Plati Khulda
WORLD ANVIL PAGE
The Plati Khulda or “Platinum Rats” are the most powerful thieves guild on Grahmbraid Island. The guild started 1000 years ago as a group of nomadic ethno-cultural families of halflings and gnomes who lived along the Platinum River near Bam. It has since evolved to include anyone deemed worthy to take the family blood oath. The code requires loyalty to those who are considered family, sharing with your community, and an abhorrence of greed.
The Plati Khulda enjoy broad support, especially among the lower classes of cities. So much so that that thieves’ guild members can even walk like open heroes in places like the slums of Bam. The Plati Khulda also maintain amicable to friendly relationships with many other thieves’ guilds, mercenary companies, the Void Cult, and even Lords with secret ambitions. For this reason, the Plati Khulda are broadly seen as the face of the rebellion brewing on Grahmbraid.
Worldbuilding Exercises:
The Basics - Start with the basics of the faction. How do they organize and see themselves?
Family: This culture is formed by a group of individuals bound by blood or marriage. Their views are dictated by elders and tradition. Bonds between members are clear even if emotionally fraught.
Faction Treasure - Give the faction a treasure. This should have a thematic connection to what that faction loves most and might be an essential part of that activity.
Great Item: The Rat King wears a crown ordained with cranium rats. The crown has a jewel on it that gives him powers and the ability to magically imbue guild members through blood oaths.
Love of Communication- This faction is built around the complex art of communication. They can facilitate relations between houses, develop sophisticated forms of art and expression, or relish in gossip and espionage.
What does this faction love most about communication?
It brings power
It reveals truth
What form of communication originated with this faction and has spread to all the others?
Thieves cant originated with the original Plati Khulda families. This slowly was adopted by other thieves’ guilds.
What group or rank within this faction is respected by every other faction for their skill, power, or dangerousness.
The Rat King is a master of bows, daggers, and short swords, with the later being his best. While he is a master in all the arts of being a thief, none can match his abilities at disguises and poisons. He is also capable of spellcasting as well as imbuing items or even other creatures with magic.
A Shade is considered to be on par with the highest ranking officers, arch druids, and wizards of the island. A Shade must be a proven master of stealth, thievery, combat, and tactics. Every Shade must also each have their own unique expertise that impresses the Rat King.
The King’s 86 Whispers are an order of assassins feared by everyone on the island.
Relationships
Choose a faction that the people who love communication consider close allies
The Void Cult. The Rat King and Librarian of the Void Cult are considered close allies.
The Plati Khulda are friendly to many mercenary companies, but friendliest to the Fel Fists.
How long have they held this alliance?
The Librarian and the Rat King were known to work directly with each other for hundreds of years. Rumors have it they are friends from childhood.
The Fel Fists and Plati Khulda have been fighting on the same side for approximately 12 years now.
What would have to change for one of these parties to break this alliance
Something incredibly drastic and damaging. For example, the Void Cult would have to be responsible for the loss of the Rat King’s crown or some other significant betrayl.
It would take a lot less for the Fel Fists to break from the Plati Khulda. It still would be fairly significant though, as traitors to the Luminous Cloud have few options.
Choose a faction that the people who love communication consider to be enemies.
The Luminous Cloud and the Old World Trading Company
How have the people who love communication acted against this faction, and do the leaders of this faction know?
The Old World Trading Company and the Luminous Cloud would crush the Plati Khulda if given the opportunity.
What would have to change in order to reconcile this conflict?
This would also require something very significant. It would have to be something on the scale of turning over some significant artifacts, having the Old World Trading Company leave Bam, or even give Bam independence as its own city-state.
Organization
The Plati Khulda are ruled by the Rat King and a council of six called the King’s Shade. The thieves’ guild breaks up their areas of influence into five territories or “lairs” - Bam, Bryn, Fallowleaf, the Wilds, and the Seas. Five of the council’s six members serve as the supreme commander of each of these lairs. The sixth councilor serves as the head of an order of assassins called the King’s Whispers.
Hierarchy
Rat King
The Rat King is the head of the Plati Khulda. The family crime lord is only ever seen by those who directly serve him - the Shades and the Whispers.
Shade
Shades are the voice and will of the Rat King in their respective lairs. Shades and Whispers ones are equal ranks, outranking all others in the guild. The exception would be the Whispers, who hold equal rank. Shades are given command over Plague Rats, Weasels, and Pocket Mice.
Whispers
Exactly 86 Whispers exist at any time - no more, no less. The Whispers are the only members allowed to solicit assassination jobs. This is distinguished from killings and assassinations which are carried by the Shades’ line of command when furthering goals of the Plati Khulda. The Rat King must approve all assassination contracts. A Whisperer is given complete latitude to accept or decline just about any other contract or family need.
The Whispers have a unique rank among the Plati Khulda. They lack broad authority since they have no subordinates. The assassins, however, only call the Rat King their superior.
