Blackjack's Mercenary Group

The Blackjack's Tavern is well-known throughout the Pits, not only for the drinks they serve, but for the services that Blackjack's provide. The Tavern is the central hub of the Blackjack's Mercenary Group, the largest mercenary organisation in Rathe.

Unlike other groups, Blackjack's do not hire mercenaries themselves, instead acting as an intermediary. Once they receive a contract, it is posted on the noticeboard for all to see. Anyone who wishes to take the contract speaks to the tavern's handler, Greenbird, for further details. The first to complete it and return with proof is paid in full.

Blackjack's have a unique system for identifying the skill and talent of its mercenaries. Every mercenary who accepts a contract is given a card, identifying their level of skill within the organisation. Each consecutive card rank allows its owners more perks within the Tavern, with the most elite mercenaries possessing a one-of-a-kind individual card. Stealing cards from other mercenaries is allowed, if you can manage to pull it off.

Greenbird

The mysterious head of the Blackjack's Tavern. Not much is known about Greenbird, though there are plenty of rumours to fill in the gaps. Greenbird has been running the Blackjack's Tavern for close to fifteen years, and thanks to his efforts, business is better than ever. He runs the tavern with an iron grip, keeping mercenaries in pay and contracts flowing. While the Blackjack's Mercenary could choose to replace him at any time, Greenbird's smooth operation of the tavern ensures that any replacement they could possibly find would pale in comparison.

Greenbird maintains his power through intel, using both respect and fear to keep the tavern under his thumb. He is adept at gathering information, trading in intel to keep tabs on everyone who might cross his path. By keeping an eye on those around him, he has the ability to identify threats in advance, and stay one step ahead of the opposition.

Calling Cards

As the largest mercenary group in the Pits, Blackjack's keeps tabs on all of their freelance mercenaries, inventing a unique system of identification to track each of the mercenaries working contracts on their behalf.

Pins

At the top of the hierarchy are the Pins, twenty-two mercenaries possessing unique cards representing their position within Blackjack's. Usually, these are given to the mercenary by Greenbird himself, and retrieved upon their death - however, should someone manage to kill one of the Pins, they are allowed to take their card and claim their position. Only one of each Pin card can exist at any time.

Stacks

The rest of the mercenaries in Blackjack's fall into this category, the stacks. The stacks are split into four 'types' - Jacks, Batters, Coppers and Cups. Anyone completing a contract for the first time will be given an ace of one of the four stacks, and then can move up through the stack as they establish themselves within Blackjack's.

Marks

Marks are contract cards, given to a mercenary when they take up a contract. They act as an indicator of the difficulty or complexity of a job, a way to keep track of mercenaries working on the same contract, and are required in order to turn in a contract and receive the reward. Nobody knows exactly how many variants of marks exist, with each contract assigned an archetypal card to represent that job.

The Spider

An order of assassins, the Spider operates in total secrecy, its services available only to those who know of its existence. Its assassins are raised from youth, taken from the streets and from orphanages, their skills honed to forge them into the ultimate weapon. While there are rumours speculating which deaths they may have been involved in, no assassination carried out by a spider has ever been witnessed or proven.

L'Apocalypta

A mysterious cult found within the depths of the Pits, members of L'Apocalypta can be found throughout Rathe. L'Apocalypta believes that the end times are coming, an event which will awaken the latent powers of Rathe and split the world asunder, throwing all into chaos and destroying humanity in the process. They believe that they are helping to prepare humanity for the coming apocalypse, by creating small amounts of the chaos that humans will face, thus training them for what is to come.

Wars, disease outbreaks, man-made disasters, revolutions and full-scale invasions; many of the darkest events in Rathe's history can be attributed to L'Apocalypta. Despite their influence, and the suffering they have caused, the cult remains incredibly secretive, and very few are aware of its existence.

Dregs

The Pits is plagued by toxic sludge and chemical runoff from the city above. It runs through the rivers, seeping into the soil and working its way through the underground. While every denizen of the Pits is exposed to the toxic environment on a daily basis, some are unfortunate enough to be exposed to a larger dose. A collapsed tunnel, a mining accident, steamtech failure or simple human error can cause all kinds of dangerous chemicals to overflow into the Pits, damning everyone they touch to the same dark fate.

Dregs are the result of these accidents. Once human, they have mutated beyond recognition, irreparably damaged and transformed into something that barely resembles their former selves. They are mindless, soulless creatures, who operate on the sole purpose of survival, attacking anything in their vicinity and eating anything in order to stay 'alive'.