. The Rats have never found out who was to blame, and many still miss a valued ally.

In 4004 HR, Madam Velvet died of the Versinya Plague. Her funeral was attended by a massive crowd, consisting mainly of Rats and Dockyard residents, despite the risks the Plague presented. Upon consuming Madam Velvet, the presiding ghouls announced that she died "painfully and sadly, fearing for the future of her wards in the Docks". She was succeeded by Captain Bloodbeard of the Rope-Bound Brotherhood, who ruled the Rats with an iron fist for over a decade. His supporters credit him with refusing to let up the pressure being applied to the Cartel, leading to the final fall of the Cartel in 4010 HR. His detractors cite his complete lack of diplomacy as a key factor in provoking the still-raging conflict between the Rats and Inmack's Boys, and note that the Rats seemed to be most effective when Bloodbeard was out at sea attacking shipping. Even his fiercest critics, however, can't begrudge him his greatest victory: the theft of an entire trainload of flying taxis, enabling the Rope-Bound Brotherhood to become the first known Sky Pirates. Bloodbeard died at sea in 4016 HR in a duel with his First Mate Barnable Quickpistol, over some disagreement about a cabin boy.

Please Note: The following portion of the Recent History section is mutable, and may change depending on whether any players decide to play Rank 5 members of the Dockyard Rats. Any of the positions mentioned below - leader of the Rats, head of Shoreleave House, master of the Rope-Bound Brotherhood and boss of Jude's Concern - may be taken by player characters, in which case the NPCs named will be Rank 4 advisors to the player characters in question.

The current leader of the Dockyard Rats is Sweet Mahmoud, head of Shoreleave House, a Jurican eunuch and harem guard who left his former master's service years ago, joined Shoreleave House as a security man at a brothel, and worked his way up through the ranks. Popular amongst the girls, Mahmoud is indulgent and friendly towards his favourites, cold and cruel towards those who fail the Rats.

Captain Quickpistol is in charge of the Rope-Bound Brotherhood these days. Said to be guilt-wracked over the death of Captain Bloodbeard, he expends most of his energy in daring raids on steam skyships.

Richard Betts, eldest son of Mrs Betts, leads Jude's Concern these days, and enjoys extensive contacts in the Trans-Wall colonies and the Fairy Kingdom.

Relations

Inmack's Boys: After an alliance of convenience to crush the Cartel, the Boys and the Rats fell to bickering over the spoils - the lucrative territory of the Trading District. To their credit, however, they have tended to keep within the rules of engagement - disputes and disagreements are settled through Under-Chamber organised prizefights, duels, and (when all else fails) all-out brawls in abandoned warehouses or forgotten alleyways. Nonetheless, if a Rat strays into the Craftsman's District the Boys are liable to break his or her skull, and the Rats reciprocate when pickpockets are found in the Docks. (You might wonder how the Rats manage to avoid being constantly voted down in the Under-Chamber - the fact is that the Hidden Mob vote with the Rats an awful lot, and whilst the Family and Inmack's Boys both dislike the Rats they're not going to arbitrarily vote against the Rats if the proposal the Rats are backing is in their interest.)

The Watchdogs: Are getting awfully chummy with the Rats. From the point of view of the corrupt sorts, whores, gamblers, prizefights and smugglers are all excellent sources of bribes and entertainment. Especially if you've got a drug habit. From the point of view of the loyal Watchdogs, the pirates operate outside of Horizon's jurisdiction (and many have letters of marque), the smugglers don't really contribute much to disorder in the streets, gambling, prizefighting, prostitution and all the other entertainments Shoreleave offers are arguably victimless crimes (especially when the prostitutes' employers take as much care about the whores' welfare and well-being as the Rats do), as is drug use... it's awfully, awfully tempting to regard the Rats as being the lesser of three evils. Especially when you have the Family hob-nobbing with Richterist revolutionaries and Inmack's Boys breaking into decent people's homes and robbing them blind. The upshot is that even loyal Watchdogs - except for those who let their rookie idealism override their cop pragmatism - tend to side with the Rats against nastier foes (of which there's no shortage).

The People: The people of the Docks genuinely love and admire the Rats. The pirates are glamourous heroes of the lower classes, the smugglers provide them with luxuries they couldn't possibly afford legally, and Shoreline House is a major employer. The Rats know that they can knock on any door in the district and will almost always someone who can look after a dodgy package for a while, or take them to the nearest doctor or Church healer who knows to keep his mouth shut. The Watchdogs have long ago given up on trying to get any of the local residents to speak out against the Rats; your average Dockyard individual would never consider it unless something happened to make them feel personally aggrieved.

In the rest of Horizon, the Rats also enjoy a great deal of popularity, thanks again to their ability to supply cheap goods, decent drugs, and entertainment to suit all tastes. They aren't, however, universally loved: those who buy into the Family's views about drugs despise them, many in the criminal underworld are disturbed by their friendliness towards the Watchdogs, and folk inclined to hero-worship find the dashing thieves and assassins of Inmack's Boys to be more immediately exciting than the pirates of the Dockyard Rats.

System Concerns

Rank:

As with all mobs, seniority is treated as Vital. Cabin boys who dis their captain will walk funny for days if they ever walk again.

0: You're a resident of the Docks. You're not a member of the Rats, but you might buy stuff from them on occasion. So long as you don't make trouble and you're willing to keep some "duty-free" wine in your cellar from time to time, they'll lend you a hand if other mobs are giving you grief.

1: You're part of the crew now; no need to pay protection money any more, so long as you do what your betters tell you.

2: Whether you're the first mate on a pirate ship or the head bouncer in the brothel, you're not just a rank-and-file rat. You are a special rat. With shiny whiskers.

3: You're very important to the running of one of the subfactions, and take orders from your subfaction's leader. People in the Docks know you by name, and if you pop into one of Shoreleave House's venues your first drink is free. You can ask to have Minor purchases made for you by the Rats.

4: You either control one of the three subfactions of the Rats or are very close to doing so (and are important enough that the current leader has to treat you as an equal). People in the Docks nod to you with respect, give you small presents, and sometimes beg you for favours at your daughter's wedding; if you pop into one of Shoreleave House's venues your first whore is free (though they'll do a better job if you tip well). You will be able to get Notable purchases made for you by the Rats.

5: Either you're in charge of the Rats, or you're a subfaction head with the ear of the current leader. In theory, ain't nobody on the Docks can say "no" to you; in practice, half the people you meet are sharpening knives especially for your back. It's tough at the top.

As always, players should consult GMs before they play Rank 5 characters.

Rationales for Income:

These are, of course, only examples of how you might earn this much money in the Rats. Feel free to think up more!

Poor: A crew member on a pirate ship. A meat vendor selling smuggled sausages on sticks. A chef at a Shoreleave House venue. Someone with "I AM DISPOSABLE AND DO NOT EARN MY KEEP" tattooed on their forehead.

Comfortable: A pirate captain. The leader of a small smuggling ring operating out of the docks with a couple of borrowed fishing boats and a contact in a Lasinian brandy distillery. The owner of a Shoreleave House venue.

Classy: A pirate baron with several ships under his command. The leader of a large smuggling ring distributing contraband to the entire city. The owner of several Shoreleave House venues.

Magnificent: A pirate king lording it over a fleet of salty dogs. The boss of an international smuggling cartel. The Master Pimp of Shoreleave, providing whores to every Shoreline House venue.

Please Note: We will allow no pirate captains who wear eyeliner and has an ornithologically-themed surname. It's been well over a year since that damn movie came out, people, let's all move on.

Major Developments of 4021 HR

After a long, long quarrel (culminating in Micheal D'Avenant's private army of pirates taking up position in the streets) the ownership of the Trading District was settled. A treaty was signed between the Dockyard Rats and Inmack's Boys, giving the district to the Rats but giving Inmack's Boys the right to rob visitors to the district providing they refrained from stealing from its inhabitants.