Questions about the Thieves Guild

[LucyG92]

I'm not running this adventure path, but have been advised that this is a good place to ask, so I hope that's okay?

I read the guide to Korvosa and have some questions about the thieves guild (as a GM). I can't seem to find much more information about them. Do they have a headquarters? Do the general population of the city know much about them, such as who their leader is, or

Spoiler:

house Arkona's involvement (I think it was house Arkona...)?

I'm specifically thinking about Diplomacy DC's for finding knowledge about the Thieves Guild.

Also,

Spoiler:

this thing about the Hellknight Raids - every year house Arkona lets slip the names of businesses who pay the thieves guild, and the city guard raids them, using Hellknights. I think I understand why this happens, but why exactly are Hellknights used? Isn't that a little heavy handed? In addition - do these business owners understand what's going on? Do they know the thieves guild - or, I suppose, technically House Arkona - are to blame?

Any ideas how a party with the goal of overthrowing/damaging the Thieves guild would actually start? Is there anywhere I can find more information about it?

Thanks!

[MrVergee]

Well, there is not much official information on the Cerulean Society, which means it is open for your interpretation. There are several pages on the obsidian portal network that describe the thieves' guild with a mix of official material and homebrew stuff:

• A rather general description,
  
• a description that hits the spot quite well,
  
• another description that seems to be quite to the point,
  
• a description that adds some personal elements (NPCs) to the mix,
  
• again a nice description that does not really provide extra information, but has a cool picture,
  
• a description of Korvosa's complete underworld, which could prove helpful if you want to establish what the links between the Cerulean Society and other organizations are.

There seems to be a concensus in these pages that the word 'Cerulean' refers to the blue uniforms the gang members wear.