Organized Crime
The Thieves Guild
Unlike Col Tilth, Southkeep, or Westkeep, there is no organized Thieves Guild in Rastgoth. Criminals organize themselves along "family" lines, a bit like the modern Mafia, each with specific territories and functions. For instance, Zira the Tailor handles all of the smuggling in Rastgoth. Hester Neruk handled the money lending, and most of the protection rackets. Thieving is not an organized activity, rather, it is more a matter of survival.
Each organization, or "family" employs all sort of criminals and thugs to do business. Picking pockets is a way for some to get buy when there is little "action." Information gathering is an important task, and often requires thief skills. Very few of the thieves employed in the city are burglars, although they do exist. Thieves such as these are usually under the protection of another, more powerful figure. These types of thieves would pay a tithe to their patron. In return, they are less likely to be ripped-off by other thieves.
There are several colorful individual thieves that attract attention. Pip, for instance, is a skilled information gatherer, and some what of a mystery. A skilled thief, he has survived many difficult situations. At one time thought to be an enforcer for Zira (see below), he appears to be more of a free lance thief. He knows more about the comings and goings of the South Dock District than any man, or boy, in the City. Pip is a member of the Crew of the Black Dragon, a successful adventuring group.
Potenzia DuBarone is another member of the Black Dragon's Crew, and colorful part of Rastgoth's underworld. He is a regular at the Gutted Fish, owns a bait shop and a warehouse/barn in the Slums where he makes his home. He and his assistant, Ashami Hasabi run all of the gambling and bookmaking at the new arena, which has reopened after Hester's Demise.
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Noted Figures
Zira the Tailor
Zira’s main specialty is information. A smuggler by trade, Zira thrives by knowing the value and location of every major shipment going into, or out of, Rastgoth. He also knows of almost every secret way into and out of the city. He keeps tabs on every officer of the watch and every customs official. He knows which ones to bribe, and which ones can’t be bought, and which ones have secrets that he can exploit.
Smuggling in the City of Rastgoth is part of every day business. Tariff’s have risen to an all time high; smugglers are doing a brisk business avoiding the Prince’s taxes. Whole caravans of trade goods can be moved without entering the city, and Zira, and his organization, are almost legitimate businessmen.
Almost.One of Zira’s gripes is the amount of bribes it takes to get business done lately. "It’s almost cheaper to pay the taxes," he has been known to say. He usually adds with a gleam, "Almost."
Zira's crime "family" includes the Gutted Fish, a tavern in the South Docks District that acts as the headquarters for a gang of strong-arm thieves. "Hazard" Duke Hayes runs the Gutted Fish, and runs a profitable protection racket in the District. Hayes is loyal to Zira, who gets a percentage of the action.
Potenzia DuBarone, who stays at the Gutted Fish, runs games of chance at the tavern, including a weekly cockfight in the basement. Potenzia makes the odds and runs the betting book for the Arena, as well, and gives Zira a percentage of all of his proceeds.
Zira is a Giorand, an outcast of the house of Griffin. His shop is near the center of the business district. A small simple, shop, with two more stories above. It is rumored to have levels below, and an entrance from the sewer system beneath. He is a powerful magic user, so it is considered foolish to attempt to enter uninvited. Even though he is successful as a crime boss, Zira actually is considered one of the finest tailors in Rastgoth, and has a steady customer base, despite his outrageous prices. He considers the time well spent, because he usually gathers some of his best tidbits of information from the wealthy merchants who have no idea what his real vocation is.
The Kosvig Family
Rumored to have made an alliance with Hester, the money lender (see below), Uttic Kosvig and his brother Malcombe have resurrected their family's fortunes. They have done it by turning to less than legitimate business practices.
The Mogleys
A true crime family, the Mogleys -- three brothers and a son -- run the "softer" crimes, gambling, prostitution and occasionally narcotics. Grim Mogley, the eldest, is a heavy set man with gout, who favors teenage girls, and has an addiction to Yemeth (no doubt introduced to him by the invading Lizard Army). Pirg Mogley is a notoriously dour man, who never partakes in any of the vices he peddles. He runs the most exclusive gambling establishment, and rarely is seen with his brothers. Kosgold Mogely, the youngest of the brothers, and his son, Riswald run the brothels in town. All of the brothels in Rastgoth give kickbacks to the Mogleys.
Hester Neruk–(Deceased)
Hester was a Westerner, and a native of Rastgoth. Until his demise at he hands of the Crew of the Black Dragon, he was the main money lender in the city, both legitimate and illegitimate. Hester’s practices bordered in between legitimate and criminal. He got away with "shady" business practices because he had money to lend any of the merchants in the city. He was a popular figure because he was known for his strong resistance to the occupation forces of the Lizard King’s army. In addition to the money lending, Hester took kickbacks from most of the protection rackets in the city. [In many sections of the city, the local loan shark also runs the protection rackets.]
Even though he was a popular figure, Hester was a dangerous adversary, and the acknowledged "king" of dirty tricks. He employed sneak thieves and burglars to get information on the people who borrow money. His legacy, and his reputation will live on, as numerous criminals use the tricks he taught to try and take control of his empire.Hester’s shady business practices can be seen in one of his more devious endeavors. He loaned a large sum of money to a merchant, Jacob Narret, who speculated that wheat would fetch a handsome price in the kingdom (it would have, had the shipment reached the kingdom). To secure the loan, the merchant offered the services of his fourth son as collateral (he was that sure that the deal would be successful). Hester made money selling the whereabouts of the shipment to pirates, and then collected his "collateral" by placing the Narret's son into service in his arena.
Hester was not completely evil, he did not make the lad fight to the death. The rumors on the street are that Malcombe Kosvig has picked up the remnants of Hester's organization, including his loan book. Malcombe, younger brother to Uttic Kosvig, is a priest of the god of Rif Kalma, god of Trade, Travel and Commerce. If he is running the protection rackets and money lending business, then he and his brother Uttic, who sits on the Merchants Guild High Council, are a formidable combination.
The Dragon Fly – Deceased
The most detested criminal in the city, the Dragon Fly was a Yuan-ti Abomination, a leftover from the occupation. He laid low for the past few years, and recently resurfaced. He dealt in slaves, smuggling, and some narcotics, never enough to be in the way of the Mogleys, Zira or Hester. His slave trading had become bolder recently, and attracted enough attention to make the City Watch take action. It is rumored that Hester had made deals with the Dragon Fly. The money lender seemed more and more consumed with the arena, and spent more time there, ultimately leading to his down fall. Dragon Fly had been known to supply gladiators, and not the kind that volunteer.The death of the Dragon Fly at the hands of the Crew of the Black Dragon, stopped the flow of slaves that were heading into Rastgoth. The same group used information that they found in the Dragon Fly's lair to find the rest of the suppliers, and they suffered the same fate.
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