Underground Factions

If you’re an adventurer in the underground, you’re probably a member of the Guild. Or you’re working for one of the rogue gangs of Scrap Town. Or maybe you’re just a merc looking to make some cash by putting your ass on the line. Aside from the nobles, the Guild and the rogues are the primary political forces in the underground. (The mercs are generally just looking to get by, like your average ‘morph is.)

The Guild

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“You don’t look like you’re from around here. Looking for a job? The best place is the Guild—if you don’t want to line up for factory work or work in the fields. Assuming you can pass their test, they’ll provide you room and board, and your pick of various jobs that come up. If you get good enough, you might even get picked for their dungeon explorer teams. Oh yeah, everyone knows about them, the best ones are heroes! … Now, can I get you some fried mushroom, or…?” —Sycamore Right, Street Vendor

The Guild is a combination jobs program, training center, and research laboratory that has recently been established in Canal City. Anyone can put in a request, pay an upfront fee, and someone from the Guild will take care of it.

The missions, as they’re called by the Guild, vary widely. They range from odd jobs and general labor around the City to guard work, exploration, investigation, and rescue. Of course, more complex or more dangerous work commands a higher cost. They even accept jobs via the mail, making their services available to just about any settlement in the underground.

Sometimes missions are posted by the Guild itself, or even by the noble houses that sponsor it. These tend to be more complex and sometimes more dangerous missions. Many of the mystery dungeon delves, the premiere activity of the organization, are Guild-sponsored.

Many Guild members live in the Guild hall itself. For most of them, it’s just a bunk in the sleeping hall in the back, but it’s home. Up front is a combination bar and restaurant, a place to eat and meet where Guild members can work out team compositions and plans, or just relax and socialize. Also up front is the Guild Counter, where business and bureaucracy is conducted, and the contract board, where missions are posted for member perusal.

The hall also features a training courtyard, lecture halls, and a library. Upstairs there’s client meeting rooms, offices, and private rooms earned by elite Guild members. Underneath, it is rumored, an artifact handling and research facility.

Individuals and teams within the Guild are free to pick and choose missions to their own interests and strengths, but they are on the hook to meet a monthly quota to keep their Guild membership and standing.

Getting into The Guild is an open application process, with an entrance exam system that’s often called “tough.” Making it through food, shelter, and a path to self-improvement. There’s enough applicants for exams to be held once a month, despite the low passing rate.

The Guild is very popular with the common pokemorph, as they take jobs from any person who can pay the fee—often contracting with a private individual would be much more expensive. They’re also loved for their social services, which include public classes and a soup kitchen for those that have no way of providing for themselves in times of need. Even the elite and nobles have a somewhat favorable opinion of the Guild, at least as far as they’ll show; it provides a steady tax income, and they can leverage its popularity with shows of support.

“We explore the caves, and delve the dungeons. We help the weak, and protect the needy. We follow the ebb and flow of the underground rivers to seek out the great endless cave that we all came from. For the future of all pokemorphs, we are the Guild.” —Guild Creed

Ranking System

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The Guild is organized by letter ranks A–G descending, with a Guildmaster and Assistant Guildmaster above.

• Elite (A-rank): Generally well-storied individuals with “second names” and their own fan clubs, Guild Elites are not actually required to take jobs from the board. Rather, they report directly to the Guild Master and Assistant Guild Master for direct assignments. Many still do take missions or accompany other groups for the morale and public relations boost—or just because they want to.

• Adventurer (B-rank): The true independent Guild members, Adventurers can take any and all jobs solo or in a group. They also function as tutors, trainers, and support staff for the Guild. Adventurers are rotated through these positions, but they’re still coveted by many as they absolve you from potentially dangerous field work for a while.

• Explorer (C-rank): At this rank, members can operate independently or in groups. They can freely take any non-mystery-dungeon job solo, and they can join a group for a mystery dungeon job. They can assist on missions rated for any rank, as well. These are the members that the public will typically see the most of, as they are competent enough to handle most jobs.

• Member (D-rank): Members can take any non-combat, non-mystery-dungeon job in any location. Like Junior Members they also commonly volunteer to assist higher ranks; they can assist on any mission rated for B-rank or below for experience and opportunities to improve their rank further. They are the second most common rank seen in the wild.

• Junior Member (E-rank): Sometimes referred to as “trainees,” Junior Members can only take non-combat jobs within established cities. In order to get more experience, they often spend much of their time training, or trying to join up with other groups of guild members—generally they can apply to be an attache to a team carrying out a mission rated for C-rank or below.

• Probation (F-rank): A special “rank” used to indicate that a member has failed to live up their responsibilities. F-rank members are usually required to take specific missions as assigned from the Guild Master or Assistant Guild Master, and cannot be reinstated without their input. Generally, when a pokemorph enters probation they are given a suggestion to “take a vacation and rethink their purpose,” after which they may reapply and (if they pass the test again) re-enter the Guild as a Junior Member with a clean slate.

• Guest (G-rank): A special “rank” used to indicate a dignitary or visitor under Guild Protection. While they can use Guild Services, they are not able to take missions.

• Dispossessed: While not an official rank, those that fail in probation are blacklisted by being entered in the registry as dispossessed. These ‘morphs cannot use any Guild services, nor receive any benefits. They are not even allowed to request (or pay for) jobs. Removal from this state of dishonor requires direct noble intervention.

Leadership

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The Guild Master is a “civilian” position with no expectation of prior Guild service. The Guild Master is appointed by the nobles; most have either been retired justiciars, or chosen for their work in management. Physical acumen is not required. Most of their time is spent promoting the Guild and keeping the wheels moving behind the scenes.

The Assistant Guild Master is appointed by The Guild Master at their pleasure, though they are generally chosen from the A- or B-rank members. The Assistant Guild Master will handle the day-to-day operations of the Guild. Management is their full time job. They work with the Guild Counter and adventuring parties to ensure that jobs are done on time with minimal injury and fuss. They also handle complaints and most difficult decisions that face the Guild.

The Rogues

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“They call us rogues, but all we ever were was free! We don’t follow people just because they say their blood runs blue! We don’t let others tell us how to run our lives! We make our own decisions! And when we disagree, we let the natural order determine who is right: conflict! That is the essence of freedom, personal power and the will to use it!” —Rogue Busker

Descended from the exiled survivors of a quashed Canal City protest group, the rogues are a loose assortment of gangs that range between smaller settlements and towns. With a “might makes right” approach to governance, they put personal responsibility and personal codes of ethics being at the forefront.

While they often appear to be just a disorganized collection of gangs masquerading as a political system with loose ties to their home bases, this is far from the truth: only gang leaders that can learn to work together last for very long.

Here is a brief list of some of the more well known Rogue Gangs:

Team Dragon

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Team Dragon operates out of a nightclub slash gentleman’s club where the men and women are pretty, the music is loud, and the booze flows cheaply: A den of sin that can provide for just about anyone’s tastes. Team Dragon often times butts heads with The Guild on the simple grounds that they’re stuffy do-gooders and Scrap Town doesn’t need any of that.

• Gang Leader: “Boss Dragon” Israfel.
• Base of Operations: Dragon’s Den Bar.
• Notable Members: Gale, Mercy, Flint.

The Widowmakers

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An all-girl gang started by Cherissa that has recently risen with frightening speed from an obnoxious and loud upstart clique to one of the major powers in Scrap Town. Many would point to Tenet as being the root cause for this transformation, but whatever happened the fact remains that everyone knows about them now, and their infamy is still growing despite an elite and limited membership.

• Gang Leader: “Eight Eyes” Cherissa.
• Base of Operations: Slick ’n Juicy Noodles ’n Rice (Restaurant).
• Notable Members: Cheri, Tenet.

The Syndicate

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Primarily focused on trade and deals—especially the black market kind— The Syndicate handles most of the imports and exports from Scrap Town of various goods. Some are actually legit, some are illicit, and some are just sourced from places best not known. Run by Callian, the gang has a good reputation for being fair in their dealings, but ruthless to those that would try and muscle in on their routes.

• Gang Leader: “The Voice” Callian.
• Base of Operations: 3rd Heaven Imports.
• Notable Members: Fiera, Remedy.

Dragon’s Breath Protective Services LLC

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The name may be a bit much for a Scrap Town Gang—some say it’s some kind of referential joke—but DBPS operates exactly as the name suggests. Run by Tulvir, they’ve taken the age-old protection racket and lifted it into something almost respectable, at least for Scrap Town. The DBPS emblem is often seen on high-profile bodyguards for exclusive patrons of Scrap Town’s establishments. It does lead to rumors that whoever pays the price for these bodyguards has something worth protecting… the price of fame.

• Gang Leader: “Fire Starter” Tulvir
• Base of Operations: The Aerie
• Notable Members: None - they’re mostly mooks for rent.

Others

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There are smaller gangs in Scrap Town, from up-and-comers to bottom feeders. There are also the nobodies, those that couldn’t hack it or were thrown out of their gang. The less important you are, the more you’re pushed out into the dilapidated undertunnels of the city. The promise of freedom in Scrap Town mandates strength, after all.

Independent Mercenaries

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“You need a job done, quiet like? Or maybe it’s something that you don’t want to filter up to some stuffy noble? Or maybe… your budget just ain’t there? Or perhaps… ya thinking no one’s gonna return? That’s fine. We’ll take the job. Pay upfront, though.” —Sandy Wrathborne, Leader of the “Black Iron Swords” Mercenary Group.

Want all of the adventure, but none of that nonsense of having to support ideals or pay tax on the loot you find? You might be ready to try mercenary life. They’re an independent lot, though there are some self-enforced ground rules about presentation and more importantly professionalism. Many work alone, others run with mercenary groups, sometimes just for a mission, sometimes for the long haul.

There are a few reasons one chooses this path. Most are just looking to support themselves, or maybe family. Often they’re ‘morphs that don’t fit the culture of the rogues or the stiff organization of the Guild. Sometimes they’re just simply out of options. Mercs can live and work wherever they please as long as public sentiment there doesn’t make life unbearable, but most just wander to follow the work rather than settling down.

Mercenaries can work for any faction they deem fit, and loyalty is assumed to be non-existent once a job is complete. Today’s paid friend is tomorrow’s paid enemy, and that’s just a fact of life. The rule that binds a mercenary is the Contract. Once a contract is signed, breaking it doesn’t just lower credibility, it invites the ire of other mercenaries.

Both individual mercenaries and established groups are rated ★ to ★★★★★. This rating appears on all official correspondence along with their contract completion rate. A single star is enough to trust a mercenary, it means they’ve at least fulfilled one contract. The more stars attached to a mercenary, the more effective they’re known to be, the more expensive they are to employ, and the more demands they can make of the contracts they get. Brand new mercs have no stars. Their reliability is in question, but they’re generally cheap and often… disposable.

The Mercenary Guild is actually a bit of a mystery. It accepts mail for putting out contracts, and acts as a central responder for various registered mercenaries and mercenary groups, but doesn’t actually seem to quite… exist. No one’s ever seen an office. But it can hold payment or items in escrow as part of a contract, all handled by Mail. It also takes its administrative cut of the fees, and keeps the records of successful contracts and reputation scores for Mercenaries and Mercenary Groups. Via mail, you can request a meeting with a Mercenary Guild Informants. They handle questions, information, and mercenary registration. They do exist… but they are all ghost types…

Canal City Nobles

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“We trace our lineage back to the original settlers of the underground, to heroes whose story forms the basis of our society. We, alone, remain pure to that ideal, and with its purity, comes our right to rule.” —Canal City Stories, State of Address

They are better than the rest, tracing their lineage all the way back to the surface. Their main drive is control; after that, safe growth of the population. They believe in peace, but only their peace. They put on the airs of altruistic benefactors, but that isn’t all the families behind the mask; some are downright dismissive of anyone not from the deepest of bloods.

While the nobility, for the most part, stay in the shadows controlling things from afar, they do occasionally show up for particular public events, especially things involving the Guild. Some would say that if the Nobles ever left their villas in force, it would be a dire portent.

For more on the nobles, see History, they’re written all over it.

Basalt City Nobility

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“We are the progeny of the ancient firstborn, and we are our own council. We refuse to bend the knee to others that claim the same legacy, as what we do now is more important to the future than holding fast to some sparkling past.” —Francis Silvermore, Silvermore family head.

Originally tasked with running Basalt City as an offshoot of Canal City, then chafed under remote leadership and went their own way. They are somehow less overbearing but even more uptight than the nobles of the First City. Like Canal City, the rulers of Basalt City claim their origin from the first pokemorphs that came to the underground. However, they are even less likely to be found in the common areas of their own city. Instead, their agents and family forces serve as the face of the noble families, only acting to enforce the neutrality of their city or prevent damage to the peace.