The Red Grith

The Red Grith was founded by the Cang, whose name references a wooden yoke placed around a criminal's neck by the authorities. It's a bit of a boast. No one these days knows who the Cang is or was, but the title remains with the leader of the Red Grith. The Red Grith is considered the original Grith, for its founder was the one who called the first meeting of the criminal organizations of Haenor 200 years ago. The Red Grith is the most powerful, and its purpose is not to overthrow the government, not to free slaves, not to protect some ancient secrets. Its purpose is to survive. Anyone who finds themselves engaging in crime out of the simple need to get by finds themselves aligned with the Red Grith, and thus, it is the largest Grith as well.

Leadership

The Cang is the leader of the Red Grith. The Cang is the Keeper of the Cant and the Hooded Shadow, powers of criminal mystery that empower the most elite of the Red Grith.

He remains hidden, appointing seven captains who run the day-to-day workings of the Grith. He also appoints three liaisons who work with the other three Griths when need be. These liaisons are called "elchee". The captains have lieutenants serving under them, and lieutenants have sergeants serving under them.

The structure of the Red Grith is split into the seven captaincies: Hood, Claw, Muscle, Face, Belly, Heart, and Wing.

• Belly: the Captain of Belly handles the feeding, health, and support of members of the Red Grith.
• Claw: the Captain of Claw handles enforcement of the Red Grith's rules and general defense of the Red Grith.
• Face: the Captain of Face handles the public perception of the Red Grith.
• Heart: the Captain of Heart handles the administration of the Red Grith.
• Hood: the Captain of Hood handles the keeping of and gathering of the Red Grith's wealth.
• Muscle: the Captain of Muscle handles the training, teaching, and recruiting of new members of the Red Grith.
• Wing: the Captain of Wing handles the protection of and delineating of the Red Grith's territory.

Outside of this structure is the Board, a group of the seven most powerful consiglieres in the Red Grith, who ostensibly run the fronts and "legal" side of things.

Deities

The Red Grith is the only Grith with its own religion. This religion is ancient, one of thieves and rogues, and it honors seven deities, and has three who represent its enemies.

The seven patron deities are as follows:

• The Hooded Lady, patron of those the law forgot
• The Five-Headed God, lord of the gods
• The Dust Collector, patron of gatherers
• The Great Huntress, patron of hunters
• The Humble Trader, patron of traders, merchants, and barterers
• The Traveler's Friend, patron of travelers
• The Corpus, patron of healers

The three enemy deities are as follows:

• The Diamond Eye, patron of the rich and powerful
• The Emperor Above and Below, patron of the slaveowners and lords
• Hollow Jack, he who waits for those who are caught

They also worship the concept of Survival as a separate force, something they thank on a regular basis, and four non-Divine figures they call "the Hands". The Hands are inmortal beings who are said to have been the first thief (a trickster figure), the first murderer (a cursed psychopomp), the first vagrant (a wise figure), and the first liar (an untrustworthy one).

Roles

Headquarters

The headquarters of the Red Grith are located in an old, empty church called the Church of Saint Lovegrace. It once was devoted to the deity called the the Blood Angel, the patron of Endruin, but now it is devoted to the faith of the Red Grith. The Cang lives there, though he is never seen by anyone except those he trusts most.

The Red Grith has extensive holdings. Businesses that serve as fronts, shops run by their fences, their own private dock, safe-houses and clinics, brothels and casinos, animal fights and clandestine racing grounds, bars and inns and taverns, a secret library,

Members

The Cang, the leader of the Red Grith

Rachna Sah, Captain of Belly
Kazmer Wermeser, Captain of Claw
Zzyntixt, Captain of Face
Farinaz Hashemi, Captain of Heart
Alfunus Maddrell, Captain of Hood
Oelard, Captain of Muscle
Madhur Tiwary, Captain of Wing

Deoring Maddrell, Mentadux

Rohi Carveth, zovlok on the Board of Seven
Fulcred Mortlock, zovlok on the Board of Seven
Meulu Jongok, zovlok on the Board of Seven
Otaes Thorton, zovlok on the Board of Seven (n)
Yuuna Jahana, zovlok on the Board of Seven (f)
Payza Lysyak, zovlok on the Board of Seven

Father Tancred Walling, priest of St. Lovegrace's, follower of the Hooded Lady, Chariman of the Board of Seven, zovlok
Brother Bartelmeuss Distel (budrus), Sister Raziya Cherki (drakilist), Sibling Lisanga Bolingoli (ladrone), Sister Lethi Facui (gonoph), Brother Arcadi Pogor (naghash), the five heads of the Five-Headed God
Kangee Reod, former slave, defiant last name, spiritual leader of the followers of the Dust Collector, ptoch
Gerle Gyribaky, obligant of the Great Huntress, shamaness from the old countrym, former slave
Camerlengo (holy treasurer) Rustamjon of the Humble Trader, ploronki
Xelha Canul, ("Shellha"), Errantarch of the Traveler's Friend, famba
Invinator Kottyto Aa'ar of the Corpus, staterist
Zosia Glyndon, lead remainer
Buchule, lead suaderian
Xotshir Huckford, lead titanist

Keskarrah Brookhaven, head of the bandeleros

Captain Cornellie Rijkaard of the Burning Skull, loza
Captain Varesh Pedrad of the Red Terror, loza
Captain Carambeni Bickle of the Red Queen's Revenge, loza
Captain Rebu Gnanam of the Cang's Flame, reiver
Captain Sclaomir Sarnow of the Cang's Wrath, reiver
Captain Arosha Wikramasingha of the Cang's Might, reiver
Captain Quyen Thach of the Cang's Shadow, reiver
Captain Kyuregey Tyllykintsev of the Cang's Hood, reiver
Captain Nupta Balihu of the Cang's Fury, reiver
Captain Ateri Dooling of the Cang's Glory, reiver
Captain Kaiki Kawana of the Cutting Vermilion, rover
Captain Ngonda Tchiki of Yojast's Revenge, rover

Dunning Lennard, head raglaw and patriarch of the Lennard family
Godhild Marsham, head raglaw and matriarch of the Marsham family
Pasqualluccio Sancto, head raglaw and hierarch of the Sancto family
Joldwin Callow, head raglaw and patriarch of the Callow family
Marcery Godgifu, head raglaw and matriarch of the Godgifu family

Mr. Estmund Danforth, slug folk safe-cracker, retired
Mrs. Brictgyth Glatwin, slug folk ploronki (fence), retired

Domard Chiruba, wearg rutscher (smuggler), currently in prison
Gerswith Chiruba, wearg sharana (harborer)
Jorin Chiruba, wearg underalteror (counterfeiter)
Melitine "Mel" Chiruba, wearg staterist (quack)
Pollexias Zanori, wearg retired kavash (sensualist), works as a cook at the High Road Inn, which is run by the Red Grith

Sissie Tupper, geliqurofi kavash (sensualist), apprentice to Rachna Sah
Fulori, yaksha underalteror (counterfeiter), partner to Jorin

Bark Ingraham, older human underalteror (counterfeiter), close to retiring, lives at the inn
Elizeus Lillingstone, retired carisark (embezzler), currently custodian thaumar
Hampnet Oglesbee, human retired lepsian (kidnapper), concierge at the inn
Kinbarra Redfern, one-armed valkyrie retired bellona (witch), bartender and security
Madde Callaway, human ladrone (robber) living at the inn
Nib Upchurch, newly out trans femme gargoyle retired emporos (cooker), porter
Pash Forness, human retired pilferer (thief) missing an eye, porter
Pollexias Zanori, retired kavash (sensualist), wearg cook, Mel's uncle, former Captain of Belly, the other inhabitants called him "Cap"
Sheeth Hadia, jinni amolast (fixer), living at the inn
Totnan Doherty, otter bhrocaire retired rover (pirtae), ostensible owner and storyteller
Wyborough Anthrop, ka'ar hottupali (torturer), living at the inn