The KeepersIndex | Time Under Chaos | Settings | Amber City | The Keepers Love, fear, and greed burn the soul. If you can fuel these sacred fires, then the people will worship you as a god.
The Keepers, as in ‘your brother’s keeper,’ are a vast criminal network under the ironclad control of Lady Victoire Ontoneia, a Chaosian noblewoman. She is also know as the Scarlet Lady, the Lady of Flames, or more commonly, The Gardener (in reference to her habit of ‘pruning roses’; the assassination of her opposition). She is an infrequent, if unforgettable, sight in Tattersail; a majestic woman dressed in red and gold gowns that provide her the appearance of moving flame when she walks. Perhaps more extraordinary is that her head is that of a black jackal. Whether this because she is so ancient she cannot shift fully from her demon-form or some other reason is not known. What is known is her utter ruthlessness and incredible cunning. Rumor has it she is the direct descendant of the Amber Elder Caine; a rumor further deepened by the streaks of red fur on her ear-tips. She arrived roughly a century ago, a seasoned veteran of the Patternfall War and skilled Shapeshifter. Almost immediately, she took advantage of the disorganization amongst the various criminal groups and cut a bloody swath through them, assimilating their members into her guild. She now controls all of the criminal enterprises in Tattersail, as well as several of the surrounding Wards. If a dice-game goes on in Broken Smile, a percentage will end up in her coffers. Victoire’s cunning is only matched by her negotiation skills and her lieutenants revere her. Indeed, she is constantly invited to functions in Clifftop and, when she deigns to show herself, is treated like royalty by the city administration. She rewards loyalty generously and answers betrayal with ruthless brutality. She collects ‘roses,’ the skulls of her enemies and plants them in her rooftop garden atop a fortress home in Tattersail. Currently, a war of attrition between the Keepers and the Architects is playing out in the Boneyard and Corwin's Folly. Victorie wishes to keep the areas underdeveloped so that her criminal empire can use them as a new route for smuggling and other nefarious activities. This goal conflicts with the Architect’s revitalization plans for the Wards. As the Architects consider crime to be a ‘cancer’ in their plan, they take this affront quite seriously. Mandor and his government quietly turn a blind eye towards the Keepers, reasoning that it is better to have one den of thieves on a long leash than many he knows nothing about. Viewed from this perspective, competition between the Architects and Keepers is simply court infighting, and probably subtly encouraged by Mandor to prevent either force from becoming a threat to his larger agenda. Some (Johann) have criticized the Keepers for being a Chaosian criminal element unfairly forced upon Amber's honest citizens. The reality is, as with many criminal organizations in shadow, the Keepers are willing to work with anyone who can meet their standards and whose real loyalties are to the organization first and foremost. Neighborhoods which pay protection money to the Keepers receive genuine protection. While they are ready to deal death to anyone within the criminal underworld who betrays their unwritten code of conduct, business must go on and bloodletting must be kept out of sight. Loyalty to the organization is assured through oaths, possibly mystically binding oaths, initiation ceremonies, etc. The mysticism involved draws its inspiration from equal parts oriental and occidental occult practices, from the Church of the Serpent and more esoteric bits of the Church of the Unicorn. |
