Blades in the Dark drives its narrative through the interplay of factions. One of the factions described in the core rulebook are the Fog Hounds, a “crew of rough smugglers looking for a patron.” Their goals (as expressed in the form of a faction clock) include:
- Eliminate rival smugglers (8)
And their enemies are:
- Bluecoats (canal patrol), the Vultures (rival smuggling outfit, Tier I)
The Bluecoats are another full-featured faction in the setting, but the Vultures are not. The only reference to them, in fact, is what you see here.
In my current Blades in the Dark campaign, however, the PCs have ended up in a war with the Fog Hounds. It seems quite likely that an enemy-of-my-enemy situation will arise in one form or another, making the Vultures of particular importance in what will happen next.
So I needed to fully flesh out the Vultures, and I thought that might prove useful to other Blades in the Dark GMs.
THE VULTURES
A smuggling operation focused on the spirit trade.
Tier: I
Hold: Weak
Faction Clocks
Recruit a powerful envoy with connections in Whitecrown (6)
Learn how to counterfeit “bespoke” spirits; fake individuals (8)
Turf: Warded building in Old North Port (HQ). Private passenger car that can be attached to trains (with smuggling compartments). Tangletown pit-fighting operation, featuring taxidermied animals possessed by bottled spirits.
NPCs: Wendel Messerli (public “leader”; young, earnest, convincing). Nicoline (true leader of the Vultures, traveling as a hobo; stealthy, fiery, clever). Christel the Fisherwoman (whisper, whose face is never the same twice; many-voiced, powerful, duplicitous)
Notable Assets: Hobo information network that hitch the rails. An array of Imperial transport and cargo documents, some forged and some legit. Spirit lures that can fish spirits out of the depths of the Void Sea.
Quirks: The Vultures have a secret language of hand-signs derived from hobo signs used at the stations to communicate car destinations and threats. The true leader and founder of the Vultures is Nicoline, a hobo who still chooses to live the wandering life of the rails and veils. Wendel is a fresh-faced youth who presents himself as the leader of the group when necessary, but meets secretly with Nicoline on transcontinental rail journeys to receive orders and strategy.
Allies: The Circle of Flame (clients), The Gray Cloaks
Enemies: The Dimmer Sisters, The Fog Hounds, Spirit Wardens
Situation: The Fog Hounds have targeted the Vultures for elimination, hoping to secure the rail-based smuggling routes that the Vultures currently command. Using Christel’s unique skill set and the custom lures she can create, the Vulture specialize in retrieving specific spirits from the Deathlands. They are hoping to be able to use their new connections with the Circle of Flame, who have found them useful agents, to learn more about the Lost District and gain access to the ancestral spirits there.
