The Rat
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| Rat King · the Rat King · the rats | |||||||||
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The Rat, formally titled the Rat King per the DM’s world brief, is the major information broker of Umbrafall — the spider at the centre of one of the city’s named power structures. In the world brief he is described as the figure “whose spies are said to hear everything worth hearing”; in-transcript, the DM described him in session 10 as “basically a huge network of spies”, a man “that learned how to leverage secrets to earn money and somehow has become one of the main factions of Umbrafall” [4]. His spies are drawn from beggars and children — everyone who can tell him something he doesn’t know, paid well for the privilege. He cannot be sought; he can only be encountered. He has not appeared on-screen.
Overview
The Rat is the major information broker of Umbrafall. The DM’s world brief gives him a formal title — the Rat King — and slots him among the city’s named power structures alongside the Shade Mistress, The Broker, the Nightwatch, and the Black Cartels. The two names refer to the same entity: “the Rat” is how the Broker introduced him to Hugo in session 10, and the “Rat King” framing in the world brief is the canonical title.
The Broker’s framing to the party:
“It is said that if he wants to come in contact with you, he will.” — The Broker, [2]
The Broker’s longer description, paraphrasing the DM in [3]: no one knows more about Umbrafall than the rats; the Rat is “basically a huge network of spies”, a man who began as an ordinary man, learned how to leverage secrets to earn money, and somehow became one of the main factions of the city — “one of the beating hearts of Umbrafall”. He pays well for information: beggars, children, anyone who can tell him something he doesn’t know. He uses what he learns to leverage someone else.
He cannot be sought; he can only be encountered. The party have not been contacted by him.
Status as of session 16
Unknown. Off-screen. The Aurelian conspiracy thread is now mostly being pursued through the White Lantern Shrine / Hett Varn route rather than via Umbrafall’s information network, but the Rat / Rat King remains an open contact if the party returns to the city.
See also
References
- ^ Session 10, line 469-473 — Broker introduces "the rat" / spy network as a beating heart of Umbrafall.
- ^ Session 10, line 473 — Inline citation.
- ^ Session 10, line 469-471 — Inline citation.
- ^ Session 10, line 471 — Inline citation.