## VII. SOCIAL STRUCTURE & CASTES
While officially equal, the Underground has clear hierarchies:
### A. The Crime Lords & Kingpins
- Control major gangs or criminal enterprises.
- Wealthy by Underground standards (multiple safe houses, servants, enforcers).
- Often live in better housing on the edge of respectability.
- Feared and respected; their word carries weight.
### B. The Skilled Specialists
- Masterful thieves, con artists, assassins, or smugglers.
- Command respect for their abilities.
- Often work independently or lead smaller crews.
- Higher income and more autonomy than ordinary gang members.
### C. Gang Members & Soldiers
- Regular members; muscle, scouts, lookouts.
- Receive gang protection in exchange for loyalty and portion of income.
- Expected to follow orders and participate in crimes.
- Expendable; replaced if killed or imprisoned.
### D. Street Orphans & Urchins
- Children with no family or protection.
- Often used as messengers, scouts, or pickpockets.
- Treated as property or commodities by older gang members.
- Possible targets for exploitation, abuse, or worse.
### E. Outsiders & The Desperate
- Recently arrived refugees; not yet connected.
- Vulnerable; subject to predation.
- Trying to understand how to survive in this world.
- May rapidly integrate, flee, or perish.
---
## VIII. REAL DANGERS & HAZARDS
The Underground is genuinely dangerous:
### A. Disease & Infection
- Plague, cholera, and other diseases spread rapidly in crowded, unsanitary conditions.
- Wounds easily become infected; without proper medicine, infection is often fatal.
- Malnutrition weakens the immune system; many die from simple illnesses that healthy people survive.
### B. Violence & Crime
- Murder is common; victims are often not investigated if they lack influential connections.
- Assault, rape, and robbery are daily hazards.
- Gang wars can turn a safe neighborhood into a war zone overnight.
### C. Exploitation & Slavery
- Debt slavery is common.
- Young people (especially orphans) may be sold into servitude.
- Sexual exploitation of children is a dark reality.
### D. Exposure & Starvation
- Winter is deadly; those without shelter can freeze to death.
- Those unable to find work may starve.
- The old, sick, and weak are vulnerable.
---
## IX. SECRETS & HIDDEN POWERS
### A. The Amyr Connection
Rumors suggest that Church agents (Amyr) operate in Tarbean:
- They may be recruiting informants.
- They might be investigating "heresy" or "witchcraft."
- They could be using street criminals for their own purposes.
### B. The Fae & Thin Places
Some whisper of Fae activity near the docks or in old cellars:
- Sailors speak of strange encounters and missing people.
- Old tunnels might connect to thin places.
- Someone (or something) might be conducting business with Fae entities.
### C. The Chandrian
Paranoid speculation suggests the Chandrian might be:
- Using street criminals for their purposes.
- Hunting specific people who hide in the slums.
- Eliminating knowledge-keepers or storytellers.
### D. Underground Economies & Black Markets
Beyond simple theft:
- Slave trading.
- Smuggling of rare goods (books, artifacts, magical components).
- Assassination for hire.
- Information brokering (selling secrets to highest bidder).
- Forbidden magic or alchemy (potentially).
---
## X. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER FACTIONS
Underground & University:
- Occasional source of theft targets (libraries, laboratories).
- University may hire street criminals for dirty work.
- Informants move between both worlds.
Underground & Maer's Court:
- Court nobility sometimes secretly visit the slums for excitement or vice.
- Some gang leaders are secretly connected to nobles through patronage or blackmail.
- Court intrigues sometimes play out through Underground agents.
Underground & Adem:
- The Adem have no use for thieves or chaos.
- Direct conflict is rare but brutal when it occurs.
- Some street folk view the Adem with awe and fear.
Underground & Edema Ruh:
- Troupes may recruit orphans or street urchins.
- Ruh performances can draw crowds; pickpockets and thieves work the audience.
- Some Ruh hide fugitives or run contraband.
Underground & Doctors:
- Street healers operate from the slums; some are affiliated with the broader Doctors network.
- Poisons and remedies move through Underground channels.
- A healer's loyalty may be ambiguous: do they serve patients or crime lords?
---
## XI. PLOT HOOKS FOR GAMEMASTERS
1. The Orphan's Debt
A young child owes a gang leader a debt. The gang wants the child to commit a crime (theft, arson, murder). Players must decide whether to pay the debt, steal from the gang, or help the child escape.
2. Territory War
Two gangs clash, destabilizing the balance of power. Players can attempt to mediate, support one faction, or exploit the chaos.
3. The Missing Person
Someone important (NPC, patron, friend) has vanished into the Underground. Finding them requires navigating gang territories, fences, and slave traders.
4. Betrayal & Blood Debt
A gang member betrays their leader. Both demand the players' loyalty; choosing sides creates lasting enemies.
5. The Impossible Heist
Players are hired (or coerced) to steal something valuable from a heavily guarded location. Success brings wealth; failure brings vendetta.
6. The Child Market
Players discover that orphans are being sold into slavery or worse. Stopping it means confronting gangs, authorities, and possibly powerful nobles.
7. The Informant
A trusted ally or mentor is revealed to be a Church informant, corrupt guard, or rival agent. Players must decide how to respond.
8. Emergence & Ascension
A player character rises through the Underground hierarchy, gaining power but also enemies and obligations.
---
## XII. NPC GENERATION TEMPLATE
```markdown
[Name], [role: Street Orphan / Thief / Gang Member / Fence / Crime Lord / Corrupt Guard]
- Age: [8–70]
- Gang Affiliation: [Independent / Gang X / Informal affiliation / Trying to stay neutral]
- Specialty: [theft / violence / smuggling / information / negotiation / survival]
- Territory: [specific alleys, docks, warehouse district]
- Secret: [hidden loyalty / forbidden knowledge / past crime / hidden wealth / dangerous secret]
- Reputation: [rising star / established player / fading power / unknown newcomer / legendary]
- Flaw: [addiction to vice / obsessive debt collector / violent when provoked / paranoid / manipulative]
- Relationship to Law: [wanted criminal / informant for guards / protected by corruption / trying to go straight]
- Code: [honor among thieves / self-interest above all / genuine care for crew / ruthless ambition]
XIII. USING TARBEAN IN YOUR GAME
Tarbean Underground is ideal for:
• Survival-focused gameplay: Characters struggle for resources, not just XP.
• Moral complexity: There are no good options, only choices between bad and worse.
• Character-driven storytelling: Relationships and debts matter more than dungeons.
• Investigation & intrigue: Uncover secrets, navigate politics, locate hidden people.
• Social gameplay: Negotiation, persuasion, and deception are as important as skills.
• Urban exploration: A living city with multiple factions, territories, and secrets.
The Tarbean Underground rewards cunning, charm, and ruthlessness—and punishes naïveté, mercy, and hesitation. It is a place where ordinary people struggle against impossible odds, where survival is victory, and where hope is a luxury few can afford.