Apologizing now for the wall of text. Recommend you favorite this post, you may want to come back to it at some point.
The man coughs weakly, opening a tome and sitting down on a stool to read from it. He stops every couple sentences to catch his breath, making you all feel a bit fatigued empathically just listening to him.
"Kaer Maga is much as Braelex has told you earlier, but I'd like to move from geographical points to fill you in on some of the gangs for you are likely to encounter some of them and you should be careful in your dealings with the strange politics of the place."
"First is the Arcanists’ Circle: This faction is Kaer Maga’s most powerful collective of magic-users, an elite group of spellcasters who pool knowledge and resources to advance their research while also growing fabulously wealthy by working together to produce magic items in a systematic (and thus cheaper) fashion."
"Next, while Kaer Maga has numerous organizations that might loosely be referred to as “crime families,” the Ardoc brothers actually are bound by ties of blood and marriage. Within their home district of Bis, this loosely democratic organization of brothers, fathers, uncles, and cousins rules with an iron fist—yet one that protects and shields as much as it imposes. No one moves through Bis without their knowledge, and no one operates without their permission. Tread carefully if you need to operate in their domain. They have been friendly to the Society in the past, even offering to buy magic items over market value for those they favor."
"Moving on to the strangest of the bunch, for as long as anyone can remember, the Augurs have been a part of Kaer Maga. Unlike most trolls around the Inner Sea, who tend to be bestial, savage creatures with little use for the society of other humanoids, the troll Augurs of the City of Strangers are the lubrication that helps keep the social machinery of the city running. Through their guidance, both overt and subtle, deals are mooted, business ventures steered in beneficial directions, and internecine conflicts turned toward truce rather than open war. The tool the Augurs use to accomplish this feat is prophecy—in particular, an ascetic form of haruspicy. When a citizen of Kaer Maga is about to embark on some bold or significant endeavor, it’s common to engage the services of an Augur. The troll listens to the client’s situation, then drags a knife across its own stomach, spilling
forth its entrails. In this steaming mass, the troll “reads” a cryptic prophecy, which it delivers without explanation before accepting payment and shuffling away. They are incredibly well regarded and a visit to an Augur is always worth the price of admission, if for nothing more than the experience."
"Next are the Bloatmages. Though not truly a faction, these hemotheurges are synonymous with the city in the minds of many. Believing that magic truly “runs in the blood,” bloatmages overload their own circulatory systems, increasing their power by increasing
the amount of blood in their veins—a dangerous practice that leaves them hideously swollen and blimplike. They are dangerous and unpredictable, dedicated to their gluttonous craft."
"On to the mysterious Brothers of the Seal. For generations, the monastic order called the Brothers of the Seal was sworn to defend an
ancient doorway far beneath the artists’ district of Oriat. Recently, however, we believe a schism has arisen between those men and women who believe that the time has come to open the seal, and those who still cling to its traditional defense. The result is violent sectarian conflict, with the monks bitterly divided into groups called the Faithful and the Scions. I would avoid getting embroiled in this chaos if possible. The Society has no record on what is beyond that doorway.
While of great interest to us, it is far beyond the scope of your trip there."
" The Commerce League doesn't believe in a free market, and this union of local merchants and traders theoretically fosters peace and goodwill in the market districts by allowing merchants to work together to keep prices down. In reality, the Commerce League is a mafia-style coalition devoted to price fixing, protection rackets, and predatory lending, and isn’t afraid to back up its economic policies with violence. If you run afoul of one of their merchants, rest assured you will be visited when you least expect it."
"The Council of Truth was a group of exceptional sages and magic users devoted to unlocking the mysteries of the multiverse. They made exceptional breakthroughs, often selling off the results of their discoveries to the highest bidder, many times us when we weren't outmaneuvered by the Aspis Consortium before disappearing mysteriously many years ago. One of our Sociey contacts, Gadka Burtannon, reports increasingly organized gang activity in one of the old Council of Truth hideouts."
"You will most likely encounter the Duskwardens if you decide to enter the city through the Halflight Path. Sworn to defend the city and to place their duty above all other bonds of blood or loyalty, these expert delvers maintain the barricades that block off all but a select few entrances into the warrens beneath the city. They run the aforementioned Half light Path, a well-traveled underground road connecting the city above to the cliff ’s foot below and are the only group officially charged with exploring and mapping out the dark reaches beneath the city."
"It is highly likely you will encounter someone from the Freemen. Originally a gang of escaped slaves, they have expanded greatly over the last decade, becoming a powerful abolitionist force within the city. Though they know that other gangs won’t tolerate outright raids to free all the slaves in the city, the Freemen still shelter those slaves who manage to make it to their stronghold in the Bottoms, and purchase the freedom of many through traditional means at the Flesh Block in Downmarket. The group has become more and more militant recently."
"Another engimatic group, the men of the Iridian Fold, show up in the city at various points over the years, always in pairs and apparently hailing from the distant east. The men are always chained together in a manner that suggests slavery and subjugation, one of them swathed completely in veils and wrappings, while the other wears elaborate lacquered armor. Though it would seem that one might be the bodyguard or plaything for the other, which partner takes charge depends on the situation, and the veiled man may sometimes be bigger and more physically imposing than the presumed bodyguard. The handful of Iridian Fold men in the city keep to themselves, never joining another faction, and many have tried in vain to discover what motivation the group has in coming to the city."
"Lastly are the Tallow Boys, a secretive alliance of information brokers that exists within the ranks of the city’s young male prostitutes, collecting information from their customers while their guard is down and then selling it to those willing to pay exorbitant prices. The Tallow Boys are quick, smart, and highly organized, maintaining their anonymity by making potential information buyers jump through elaborate hoops. Another solid source of information."
"There are others that I have not finished researching, like the mysterious Sweetalkers who sew their mouths shut or the necromancers of Ankar-Te and their undead citizens who have rights like you and I, but you should be able to find more about those in the city if you need to. personally, I'd avoid both."
The man falls back into his seat, clearly exhausted from the long exposition.
