Lanbril, King of Thieves
By Mark Galeotti and
Ian Thomson
Acknowledgements: 'Pavis and the big Rubble' (Moon Design, 1999)
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Note! This is a fan contribution. The information may be
contradicted by official material.
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Lanbril was a son of Grandfather Mortal, who was rejected as inferior because
his father was the first to be slain by Death. Lanbril became enraged, and
studied the ways of deceit, perfecting the techniques of seeming not to be
doing what he was actually doing. Lanbril chose physical skill and covert
manipulation over magical abilities, but also stole magic from other gods,
as well as inventing some of his own.
His cult is fragmented and changeable. Lanbrili organise themselves in loose
'rings' under one or more dominant leaders. Within the ring, they are expected
to obey orders, tithe their criminal earnings to the communal kitty (used
to bribe officials, get members out of prison, etc), and may never reveal
cult secrets to outsiders. Of course, if you can get away with not admitting
to ill-gotten gains, challenging a leader or informing on a rival ring, then
so much the better, as Lanbril thrives on intrigue and deceit.
For example, in Pavis there are several separate thief gangs, each co-ordinated
by a solitary Priest and often also several Devotees known as Lieutenants.
The gangs are rivals, although violence for its own sake is not encouraged
by the Cult, which values more subtle skills far more highly. Consequently
the gangs try and outwit each other more than outfight each other, and although
beatings are fairly common, murders and maimings are rare. The exception
to this rule is seen in the fate of those who betray the cult.
Lanbril crafters include the creators of bizarre mechanical devices such
as the 'Thieves' Helper' (a long stout staff that telescopes into a pegged
climbing aid), and designers of alchemy devices (such as smoke bombs and
sleeping powders). These crafts are considered cult special lore, and betrayal
of such secrets results in excommunication, and usually execution.
| Entry Requirements: |
Invitation only, although this can be sometimes encouraged by impressing
current cult members by ostentatious acts of thievery. One must already evidence
proficiency in a skill, or skills, considered valuable by the cult (otherwise
you will not be contacted). Almost all Initiates are elevated from the ranks
of cult supporters amongst the local petty criminals. |
| Mental Abilities: |
Convincing Blather, Evaluate, Know Mechanism, Speak <Local> Thieves'
Argot*
(*The local 'Argot' is not a distinct language, rather a street slang intermixed
with specific Thieves' jargon. Consequently a streetwise local will understand
a fair proportion of such communications, but miss out on most of the key
points.) |
| Physical Abilities: |
Close Combat (Dagger), Disguise, Feign Death, Foil Restraints, Locksmith,
Mimic Voice, Run Fast, Shadowing. |
| Affinities: |
Master Thief (Cling to Surface, Flee, Nimblefingers, Open, Sense
Magic)
Deceiver (Conceal Object, Face in the Crowd, Forgetfulness, Hide Truth,
Pass Without Trace)
Other - Depending on the specific local ring, reflecting their aspect
of Lanbril. This third option will not always be an affinity, but may be
a special single Feat, or a technical skill such as alchemy. It will
generally be expressed or acquired through a local thief hero:
"Eroya the Shadow" (much of the eastern shore of the Oslir), the
celebrated black marketeer, renowned mistress of: Wheeling & Dealing
(Find Goods, Haggle, Launder Item).
"Bruised Knuckles" (urban Kostaddi), the enforcer and protection
racketeer, whose criminal empire was built upon his ability to:
Intimidate (Big Shout, Break Stuff, Menace).
"The Clockwork Godfather"(Pavis), a fabled alchemist and petty
technologist who produced weird and wonderful Thief's Gadgets: Make Thief's
Gadget - a single feat which is always improvised, with a penalty based
on the power and difficulty of the item in mind. |
| Secret: |
Steal Feat. Ritual magic: the thief steals or cheats from the
victim something which represents the affinity sought after (such as a sword
for a weapon feat), and uses this later in a ritual that is essentially a
less charged version of a Lanbril heroquest. Success against the victim's
rating in that feat means that the thief has stolen a single use of the feat.
It is lost to the victim until the thief uses it or the victim spends a hero
point to regain it (the Lanbrili in this case does not lose the feat). The
thief uses the feat at the original owner's rating. The thief may alternatively
use a stolen feat to neutralize one attempt to use this feat against himself.
(Thus, if Pericutus the thief steals one use of 'Force Truth' from a Lhankor
Mhy lawspeaker, he may choose to use it for himself or retain it as a useful
counter next time he is being interrogated!) |
| Worshippers: |
Lanbril is the Cult of the criminal underworld in human societies. He
is the deity to whom thieves and other lawbreakers may turn for concealment
and improvement of skills. The stronger the social order, the better the
chances for the Lanbrili. Cult members are not just simple thieves, but also
include look-outs, specialist craftspeople, smugglers, itinerant traders,
and con artists of all descriptions.
In all but the largest cities, individual Thief Gangs have comparatively
few Initiated members or Devotees, as large gangs are easier to infiltrate
and uncover. (A gang will restrict itself to a size easily concealable amongst
the general populous.) Many supporting segments of Cult operations are allocated
on a fee-paying or profit-sharing basis to the local low-lives (some of whom
hope one day to become fully-fledged cultists). Outsiders will find it very
hard to join a thief cult purely to gain skills or specialist magic. |
| Other Side: |
Lanbril's hall is hidden beyond knowledge even of his own cultists, although
each will learn of one of the secret ways to get there. These hidden pathways
lead all around the other planes, and there are few places that a Lanbril
Hero cannot reach. |
| Other Connections: |
Lanbril trusts no-one, even inter-gang co-operation is rare other than
in very large areas where the pickings are substantial. From time to time
alliances are formed with the Krarsht Cult, however most thief gangs wisely
avoid this almost surefire route to chaos and being taken over by the Krarshti.
In certain locations propitiatory worship of Krarsht provides a satisfactory,
if not desirable, buffer from the power of the Chaos Maw. |
| Disadvantages: |
Proven membership in the Cult of Lanbril is commonly punishable by execution
or mutilation. Truth Cultists take extreme offence against Lanbrili, and
of course members of any cult will pursue thieves who steal their goods. |
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