The Red Sash

Kerani and her people are far from perfect. There is a thriving criminal element in the city, dealing in everything from illegal prostitution and gambling, to black market items from Lalika, drugs, and fake magic. Chief among the dealers is the organization known as the Red Sash.

The group gets its name from the brilliant red silk sashes that its members wear. They prey mainly on the lower class people and smaller merchants. Most of their operations are in the Music and Sky districts, where entire neighborhoods pay protection to the Red Sash, but there are operatives in every district. However, the Red Sash is quietly gaining ground in the middle class, bringing forbidden goods to not-quite-wealthy merchants and administrators who wish to be wealthier and more influential than they are. Certain of the city’s guard have been compromised as well. A few guards in each district have begun wearing red silk tassels on their scimitars, indicating they are allied with the Red Sash. In this way, the influence and power of the Red Sash is slowly growing.

Most people fear the Red Sash, their ruthlessness and cruelty. However, their cruelty is carefully measured so as not to attract undue attention from Bhanu. There are rules to follow, strict rules designed to keep the Red Sash safe and operational. Members who break those rules end up in the desert. In pieces.

Bhanu is perfectly aware of their existence. He has refrained from dealing with them, hoping his people will grow wiser and put a stop to this behavior themselves.

This work by Jean Headley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.