1354 DR Waterdhavian Gangs

The Adders

Dock Ward
A stunningly vicious and violent gang, the Adders are fond of using poison and are frequently hired as torturers. They are said to have backing of some kind from the church of Talona. They also have established a powerful allied bloc of gangs, alongside the Basilisk Boys and the Six Hands.

• Badge: Snake tattoos, the heads of which end over the backs of the hands, and up the arms. The longer-lasting and more successful Adders get their "serpents stretched," the tattoos expanded, with the bodies eventually twining down arms, over shoulders, and coiling together down the spine.
• Enemies: The Red Readers, Kerrigan's Sons, the Seawolves
• Allies: The Basilisk Boys, the Six Hands
• Treatied: None

The Basilisk Boys

Dock Ward
A gang well-known for its mastery of Waterdeeps sewers, the Basilisk Boys were on the verge of being wiped out by enemies to either side. They gratefully accepted the Adders' offer of alliance a decade ago.

• Badge: Simple chokers of small, sharp teeth (originally basilisk teeth, but now taken from a wide variety of sources) mark the Basilisk Boys.
• Enemies: The Seawolves
• Allies: The Six Hands, the Adders
• Treatied: None

The Blackcoats

Dock Ward • Castle Ward
Possessing a sinister reputation, the Blackcoats are masters of violent crime, from mugging and home invasions to assassination. They are said to have ties to some dark faith - Mask or Loviatar according to some, or Bhaal according to others.

• Badge: True to their name, the Blackcoats all wear long black coats, and some of them wear black headwear of some kind as well.
• Enemies: The Fire Kings, the Six Hands
• Allies: None
• Treatied: None

The Caravan Boys

South Ward
Made up of the sons of those caravan-workers who settled in the area south of Caravan Court, the Caravan Boys are known for their smuggling and horse-thievery.

• Badge: A pendant of a pewter wagon-wheel, hung from a simple leather cord.
• Enemies: The Marrowsons
• Allies: The Red Readers
• Treatied: The Minotaurs, Kerrigan's Sons

The Fire Kings

Dock Ward
So named for their original proximity to Castle Waterdeep, the Watch has successfully driven the Fire Kings back over the years. They are known to employ several alchemists, and do not hesitate to use the substances those craftsmen create for them. They deal extensively in drug processing and sales, as well as kidnapping and blackmail.

• Badge: X-style leather bandoliers, fitting with bright brass rivets, are the mark of the Fire Kings.
• Enemies: The Six Hands, the Blackcloaks
• Allies: None
• Treatied: None

Grambar's Blades

Dock Ward
A gang that formed when the mercenary company by the same name lost its official commission twenty years ago, the Blades have a reptutation as well-armed and -armored in comparison to other gangs, a likely reason why they have no current enemies. They run protection rackets and illegal gambling operations.

• Badge: The curved kukri blades of gangmembers are their badges, their hilts hung with thin leader cords done up in intricate knots that are a language known among the gang telling of an individual member's accomplishments.
• Enemies: None
• Allies: Kerrigan's Sons
• Treatied: The Seawolves, the Marrowsons

Kerrigan's Sons

South Ward
A gang with its roots in adventuring, this gang sprang out of the force of minions once used by the wizard Kerrigan, in the 1240s. After Ahghairon slew the renegade (who turned out to be one of the Lords of Waterdeep), his band of thugs survived and started to make a living shaking down the folk in the neighborhood they dwelt in. Though the original "Sons" are long gone, the skills they passed on are not: Kerrigan's Sons are well-known for their skilled blade work and tactical acumen. They also seem to have superb negotiation skills, having made allies of virtually every other gang adjacent to them, and even fostering alliances between some of them.

• Badge: The badge of the old wizard Kerrigan - a kobold skull worn as a shoulder pad - continues among the leaders of the Sons. Members all wear a simple white leather pauldron with two black marks approximating sockets on it.
• Enemies: The Adders, The Red Readers
• Allies: Grambar's Blades, The Marrowsons, The Seawolves
• Treatied: The Caravan Boys

The Marrowsons

South Ward
A gang that mostly consists of fairly dangerous thugs and leg-breakers, the Marrowsons are said to have gained their name because they're not happy in breaking the bones of their enemies "until they see the marrow."

• Badge: The Marrowsons all carry bone-hilted knives prominently displayed, and when they "go to work," they often carry with them bludgeoning weapons with bone hilts or bone inlay.
• Enemies: The Caravan Boys
• Allies: Kerrigan's Sons
• Treatied: Grambar's Blades

The Minotaurs

Trades Ward
A gang originally based around the Court of the White Bull, the Minotaurs are made up of smugglers, muggers, and burglars, for the most part, although they do occasional leg-breaking as well.

• Badge: The Minotaurs all wear septum ring piercings, and many of them carry bull's horn drinking horns at their sides.
• Enemies: The Tusk Street Boys
• Allies: The Red Readers
• Treatied: The Caravan Boys

The Red Readers

Dock Ward • Sea Ward • Trades Ward
Originally based around Book Street, the Red Readers have earned their nickname by maintaining the largest number of wizards among their crew. It is also how they've managed to extend their influence so far beyond their original territory, though they've made powerful enemies in doing so.

• Badge: Red Readers all wear red on their heads, from simple scarves and bandannas to more elaborate headwear, all with red bands or other marks.
• Enemies: The Adders, Kerrigan's Sons
• Allies: The Minotaurs
• Treatied: The Caravan Boys

The Seawolves

Dock Ward
One of the oldest gangs in Waterdeep, the Seawolves have made a number of enemies in their time. They also dabble in nearly every kind of gang crime; its members occasionally dabble in piracy as well, hiring aboard pirate vessels for a few years before returning to the gang. Those who've done so form the leadership of the gang.

• Badge: Seawolves all wear bosun's whistles around their necks, displayed prominently.
• Enemies: The Six Hands, the Basilisk Boys, the Adders
• Allies: Kerrigan's Sons
• Treatied: Grambar's Blades

The Six Hands

Dock Ward
Though their symbol is a fairly sinister-appearing circle of six hands (fingers outward), their name comes from their founders: six deckhands who eventually tired of shipboard life and took to helping themselves to the cargos along the docks. To this day, the Six Hands still run the biggest cargo-theft and smuggling operations of any of the gangs.

• Badge: A deep green sash, with six white hands embroidered to it, tied about the waist.
• Enemies: The Fire Kings, the Blackcloaks, the Seawolves
• Allies: The Basilisk Boys, the Adders
• Treatied: None)

The Tusk Street Boys

Trades Ward
A gang originally based around the Street of Tusks in the Trades Wards, the Tusk Street Boys do extensive sales of drugs, as well as acting as bodyguards and warehouse guards for many of the fences in Waterdeep.

• Badge: A leather cord around the neck, from which hangs a small boar's tusk pendant.
• Enemies: The Minotaurs
• Allies: None
• Treatied: None

Information

• They are known to use the "Neighborhood Beautification Endeavor" as their protection racket. They deliver evergreen shrubs in large planted pots, set just outside the shop's door, and charge a hefty fee to come around on a weekly basis and do "upkeep" on the plants. It is, of course, no coincidence that those shops with plants are almost never broken into, and those without them sometimes face troubling instances of vandalism and arson.