Blackwake Brotherhood
Shipbreakers, salvagers, and scavengers of cursed or ruined vessels, they are a superstitious and insular group that run the Blackwake Ward of Deepberth. They are rumored to worship something beneath the waves. The Blackwake Brotherhood are either organized under or closely allied with the so-called "Undertow Baron," Warcaptain Dartemis Mull of the Bilgehand Syndicate. Mull even maintains a residence in Blackwake and members of the Brotherhood are known to frequent his home when he is at sea.
Origins & History
The Brotherhood traces its roots to early dockside laborers who banded together to salvage abandoned hulks and smuggle goods through Deepberth’s labyrinthine piers. Over generations, these informal crews evolved into a formal guild enforcing its own codes of secrecy and loyalty. The Council of Quartermasters, composed of veteran divers and shipwrights, governs membership and contracts.
Doctrine & Culture
Members of the Blackwake Brotherhood are sworn to the “Tide Oath,” a binding pledge of silence about guild operations. Work ranges from legitimate reclamation of decommissioned ships to covert recovery of cargo from restricted waters. Salvage crews often operate by night, using custom tools and underwater rigs designed for stealth.
Internal Culture
Legends surround the Brotherhood’s flagship operation, the Stormhaul Yards, said to be built from the bones of a thousand wrecks. Songs and sailors’ tales cast the guild as both protectors of the drowned and scavengers of the fallen, embodying the perilous balance between survival and the sea’s claim.
Symbols, Colors & Insignia
The Broken Chain is the primary symbol of the Brotherhood: a single iron chain link split open at one side.
Structure & Hierarchy
The Brotherhood is structured as a disciplined salvage syndicate, bound by shared risk rather than strict hierarchy. At its core is the Council of Quartermasters, senior breakers elected by proven competence rather than lineage, who adjudicate salvage rights, settle disputes, and control access to the most dangerous wrecks. Beneath them are the Master Breakers, experienced foremen who command crews during dismantling operations and oversee ritual precautions before cursed hulls are opened. Rank-and-file members, called Chainhands, handle the labor of cutting, hauling, and stripping ships, while specialist divers and riggers form small elite teams trusted with deep or unstable recoveries. Authority within the Brotherhood flows from expertise and reputation; a breaker who consistently misjudges a hull or endangers the crew quickly loses standing, while those who bring in profitable and safely managed salvage rise in quiet influence.
Assets & Resources
The Blackwake Brotherhood is headquartered in Chainfather’s Hall, a vast, iron-bound structure carved directly into the lower face of Dagon's Tooth and reinforced with the ribs of dismantled warships. Half guildhall, half shipyard fortress, it overlooks the deepest slip in Blackwake Ward, where the most dangerous wrecks are brought under heavy chain and ritual watch.
The Breaker’s Rest is a low-roofed tavern in Blackwake Ward reserved primarily for Brotherhood members and trusted allies. It is considered neutral ground for salvage-related disputes, but only for those who respect Brotherhood claims. The Saltbone Warehouse in the Old Quays is a fortified storage depot used for sorting and cataloging recovered materials, massive beams from dismantled ships form its roof supports. It is rumored to have sealed sublevels containing items too dangerous to sell off as salvage. The Stormhaul Yards are a sprawling drydock complex built into the lower face of the Dagon's Chin in Blackwake Ward. Damaged or cursed vessels are brought here for structural stabilization before dismantling. The Tarhouse is a modest storefront on the fringe of the Knife Market masking a coordination hub for resale contracts. Unlike other holdings, the Tarhouse appears unimpressive—intentionally so.
Influence, Allies & Enemies
Though nominally a trade guild, the Brotherhood holds political sway in Deepberth’s docks and shipyards. Its network of informants and craftspeople makes it indispensable to both smugglers and merchants seeking discretion. Local factions tolerate its existence in exchange for stability and the guild’s informal policing of maritime disputes.
Allied Organizations
The Blackwake Brotherhood maintains a web of pragmatic alliances rooted in survival rather than sentiment. They rely on the Dockhands' Brotherhood for manpower and controlled cargo flow, while the Gutter Admiralty provides protection and access to contested wrecks. On the occult side, the Brotherhood works closely with the Drowned Choir for ritual blessings and with the Ashen Oath when salvage involves restless dead or cursed relics. Economically, they depend upon Regas Dall's Ledger to discreetly launder recovered goods and the Anchorfall Combine to legitimize major claims through auction and arbitration. Together, these alliances form a quiet but resilient coalition that allows the Brotherhood to thrive at the edge of Deepberth’s most dangerous waters.
Rival Organizations & Open Enemies
Among Deepberth’s factions, the Brotherhood finds its sharpest rivals in those who profit from chaos rather than controlled salvage. The Red Wake frequently disrupt carefully planned wreck operations with theatrical violence that drives up risk and costs, while the Knife Saints resent the Brotherhood’s informal dominance of the Old Quays and have quietly taken contracts against key salvagers in the past. Tensions also simmer with elements of the Coil Crowns, whose young raiders sometimes attempt to hijack newly claimed wrecks before proper rites are performed. Even the Veilkeepers maintain a wary distance, displeased whenever cursed relics are dismantled rather than traded through sanctioned channels. In Deepberth, rivalry rarely means open war, but it does mean sabotage, misdirection, and the occasional “accidental” sinking.
Significant Personas
- Branik Coilson - senior Chainhand foreman
- Harn Vetch - Stormhaul Yardmaster
- Torren "Chainfather" Vask" - First Speaker of the Council of Quartermasters
| This article is part of the Feyworld Sourcebook | |
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