Gang concept up for grabs.

Gang concept up for grabs.

I was doing a little research on infamous gangs and I came across a reference to ‘The Bowery Boys’ who (in some references) allege they dressed in elegant clothing and held legitimate employment as printers, mechanics and other apprentice tradesmen by day, before pursuing violent activities at night. Wiki places them as ex-firemen. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowery_Boys).

I like the idea of a small gang who own a printing press that covers the usual news but also caters to the lesser traders and common-folk of a specific district. They’ll have the one decent correspondent who goes to all the weddings, galas, and other fetes collecting rumors, gossip and interesting bits of news. That’s when the printers then turn thieves and go rob these people and seem to have the story reported well before anyone else.

Lady Pemberton just debuted her new sapphire necklace at the Humpreys wedding? Is Crutchley bragging about the new impenetrable vault his bank has just constructed? Did you see what price Modesto’s “Ode to Drunk Lair” oil fetched at auction?

Advance the reputation of the paper and get invited to more houses, explore them, and visit them when the lights are switched off. Expand your distribution, dig up scurrilous rumors about important magistrates and bluecloaks and shatter the careers of those in your way.

Toss in the Runagate Rampant from Mieville’s Perdido Street Station or the lighter Ankh-Morpork Times from Pratchett’s The Truth’ and check out a few of these as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_newspapers

Blackfinger Boys?