The Billhooks

The Billhooks
type underworld
tier II
hold W
status 1
_desc

A powerful but fractured gang based in The Docks who does business out of their butcher shops. The Billhooks’ leader, Tarvul, is consolidating his power among the fractured Billhooks after the Nameless helped him escape from prison.

Territory at the Docks includes several fight pits, extortion rackets, an infamous butcher’s shop, stockyard, slaughterhouse, AND former Lampblack drug dens (recent acquisition). Bloody reputation. Armed with military-grade weapons.

Appearances

Death of Coran

The Billhooks were making a tidy profit by selling scarce, desireable parts that were in high demand after the destruction of the Duskvol Ironworks. Erin, the sister to Tarvul and iterim leader of the Billhooks, contracted the Nameless to dispatch Coran, Tarvul’s son, against whom she had been jockeying for power. The Nameless agreed in exchange for the Billhooks to put a stop to the black market trading holding back the reconstruction of the Ironworks.

Erin felt that the Nameless would have blackmail material on her if she gave the order for you to take Coran out, and so demanded some additional leverage in exchange for getting the Docks back on track. That leverage ended up being a business relationship with V-Sea-W, including subsidizing the Billhooks’ fight pits under that very profitable banner.

The Nameless (somewhat accidentally) turned Coran into a vessel for The Horned One, rather than outright killing him. A handful of Billhooks remain loyal to whatever remains of Coran, but their numbers are dwindling.

The War of Sevens

Under Erin’s lead, the Billhooks allied with the Seventh Tower Consortium against the Nameless during the War of Sevens. Major events include the battle for the docks and the escape of Tarvul.

The Nameless coordinated with the Red Sashes during the Battle of the Docks to undermine the Billhooks and stop their interference with the Fog Hound smugglers. While the Red Sashes staged a daring battle as a distraction, the Nameless smuggled evidence of the Billhooks’ illicit sales of lightning wall materials into their headquarters through means of false meat deliveries, and ghost door shenanigans. The Nameless were also able to exploit the existing tensions within the Billhooks due to the succession conflict, causing significant internal fighting under the pressure of the battle. Along with the additional scrutiny and journalistic interest in the lightning wall sabotage, the Billhooks were dissuaded from further interfering in the Fog Hounds’ business1.

On Unity Day, the Nameless helped Tarvul break out of Ironhook prison, faking his death in the process. They were nearly thwarted by Nat Marseilles and Chuck Morgenstern, who tried to sabotage the breakout and frame the Nameless for Tarvul’s murder. However, a combination of tazing, incredible abdominal strength, a rocket-powered cart, and some good old-fashioned cop-killing saw the Nameless triumphant as a bloodied but living Tarvul climactically strode into the Billhooks’ Unity Day festivities and retook his rightful place. As a result, the Billhooks withdrew from the war2.

Notable Members

Citations

  1. Hooks & Sashes. https://voidseaphilly.com/story/act-6/2023-11-30/ ↩

  2. Unity Day, Part II. https://voidseaphilly.com/story/act-6/2023-12-28/ ↩

Last updated January 01, 2024.