The Blackcoil organization is a widespread underground organization in the Khaga, Bellurium, and Geistmoth. It is in short, a competitive thieving webwork that functions like sports teams rather than a black market for stolen goods. Despite being illegal, the Secretariet has found it nearly impossible to stamp out the Blackcoil because of it's immense popularity with the working class. The Blackcoil is like a giant cross-border thieving game.
The Blackcoil's members could be anyone. It has no uniforms for deception, all the members dress normally so not to attract attention to themselves.
There are two divisions, Lurkers and the Pickers.
Lurkers are cat-burglars. Sneaking around unseen in the dark, they strike at houses of the rich and powerful. Most beginning Lurkers will attempt low-ranking ambassador's homes and offices, lone foreign merchants, or the occasional tourist. The best Lurkers strike the most powerful officials, foreign diplomats, and wealthy merchants, all of whom are often protected by many guards.
While Lurkers aim to be unseen and make things disappear without a trace, Pickers use passive subtlety to play the game. They are pickpockets, and will often pick crowded locations and nimble fingers to quickly swipe objects directly off a target, and quickly disappear into the crowd. Often they have multiple disguises designed to be changed at a moment's notice creating confusion.
So while Lurkers are students of stealth and speed, Pickers are students of illusion and slight of hand. But both are very dangerous occupations. The Secretariet has been cracking down on Blackcoil members, get caught once, you lose a hand. Get caught twice, lose the other. Third time is your life.
But that's not where the danger ends. The Blackcoil does have an sigil. A black spiral, and here is the interesting part. The goal of a theft is to rub it right in the victim's face, for all Blackcoil members will carry around little sigil pendants. They are simply cheap little spiral coils of black wire, but the goal is to switch whatever has been stolen with one of the coils. Simply being caught having one in your possession is enough to raise alarm.You can imagine the horror of a wealthy merchant who leaves for a moment only to find his caravan full of little black spirals.
Even Samovai, Valisung's Vice Regent thinks that all Blackcoil members are of the lower class. But little do they know the Blackcoil has creeped upwards through Khagalese society.
Pelgo En'Giero, Chief Nightwatch officer of the Secretariet has been secretly feeding information and time sheets of watch duties to Blackcoil members for years. Even Samovai is perplexed how within the walls of Gun'Giero itself Blackcoil pendants are appearing in stores.
You want to join the Blackcoil? Easy. Grab some black wire, twist yourself some spirals, and get out there and show the world your skills.
