History

After years of smuggling, Gladden had decided to retire from his seafaring days and on the night of his retirement, docked in Tamzyrr. It was on this night that Gladden met the love of of his life. An adventurous and shall I say, rebellious young woman, by the name of Murraei. The two were quite a pair and it wasn’t long before Gladden wed the blue-eyed beauty, who happened to be a daughter of an Archmagister of the Hall of Mages.

The idea of his daughter marrying an ex-smuggler outraged the Archmagister--he forbid Murraei from marrying Gladden, but being the spitfire she was, Murraei snuck out on the day of the wedding to marry her love. The Archmagister was known for his temper and was not one to keep his emotions in check. Upon finding his daughter missing, he confronted the two lovers on their wedding night. The confrontation ended in a rather drastic manner. Since fire was the Archmagister’s element of choice, he handled the sea captain in the best way he knew how--scorching Gladden’s hands into useless blackened clumps so that he could never touch Murraei again. Thus the nickname “Blackhands.”

It's unclear in the legend what happened to the captain's wife, although many presume her angry and powerful mage father whisked her back home after leaving the captain wounded as a warning.

Fueled by grief and anger, Gladden took back to his first love, the sea. It was many years later, in the year 4500, when Eli "Blackhands" Gladden started up a mercenary company comprised mostly of fellow ex-pirates and some unsavory imperial sailors. This created “The Black Hands Company.”

Gladden used what wealth he had amassed on the high seas and started up a band of merry mercenaries to help provide protection for merchants and other trade vessels up and down the length of the Tempest River. His services could not have come at a better time, as sea pirates had recently gained a strong foothold along the river banks through the regions of the Turamzzyrian Empire. Because of this his business flourished and even expanded, many members of his crew branching out to provide protection along other vital rivers that winded through the lands of the Empire.

In 4518, the Lords of Waterford within the Kingdom of Hendor met with “Blackhands” and offered him a sizable amount of money to bring his group of skilled mercenaries into service to the Hendoran Kingdom, where they could continue to operate as normal, but reap the benefits of an officially recognized branch of the Kingdom's military, and full pardons for many of the seedier members of his company.

It is said that Gladden met with every single member of his organization to hear out their opinions before finally accepting Waterford's offer two and a half years later in 4520. As promised, “The Black Hands Company” continued with business as usual, but now benefited from additional perks and respect brought about due to their affiliation with the Kingdom's army.

Shortly after the deal with Waterford, Gladden officially retired and left behind his home and his trusted servant and was never seen again. Some say he traveled south to once again see his bride who was stolen from him, and if that tale is true, then it is likely the captain finally met his demise at the end of an angry father's wrath. Others say he merely set off to find a new comfortable home, likely upon some shore, to await Gosaena's arrival for him.

Regardless of their founder's fate, “The Black Hands Company” continued to grow until their numbers suffered heavy casualties during the Witch Winter, when the Kingdom of Hendor eventually collapsed.

Those soldiers and crew that survived escaped far to the south into the protection of the Turamzzyrian Empire. In 4650, a few years after the Turamzzyrian Empire recaptured the fallen cities of Hendor and imperial citizens began to once again settle the area, “The Black Hands Company” sprang back into full operation with many of the veterans resuming their old roles. Some took on the positions of officers and captains in a new specific branch of the Imperial Army with the Turamzzyrian nobles providing the funding needed to allow for new training and recruitment to strengthen the unit.

The presence and success of “The Black Hands Company” were crucial to many northern and eastern nobles, as it helped to ensure safety along the vast rivers and offered a measure of economic security.

Branches of the organization spread throughout the lands, but to this day the numbers have once again become faint. There was a small division between the original company and some members, who split off as they did not want to be associated with any Imperials or the Empire. A small group of them reside in the Landing and proudly call themselves members of “The Black Hand Trading Co.” They carry on the same principles of the founder, “Blackhands,” and continue to build upon what he had established.

They have taken on more merchanting roles and develop trade between towns in the area, but for the right price they've been known to help in invasions to protect their assets and best interests.