CRIME IN SHARN
Crime is part of everyday life in Sharn, and just as in
any other city, sometimes such acts are carried out by
people who have no ties to organized crime. An upstand
ing citizen could be driven to murder by passion. A ref
ugee could become a cutpurse out of desperation. The
rowdy Brelish veterans who call themselves the Broken
bridge Brawlers don't think of themselves as criminals,
and they have no connection to any larger organization.
Any professional criminal in Sharn, however, is likely
to be affiliated with one of four organizations. The Boro
mar Clan is the most entrenched and widespread of the
four, and has dominated the business of crime in Sharn
for centuries. The group called Daask is on the rise,
directly challenging the Boromars. The Tyrants and
House Tarkanan are smaller organizations with more
specialized areas of operation. These groups are sum
marized in the Criminal Organizations of Sharn table
and described in the later sections that follow.
Each of these organizations has a core of operatives
and enterprises under the direct control of its leaders.
But each also has a network of secondary relationships.
For example, the Little Fingers are a group of pick
pockets and cutpurses that work in the Bazaar of
Middle Dura. They aren't directly tied to the Boromar
family. But the master of the gang pays a tithe to the
Boromars, and if the Boromars send word to them that
certain targets are to be avoided, the Little Fingers
do so. In return, the Boromars ensure that the Sharn
Watch in Middle Dura largely leaves the Fingers alone.
So although the Boromar Clan itself has a few hundred
members, it has interaction with thousands of criminals
throughout the city.
Chapter 3 provides an overview of the four major
criminal organizations and a body of information about
them that's more or less common knowledge in Sharn.
This section explores the roles that each one could play
in a Sharn-based campaign.
Although the powerful organizations in Sharn have
a hand in most criminal activity, sometimes you might
want an adventure to involve a smaller gang. The Street
Gangs table presents a number of lesser criminal
groups adventurers could tangle with.
CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN SHARN
Organization
The Boromar ClanDaaskHouse TarkananThe TyrantsDescription
Influential criminal syndicate founded
by Talenta halflings, with blood ties to
House jorasco
Violent monsters and thugs loyal to
Droaam and answerable to Sora Katra
Enemies of the dragon marked houses
dedicated to protecting and training
individuals with aberrant dragonmarks
Evil-minded changelings interested in
gathering secrets and using them for all
sorts of nefarious purposesSTREET GANGS
Gang
The Broken MirrorThe Brokenbridge
Brawlers
The EyesThe Five FacesThe GremlinsThe Little FingersThe MournersMuutThe Quiet FolkThe Red jackalsDescription
Khoravar half-elves who often target
elves with acts of violence, frequently
disfiguring their victims
Brelish veterans who antagonize Cyrans
and former soldiers from other nations
Collection of odd individuals who paint
symbolic eyes on their clothing and
armor and claim to see things others
cannot (in fact, they are a cult dedicated
to the daelkyr Belashyrra and serve a
hidden beholder)
Changeling pickpockets who work
Middle Menthis
Gnomes and halflings who specialize in
illusion magic
Child pickpockets active in Middle Dura
(their leaders are adult halflings loosely
allied with the Boromar Clan)
Cyran veterans who present themselves
as a vigilante militia that protects Cyran
refugees, but some say they're just pur
suing selfish interests
Bugbears in Lower Dura who have been
"protecting" Malleon's Gate for decades
(recently they've aligned with Daask, but
their focus is their home district)
Goblins who live in the sewers below Ta
vick's Landing and avoid violence, using
stealth and knowledge of the sewers to
pull off their thievery
Primarily shifters and half-ores who live
in the sewers below Menthis and clash
with anyone who invades their territoryCHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES
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