Red Daggers
“Blood in, knife out. Loyalty flows one way.”
Type: Criminal Syndicate / Wild Card Faction
Base of Operations: Vielworks, Drakharis
Allegiance: Independent (sometimes aligned with rogue Pact defectors)
Symbol: Rusted dagger inside a red circle
Overview
The Red Daggers are a brutal, oath-bound gang that dominates much of the lower vielworks district and surrounding infrastructure. Known for blood rituals, extortion, and knife-based assassinations, they operate with a hybrid of street savagery and military precision. Their origins are tied to former Pact enforcers gone rogue, giving them insider knowledge — and dangerous unpredictability.
Leadership
Raxa “The Blade” Valrune
- Former Steel Warden officer; vanished after a tribunal purge
- Leads through blade-oath ceremony and violent charisma
- Rumored to carry a veilsteel dagger from the Pact’s inner vaults
- Commands absolute loyalty — betrayal means blood
Structure & Ranks
| Rank | Title | Role |
|---|
| The Blade | Raxa Valrune | Supreme leader, ritual initiator |
| Bloodhands | District lieutenants, passed Knife Trial | |
| Oathcutters | Enforcers, assassins, extortion squads | |
| Shanks | Thugs, muscle, street eyes | |
| Whisperskins | Spies and marked runners (mouths sewn until trial) | |
Territory & Influence
| District | Presence | Notes |
|---|
| Ashclaw | low | Control drainage stacks, tunnel hubs, and ration routes |
| Grand Markets (fringe) | Moderate | Smuggle counterfeit scripts, weapons, run “cutcoin” debts |
| Veilworks (abandoned shafts) | high | Rare deals with Emberjaw defectors |
| Whispering Warrens | Avoided | Seen as cursed and infested with lycanthropes |
Activities
- Extortion & “Oath Tax” collection from civilians
- Black-market arms deals, including stolen Pact gear
- Assassination contracts marked by red-thread ritual
- False loyalty rites for disgraced Pact officers
Faction Relationships
| Faction | Standing | Notes |
|---|
| Hollow Masks | Hostile | Red Daggers see them as weak ideologues |
| Black Sigil | Uneasy | Competition for contraband lanes |
| Ministry of Order | Infiltrated | Bribe reassignment clerks and avoid patrol zones |
| Coalwatch Units | Targeted | Known to attack fire control teams to draw out response gaps |
Symbols, Customs & Tools
- Scar-code tattoos denote rank, kills, and debts
- Knife Trials decide promotion through blind combat
- Whisperskins carry encoded oral secrets; gagged until proven loyal
- Blood Daggers are veilsteel blades ritually fed blood in each rite
- Oathfire ceremonies mimic Pact loyalty rituals but bind gang initiates
Comments