Goods and messages need to be delivered reliably. That’s what the Silver Shields do.
The Silver Shields is a massive confederation of caravans that crisscross the continent, working every major and some minor trade routes. Some kids grow up thinking that goods only get delivered by the Silver Shields, they’re that ubiquitous.
Each wagon or carriage in a Silver Shields caravan sports an actual silver shield (though it’s often made of polished pewter) somewhere prominent. Each caravan is organized and lead by the Head, who sports a polished pewter shield badge. The Head manages the guards, each of whom have a simple shield emblem on an arm band, while the merchants elect a Caller who liases with the Head.
The relationship between the Head and the Caller varies. In about half of caravans, the Head calls the shots while the Caller obeys (at various levels of intensity), in about a third of them the Head and Caller collaborate equally, and in the rest the Caller effectively makes the decisions.
The Silver Shields used to stick to the largest routes, though they’ve recently pushed into smaller ones, angering some smaller caravans who feel squeezed out.
The Shields are run by the Council of Five, former caravan Heads elected to run the Shields after many years of excellent service.
A common Silver Shields caravan
Caravan 29 is lead by Samiel Irongut, a heavyset dwarven man who works as its Head. He’s grim, he’s seen it all, and he pushes his people hard, but he gets the job done and ensures everyone’s treated fairly. (Think Michael Ironside’s character in Starship Troopers.)
The caravan’s Caller is Senestra, an enigmatic tiefling woman who is always wrapped in expensive silks that hug her body. She seems to know everyone, and more importantly, knows dirt about everyone. She deliberately acts mysteriously and a little sensuously. She’s a very successful merchant of rare herbs and spices, which gets her into every noble’s kitchen and every apothecary’s back room, where rumors and secrets abound.
The caravan consists of 20 vehicles, from large enclosed carriages to simple wagons covered with a piece of canvas, about 50 merchants, and 20 guards (not including Samiel). 15 of the guards are trained with bows or crossbows, while the other 5 are melee fighters.
Friend or Foe?
As a friend faction, the Silver Shields are a perfect source of safe travel between points of civilization, rumors of adventure in the wilderness, messages, and quest givers. Every town and city probably contains a Silver Shields caravan somewhere, either unloading from its last trip or loading up for the next one.
As a foe faction, the Silver Shields are angling for a monopoly on trade. They’ve been secretly hiring monsters to attack smaller caravans. This corruption goes all the way to the Council of Five. The PCs might be hired by a smaller caravan group who suspects this; the PCs will have to catch Silver Shields agents negotiating with monsters, and eventually confront the Council of Five.