The Red Fang

The Red Fang is a network of smugglers, thieves, and quiet fixers that slinks through the trade arteries of Berdusk, Scornubel, and Iriaebor. Despite the feral sharpness of their name, the Fang does not revel in bloodshed. They are professionals, merchants of the illicit, and connoisseurs of things the law would rather keep locked away. Violence is considered a failure of wit, a stain on reputation—though few doubt they can draw blood when cornered.

What the Fang cannot buy, they charm. What they cannot charm, they steal. But always with subtlety, and never in a way that draws the attention of the Harpers , the The Watch of the Scroll , or the city constabularies. They pride themselves on their longevity, a survival built on three iron rules:

1. Create no corpses, unless the contract requires it.
2. Generate no witnesses, unless the plan demands it.
3. Leave no trace, unless misdirection is fed by it.

Operations & Methods

The Fang’s trade runs through river routes and caravan roads, moving contraband under the noses of toll guards and city scribes. Their specialty is controlled goods: rare manuscripts, restricted magical reagents, high-value art objects, and artifacts of “questionable heritage.”

• Berdusk serves as their administrative head—a city of song and whispers, ideal for laundering stolen knowledge into “restored heritage.”
• Scornubel is their muscle hub—less refined, but well-situated for moving shipments to Baldur’s Gate or the Sword Coast.
• Iriaebor, the City of a Thousand Spires, provides shadow markets and discreet patrons for work too delicate for common thieves.

Membership moves fluidly between these strongholds. No Fang cell lingers too long in one place; roots rot, so we roam.

Structure & Culture

• Leader: Karrin "Blackcheek" Var — pragmatic, calculating, known for her venomous charm and a smile worth more than gold.
• Ranks:
• Longteeth (full members)
• Nibblers (probationary recruits)
• Milkteeth (clients who owe The Fang favors in lieu of payment)

The Fang is less a guild than a living organism, each cell moving independently but bound by common creed. They revere adaptability over strength, and trust in the elegance of the unseen hand.

Despite their name, the Fang values discretion over drama. A kill makes noise. A disappearance makes ripples. A clever deal leaves no trace at all.

Milkteeth are not members by choice—they are those who owe the Fang more than their coin could cover. A missed payment, a favor granted, a secret buried too deep to dig free—such debts are paid in service, not silver.

The Fang calls them Milkteeth because they are soft, temporary, and destined to fall out—but not before chewing through whatever task the Fang sets before them. These tasks are rarely glamorous:

• Carrying coded messages between innocuous drop points.
• Distracting a city guard during a key exchange.
• Stashing a crate in their basement for “just a few nights.”
• Running interference at a noble’s ball by posing as a servant or guest.

But every so often, the job is darker:

• Drawing attention away from a real heist.
• Acting as bait for rival gangs or lawmen.
• Delivering a package they dare not open—because opening it means becoming part of its contents.

The Fang makes no illusions about what Milkteeth are: expendable assets with a shelf life. Fail a job, and the Fang will happily leave you to the authorities. Succeed, and the bite of your debt grows weaker—until the day you are Fang-free… or Fang-dead.

Symbols & Signs

• Mark: A single crimson slash painted where a deal was sealed or a shipment passed—a promise and a warning in one.
• Tokens: Crude copper tokens with a wolf’s fang engraved on one face, passed to confirm identity or seal silence.

Relations & Conflicts

• With Harpers: Neither allies nor enemies. The Fang views the Harpers as idealists who meddle too much; the Harpers see the Fang as pragmatic opportunists—useful, but never to be trusted.
• With Aewen Wael: Officially, he is a thorn in their paw. Unofficially… small admiration. Few walk their line of shadow as deftly as he did, but he recently unwittingly crossed them.

Adventure Hooks

• The Vanishing Shipment: A Harper agent asks the party to infiltrate the Fang’s river network and intercept a shipment before it disappears forever.
• Debt of Silence: A noble owes the Fang a favor that could topple a city if collected. The party is hired to sever that tie—quietly.
• The Red Dossier: Someone has stolen the Fang’s client ledger, and they’ll pay any price to get it back. Unfortunately, Aewen Wael might already have it (and yet be unaware of it)….