The Bloody Barbers

Winter had come early this year. The first droplets of winters rain topped the roofs as the biting breeze swept through the  streets. A man wipes his boots as he enters the Keystone Barbershop, his beard reaching past his collar and the dirt from a days work still adorning his frostbitten jacket. The warm light from the shop spilling softly out the windows into the puddles littering the streets. A woman greets the man as he enters, her ageing red hair tied neatly into a bun exposing the porcelain skin of her neck. She sits him in the chair, and turns him to the mirror.

They talk little.

He looks up from his fidgeting hands and stares blankly back into the mirror after a long silence, a solitary tear rolls down his cheek.

"You promise my family will be safe?"

The woman nods. Then, she cuts his throat.

And so the debt is paid.

The Five Families
It is known that if you walk into any corner shop or street barber that you may be having an interaction with an underground criminal. Not all members of the hair cutting community are outlaws of course, but the rule of thumb is to always treat them with the utmost respect.

The Joro Family
Not much is known of the Joro family they run a small barbershop in the outer slums but nobody is quite sure which one. One drunkard will say it's behind an inn down the road, another will point you to a stall on a dirt road on the other side of the city. Either way, you can be certain that you whichever one you enter, you are being watched.

The Eldur Family
Known for their violent nature, the members that pay allegiance to the Eldur family are definitely the least likely to resolve a row without conflict. Cross an Eldur and you are more than likely to find a silver straight razor gleaming waking you from your slumber, seconds before it puts you to rest permanently.

The Ilma Family
One of the few families that is more known for their charity work than their illegal activities, the Ilma family are well respected in most communities. Living in the upper rings their network of beggars are as vast as their connections in high society.

The Vesi Family
Politicians through and through, this family keeps everything the Barbers do above board. Most council members, royalty or heads of guild somehow owe the Vesi family a favour.

The Verinen Family
Only rumoured to exist, the Verinen seem to be the family above all. Ask any person connected to the Barbers and they will deny their existence. Some however believe this protest a bit too heavy handed and that lurking in the shadows there is a singular person that sits at the head of this table of families.