League of Gentlemen Entrepreneurs

"Thieves' Guild? Never heard of it, pal. And take my advice, younever heard of it neither."

- world-wise Suiddocker

Contrary to public opinion in the Empire, Marienburg is not some grand den of thieves all waiting to steal everything you have the moment you arrive in the city. Far from it. But, with all the wealth flowing through, both in money and goods, the criminals here have become organized and made a business of it.

Overview
The League of Gentlemen Entrepreneurs, more commonly known as the League or "The Guild We've Never Heard of", is not a single monolithic gang. Rather, it's an alliance and clearing-house for various regional and ethnic gangs and independent operators that acts more like a trade guild. Its so-called Masters form a board that oversees League affairs, moderates disputes between gangs and ensures that all the 'guilded' criminals in Marienburg get their piece of the action.

The occasional skirmish over turf is inevitable, but the Masters of the League want it kept at a low level. None of them want a repeat of the last feeding frenzy nearly fifteen years ago, when gangs fought gangs - there were so many bodies in the canals that it was attracting sharks. Even though tensions among the gangs these days are running high, the League likes things nice and orderly and it intends to keep it that way. It has its finger on the pulse of almost all criminal activity in Marienburg, and Shallya help the poor fool who gets in its way.

The League does not have its headquarters in one location. Over the years it has moved from place to place for security reasons, and the building is never obvious - there's no brass plaque outside with 'THIEVES' GUILD' on it. In recent years, though, it has been an open secret that the leaders meet most often in the private lounge at the Marienburg Gentlemen's Club on Three Penny Bridge, Suiddock. In the midst of what many call 'murder alley', under Henschmann's leadership the League has felt secure enough to stay in one place. Certainly, when the Watch enters the area around Three Penny Bridge, they go in large numbers, if they go at all.

Significant Members
'Gentlemen' don't advertise their League membership, adhering to long-standing League policy that discretion is good for business. Still, nearly every crook in Marienburg has some affiliation with the League. These are a few of the more prominent members.


 * Adalbert 'Casanova' Henschmann is the rumoured president of the League. He iscertainly the boss of the biggest and meanest crime syndicate, personally controlling nearly all illegal activities in Suiddock with a ruthless and brutal hand. He is also a fat, greasy pig who fancies himself a ladies' man. In truth, he repulses even his dog. But don't let him hear you say that.


 * Lea-Jan Cobbius, head of the Stevedores' and Teamsters' Guild, is known to have dealings with the League. According to some, he even sits on the Board.


 * Wilhelmina Thistledown, proprietress of the Gull and Trident Inn, in the Palace District, is whispered to be the biggest fence in the city.

north half of the city, specialising in drugs and the body trade. He's recently felt the pressure of rebellious lieutenants.
 * Guan Lo Fat, supposedly a simple herbalist in Little Cathay often seen playing dominoes at the Gentlemen's Club, is rumoured to control most of the ethnic gangs in the

or may not belong to the League. He's one of the biggest information brokers in Marienburg and sometimes visits the Gentlemen's Club, but his behaviour doesn't mesh with that expected of a League member. How this Wood Elf has avoided coming under the League's thumb - if he has - is a mystery to many.
 * Trancas Quendalmanliye, owner of the Three of a Kind casino near Elftown, may


 * Dmitri Hrodovsky, a pharmacist and herbalist in Kruiersmuur, is the League's expert on drugs and controls the trade in the southeast of the city. The story goes that he got the job by agreeing to supply seduction potions to Henschmann for free.


 * Miguelito Nunez, also known as "Little Round Head". A balding midget with a bad temper, he controls the smuggling and strong-arm rackets in Messteeg, Noordmuurand part of Handelaarmarkt. He's very ambitious and has been putting pressure on Guan Lo Fat's operations in recent months. Scuttlebutt around the Guild puts a gang war no more than six months away.

Contacting and Joining the League
Wise adventurers will try to contact the League before doing anything illegal - after all, that's stealing work from its members. Hapless criminals who irritate the League will receive a quiet warning, usually a knife pinning a note to the character's bed, found when they wake up next morning. The Board merely wants newcomers to know that others have prior rights in the area, and that they shouldn't interfere with the operations of the League bosses.

Those who persist in going their own way will eventually find themselves stuffed in a gunny sack while several large men beat them almost, but not quite, to a pulp. On top of that, stubborn outsiders will be expected to make good any losses their activities have caused the League. Push it any further and they'll likely find themselves swimming the canals with chains around their ankles.

Presuming the criminals try to contact the League first, the initial meetings will be with low-ranking members who know little of the League's operations. After all, the newcomer may be a Watch spy. Worse yet, outsiders are notoriously stupid and unreliable. Newcomers wanting to join the League or establish friendly relations with it will have to come with a strong recommendation from an established member.

If the newcomer passes the League's scrutiny, he'll be invited to a second meeting. This usually involves being kidnapped, blind-folded and led on a circuitous route to a basement or abandoned warehouse somewhere untraceable. His eyes uncovered, the newcomer finds himself nearly blinded by bright lights - he can just make out a figure beyond the lights, their face hidden in shadows. This person does all the talking, and tells the aspiring member "the rules". The only words required from the one being told these rules is the answer to: "Do you understand, punk?"

If the adventurers manage to come to an understanding with the League or even to join it, they still face an uphill struggle. New members are watched constantly: the League checks on every person they contact, observing everywhere they go and just how much money they make. Almost anyone could be an informant, and the League is very suspicious. New members are also allotted a particular patch and told to work there and nowhere else. Encroaching on someone else's turf is one of the worst offences in the League's eyes.

In return for a licence, the League demands one-sixth of a member's earnings, no matter how the money was made. It also has first claim on anything particularly valuable or magical, compensating the person with 10% of the item's worth. Greedy members usually only hold out on the League once.

Training and Services
Persistent individuals who manage to join the League can obtain training in any criminal skill or career. They can all be found in Marienburg and - for the right price - a person can always find a tutor.

The Guild We've Never Heard Of can also provide skilled services to clients with the right contacts and enough money. While anyone can rent a thug to beat someone up in almost any tavern in the city, the sophisticated talents of a cat burglar, a forger or even an assassin are best obtained through the League. In fact, few of these specialists will take any job offers from outsiders without first having the client vetted by the League.

The League has made much of its money by providing these services for centuries, as the Great Families wage their secret wars and hatch nefarious plots against each other. Once the League is certain about a client's bona fides (and they're very good at spotting traps and set-ups), they will provide anything the client can afford. As long as the service doesn't run counter to League interests, of course. Anyone trying to hire an assassin to rub out Lea-Jan Cobbius is asking for a second mouth.

Source
[[Category:L]] [[Category:G]] [[Category:E]]
 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st ED -- Marienburg: Sold Down the River
 * pg. 35
 * pg. 36
 * pg. 37