In 4631 (SY), The God-Emperor Torval Waverider married Hali’s sister Celle, making her Empress and setting in motion events leading to the formation of the Fins, a guild with members possessing talents best suited for night work or back alleys.  Prior to Celle’s unfortunate marriage, she’d been seeing Kaphiri Fellstar, her brother’s best friend.  Knowing that Celle would be married off for political purposes, the two kept the affair a secret.  No one expected her to be a virgin – she was eighty-seven years old when she married Torval – but it was better that she and Kaphiri didn’t flaunt their affair. If no one knew of the relationship, then it couldn’t be used as a piece in some game of thrones.  As an added bonus, Kaphiri remained free to carry on with any woman he chose.  He loved Celle deeply, but monogamy was not in his nature.

Celle never guessed that her wedding reception would be in Gloryngael and that a miniature God-Emperor would adorn the top of her wedding cake.   She and Torval represented the two branches of Ataryl the First and tradition demanded that those houses remain separate, it was part of the checks and balances Ataryl had wisely installed, using the same foresight as your founding fathers when they invented the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.  Maelryn the Vizier had warned against the marriage, citing obscure prophecies that foretold doom should the wedding move forward, but the hillbilly God-Emperor had his heart set on making a baby with his cousin to reunite both sides of the family tree.  If the kid was born with six toes or four fingers, so what, he’d still have a nice pearl chair to sit in and the might of the greatest empire in the world at his back and call.  He’d survive just fine.

Celle’s wedding left Kaphiri heart broken.  Lesser men might have fallen into despair.  Not Fellstar.  He responded to his loss by falling into his bottle.  While binging, he crossed paths with Zerafina, a young woman from Old Town who walked on the wild side.  She talked Kaphiri into helping her steal a ham (spiral, with pineapple and cherry sauce) right off the table of a noble living in the Plaza.  Kaphiri found the experience exhilarating, doubly so because they’d taken it from a noble, most of whom he’d rather see floating face down in Belgrith Harbor.

Now that he’d shaken off his doldrums, Kaphiri introduced himself to Zerafina (Fina for short), as Blade and together they founded Fins.  The guild needed a base, so Kaphiri, while posing as Blade, posed as Forlini (this would prove to be a habit), bought a warehouse in Old Town, and set up Forlini & Sons as a front to hide guild activities.  It didn’t take long to attract others to the guild – the list of those with a grudge against those in power was a mile long.

The Fins specialized in performing tasks you couldn’t advertise for, at least not openly.  Marketing skills in their trade went opposite conventional wisdom.  Some jobs were guild sponsored, others were done for hire, but instead of seeking out business, the customers often found you.  It wasn’t at all difficult to find a Fin when you needed one – everybody knows someone who knows someone.  The Fins robbed, burgled and stole.  They conned, swindled and scammed.  They extorted, blackmailed and shook down.  They spied, fenced and smuggled.  Virtually everyone earning a living in defiance of the God-Emperor had some affiliation with the guild.  Street urchins looked to the guild for a roof and hot soup.  Streetwalkers expected protection, in exchange for a small cut.  Fences kept goods flowing in and out of the capitol and information brokers found it hard to keep up with demand.  Within two years, the Fins were at the heart of Sangrithar’s thriving black market economy.

Then the God-Emperor assassinated Cymara, Hali’s wife.  At Hali’s request, Kaphiri returned to the legions, cutting heavily into the time he had available for the guild, so Blade retired from active duty but retained a special emeritus status (very similar to the honor the University bestowed upon me when I gave up the department chair to take sabbatical in Pel Aesylle). Zerafina took over the day to day leadership.

Zerafina died in 4652, twenty years after she and Blade had formed the Fins.  She’d been running the show down at the warehouse for eighteen years by then and that arrangement had worked out exceedingly well, so Kaphiri decided to replace her.  He chose Demari, one of the original guild recruits.   When Demari came on board as guild second (that was the title Blade settled on), Blade did away with the identity of Forlini and replaced it with Rat, a new alter ego which allowed Blade to stay plugged into guild affairs without undermining Demari’s leadership.  This began a secret tradition in the guild.  Every time Blade introduced a new second, his current cover identity met with some tragic end and then the new second, who was in on the secret, would introduce a new cover identity to the guild members.

Below is a list of the guild seconds, from Zerafina to Tomello.

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