Iron Ring
From The Hub
| Iron Ring | |
 | |
| Location: | Throughout the multiverse |
| Leader: | unknown or N/A |
| Notable Members: | Oni Maho, Giordanni Family |
| Purpose: | Illegal Trade |
The Iron Ring is an underground and illegal network of merchants and traders who operate under the purview of the Planar Trade Consortium. Not an official organization, members of the Iron Ring are connected only through their like-minded illegal business practices. Although governing bodies across the planes often attempt to remove the influence of the Iron Ring, their association with the PTC has allowed them to continue to operate. As such, the Iron Ring deals in slaves and other highly elicit goods using PTC trade routes and third party caravans to covertly move their cargo throughout the planes.
Contents |
History
As long as the PTC has been in existence, the Iron Ring has hidden within. It is said that the first traders in the Iron Ring were slavers who used a particularly fiendish method of controlling their slaves. Each slave was fitted with two matching iron bracelets, or "iron rings" that allowed a slaver with a particular device to punish his slaves. Furthermore, if a slave equipped with these rings escaped his captors, they were designed to inflict either massive pain, or immediate death. Even today, these devices are used in many Iron Ring operations.
Leadership and Organization
As an underground function of the PTC, there is no one individual that can claim leadership to this organization. Instead, merchant families are "members" only by virtue of the business they are involved with. For instance, the Giordanni Family are "spice" merchants who use PTC trade routes to deal primarily in illegal herbs, drugs, and poisons. What structure and organization exists within the Iron Ring is dictated by the PTC, since even the most illegal Iron Ring operations are the projects of a PTC merchant family.
Operations
Slaves
Recent slave contingents of the Iron Ring have come from the Mercykiller Prison in Sigil or from dwarven clans like the Runhammers. These slaves are often bought to work in mines like Mt. Faunel and the Spire or in other massive third party excavation and construction projects. However, Iron Ring members acquire slaves of all manner to fit the tastes of any willing patron.
Smuggling
The Iron Ring often use existing PTC trade routes to move illegal product past the authorities of cities and settlements across the planes. Recent large scale Iron Ring smuggling activity has involved moving ancient Empire Age tech from Ranais to Sigil. Again, smuggling activity is hardly limited to ancient treasures, but more often includes drugs, slaves, and other black market products.
Members
Allies
- Vile Hunt
- The Iron Ring and Vile Hunt have recently collaborated on the Beastlands to aid in their slave, "spice", and illegal animal trade.
- Eschaton
- The Iron Ring and Eschaton have recently collaborated on smuggling illegal technology through the gateways and catacombs of Sigil.
- Harmonium
- The Harmonium does not actively work with the Iron Ring, but has of late turned a blind eye to their illegal activities, particularly in more remote Harmonium-controlled locations (e.g. Faunel).
