Lia Kavair

From Notes on Criminal Organizations By Aaron of Belkin, 710 TR

It is a popular notion to believe that an underlying organization exists, directing and guiding criminal enterprises far and wide. Although a rather soothing notion in some ways, this is generally untrue. There are certainly groups in wide-spread areas working together towards common goals, or sometimes led by one person, but an ongoing organization reaching across Hârn for criminal purposes stretching down the years and under numerous leaders does not seem to exist.

The closest I have found is the Lia-Kavair. They are a fairly loose group of criminal gangs, urban in nature and with little common leadership. It is uncommon for a city to have multiple Lia-Kavair “chapters”, unless they have agreed not to infringe on each others “territory”. This could mean agreeing that one group handles extortion while another handles smuggling, or it could mean specifically a tightly-bounded territory outside of which a group does not operate (north of the marketplace, to the west of that street, etc.).

The history of the Lia-Kavair is murky and difficult to penetrate. Members typically join for life, which can be a rather short proposition. There is a closely held code of secrecy, enforced by a level of violence that can be highly intimidating. Few people choose to discuss their connections with these groups after realizing that it could mean the deaths of their families and friends as well as simply themselves.

Nonetheless, some things have been learned. The term “Lia-Kavair” itself is clearly derived from an Azeryani phrase meaning “Our family together”. The earliest known appearance of the organization on Hârn dates to soon after a significant influx of immigration from north-western Azeryan in the late fifth century. Suspicion of the origin of the organization centers on the activities of a brigand leader in the area, one Salman of Sinan. He built up a significant criminal empire; the power struggle following his death (somewhere between 483 and 487) seems to have driven many of his lieutenants into exile. The dates match, but positive confirmation is understandably difficult to obtain.

Often referred to as the “Thieves’ Guild”, the Lia-Kavair is not a formal guild. Rather, it is a purely criminal group of many independent local gangs. The strong likelihood is that Salman’s lieutenants found areas of Hârn to their liking, and that their superior organizational skills – not to mention their efficiency and sheer tendency to violence – allowed them to take over control of the local criminal element.

So far as I have been able to discover, the Lia-Kavair actually communicates very poorly from one chapter to another. Rivalries seem to be common, and bloodshed is frequent. One of the best aspects of the Lia-Kavair seems to be that their presence tends to suppress “independent” crime activity in the area, and much of the violence is directed towards rival gangs or each other rather than at bystanders. As a result, the presence of the Lia-Kavair seems to be (highly unofficially) tolerated by the authorities in many areas.

The Lia-Kavair appears to capitalize on their image as a guild, adopting guild terms for their own ranks. One of the more obvious is the use of the term “Guildmaster” to refer to the head of the local chapter. He maintains authority by intimidation, and often by family descent – until a rival faction deposes him by violence. While “in office”, the Guildmaster seems to provide a valuable service, coordinating the activities of various groups, resolving disputes between factions, and developing political connections. Apparently, Guildmasters often have a legitimate vocation as well, one they display to the public.

Some exploits of the Lia-Kavair have attained near-legendary status even outside their ranks, enhancing their popular image. The theft of the Sword of Calsten from inside the royal treasury of Kaldor in 674 (the primary trigger of the Treasure War of 675-678 between Kaldor and Chybisa) is said to have been a Lia-Kavair matter. The blade has never been recovered. The disappearance of the legendary Sirion Scrolls from the Library of Sylud in 553 is another affair believed to have been performed by the Lia-Kavair. They, too, have never been recovered.

Unlike legitimate guilds, they offer few supporting services to their members. A member captured is not likely to be helped or defended. They are far more likely to be killed to assure their silence.

Chapters engage in whatever criminal activities are profitable, with a preference for those with less risk. It is entirely possible that they will allow professional criminals, even other gangs, to operate in their territories, so long as these “unguilded” groups confine themselves to activites the Lia-Kavair finds unprofitable or overly-risky. Often, the Lia-Kavair extorts a portion of the proceeds as a kind of “permit to operate”. Even in areas where gambling is legal, the Lia-Kavair seem to have a weakness for it, and it remains a very common sideline. Extortion and protection rackets seem to be among their most popular activities. Other activities I have identified are pursecutting, burglary and smuggling. I suspect but cannot prove that various chapters are also involved in murder for hire.

I have been told several times that the Lia-Kavair pays tribute to the church of Naveh. For understandable reasons, I have not been able to confirm this, nor have I much tried to. If the Lia-Kavair is indeed involved in murder for hire, then the Navehan connection presents terrifying possibilities.

The organization is fairly powerful in western Hârn, particularly Rethem and Tharda; the high levels of official corruption in Tharda and the dominance of Agrikanism in Rethemic society are a good match for Lia-Kavair tactics. It is definite that the Coranan chapter is powerful enough to demand tribute from several villages outside Coranan itself. They also appear to have an undue level of political influence.

In eastern Hârn, the Lia-Kavair seems a bit less wealthy and powerful. The authorities in Thay and Cherafir have a very low level of tolerance for organized crime, making those chapters rather circumspect. The Chybisan chapter is small, but I have repeatedly been told it has a reputation for violence and retribution that larger chapters openly envy.