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.

Blackwake Brotherhood

Organization Type: Fraternity

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 Blackwake Yard, 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.

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 authorities 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.