Otaseunake adKorkra
The Otaseunake adKorka - often translated as the "Stone Brotherhood" or forshortened to Otaseunake - is primarily High Rostran organized crime syndicate with a presence on most major islands in the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy.
Structure
The Otaseunake are organized like a crime family, and, indeed, many members recieved their first suits through blood ties with the organization. Young men with criminal acumen are vetted by the bosses of regional cells and, should they prove amenable to the Otaseunake's goals, interested in joining, and relatively free of entanglements with local law enforcement, are 'adopted' as 'Little Brothers' in the organization. With time and as more senior Brothers exit the life of crime (intentionally or otherwise), these recruits ascend the ranks to perhaps run local or regional cells of their own.
Culture
The Otaseunake put on airs of populism and professionalism in equal measure. Certain styles of semi-formal dress suit are treated as uniforms. New recruits that rise to Brother status are taken to the shops to buy their first suits on the organization's dime, and having to clean or replace a suit as a result of blood spatter is considered a right of passage. Otaseunake culture puts strong emphasis on courtesy, respect, and, above all, never being caught in the act.
Many members of the Otaseunake venerate Ixovaqitetsu or Ixa Ad-Korvidiu as spirits associated with cleverness, resourcefulness, and rejection of authority one doesn't chose for oneself - namely, the government versus the chosen family of the Otaseunake adKorkra. Others are Knappists, though the mainstream of this sect rejects the Otaseunake as people who take the Knapper of Spirits' message of self-improvement through adversity entirely out of its intended context. Some Hierophants and their acolytes have been known to hold sympathies with the Otaseunake, granting them writs of Eretasovix too freely, but whether this is out of shared traditionalist conviction or unseen corruption remains in question.
The Otaseunake adKorkra count many Dexai as-Osang practitioners among their numbers despite that martial art being more of Low Rostran origin. Enemies of the family are dispatched quickly, quietly, and remorselessly with Dexai close-quarters fighting techniques, especially relating to daggers and fighting oarss, the latter of which are often broken for better concealability.
Public Agenda
Otaseunake criminal activities include racketeering of all sorts. The code of honor observed by the Otaseunake prevent them from participating in crimes that involve drugs, sex, or the exploitation of the destitute, as these are viewed as activities that degrade the spirit of their men and draw too much attention to the family's other vices. Members of the organization will also generally avoid targeting individual foreigners as this harms tourism and, thus, harms the family's business. Extortion, ransom, theft, gambling, political corruption, smuggling, and black market trade are all options, however, and threats to these operations are handled with brutal, if covert, violence.
Above all, a member of the Otaseunake strives to never be caught in the act, as this brings unwanted attention to the organization and its national reach. Members of the organization strive to project the appearance of legitimate businessmen - perhaps the middlemen for large business owners, local government officials, or community service organizations. When they can't remain in the shadows, the Otaseunake make a display of their patriotism, appeal to the common man, and dedication to the traditional values of Rostran Esotericism.
History
The Otaseunake adKorkra have existed for almost 200 years as of the year 10,000 AR. A natural extension of the rather family-oriented culture of the High Rostrans, the Otasuenake founding families were likely created when young men with a propensity for criminality discovered that they could get away with more by corrupting officials and silencing voices against them in the shadows rather than direct force of arms. Different regional factions within the organization likely formed as dispersed parts of the family took to different forms of racket based on local conditions, eventually rediscovering one another in the places where rackets overlapped (i.e. when someone tried to start a protection racket on a front company for a smuggling operation) and subsequently fighting in the shadows for control. In any event, after these struggles, the Otaseunake are more unified and generally turn their attentions against hostile outsiders, such as law enforcement, activists, and other criminal operations like the Avarix Corps.
The film Il Eusosanvas portrayed a criminal syndicate that is believed to be an expy for the Otaseunake adKorkra.
Type
Illicit, Syndicate
Alternative Names
Stone Brotherhood; Otaseunake
Demonym
Brother
Location
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
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