Raccoon Circle

The Raccoon Circle is an organized crime syndicate based out of Silkenvault in the nation of Voxelia. The Raccoons are well-known for their greed, their courage, and their flair for the dramatic.

Structure

The Raccoon Circle has a hierarchical structure, with branches of the organization reporting to a regional boss who, in turn, serves in the titular Circle. The bosses control the organization as a loose oligarchy, occasionally competing for control over where their territories overlap but always endeavoring to maintain the status quo. The true identity of the bosses and their immediate subordinates are kept mysterious because, above all else, those in the highest eschelons of power are those who got there through a combination of self-discipline and guile in the face of law enforcement pursuit.
The careers of most Raccoon Circle members follow a predictable arc, one that is promulgated by a combination of organizational tradition and practice. To be recruited into the organization, an individual must have already demonstrated a knack for a particular brand of the organization's preferred criminal enterprises (see Public Agenda). A Raccoon must have something they want badly, have the intense desire to pursue that something, demonstrate the ability to do whatever it takes to get that something, and then manage to retain that something in the face of all comers. Recruits start off using their skills to help higher-ranked members in their endeavors, accruing contacts and respect within the organization until they have enough cachet to organize their own heists.
Eventually, a member of the Raccoon Circle manages to get what they were searching for when they joined the organization. This marks the beginning of the downfall of many Raccoons, as they either become overconfident and are caught or, in time, become the target of even other members who want the same thing. A rare few manage to maintain their temper, guile, and reputation for success long enough to reach the inner circle, with the longest lasting members gaining the opportunity to become the boss of their own region or step in when their own boss steps down.

Culture

Like all New Voxelians, members of the Raccoon Circle tend to think they're the most cultured and creative people in the room; a Raccoon is a criminal that desperately wants to be considered part of high society eventually. A lot of Raccoon Circle culture is tied up in projecting the aura of gentleman thieves, striking without even the inkling of suspicion against them or, if subterfuge becomes impossible, injecting drama, spectacle, and prestige into their affairs.
The raccoon is regarded as a perfect embodiment of the organization's ethos and, as such, is a common motif in any 'calling cards' or similar devices left by the organization as a form of criminal trademark. The Raccoon Circle has been known to compete amongst themselves and with other criminal enterprises to demonstrate the extent of their reach by leaving calling cards in places behind high security or where access is otherwise very difficult.

Public Agenda

The primary criminal enterprises of the Raccoon Circle include larceny of all types, fencing, smuggling, profiteering, and embezzlement. Violence is considered beneath the culture of the Raccoon Circle, but may be used to protect the organization's operations if no other alternatives exist. The greatest prestige within the organization is accrued by performing these crimes without getting caught out for it. If stealth isn't an option, however, then the operation must at least be performed with style to heap glory on the organization as a whole.

Foreign Relations

The Raccoon Circle is known to bare a rivalry with the Duke of Drones, regarding the Commonwealth upstart as a relatively recent competitor in terms of portraying oneself as a gentleman thief and champion of the common man. The Duke has also been known to upset far-reaching Raccoon operations wherever their operations intersect, as the Duke is a vigilante that works to expose and foil organized crime.

Type

Illicit, Syndicate

Alternative Names

The Raccoons, The Circle

Location

Silkenvault

Related Species

• Human

Related Ethnicities

• New Voxelian