The Black Grin Gang

The Black Grin gang was a powerful criminal organization, that came to power shortly before the Great war. Though the organization was not officially recognized as a great threat until 4E 204, when they began subverting officials all over Tamriel. Their headquarters were in the ruins of fort Blueblood, Cyrodiil, though they gradually gained other bases of operations as the organization grew. By 4E 204, they were rumoured to have as many as two hundred members, scattered over the continent.

The gang was formed by the former Dark Brotherhood assassin, Zamryk Gaull, in 4E 163. The group took up residence in the ruins of fort Blueblood. To avoid trouble from the Imperial legion, the forts exterior was not restored, though the interior was extensively refurbished. Several decades later, the gang was lead by the Imperial criminal, Marv Kopril, who used his ties with the Blood Vipers bandits, and Red Wind pirates to expand into Hammerfell and Black Marsh. Around this time, they entered into conflict with the Knights of Stendarr, since their activities had drawn the orders attention.

By 4E 204, the gang had also infiltrated the Pale hold in Skyrim. There, they came to the attention of both the Bloodlet Throne Coven, and the Order of the Silver Sun. They were eventually forced out of the Pale, after several vicious skirmishes in the hold.

The gang was made up of assassins, mercenaries, and random thugs. They operated in small squads, usually not more than four to five people, and each squad was kept ignorant of other squads activities, making it nearly impossible for the entire organization to be compromised.

History
The gang was founded in 4E 163, by the former Dark Brotherhood assassin, Zamryk Gaull. Gaull planned to create his own criminal organization, capable of surpassing the Brotherhood in both reputation and riches. His initial recruits were made up of fellow assassins, and random hired thugs. Though unskilled, Gaull used them to extract protection money from merchants travelling to and from Leyawiin. Eventually, the group grew in number, and moved to the ruin of fort Blueblood. The group did not want to draw attention to their base, and so left the exterior of the fort untouched. The interior, however was renovated to make it livable, and many escape tunnels were added, leading deeper into the Blackwood.

The gang began building its notorious reputation by kidnapping prominent merchants, nobles or their children, and demanding extremely high ransoms. However, the gang often set up ambushes, killing those who brought the ransom, taking it, and killing their prisoner as well. In addition to this, the group began to slip spies into most of Cyrodiils major cities, subverting prominent officials. With this move, the Black Grin rose to prominence in Cyrodiil as the greatest criminal gang in the Imperial heartlands. Gaull made sure this was the case by ruthlessly hunting down and either absorbing or eliminating smaller groups.

When the war between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire broke out, the Black Grin meddled in smuggling, bringing supplies to both sides of the conflict. After the war, the group once again began kidnapping and launching small raids, building up a small fortune in septims, all the while avoiding the attention of the Imperial legions.

Gaull recruited the infamous Nord criminal, Marv Kopril, from Bruma. Kopril had connections with both the Red Wind pirate group, out of Morrowind, and the Blood Vipers, from Hammerfell. Kopril served as the Black Grins spokesman to the two groups, and formed an alliance between the three criminal organizations. The gang spread into Morrowind, and to a greater extent, Hammerfell. The alliance with the Red Winds in particular was extremely lucrative for the Black Grin, as gold and jewels seized from Imperial merchant ships found there way into the gangs coffers.The Blood Vipers as well, assisted the gang in raiding outlying towns and villages in Hammerfell.

This drew the attention of the knights of Stendarr, who finally decided to deal with the threat presented by the allied groups. Despite initial victories, the knights were stymied by the Black Grins refusal to meet them in open combat. The gang utilized their assassins to kill off the knighthoods leadership, and a year after the conflict started, it ended with a decisive Black Grin victory.

In 4E 192, Kopril assassinated Gaull, and seized control of the organization, and paid enormous amounts of coin to the leaders of the Red Wind pirates and Blood Vipers, to maintain the alliance. Kopril kept up the organizations activities running, and cemented the groups grip in both Morrowind and Hammerfell. However, Kopril was disliked by most of his subordinates, and was assassinated in 4E 197.

He was succeeded by a triumvirate, of Asagan Moore, Killian Traxus, and the Naga crimelord, Arkesk. Shortly after this, left for Black Marsh to recruit more of his kind. Enhanced with Naga henchmen from the depths of Black Marsh, the Black Grin became even more powerful. Moore, dissatisfied with the cautious tactics of her companions, began to gather followers among the group. By 4E 198, she demanded that Arkesk and Killian either serve her or die. Arkesk admired the womans cunning, and agreed to serve her. Killian was enraged, though he eventually agreed as well.

Arkesk was sent to Black Marsh, where he constructed a manor to oversee the organizations activities in the region and Morrowind. Killian went to Hammerfell, where he oversaw the Black Grins activities there, from a luxurious safe house.

Expansion into Skyrim
In 4E 204, Moore made the decision to expand into the tundra of Skyrim. She'd received word of the Bloodlet Throne Covens expanding territory, and had heard of Coven spies infiltrating Hammerfell. She ordered one such spy captured and publicly executed, counting on the Redguards hatred of undead to work in her favour. It did, though it also gained the Black Grin the enmity of Inquisitor Zyn'Mar Johassi, and later, due to actions taken by Black Grin members in Skyrim, the enmity of the Order of the Silver Sun.

Operations
The Black Grin operated in 'cells' made up of no more than a hundred people. These cells were headed by a lieutenant of the Black Grin, each a powerful crimelord in their own right. They answered to Asagan Moore, the head of the gang. As of 4E 204, there were four cells: the Cyrodiil cell, the largest and lead by Moore. The Black Marsh cell, made up mostly of Naga, lead by Arkesk, the Hammerfell cell, lead by Killian Traxus, and the newest, smallest cell, lead by Zelk, one of Moores most loyal followers.

The most common operations of the varied cells were made up of kidnappings and raids on caravans. As the group grew, however, it concentrated more on piracy abroad, along with its allies, the Red Wind pirates. In addition to these activities, they corrupted local officials, and guardsmen, and blackmailed those they could not control. They used their lower ranking thugs to extract protection money from merchants in cities that the gang had a presence in.

They tended to avoid engaging in outright combat, unless they had no other choice, instead sending assassins to eliminate enemy leaders. They used spell casters in tandem with their assassins, usually to neutralize especially dangerous enemies. Though their lower tier forces were not especially disciplined, their elite bodyguards and assassins were a force to be reckoned with.

Known members
Besides the leadership of the Black Grin, many members of the group chose to hide their true names. Many of these 'nameless' ended up in the Skyrim 'cell' and fought against the Order of the Silver Sun, and Bloodlet Throne Coven.

Zamryk Gaull- Founder, assassinated by Marv Kopril

Marv Kopril- Nord leader of the Black Grin. Assassinated 4E 197.

Asagan Moore- Redguard female, leader of the Black Grin as of 4E 198.

Arkesk- Naga crimelord, top lieutenant of the Black Grin, head of Black Marsh operations.

Killian Traxus- Imperial crimelord, lieutenant of the Black Grin, head of Hammerfell operations.

Anachs- Redguard male

Brutus- Nord male

Crevil - Imperial male

Kraken- Imperial male, former Red Wind pirate.

Gouger- Nord male

Rend- Breton male

Ruin- Dunmer female, powerful spell caster.

Toff- Breton male, Zelks' second in command.

Zelk- Redguard male, head of the Skyrim cell of the Black Grin.