The Jade Foxes were founded approximately two hundred and fifty ago by Lady Brianna d’Deneith, a minor noble within House Deneith who wanted to set up her own organisation separate from the politics ravaging the house at the time. At the outset of The Last War a century ago, its leaders decided to cut all ties with House Deneith, and focus on offering mercenary services that weren’t related to the ongoing war, knowing that most people would still be in need of protection from bandits and monsters even with the war going on. This contrasted with House Deneith position of hiring out mercenaries to all nations within the war.
The Jade Foxes are a small organisation, based mostly within Breland. They operate out of The Jade Fort an old semi-ruined castle a few miles east of Sharn. They have smaller outposts throughout Breland but these operate primarily as contacts for customers; the mercenaries themselves usually travel from Sharn for the specific operation. Members of the group are usually referred to as Jadecloaks, after the colour of cloak that all members wear when representing the guild.
When not on a contract, most members of the Jade Foxes reside at The Jade Fort. The centre of the community there is the Lusty Dryad’s Flagon, the tavern that occupies half of the southern wall of the Fort. Drinks there don’t cost the Jadecloaks gold; instead they must pay the barman by telling stories of their recent contracts. It is also a useful port of call for prospective bards looking for inspiration for their songs; this is encouraged by the Jade Foxes as the bards spread their reputation far and wide.
The Jade Foxes have built their reputation on being a fair contractor, and do not allow corruption or anything else that may harm their reputation, often meaning that they are preferred to the local militia or city guard, who may be swayed by coin or political pressure. Thus the Jade Foxes are hired by rich and poor alike. A wide range of contracts are accepted by the guild; they draw no distinction between defending a town from monsters, exploring a ruin for forgotten treasures, or assisting within the political power-plays between Sharn ruling elite. Members are required to follow the local law at all times, and submit to local law enforcement where necessary. However they are obliged not to disclose their employer to any outside the guild, allowing for them to be used in secret by some discerning customers.
The motto of the Jade Foxes is “The Contract Above All Else”, and their symbol is a white fox’s head on a jade background. They are ruled by the Council of Captains, which comprises of three senior officers. Each Captain is an elected position voted in by the members of the three separate divisions of the guild. The Captain of the Blade represents the mercenary adventurers that carry out the contracts. The Captain of the Word represents the guild’s negotiators and ambassadors, who generate work for the mercenaries and maintain a connection to the outside world. Finally the Captain of the Hearth represents the blacksmiths, cooks and other servants that enable an organisation to function. Elections are held every five years, and Captains may not serve more than three terms on the Council.
Anyone may apply to join the Jade Foxes, and no restrictions are made upon race, class or background. Those skilled with weapons are most common, but magic users are also welcome, and no distinction is drawn between the two. The only rule is that members must renounce all previous allegiances while on a contract, to prevent any conflict of interest. Those that carry a dragonmark are accepted, but this only occurs rarely, when the individual in question has been exiled by their house and has no intention of returning.
Upon joining, each member is given a new jade cloak and a tankard engraved with their name, which is only drunk from during the initiation ceremony, referred to as “drinking the oath” - afterwards, it is kept in the cellar of the Lusty Dryad’s Flagon. Upon death, a member’s tankard is used in a ceremony where the dead’s comrades drink from the tankard, before it is added to a stack built within the ruined tower in the north-east corner of The Jade Fort; this stack is currently five stories high. Dead members are usually referred to as having “taken his/her tankard to the tower” by the rest. Any career-ending injuries that aren’t fatal usually result in the mercenary in question being reassigned to be one of the support staff; training new recruits is the most common occurrence. Membership is not for life, and members may leave at any time when not currently engaged in a contract. A member that chooses to leave has their tankard destroyed, and is not permitted to rejoin at a later date.