THE SYNDICATE

THE SYNDICATE

I'll cut to the chase, really. We have a finger in pretty much every god-damned pie you'll find in this country. If it's criminal business you're looking for, expect to be dealing with us or our associates somewhere along the line - and even if our name isn't mentioned, you can rest well that we're getting a juicy cut of the money in the operation, whether it comes out of your salary or not. If we aren't, we'll begin to get annoyed. Annoying us is not a good idea.

We are the single most powerful criminal entity in the whole of Thibudis' history. Those that will fight for or alongside us number around one-hundred thousand across the country. We have operatives in every town, city, region, and we have people working on every single diplomatic, environmental, criminal or economic issue you'll hear about. Officially, we have a number of falsified business fronts based out of Yataris - our camoflauging is excellent. If we don't want you to know about us, you won't.

Our work, to mention some, is broad. Larceny, political manipulation, prostitution, interrogation, debt collecting, mercenary work... and at the very peak of it all, a good percentage of our members have a penchant for assassination, that which our mysterious little caste has gained something of a reputation for. At least one of our correspondents at the highest level has strong, friendly ties with every head of every major power in the city, whether they're aware of their affiliation or not. We tend to excel when it comes to the art of lying and manipulation.

Why do we do this? It's simple. We enjoy luxury, and profiting from our ill-gotten gains. So do a good number of people, it'd seem. Most of the people that are affiliated with us don't even directly know it, but, if you're in a criminal gang, one way or another, you'll fall under the Syndicate's umbrella. Only a chance few ever ascend past the rank of Heretic, and those that do tend to become very wealthy very quickly - otherwise, their stint with us tends to be somewhat short-lived.

We have a base beneath the ruins of Old Yataris, the city that Aenias destroyed in his crusades over four hundred years ago, before his death. Our Curator takes care of it, and, surprisingly enough, despite its high-tech and well-concealed nature, the only individuals ever usually to be found in it are either Ascendants or Operators; during time of declared syndicacy war, of course, the complex draws back ALL of its members, but for the most part, this facility is more or less deserted. Alongside this, we have associates and bases also dotted across the map, safe havens for our operatives in many a town and city - all the three largest especially.

The Syndicate gets about by way of several compact airships, of which the most prime of these has to be the flagship. The SS 'Thunderhead' is a beauty of steel and steam, possessing massive amounts of firepower as well as a sleek, professional, and intimidating appearance.

We live by the moral of if it can make money for us, we want in. That's what it's all about. Money, money, money. Hard-earned dubloons, for you salty sky dogs out there. In truth, we love it. Direct affiliation with us generally comes with skill, respect, and a good, solid history. Only choice individuals join us at the main branch and work under us directly; our secret to our subtlety is the amount of hoops people have to jump through, and anyone who's on the cusp of discovering and subsequently exposing us generally wakes up mysteriously dead the next morning. We can affect the political tides by dropping a pebble in a pond. We know how Thibudis works.

Most importantly, however, the one thing to remember is:

We're renowned... but invisible.



RULES

Our rules are few and simple.

1] Respect your higher-ups. Follow orders, don't question your superiors, and execute things swiftly and efficiently. This isn't school. We won't hold your hand. Training's necessary? Great. Go and get it yourself.
2] Never ask for promotion. Despite our being founded on greed, too much of it in one place can stunt a man's use for the Syndicate. Ask for promotion, and you'll be lead into a dead end, pretty much. The higher-up you are already, the more chance there is of receiving a bullet to the head if you ask for this.
3] The Ascendants' word is law. Simple enough. If any of our six leaders hand you a revolver and ask you to blow your brother's kneecaps out, you do it. No questions.
4] Understand how we operate. We work swiftly, efficiently, and in times where it's possible, cleanly. We can't afford to be covered up, and, though we can usually deal with it, especially so that we can work well in times of crises such as Thibudis' national state now, unnecessary mess is unnecessary.
5] Finally, never, ever, EVER betray us. This should be self-explanatory. If you're an undercover agent or planning to turn informant, the joke's on you. The only informing you'll be doing is to us about your own parent organisation. When the Syndicate's wrath is embodied, it's never pretty. We might not have an active militarised force, but we will throw expendable mercenaries at you until you're dead or living through hell daily.



APPLICATION

Code:

[b]Name[/b]:
[b]Position[/b]:
[b]Skills[/b]:
[b]Reasoning[/b]:

RANKS


For starters, it should be established that the Syndicate has a total of six leading Ascendants. None of these has superiority over another; each has a speciality, a 'column' of the Syndicate that they have total control over - and each is INCREDIBLY powerful. For instance, economic affairs would be everything to do with Thibudis' economy; the stock market, trade, and, thus, ambushing convoys which are vital to a part of the economy, et cetera et cetera. Each Ascendant is a well-known figure about Thibudis, and commands a presence which seems to convey some form of fame about them - most are invited to large public events, private entertainment venues, and other privileged opportunities.

I -

Empty. Specialises in economic affairs and managing of stolen goods. Commands the Merchants and Liberators.

II -

Opal Hutchinson. Opal is well-trained, efficient, cold, strategic, tactical, and calculating. This man is definitely not one you want to cross - he's got his own agenda which shouldn't be tampered with, but he makes the Syndicate a LOT of money. Specialises in espionage. Commands the Assassins.

III -

Reserved, PM. Specialises in military affairs. Commands the Mercenaries and can be found aboard the Syndicate flagship, the SS 'Thunderhead'.

IV -

Aurora Shir. Aurora is a mute and a renowned, learned sorcerer specialising in the mind and its various usages. She's a dab hand when it comes to working with knives, and can kill a man in a matter of ways in just MINUTES. Specialises in assassination. Commands the Assassins.

V -

Empty. Specialises in the trade of information. Commands the Operators and Manipulator.

VI -

Empty. Specialises in political and criminal affairs. Commands the Gang Liaison and controls the Associates list.

Operators themselves are constantly referred to as 'the glue' of the Syndicate that holds everything together. These men are masters of disguise, constantly moving around, working from mobile bases to ensure that everything runs smoothly. They take weapons to Syndicate safehouses, organise assassinations with contracts, arrange meetings and political invitations, and above all else, just generally hold the otherwise-ragtag band together. The main allure of an operator position is that it allows you to travel and occasionally siphon off excitement if a contract's passed down the chain and no-one else can do it. A lot of the time, Operators remain anonymous for their own safety and the Syndicate's integrity.

Operators generally deal with everyone, Heretics up through to Ascendants.

Head Operator -

Empty. Constantly at the Syndicate base beneath the sands of Old Yataris. Keeps tags on all of the Ascendants and other Operators. Manager, mainly. Gets to do a lot of travel and field work.

Recruitment Operator -

Empty. Specialises in locating and swaying new recruits and associates for the Syndicate as a whole, and ensuring those that are already with us are doing what they're doing, pretty much.

Financial Operator -

Empty. Mainly just ensures that all the financial failsafes, offshore accounts, and all the false-fronted businesses stay as legitimate-seeming as possible. Apart from that, this guy manages all the money flowing through the company. Simple enough.

Contract Operator -

Empty. The middle-man when it comes to any game that's contracted thievery, assassination, murder, mercenary work - this guy hands out your assignments.

Executioners are basically anyone with a named, and purposeful position inside the Syndicate.

Gang Liaison -

Empty. The gang liaison works closely with any gangs or other, smaller organised crime rings, sorting out wars, alliances, and, when push comes to shove, executing those who won't bend to the Syndicate's call and will.

Crimson Eviscerator -

Empty. This individual controls all the fully-militarised forces of the Syndicate, those that are dispatched only as a contingency, and otherwise as mercenaries. He's also in charge of rallying them when a state of war or state vendetta is declared. They answer only to Ascendant II; a second-in-command and General-type figure.

The Curator -

Empty. Although it sounds like a slightly underwhelming title, the Curator is a quartermaster, arms developer, janitor, and maintenance worker all rolled into one. He basically ensures that everything within and about the Old Yataris underground complex remains running clean as a whistle, despite the fact that hardly anyone ever visits.

The Manipulator -

Empty. This guy's got a fun position. Basically, wherever a subtle seed of doubt is to be planted, or slanderous claims and comments are to be made, the Manipulator takes charge, reporting back to Ascendant V. He spreads the worst kind of plague via transmission of the word of mouth.

The Madman -

Empty. An arms developer, geneticist, and general madman who experiments with whatever he wants provided an Ascendant has endorsed the current train of research.

Assassins -

Simply enough, they kill people for money. They answer to Ascendants II and IV.

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Mercenaries -

The more officious and slightly-less shady individuals working in the combat side of things. These guys report back to the Crimson Eviscerator and Ascendant III.

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Salesmen -

Working as merchants for both information and general stolen goods, these guys report back to Ascendant I, who commands them. Generally, they're greedy bastards, too.

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Liberators -

...thieves. They liberate items from their less-than-rightful owners, eh? They report mainly back to the Merchants and Ascendant I, who controls them.

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This is where anyone who wants to be associated with us goes. This roster generally includes gangs, thievery professionals, or anyone really who does continual business with us, whether apparently one-off or not.

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