Men of the Basilisk

The Men of the Basilisk was a society of wealthy merchants and nobles with a thirst for adventure.

Organization
The Men of the Basilisk was a rigorously all-male group, organized into cells whose jurisdiction was over the cities in which they were based. These cities were Daerlun, Iriaebor, Marsember, Saerloon, Selgaunt, Suzail, Urmlaspyr, and Westgate. Members were free to transfer from one cell to another at an annual meeting for all members held every winter in Teziir.

The society were headed by a group of eight overseers known as the Octad. Each member of the Octad was appointed by the cell in each city in which the Men had influence over, and democratically confirmed by the entire membership. They had set terms of office of no longer than two years and were not allowed to serve consecutive terms. Terms were staggered so as to select four Octad members at the same time. The Octad's duties were to determine the organization's overall goals and arrange the annual all-member winter meeting. There were responsible for coordinating communication between cells and, individually, to run their respective cells, but their highest priority was to ensure the society's secrecy.

Admission to the Men of the Basilisk was by secret invitation only, after a thorough background check. Prospective members must be wealthy, powerful, unattached to other organizations, and of course, male. On paper, once a member is fully inducted and declared a "Brother", they are all equal in power and status, however, in practice, the deeds and clout of certain individual Brothers placed them above their peers.

Activities
The first thing potential new members were expected to do was go to the ruins of Battlegate Keep, where they were directed to enter the hideaway known as the Auantiver Labyrinth, inside which lived the Purple Basilisk. Their chances of defeating such a terrible creature were incredibly slim so they would have to use their wits to evade it and find the exit, which would deposit them in Teziir.

Once inducted, the Men of the Basilisk undercut their competitors outside of the group, using bribery, intimidation, murder, torture, and colluding with their fellow brothers to influence local economics and business in their favor. They preferred to stay within the bounds of the law but would resort to illegal acts whenever they deemed them necessary.

Every year, the group held a winter feast in Teziir for all of their members, celebrating the new recruits who escaped the Auantiver Labyrinth, electing the new members of the Octad, and discussing the year's business.

Of most import though, was keeping the brotherhood's involvement in such activities a secret. To that end, they usually acted through proxies, for example, the Westgate cell frequently employed the Night Masks for assassinations (at least until the two groups started a feud). They also paid special attention to anybody who betrayed the group, sparing little in the way of time, effort, and resources until the turncoat was eliminated, as an example to others.

Base of Operations
The Men of the Basilisk's headquarters were located in Teziir, but it was lightly staffed and activities there were kept under an even greater blanket of secrecy so that they would not lose access to the city for their annual feast.

History
In 1370 DR, the Cormyrian chapter was seriously decimated by the War Wizards of Cormyr, forcing the surviving members into hiding. On the other hand, the Sembian chapter grew greatly, thanks to their new local leader Harlyn Grimmerhand. In Westgate, the Men, which had been long stopped in their business by the power of the Night Masks, increased their activities during the lack of leadership in the guild. In Iriaebor, the chapter had recently recovered after a setback by Lord Bron and the Harpers.

Members
Many members of the Men of the Basilisk were once adventurers, and so often could hold their own if they ever had to defend themselves, and had access to magic items. Otherwise, they were typically noblemen and/or merchants. Fighters and rogues were preferred as mages were not seen as team players and clerics loyalties to their deity or church was seen as a conflict of interest.