Coranan Guild

Perhaps the most cutthroat criminal organization in western Hârn, the Coranan Lia Kavair is also the largest. Controlling the poorer section of the city west of the old Imperial Wall, the Coranan Lia Kavair oversees gambling, prostitution, pickpocketing, purse-snatching, extortion, protection, begging, and burglary operations for the entire western half of the city. In particular, the Coranan Lia Kavair has a stranglehold on the illegal gambling associated with Coranan’s bustling Pamesani arena, which lies squarely in their territory.

With a reputation for violence above-and-beyond brutal, the Coranan Lia Kavair has the necessary size, strength, and attitude to impose its will upon other criminal organizations in the area. In particular, the Kotros, Kerabin, Thard, and Omagil Lia Kavair all pay significant tribute to the Coranan Guildmasters. Only the Kuseme Lia Kavair maintains independence, and then only by the slimmest of margins. The position of Guildmaster of the Kuseme Lia Kavair is not a precisely long-lived office.

The current Guildmaster of the Coranan Lia Kavair is Koral of Geldryss, known colloquially as “Koral the Bloody.” Starting out as an enforcer, Koral has beaten, murdered, and extorted his way to the top, and the Coranan Lia Kavair’s attitudes toward other organizations mirrors Koral’s attitudes toward other people; either they bow down in fear and give tribute or they will be crushed and made to lament the error of their ways. In addition to his own forceful personality, Koral has surrounded himself with the roughest, meanest criminals that Coranan’s streets have produced over the past decade, forming a surprisingly loyal core group of “Senior Masters,” all of whom are seasoned killers.

History

While thuggery is perhaps the second oldest of professions, organized thieving operations in the Coranan region dates back to the days just after Corthir united the eight Corani tribes in 301 TR. As was customary at the time and in keeping with his policy of co-opting existing authority, Corthir arranged marriages for his clients in such a way as to intermingle his line with theirs and cement political loyalties.

One of Corthir's new "allies" was Samiza, chief of the Norii tribe (from the area comprising modern-day Noru). Samiza's eldest daughter, princess Azerath, was given in marriage to Horbeth, Corthir's 2nd son. To further cement the alliance (and to ensure that no harm came to Horbeth at the hands of the old Norii chief), Samiza's eldest son Neramor was "quartered as a guest" in Corthir's household within the rapidly expanding village of Coranan. As time passed, Neramor became a fixture in Corthir's court, and actually came to be close friends with Corthir's eldest son Kusem.

Upon Samiza's death, Neramor assumed that he would inherit his father's lands and position as clanhead of the leading Norii family. Unfortunately for prince Neramor, Corthir had wrangled a concession from Samiza - that should Azerath bear a male heir, Samiza would adopt Horbeth into his clan. When Norii clan "elders" met to select a successor to Samiza, Horbeth's name was put forward. Much to Neramor's disgust, Horbeth's Corani wealth and political influence won the day, and Horbeth was named clanhead.

Prince Neramor was furious, but chose to bide his time. When Kusem ascended the throne after Corthir's death in 318 TR, Neramor appealed to his long-time friend and companion to step in. Proving that blood is thicker than friendship, Kusem refused. Thus Neramor decided that if his birthright could be stolen from him, he in turn would set about stealing back double its worth in silver, and in so doing set himself on the course that would eventually form the Coranan Lia Kavair.

While he publicly broke with Kusem and was still confined to Coranan lest he cause trouble elsewhere, Neramor set about surrounding himself with trusted henchmen. He went to elaborate lengths to test their loyalty, but richly rewarded those who threw in their lot with him. A clever, patient man, Prince Neramor never betrayed his goals, and his operations started small. Initially, it was labor graft amongs the gangs of laborers working on the rapidly-expanding Caer Coranan. From there it was a short step to extorting money from the Masons (recall that this is before the Mangai was formed, when guilds held less power) in order to drive up Kusem's prices. Eventually, residences and businesses belonging to Kusem's clients were subject to burglary. Neramor required of his henchmen that each and every crime have a point, that it advance the organization's goals. He took an extremely dim view of "random" crime, and as a result Coranan was one of the safest settlements of its era.

It must be remembered that Neramor was of a "noble" line, and while that held less cachet in Corani society than it might in a feudal society, Neramor's princely lineage still had a powerful effect on his followers. Neramor also had a keen understanding of human motivation, and structured his organization in such a way that it played up the trappings of Corani nobility. Rituals and traditions were institutionalized, and followers were given ranks and titles that had tangible meaning within the organization. Given that most of Neramor's early followers were of commoner descent, these trappings had a powerful motivational effect.

According to the stories in the guild archives, Neramor was ultimately responsible for the assassination of Kusem in 333 TR (as he was beginning a military campaign towards the Hefiosa highlands), though no independent verification of this exists. Furthermore, guild legend claims that Prince Neramor encouraged Camrae, Corthir's third and youngest son, to attempt a coup against Lobir, Kusem's successor. Duped and betrayed by Neramor's plot, Camrae was caught and executed for treason. With the poisoning of Horbeth in 341 TR, guild legend claims that Neramor had had a hand in the death of all three of Corthir's sons.

By the time of his death in 345 TR, Neramor had built a significant criminal empire. He was involved in many different varieties of criminal enterprises. Given that Lobir acceded to the throne at the tender young age of 17, Neramor weilded a tremendous (though subtle) influence over Corani politics in his later years.

Members

• Liakos of Malthain - Guildmaster

• Molis of Ukrist - (aka "Molis the Magister") - Odds-maker for gambling operations
• Galgar of Lorn - Enforcer, contraband

• Tolliver of Wentz - apprentice thief, extortion, mugging

• Hasker of Lem - Protection, prostitution
• Dammel of Semner - (aka "Dammel One-Tooth") - Extortion, mugging
• Samnarik of Vole - (aka "Samnarik the Bold") - Protection, extortion
• Huvien of Tarnoth - (aka "Huvien Nolah") - Burglary
• Shemlen of Aranoal - Prostitution, contraband
• Kudar of Teltagol - Protection, extortion
• Ehrlid of Musbern - (aka "Ehrlid the Ancient") - steward of Coranan guildhouse

• Tarvrin of Kulos - Metalsmith
• Amabeth of Jelk - Locksmith, slave

Deceased Members

• Koral of Geldryss - (aka "Koral the Bloody") - Lia Kavair Guildmaster. Killed by Synainova of Jaal and Liakos of Malthain in the culmination of a gang war.
• Paetros of Fandin - (aka "White Pete") - Underboss, Protection, extortion. Killed by Liakos of Malthain who was disguised as Talzak of Uldin.
• Mammas of Pandry - (aka "The Beggar Baron") - Underboss, head of begging operations. Killed by Kraebor of Malthain during a reprisal attack against the Coranan Lia Kavair.
• Jerris of Hezaid - Apprentice. Killed by Sir Bail of Ordh while attempting to flee the scene of the ambush of Koral of Geldryss.
• Drell of Nantos - Mugger. Killed by Kraebor of Malthain and Sir Bail of Ordh during the culmination of a gang war.
• Gorn of Halizar - Underboss, enforcer and protection. Killed by Liakos of Malthain in the culmination of a gang war.
• Guzik of Muldin - Journeyman thief, enforcer, member of Argon the Shifty's crew. Killed by Enthor of Malthain during an ambush.
• Hohnor of the Green Thumb - Guildmaster of old, disappeared approximately 120 years ago.

Missing, Hiding, or Imprisoned

• Talzak of Uldin - (aka "Zak Farthing") - former protection, extortion, fled to avoid reprisal by Koral of Geldryss, current whereabouts unknown.