OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To flesh-out and add substance to The Family as a whole, and provide NPCs for play in stories involving The Family
Image Credit: Link (Banner/Dividers: Link, Link, George Lucas for the generic photo of Boba Fett, I made the banner and dividers)
https://www.geeknative.com/46150/cyberpunk-post-apocalyptic-art-jonas-de-ro/
Role: Mafia/Criminal Syndicate
Links: Dohmus Prime The Crown Prime Casino Ahtemis Luxury Trans, LTD., The Family The Mafia
GENERAL INFORMATION
Group Name: "The Crew", "The Family", "Kosa Nostra", “Mia Famiglia”,
Classification: Crime Syndicate/Family
Headquarters: Dohmus Prime
Loyalties: The Family, The Donna, The Caporegime
Group Sigil: The image of a white tree with unfurled branches and a network of roots within a black circle; said to have overlapping symbolism of a family tree, the idea that even if you cut them off they will grow back, as well as having roots that run deep, and everywhere
Description: The Family is a powerful Crime Syndicate rising in the Galaxy. They are not well-known, operating exclusively (and expertly) within the shadows of many worlds, orchestrating galactic events by manipulating politicians, forging alliances, and conducting elicit & legitimate business transactions. They own, or hold stake in, a number of companies through Front Organisations which have no official connection with organised crime.
The Family is quite large, and they do not discriminate; members might be of (nearly) any species; though most of them are human or near-human. To the individual, each of them are experts in discretion.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: (OOC INFORMATION; Entirely unknown IC)
Associates - All new members begin as Associates. Associates are expected to work with a single Capo for a period of time, and assist The Capo in all aspects of business; acting as bodyguards, messengers, spies, and filling other roles according to their individual skills. They are free to operate and earn independently, but their loyalties lie with the capo to whom they're assigned
Uomini di Onore (Enforcers) - Associates who have proven themselves in battle. Enforcersare Associates with some respect, and are often relied upon as enforcers for their Capos. They have access to more of the Family's resources and influence than Associates as well. Soldiers have proven their loyalty to the family, and may be considered by the leadership to become a soldier
Made Men (Soldiers) - Official Members of the Family with full rights & access (within reason) to resources & assets. Final rank attainable by most. To advance into leadership positions, one must hold the rank of "Made" within The Family.
Leadership: The Upper Echelon
Caporegime - Eyes & Ears of the Bosses; Executive Management - Professional Criminals, all, and skilled leaders. Each Capo is provided territory & associates with-which to conduct their business, and may wield the full might of The Family if necessary.
Under-boss - Acting as a second-in charge for the boss; the Under-boss runs the upper management and organises the caporegime, reporting directly the the head of the family and acting in their stead when required
Consigliere - Not an official role, per se, the Consigliere is the right hand of the Donna. Neither beholden to the other members, nor they to him, his role is solely an advisory one, offering a level head and neutral opinion on Family matters
Donna- The head of the Family. The Donna’s word is law, and her decisions final. While taking on the advice of her Capos and under-bosses, ultimately, the burden of ultimate leadership belongs to her
Membership: While there is no single, specific ritual for joining the family, if someone is approached, they will likely be asked to prove themselves. Each task may be different, seeking to test and uncover particular skills for each one. Once associated, members are free to earn and work as they see fit. Eventually, a soldier may introduce them to a Caporegime. If the associate continues to prove themselves and gain respect, the Capo may promote them to Uomini di Onore--Enforcer. Enforcers have proven their value to the family, however, if they go particularly above and beyond, they may be 'Made'. To reach this rank, enforcers take part in a ritual known as “Sharing The Burden”, which is used to symbolise the weight of responsibility equalising between the Capo and the newly promoted member. Becoming “Made” within The Family is the aspiration of many of its members, and it is marked by some of the most important (and difficult) rituals within the Organisation. One may only be “Made” after certain circumstances are met and must be supported by at least two of the Caporegime. While the general events may vary, typically, becoming made involves meeting the Caporegime & The Donna on Dohmus Prime itself. There, the prospective member is questioned, evaluated, and if approved, goes on to take part in a ritual known as “The Bond”; consisting of a current member & the prospective member each opening a cut upon their hands and shaking hands over a burning flame - symbolising a bond formed until death, with the breaking of one’s vows of secrecy & honour resulting in a fate worse than death.
Dogma/Doctrines:
Tenet 2: Discretion is Non-negotiable - The shadows are our allies. We guard some very sensitive information and rely on operating behind the scenes. Those who refuse to maintain a low-profile when representing the Family will be disciplined accordingly
Tenet 3: What Diplomacy Cannot Obtain, Coercion Will - Taking ‘no’ for an answer is not an option. If the Family has decided that it wants something, it is compelled to do anything possible to obtain it without breaking the first two tenets. Nothing is off-limits; scandals, kidnapping, ransoms, members are expected to use everything at their disposal to complete their objective
Tenet 4: Remember Your Sentience - The Family does not have mindless beasts in its employ. Any member caught being openly disrespectful to a woman, a child, or otherwise innocent person, will be disciplined accordingly. You are not an animal, don’t act like one
Tenet 5: Tell the Truth - Members of the Family may be called on by their superiors to provide information. They will be expected to answer promptly and accurately; telling the truth to the best of their abilities
Curios: Upon being made an associate, each member of the Family is presented a Hidden Datapad, in order to communicate with other Family members securely. They may also be offered a pet, designating their station. While associates and soldiers may have a simple creature, this mascot may be upgraded as they climb through the ranks, right up to the mighty Winkdwaker, reserved only for the upper-most members.
Goals: The ultimate goal of the Family is influence. From owed favours to powerful men, to leaders desperate to keep that scandalous affair under wraps, the Family will not rest until it has fingers in as many pies as possible
The Donna
The Consigliere
The Underboss
The Caporegimes
The Made
The Soldiers
The Associates
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Let me tell you a story…
It starts with a scared little pup. You know how it goes, absentee father figure, mother too busy working to pay attention. This particular little one also had a minor disability, leaving her falling behind her peers. She was never the strongest, or the fastest, or the smartest even. In many ways, the universe had backed her up against the wall.
And you know what happens when you back a predator up against a wall.
Unofficially, the Family began around 80 years ago, when I was just getting into adulthood. I travelled a lot, would swap favors for favors, acquire dirt on people, sell it back to them for what I needed at the time. Funny that, how much people will pay for dirt. I suppose if you wanted to trace the Family’s origins all the way back, that’s where it is, buried in one of those hundreds of tiny interactions.
It turns out I’m really good at coercion, like… really good. When I heard about the assets of a bankrupt company way out in the outer rim, I knew I just had to have it. Originally, my plan hadn’t even been to build an empire, just to have somewhere safe to hide all the secrets I’d been collecting. As you can imagine, there are some very powerful people who very dearly want them back. Anyway, I began to call in all the favors I was owed. I made allies, burned bridges, procured everything I could.
And we got it.
From there, the rest is pretty much history. Once I had a headquarters, I began to get organized. People became interested. I’d used up pretty much everything I had to acquire the Dohmus System, so I pretty much had to rebuild from the ground up. But rebuild I did. Allies and contacts came in, opportunities presented themselves, we turned from a group of people into, well, a Family.
Ah, but where did the symbol come from? Dohmus Prime is a lush planet full of greenery, so it would be somewhat poetic to say that there’s some pale birch on the surface, under which perhaps some significant alliance was forged. But no, the tree represents many things. It represents the Family tree, the relationship between myself, my caporegime, and all our members. It represents the resilience of a tree; even if someone should cut it down, it will simply regrow from the stump. Finally, you’ll notice that our symbol has roots, which represent how far the unseen influence of the Family stretches. That particular tree is actually from a forest on my home planet. No, I won’t tell you which one.
Not a typical history lecture, was it? Well, Doll, you see… as far as the galaxy is concerned, we have no history. We are the shadows, the cold air on the back of your neck. We are the reason you look behind you on an empty street.
We are everywhere.
