Triceratops Society

The Triceratops Society, also known as the Ytepka Society (, Chultan for "triceratops"), was a secret society dedicated to the protection of Chult from foreigners.

Organization
There were 99 degrees of membership in the society. The oldest Tabaxi were of the highest degree and led the group. During the 14 century DR, it was rumored that one of the barae headed the society, but there was no evidence to support this claim. The Society was much diminished by the late 15 century DR, having only about fifty members.

Activities
The Ytepka carefully monitored all happenings in Chult, and kept a close eye on both their fellow Chultans as well as on foreigners, notably hostile foreign factions, pirates, explorers, and adventurers. Their primary task was to ensure that the natural and social order of Chult was not upset. The Society was particularly active in Port Nyanzaru, where they controlled the loading and unloading of ships and had spies among the dockworkers to keep tabs on visitors.

If the Society noticed a problematic individual&mdash;either one who had disrupted the social fabric of Chult or was potentially going to commit a wrong&mdash;they would leave an iron token&mdash;either a triceratops figurine or a signature coin &mdash;at the home or abode of the individual in question. It was then up to that person to interpret the symbolic warning and correct their behavior accordingly. If the marked person ignored the warning, the Triceratops Society would take punitive action. This punishment was most often a fine of some sort, but physical punishment or even death might also be enacted if the crime were severe enough.

Relationships
The Triceratops Society was sometimes likened to the Harpers, and had a generally good relationship with that organization as of the late 15 century DR. By contrast, they opposed the Zhentarim and were unlikely to work with them.

The Ytepka frequently clashed with the Children of the Ebon Hand, a group of religious zealots of Eshowdow who sought to destroy the Tabaxi people outright. However, the Ytepka largely confused the Ebon Hand for mere bandits on the occasions when they fought, and did not understand the true threat they posed.

History
During the mid-to-late 14 century DR, the Triceratops Society was active all across Chult and maintained a presence in every Chultan village, although they had a relatively small presence in Mezro as their members had only arrived once the city had reopened to the world in the. During this time, foreigners who wished to enter Chult without attracting the Society's notice were mostly limited to using Port Castigliar.

Decades later, when the Merchant Princes forced Amn to relinquish their control over Port Nyanzaru sometime in the 1480s DR, the Ytepka Society played a key role in backing the Princes.

By the late 15 century DR, the Ytepka Society's activities and influence were largely limited to the city of Port Nyanzaru, and they were closely allied with the city's Merchant Princes. For instance, the Society regarded any encroachment on a Merchant Prince's business or a denial of a Merchant Prince's demands to be a violation of the social order and thus deserving of one of their tokens. In addition, when confronted with an especially serious target, they would turn to the Merchant Prince Jessamine for a sanction against that target, in essence seeking her legal permission for an assassination.

By this time, a great deal of misinformation had clouded the people's understanding of the organization, and some unscrupulous types took advantage of this by co-opting Ytepka tokens to intimidate their rivals anonymously. Genuine Ytepka tokens (often abandoned by the Society after having served their original purpose) could be bought and sold around the Port for about fifty gold pieces.

During the events of the Death Curse, the Ytepka worked alongside adventurers and foreign factions to secure a cursed artifact known as the Dreamer's Amulet, which was suspected (incorrectly) to be linked to the Death Curse itself.

Members
As of the mid-to-late 14 century DR, the group consisted mainly of warriors. Two or three members of the Society were likely to be found in every port and village around the country, and they maintained an efficient communication network with each other.

By the late 15 century DR, with their numbers reduced to about fifty and their activities largely restricted to Port Nyanzaru, members were especially secretive. They used a simple gesture to identify each other: a raised left hand with the index, middle, and ring finger extended (to emulate the three horns of a triceratops). Key members at this time included Port Nyanzaru's harbormaster, Zindar; the Merchant Prince Zhanthi; and Diamssar, a liaison with the Harpers.