Red Snake

The Free City of Kayad is an autonomous metropolitan area within the Kingdom of Aeronia. It is considered the trade hub of the eastern kingdoms, goods and coin flow through the city like a river.
Technically, the city is ruled over by the Kayad Senate - a group of nobles that make little mark on the city. The true ruler of the free city is the shadowy criminal syndicate known as Red Snake - they see and hear everything in Kayad.
Want to break the law? You talk to them.
Don't want to break the law? They'll talk to you

Structure

Red Snake operates a complex and strict hierarchy, made somewhat more complicated since the separation.
At the top of the organisation are the Overseers. The Overseers are four independent gang leaders working together under the banner of Red Snake, they do not directly interfere with each other's businesses but cooperate to keep the syndicate together. Each Overseer is responsible for a separate aspect of the syndicate. For example, Arturo Palen is the Overseer of the Black Market and the Leader of the Palen Drug Cartel - whilst also directly controlling his own gang, he exerts influence on other gangs that deal in smuggling illegal goods.
Underneath the Overseers are the Prime Gangs. The Prime Gangs are the groups that are led by an Overseer, for example, Palen's Drug Cartel or the Abayomi Band. Prime Gangs have a privileged status above the other gangs in Red Snake and have direct control over the other gangs in the syndicate. Being a Prime Gang is not a permanent position, it is based on whoever currently holds the office of Overseer - so if the Abayomi Band suddenly collapsed, another gang would rise and become Prime as their leader becomes the Overseer. Everyone who is a member of a Prime Gang is a member of Red Snake, and therefore untouchable in the underworld.
Underneath the Prime Gangs are the regular gangs. The Gang Leaders are members of Red Snake, but anyone below them is not. Gang Leaders will usually report to a high-ranking member of a Prime Gang whilst still maintaining significant autonomy. They are free to conduct business as they wish, so long as they do nothing to harm the syndicate, do not trade with enemy syndicates and deliver a cut of all profits to the Overseers.
Alongside the Regular Gangs are associates. Associates are not members of Red Snake but have helped it in some way or another and receive protection in return. For example, the barber that cuts Arturo Palen's hair is an associate of Red Snake, and as a result, stealing or pickpocketing him or his business is not permitted. Similarly, there are several nobles who discreetly provide funds for the syndicate in exchange for protection and other work - many nobles want to rig their senate election.

Public Agenda

Red Snake makes it known to all their members that they have but only one goal - unrestricted criminal activity and immeasurable wealth for all involved.
The first part is mostly true, working with Red Snake grants you access to their resources and connections. The second part, however, is only true in one sense. Immeasurable wealth is easily attained, but only for the bosses of this criminal syndicate - who take a large cut of every successful operation.

If they take such a large cut, why do you still work with them?

If I didn't, I would've been found in a ditch years ago - you don't opt out of working with the Snakes, it's compulsory

Assets

Red Snake is without a doubt the organisation with the greatest influence in Kayad, with the assets of every gang in the syndicate at their fingertips. Not even the bosses know exactly what the organisation has. It is without a doubt, however, that Red Snake are in possession of an obscene amount of coin, own a large chunk of Kayad's buildings, and have most of the criminal underworld at their beckoned call.
Unknown to many, the main base of the Red Snake's operations is the basement of the Boheme Casino - one of the oldest illegal gambling establishments in Kayad. It was the first business of Ravair's father, one of the founding members of Red Snake, who converted the basement into a headquarters for the organisation. It is accessed through one of two ways: there is a secret staircase within the casino, hidden behind a fake wall that acts as a door, this is used by the prominent members of the Red Snake who are permitted to know the location and may come and go as they please. The other entrance is through a secret tunnel, connecting the headquarters in the casino with a small tunnel on the outskirts of the city, this entrance is used either for deliveries or members of the Red Snake who are not permitted to know the location of the headquarters and so are blindfolded on their journey to and from the casino via the tunnels.
The Headquarters of Red Snake is extravagant, decorated with the most expensive furniture and materials. It contains offices for all prominent figures in the syndicate, large quarters for the Overseers, who occasionally remain there for a period of days or weeks, and several jail cells and torture rooms for high-profile targets. At the centre of the basement is a large room covered in boards, used for organising information for large heists that involve several prime gangs.

History

The Father

The criminal syndicate of the Red Snake began in 1239 with the arrival of a man known as the Father.
The Father arrived in Kayad shortly after the city declared its independence, he quickly began to succeed in the criminal underworld of Kayad. Several years later, as one of the major criminals in Kayad, he founded the Red Snake - a criminal syndicate. The Red Snake acted as an overarching banner for criminal enterprises, a federation of gangs. Everyone was loyal to the Father and nobody raised a finger against him, he had made a notable example of those who had.

Palen

Arturo Palen arrived in Kayad in 1279 with nothing more than the clothes on his back and two crates of illegal narcotics. Palen had seen the success of the drug business back in his home country of Laça, and moved to the cultural capital of the east in an attempt to start his own business. Palen set up in the neglected alleyways of the the poorer districts of Kayad without much success, the odd sale here or there but nothing compared to what he had seen back home. At the time, Palen didn't realise that selling in Kayad was a big mistake - he was very quickly kidnapped and taken to the headquarters of one of the current drug lords of Kayad and a prominent member of the Red Snake - Kuan Banco.
Banco threatened death, so Palen offered him his entire supply of narcotics - in exchange for his life, and a place in Banco's gang. Most would have killed him for such a suggestion, but Banco found himself so impressed with Palen's confidence that he agreed - much to the surprise of everyone, Palen become a member of Banco's gang.
Under Banco's wing, Palen learnt more about the trade and became incredibly skilled in the field. Just under two years later, Palen became Banco's right-hand man - wielding an immense amount of influence on the drug trade in Kayad. Palen had reputation, wealth and the respect of Banco's gang - but he was not satisfied, he wanted more.
A month later, Banco was found dead in his apartment. Palen sent the message out to the gang:

Banco is dead by the hand of our rivals, he appointed me as his sucessor with his dying breath. We have declared war on our rivals, we will own the city of Kayad.

— Arturo Palen

Unbeknownst to the gang, Palen had poisoned Banco in his sleep - this is a secret he keeps to this day, as he knows the knowledge of Banco's assassination would cause many of his gang to question their loyalty. The assassination of Banco, however, was not a secret to all - the Father very quickly caught on.
Soon after the assassination, the Father met with Palen:

"I understand you are now the leader of Banco's gang", the Father stated
"Yes", Palen replied
"You understand that Banco was the overseer of black market operations, this makes you his successor?
"I do"
"I know you assassinated Banco, I trust you do not plan to do the same to me?"
Palen was silent
"Very well. Just remember what happened to those who tried to in the past, and where they are now..."

Led by Palen, the drug empire continued to grow. With connections provided to him by the Father, Palen's clientele began to encompass almost all of the eastern kingdoms - Kayadian Drugs became synonymous with him. He had also begun to branch out into all other kinds of black market goods, from powerful cursed stones to outlawed gunpowder. At the same time, despite the threats at the start, Palen and the Father became close friends and colleagues - the Father promoted Palen to a prominent position within the Red Snake, making him the overseer of black market trading within the organisation.

Maul

Maul Durakson had arrived in Kayad a few months after Palen, moving to the free city from Mechetark - the kingdom of the Orcs. Back in his homeland, Maul was the leader of the small tribe of Abayomi, and wanted more than the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the orcs could offer. Maul travelled to Kayad with his tribe, and suddenly a large gang of orc mercenaries were in business.
Within weeks, Maul was inundated with requests for bodyguards, contracted killings, intimidation and far more. It did not take long for him to become a well respected member of the Kayadian criminal underworld - he had dealings with every criminal under the sun, including many members of the Red Snake.
One day, Maul received a contract: to kill the leader of the Red Snake.
At the time, Maul had no allegiances to the syndicate, and so he began his task. He quickly found, however, that locating the Father was a very difficult thing todo. After a month of questioning, Maul and his gang of orcs had gotten nowhere. All hope seemed lost, until Maul returned home one night - to see the Father standing before him.

"I hear you've been very interested in my location" the Father said, with no animosity in his voice at all
Maul said nothing, but subtly reached for his axe
"Do not attempt to strike me down, you will find yourself bleeding out on the floor"
"You think you could take me?"
"Of course not, I am an old man with arthritis in my right hand - I imagine, however, that the assassins outside your door could manage quite nicely"
Maul stared at the Father for quite some time. "What do you want?"
"I have a proposition for you. Your gang has become prominent in the underworld, I wish to make you a member of the Red Snakes"
Maul pondered the proposition, knowing full well of the syndicate's reputation. "When do we get to work?"
"Immediately. Hunt down and kill the man who ordered me dead, and I shall pay you handsomely"

Now a member of the syndicate, the Father provided Maul with the wealthiest contacts. His private army of orcs became the most sought after for bodyguards and assassins. Within months, the Father promoted Maul to the overseer of all operations within the Red Snake to do with protection, intimidation and assassination - but not before paying him to kill his predecessor and dismantle his gang. At his first meeting with the Father, he was greeted by the other overseers - Arturo Palen, and the Senator.

John Ravair

To the law-abiding citzens of Kayad, he was John Ravair - an honoured philanthropist and founder of charities. Unbeknownst to the citizens, he was an expert in illegal business, evading the law and dominating the world of crime - the silent figure behind a multitude of casinos, cage fights and brothels. He had, so far, managed to keep his identity a secret to the criminals he worked with, no criminal knew anything other than his moniker - the Senator, named so because of his diplomatic approach to criminal life.
Ravair had long been a member of the Red Snake, as his father before him was one of the first members - when Ravair inherited the business, he inherited the membership.

"My condelences for your father's death, a tragic loss"
"Thank you, what did you wish to speak with me about?"
"Your future. You have inherited your father's businesses, I would like you to inherit his title as well"
"You would make me an overseer already, with so little experience?"
"Come now, boy, I have known you since your birth. I am already fully confident in your abilities, I need no further proof"
"Thank you, I shall not let you down"
"See to it that you don't"

His illegal enterprises had made him one of the richest men in Kayad. Despite his power, Ravair was devoted to the Red Snake and held unwavering loyalty towards the Father. Since his childhood, the Father had acted as an uncle to Ravair. When Ravair's father died of illness, he gladly took up the reputation of his father - working with the Red Snake. He had, for years, been the overseer of illegal enterprises - presiding over all casinos, arenas and brothels that were under the control of the Red Snake.
Eventually, Ravair decided to make his moniker a reality. With his wealth of connections and influence, he was elected to the Kayadian Senate - the organisation that run the free city of Kayad. This gave him a unique power over the city - guard patrols would coincidentally miss out the areas where his cage fights were held, his organisations somehow avoided every attempt to catch them, captured members were quickly released before anybody had even begun to question them.

Tasaki Menei

A thief from Lok'teng, an elven island in the archipelago, arrived in Kayad in chains - arrested by the city guard as he attempted to flee the Senate Tower with a large amount of the treasury in a bag.
After several hours behind bars, he heard voices entering the prison:

"He's in here, call me if you need anything"
"Thank you John, I'm sure we'll be fine"
An elderly man with an obvious limp hobbled towards him, cane in hand. He had an air of total dominance, whilst also appearing kind and caring - as if he'd give you hug to stab the man behind you.
"Don't worry about those chains. I'm sure you'll be out of them soon, so long as you cooperate"
"And how would I do that?"
"By working with me, and my organisation. You are a man of great talent, you almost took half the treasury with you - we could make good use of you, come with me"
The man got up and left.
"How do you suppose I am to follow?"
"I don't know - consider it a test of your abilities"

As the Father already knew, Menei was more than a master thief - he was a illusion mage. Most illusion mages were hardworking, academic people - and so was Menei. But it was clear to Menei that the ability to become invisible and summon illusions were incredibly useful to a thief - he could sneak in unnoticed, steal everything you own, and replace it with illusions - you wouldn't notice your valubles were gone until a week after the theft.
The Father quickly found a use for Menei, using his contacts to find the most elaborate heists across the eastern kingdoms - the illusion mage truly became a master thief, and he owed it all to the Father. It did not take long for Menei to become an influential member of the Red Snake, he founded a thieves guild in Kayad - employing an army of spies, beggars, pickpockets and thieves to be his eyes, ears and hands on the ground. His guild stole the valuables of nearly every noble in Kayad, and were never caught. After a few months, following the arrest of the current theft overseer, the Father made Menei an overseer - presiding over all operations involving theft, from large-scale heists to ground level pickpockets.

Claw

It was the 30th Day of Twelth Moon. The Red Snake held a banquet to celebrate a successful year, and toast to the new year.
Twelve hours later, the Father was dead.
A rival criminal syndicate, known as the Claw, had plans of expanding from the city of Lerenta to the city of Kayad. They realised that the Father held all power within the city, and was widely respected by all. But they also knew that his overseers held great power themselves, and would go to war over succession - destabilising the city and allowing the Claw to move in. To accomplish this, one of their spies (who had infiltrated and been part of the Red Snake for years) poisoned the cup that the Father drank from.
As predicted, tensions began to brew between the four overseers. Ravair cited his seniority over the others, Palen reminded all of his influence, Maul was prepared to demonstrate his desire to lead with his axe. The animosity grew between the groups, an all-out gang war was imminent and the Claw was all too ready to step in and take control.
It was Tasaki Menei who intervened to prevent a war. He reminded all of them that they would not be where they were today if it weren't for the Father, he reminded all of them that the Father would never have wanted a war over his death. He then also informed them that, whilst they were bickering over leadership, he had used his network of spies to learn that the assassination was carried out by the Claw - who were waiting for an opportunity to strike amongst the chaos that were about to unleash.
Impassioned by Menei's speech, and united in the desire for revenge. The four overseers banded together, using their respective gangs to tear down the claw. Ravai used his influence as a Senator and a businessman to tear down the Claw's enterprises, Maul's army of orcs decimated their hitmen, Menei used his guild to gather any and all information of the syndicate and its members, Palen used his contacts to to dry up the guild's source of income. After months of work, the overseers of the Red Snake watched the execution of the boss of the syndicate - finishing the job and avenging the Father.

Separation

After the destruction of the Claw, the Red Snake began to fracture once again. With nothing to hold them together, they began to drift apart and cease to work together - small skirmishes began to break out between the gangs.
Eventually, Ravair proposed a treaty between the four powers. They all met in the upper rooms of one of the finest casinos in Kayad, and discussed for hours. After this, they all signed the Red Snake Treaty. The Treaty established that the four overseers, and their respective gangs, would part ways and establish independent operations. They would stay out of each others businesses and do nothing to interfere with each other's enterprises - the would remain, however, under the banner of the Red Snake, and would work together when necessary.
After this, the four overseers managed to make the situation work. There was, of course, the occasional dispute between the powers - but nothing that couldn't be resolved over a discussion between the powers.

"The Thieves Guild clashed with the Abayomi again today"

"Again? Over what?

"Not sure. I heard one of the Senator's men mention something about the Abayomi protecting a bank that the Guild were about to hit"

"They'll figure it out within a week, like they always do - the gangs clash, then the bosses get involved and sort it out over a drink"

Current Day

Currently, Red Snake continue to exert a great deal of influence upon the city of Kayad. They are, of course, constant new rival syndicates that claim areas of Kayad as their territory, some are successful in repelling Red Snake, most are not.
Next year, however, the Kayadian Senate is being re-elected. There are several prospective candidates who have made the eradication of crime syndicates in Kayad a major part of their campaign promises - and many have proven resistant to the all forms of intimidation. If Ravair does not regain his seat in the senate, there is a possibility that Red Snake may be about to encounter some fierce enemies in the government that they have trodden over for decades.

Members

The Father

This has always been my city, now kneel

Information on the Father is scarce, all that is known is that he arrived in Kayad in 1239 and went on to found a powerful criminal syndicate. He was strategic, wise and ruthless with a wealth of information - the phrase 'Only the Father knows' has arisen amongst the people of Kayad in reference to his seemingly infinite information. He was widely respected by the underworld of Kayad, few dared to raise a finger against him.

Arturo Palen

I have always found coin to be the greatest negotiator

Leader of the Palen Drug Cartel, his narcotics supply every addict in the eastern kingdoms. A member of the Red Snake since he assassinated his boss, Palen is ambitious, hardworking and prefers negotiation over violence.

Maul Durakson

There's nothing that cannot be solved with an axe

Leader of the Abayomi Mercenary Tribe, Maul travelled from his homeland with his tribe in search of work - and the stereotype of orcs as violent and bloodthirsty proved very useful in finding clients. A member of the Red Snake after being invited by the Father, he is quick to anger and slow to think.

John Ravair

Who says honourable citizens can't be criminals?

Leader of the Senator Enterprises, Ravair owns almost every illegal establishment in Kayad. A member of the Red Snake since his father, a founding member, died of illness. Ravair has a head for numbers, but is not beyond violent action in the slightest.

Tasaki Menei

Blink and you'll miss me, stare and you'll still miss me

Leader of the Kayad Thieves Guild, he has ears in every part of Kayad and the possessions of half its nobles. A member of the Red Snake since the Father rescued him from prison, he is academic, studious and prefers stealth to outright violence.

From Blood, flows Coin

Type

Illicit, Syndicate

Alternative Names

The Snakes