The Unseen

The Unseen are composed of three main types of members but new ranks are made depending on the needs of the organization. The first group of members are known as the Blades, bodyguards who escort cargo and people of interest through the underdark or wherever they may need to travel. Next are the merchants which as the name suggests, are the people that take care of the business end of things either by persuading or intimidating individuals into purchasing. The last and most elite are the Shadows, individuals holding high rank that are responsible for an aspect of the organization.
The three Shadows that have been around since the foundation have been the Head, Treasurer, and the Sage. The Head Shadow is responsible for orchestrating all business, whether it be managing the other shadows or organizing trade routes around Gauntlet scout patrols. The treasurer is in charge of balancing the traded goods and keeping track of any gold that has been made by the business, as well as finding new places to do business with. Lastly, the Sage has historically been responsible for recovering artifacts, whether by stealing them or discovering them, in order to possibly bring the Unseen more business.

Few Unseen members will ever know that another person they meet is a member unless at an outpost. The group that a member works with is composed of two blades and anywhere from four to six merchants, and this group is often very tight knit since they will travel together and trust between commrades is a necessity in the eyes of the Unseen.

The public does not know of the Unseen unless they try to use one of their services. They may hear of a dark market and may even try to learn more about it but without meeting a member of the Unseen they may go their whole life never knowing of their existence. In the eyes of the public, the Tribune condemns this "dark market" saying that their true motives are to derail the economy and undermine the government through manipulating the masses.

The Unseen does not hold many possessions aside from cave systems known as outposts with teleportation glyphs to allow for ease of transportation between bases. The organization does hold a sizeable number of armored wagons as well as ox and horses that they use to help transport cargo that may be going to someone outside of the organization. Additionally, the wealth accumulated by the Unseen lies in an undisclosed location that few Shadows even learn of.

The Unseen was formed by a group of pirates who sought to trade explosives and poisons without the watchful eye of the Tribune looking down on them. After founding it, the original shadows expanded this into allowing outsiders to hire entire crews of thieves and assassins which quickly got the organization in hot water. Some nobles from Ultribar hoped to overthrow the rising organization known as the Gauntlet back when they were gaining traction. In order to put a stop to Ignis Steel's campaign to recruit members and power for the organization, the nobles reached out to the Unseen and hired a crew of deadly assassins to try to kill the head. The assassins were unsuccessful but there was no backtracking or hiding that the Unseen could now do.
Overtime, the Gauntlet and the Unseen mended their relationship, but the Tribune had set their sights on the organization. In fear that one day assassins may come knocking at the gates, the Tribune enforced strict laws sending crews of guards out in order to find these dark market workers in an attempt to find their outposts. Until the 8th century, the Unseen operated in the shadows as best they could, even establishing trade with the Northern Isles, who they armed with materials and weapons in case of an invasion.
After Krieg claimed the throne of Ultribar, he reached out to Zacharias, the leader of the Unseen, in order to strike a bargain with the organization. Krieg, tired of spending the gold and manpower to chase the invisible organization, made a treaty with Zacharias saying that the Tribune would not stop the Unseen, but if they were found meddling with the Tribune, Krieg would send his armies to war against the dark trade. Since then, there has been a hesitant stand still, with neither organization willing to make the first move against the other.