The Bilge Rats
The fookin' kids 'ave no godfear about 'em, I swear if I see one more symbol of theirs on the Liberators fookin' statue I'll belt em' and send a pigeon to the Waterwalker 'imself and he'll 'ang em' from his horns! They think themselves as little gods of this wee shit'ole, well if they bothered readin' that damn plaque instead of scriblin their shit symbol on it they would understand; we don't suffer gods 'round 'ere.Bilge Rats control Driftwood: Butcher's Lane through sheer force of numbers, the urchin gang of Driftwood roam as pickpockets and paupers, some entrepreneurial Bilge Rats even run protection rackets for the smaller Merchant stalls. Vince Two Time di Donato is the leader of the gang and he rules with charm and wit.
Structure
The gang is loosely organized around a Boss, this is for the rats almost always the oldest and most experienced, sometimes referred to as "The big brother", the boss takes a fraternal role towards the other members.
The Rats have historically been a protection racket with pickpocketing and robberies as a secondary source of income, as such there are some positions that need to be filled to keep this racket profitable:
Picket boy - Person responsible for "client" protection, each stall or merchant that has a deal with the Rats gets a Picket boy who ensures any rivals are kept abreast and the "client" is kept "happy", will often loiter around clusters of "clients" to oversee their operations.
Deckhand - Someone responsible for providing Muscle to Picket boys, used to harras rivals and deal with threats. Referred often to as "Big boys" this position is reserved for those that can put up a good fight.
Spotter - Someone responsible for finding marks, checking up on robbery leads and making sure "The Boss" knows what's going on in town.
Sneak - A thief or Pickpocket that works pre-planned routes and marks, anyone in the gang can steal or rob, but the Sneak does so with the assistance of the whole Gang and with planned targets that won't cause a backlash against the gang. Sneaks sometimes even travel to Shiver Town for big takes.
Runner - Messanger, and courier that knows every shortcut and alleyway of Driftwood, makes sure the bosses orders get delivered and sometimes they lend their services to paying clients who need a message delivered in secret.
Little Rat - Most of the Gang are teenagers, but sometimes the gang takes in an Urchin child too young to be of any real use, the "little ones" are often used as spies and bait for robbery traps. Little rats are fiercely guarded and well taken care of by the rest.
History
Three siblings from Apex City came to Shiver Town with their parents in 1809 as part of an initiative by House di Vallentinia to establish a wharf in the new Shiver Town: Westgate, the wharf was to serve as a place for repairs and reinforcement of ships intending to explore eastwards. Along with many families intent on working in this new wharf and accompanying dry-dock the siblings where left destitute as the North Sea Trade Bubble happened and funds ran dry.
The three siblings, barely teenagers, had to move to Driftwood where they started working with their father in Driftwood: Butcher's Lane as day-laborers. A few years later and their Mother married a Senators son from Apex City and moved there without them, leaving them alone with their father. Their drunkard father was no longer able to care for them, so they banded together and took care of themselves, by whatever means necessary...
As the years went, the siblings started working with others in their situation, kids and teenagers originally from Apex City, all dreaming to one day return. The group started thieving and grifting to earn a living, all while trying to steal a seaworthy ship that could take them back to their homeland, yet the republican dream was not to be for the three brothers, as a desperate effort to steal a The Crimson Coast cutter docked at Driftwood: Chicken Docks lead to them all being caught and executed by the Crimson Samurai Rikimaru Monzaemon.
The survivors of the group promised to not attempt such an ambitious gambit again, and instead try to make a decent living in Driftwood, together they created the Bilge Rats and started taking care of other misfortunate orphans that were stranded in Western Haru.
in 1993, the Rats were considered a small but somewhat influential gang, they had around 16 members who all worked together to survive the harsh squalid life in Driftwood: Chicken Docks. Tragedy struck when on the first of Highfrost, The Forlorn Star arrived in Driftwood: Fogdocks and heralded The Plague of Driftwood. The plague killed half of the Bilge Rats, 7 survived, 4 where infected yet miraculasly survived, the other gangs however where not as lucky as their ranks were decimated, leaving the Bilge rats as one of the largest organized Gangs of Driftwood.
Us rats can survive anythin'
Founding Date
1810
Type
Illicit, Gang
Alternative Names
The Rats, Rot Grubs
Demonym
Bilge Rat
Location
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