The Ytepka Society is a secretive, neutral good organization based in Port Nyanzaru dedicated to preventing power abuse and maintaining Chult’s natural social order. Also known as the Triceratops Society, its goals parallel those of the Harpers.
History and Influence
The society played a crucial role in liberating Port Nyanzaru from foreign control (specifically Amn) nine years ago. They backed a consortium of wealthy Chultan traders, forcing Amn to relinquish the city and enabling seven merchant princes to rise to power. This represents their most significant political achievement.
Current Activities
The Ytepkas work covertly to:
- Prevent the Zhentarim and other dubious factions from gaining undue influence over Port Nyanzaru’s government
- Eliminate the pirate threat plaguing the Bay of Chult (though they’ve been unable to locate the pirates’ base or identify their spies)
- Monitor and check abuses of power by individuals and organizations
They offer substantial rewards for information leading to the pirates’ base or capture of their ships.
Membership and Organization
The society maintains fewer than fifty active members who do not publicly advertise their affiliation. Members identify each other using a hand gesture: a raised left hand with index, middle, and third fingers extended (representing a triceratops’s three horns).
Known members include:
- Zhanthi - Merchant prince who trades in gems, jewelry, cloth, and armor. She maintains ties with the Zhentarim to monitor their activities and has uncovered evidence of Liara Portyr’s secret arrangement with pirates (though she keeps this knowledge private). She provides reward money for pirate bounties.
- Zindar - The half-dragon harbormaster who recruits adventurers to hunt pirates, offering bounties of 2,000 gp per captured pirate ship and 500 gp per captured captain.
Methods and Tokens
When the society determines someone has damaged Chult’s social fabric or is about to commit a serious offense, they deliver an anonymous warning: an iron token bearing a triceratops’s likeness. Recipients must deduce the token’s meaning and correct their behavior. If the warning is ignored, the Ytepkas secure permission from the merchant princes to administer punishment, up to and including a sanction.
Complications: Due to the society’s secretiveness, many Port Nyanzaru residents don’t understand the tokens’ significance. Misinformation about the Ytepkas is common, and because tokens aren’t recollected, unscrupulous individuals use old or counterfeit tokens to intimidate business rivals.
Adventure Hooks
- Omala’s Redemption: A dye worker named Omala receives a Ytepka token after illegally purchasing dancing monkey fruit. He seeks the party’s escort to beg forgiveness from merchant prince Kwayothé at Goldenthrone.
- The Skull Chalice: If the party recovers the Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare from the Tomb of the Nine Gods and denies it to merchant princes Ifan Talro’a, Kwayothé, or Zhanthi, they risk receiving an ominous Ytepka token themselves.