The Ardath Syndicate

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

The Ardath Syndicate

The Ardath Philosophy

"Strike a man down with cane and club, and he will come to crave your blood"

"But let a man borrow resources from you, and he will live to serve."

History

Rise and Fall of the Ardath Name

The Ardath Syndicate was formed in the Occitan Empire just before the dismantling of the Holy Empire. The Syndicate was formed by means of Lord Retarak Ardath and the production of a drug called "Traik" in order to establish themselves as minor players in the black-market. The Ardath Syndicate started small, operating only in their direct area and retaining the honor of their name. However over the course of decades, the criminal side of the family embedded itself in their honor.

It did not take long before the sudden emergence of Traik and the boom in the Ardath family's wealth made it necessary to flee their homeland in search of greener pastures. The family moved from Buchloe to Vale, leaving behind all but a few trusted enforcers and distillers in their passing. Using what they had left of their family wealth, they set up shop in Vale in the shadows. For all purposes, the Ardath family name perished the moment they stepped foot out of Buchloe, and the Reemot name surfaced in its place.

Establishing Roots

The first few years were difficult for the Syndicate, at first it was difficult to protect themselves from the local gangs and rackets; however do to the addictive nature of the Traik it was not long before they started turning a profit. Retarak used his wealth as a tool to convince militia and mercenaries alike to join with his enforcers to seek out the rival gangs and cripple them. Being a businessman, it was foolish in Retarak's mind to simply kill the leaders of the rival gang, so instead he made a deal; convert and rebuild the gang as a vassal for the family, or fight Retarak. Needless to say, two out of the three leaders chose to fight Retarak and were executed on the spot; yet the third chose vassalage.

Unlike the Ardath name, the Reemot name managed to stay away from the view of the Watch and other local agents with association to the Traik trade. Sure, there were arrests made and shipments seized, but it was the leader of the vassal who took the heat for it; and the ones who were arrested knowing that the vassal was taking orders from the Reemot family were swiftly silenced.

The family reigned on the outskirts of the law for quite some time, expanding their influence through lies, blackmail, and intimidation. Those loyal to the family were given a salary, and even those not loyal to the family certainly were to the color of their coin. The family even established a chain of herbal stores, claiming to have the cure to the after-effects of the drug in which they secretly sold, making money and appearing to the public to be doing something about the rampant growth of the drug.

Downward Spiral

At the old age of 87, Retarak "Ardath" Reemot died of a heart-attack, leaving behind his criminal empire to his three sons. The sons, having grown up learning the business, knew what to do when managing the business. With the death of Retarak, the birth of more problems began to arise. The vassal whose loyalty was to Retarak, grew more and more aggressive. It was not long before the vassal split into two sides, those loyal to the Ardath Syndicate, and those loyal to the now notorious war-lord. Lawmen and the Watch also began to get suspicious, in their eyes it would have seemed as though a war-lord who was elusively evading capture (The Syndicate's doing) had turned his sights to a family that had no ties to criminal activity. This prompted an investigation into the family, turning up a Traik distribution lab on abandoned family land.

Sewing the Seed

Crippled by a considerate loss of manpower and inquiries by the watch, the flow of Traik was slowed to a trickle. No arrests were made on the heads of the Syndicate due to a combination of framing and deceit to paint the incident on a band of independent Traik brewers. The suspicion still lingered however, and it was decided that one of them must leave for Sanctimonia to establish roots in case they needed a place to flee. Vernon Reemot was given money and a band of loyal men in order to establish themselves. As a precaution, Vernon changed his surename to Portella in order to keep those who had heard of the suspicions of the Reemot name, mainly major underworld players, at bay.

External Relations

None known

Recruitment

While the organization is vast in terms of distribution, each head of the family recruits and manages their own instance of the Syndicate in their region. This makes each chapter vastly different in terms of manpower and influence. The Syndicate pays its members well based upon how loyal they are, and due to the nature of their business consequences are swift and brutal. Joining entails that a member of the Syndicate vouches for you, holding both the recruiter and recruit liable if something went wrong.

Ranks

Head - The head directs the movements of the sum of the parts. Usually runs the Herbal shop.

Suit - Thought of as the middle-man that gives orders to the parts and relays information to the head.

Leg - This individual is responsible for the gathering of materials to outsource the making of various drugs from local suppliers.

Cloak - Composed of only a couple people, they are in charge of gathering information that can be used for blackmail.

Arm - Head of the Blades, often knows who the head is and is payed for loyalty. Historically the Arm is the leader of a converted mercenary group.

Blade - Knows nothing except for what the arm tells it to do, usually isn't paid by the Syndicate. Is responsible for acts of extortion and enforcement.

Shoe - Comprised of local suppliers and dealers who push product for the Syndicate, most are only contacted by the Leg to collect payment.

Equipment

There is no standard equipment or uniform for the Syndicate, most members have their own equipment or are expected to use their funds to purchase equipment.

Out-Of-Character

If there is any problem regarding the lore that I may have missed, or that is causing conflicts, please tell me so that I may revise and correct. As for the Syndicate's involvement in Surna, Traik doesn't have to be introduced introduced into the Rp for it to work, but will be requested in more detail later.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Mon Apr 15, 2013 6:59 am

Question!:

...How do they play into Surna? They'd need a heavy foot in the Sanctimonian door to pass through customs as I understand them, and would similarly require a good bit of work overland to reach the city, almost half way through the country away from Occitan. Not saying their distributions couldn't affect Surna, but, I don't see how they can play an active role in the city at all. Similarly... the Wargs don't exactly try and knock down other criminal organizations; however, they do like making sure no one gets big enough to hamper their business, and their underground smuggling routes.

I'm all for adding this as a group, however, as they are defined; I think they'd need to keep most of their actions strictly in Occitan, that is if the shoe fits at all. Vinburg Order might hunt down those impious whom dare trepidate into their lands. They might even be able to work with the Wargs to help spread the love of... Traik?

For being Occitanian, which is as I understand, a Napoleanic Germany, forming from Germanic Tribes; I don't think Traik fits the etmology. That most certainly isn't a game breaker, i just wanted to point it out.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:26 am

Imperial Trade, House Ross, and the Wargs would be competition worthy of note. If you could, as Dom suggested, explain how the Syndicate has stayed out of their grasp.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

Dominator046 wrote:: Question!:

...How do they play into Surna?

That will come if this is accepted. Planning on including that in the soon to be proposed character's back-story.

They'd need a heavy foot in the Sanctimonian door to pass through customs

The drug is made out of a combination of herbs and materials, being that the Syndicate runs a chain of Herbal shops, the transporting of goods between stores would be commonplace and nothing to bat an eye at.

as I understand them, and would similarly require a good bit of work overland to reach the city, almost half way through the country away from Occitan.

The heads of the Syndicate are set up throughout the continent and each help each other in terms of smuggling and reach, it's fitting that their symbol is a Hydra because if one head is cut off, one more grows back to take its place ready to consume the attacker. Also, The Syndicate rarely has their own members get into harms way, they control through debt and blackmail, making the individuals work for them under threats that their secrets would be exposed, or their family would pay the price for his debt.

Not saying their distributions couldn't affect Surna, but, I don't see how they can play an active role in the city at all.

Also will be soon to come with the soon to be proposed character, it wouldn't be as if anyone in Surna would have heard of the Ardath Syndicate anyway due to the demeanor of their actions. . It would be more likely that people would know the front business that they run through. Traik isn't just a common drug, it's a fairly pricey designer drug that wouldn't circulate in such vast loads and I would assume not have as much attention drawn to it.

Similarly... the Wargs don't exactly try and knock down other criminal organizations; however, they do like making sure no one gets big enough to hamper their business, and their underground smuggling routes.

The Syndicate are not major players in the underground, they prefer to balance the family name with their criminal dealings. For example, their Herbal shops serve the community, but some of the inventory goes into creating the drug and paying the informants/members for their services.

I'm all for adding this as a group, however, as they are defined; I think they'd need to keep most of their actions strictly in Occitan, that is if the shoe fits at all. Vinburg Order might hunt down those impious whom dare trepidate into their lands.

I cannot stress the importance of a "Seperate but United" system enough, the Vinburg order would only effect the Occitan chapter of the Syndicate, and that is even if they did know the criminal nature of the Ardath fronts. Each Syndicate head maintains their own resources, management, and rackets with very little illegitimate help from the outside. The only problem would be the trade routes of herbs in that region, and it's not really that big of one.

They might even be able to work with the Wargs to help spread the love of... Traik?

Traik is made by the head of each syndicate with the help of a few trusted individuals. The only way the Wargs could help spread the love is by sneaking into the Syndicate operations base and stealing the already made drug. It's highly unlikely that they would be able to produce it themselves, as the only one with the education to produce the drug is one of Ardath lineage.

For being Occitanian, which is as I understand, a Napoleanic Germany, forming from Germanic Tribes; I don't think Traik fits the etmology. That most certainly isn't a game breaker, i just wanted to point it out.

They started out in Occitan, but spread out to other parts of the continent through the years. So tecnically, I guess you could say that most migrated from Occitan.

If there is anything more that I need to touch up on, or need to tweak slightly, please let me know. Suggestions would be good also.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:20 am

Also, nobody is allowed in or out of the city for now until Martial Law is lifted.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

You mean in Surna? That's fine, if this gets passed through I would still need to submit the character application and get that worked out. Will probably take a week or so to get the kinks worked out.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:46 pm

Skelasoldier wrote:: The heads of the Syndicate are set up throughout the continent and each help each other in terms of smuggling and reach, it's fitting that their symbol is a Hydra because if one head is cut off, one more grows back to take its place ready to consume the attacker. Also, The Syndicate rarely has their own members get into harms way, they control through debt and blackmail, making the individuals work for them under threats that their secrets would be exposed, or their family would pay the price for his debt.

This doesn't answer the question, this only states what they do once they've obtained power. This mode of control if effective enough, however, not entirely effective. You need constant observation, constant work, you need agents to ensure things smooth over, you need a basis in your environment, you need to seem believable as well as experienced and local. Also, crossing the continent would be a HUGE undertaking, it would require, literally, tens-of-thousands of men to produce a functional system, at the very least, not even including the possibility of profit. Even more so than just average joes, you would have a great deal of thugs, that would be much more threatening than the law on your tail. They could go further than the law when the law is lacking, and even then, the law in Aeria isn't like the law today. Warrants aren't hard to get, if they are even required at all. Fuck, Stom Razel nearly executed my mage twice on suspicion of someone whom he thought may have been seen by my mage; I don't think the law will largely flinch at kicking down doors, coercion, and some pretty nasty material. Similarly, people are NOT indispensible, especially in nefarious groups. It is not always easy to replace another human being with the particular skillset you need, not so much because it's hard to find it, but its hard to get them to work loyally for you, given the risk and opposition. Similarly, how does the syndicate 'consume' the attacker? Criminals don't exactly adhere to gunlaws, taxes, debts, or blackmail and usually resist muggings (with the use of weapons). While I could see them working small scale over the countryside of Occitan with peasants on their leashes; I don't see this system producing a criminal enterprise larger than every established nation in the world.

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Not saying their distributions couldn't affect Surna, but, I don't see how they can play an active role in the city at all.

Also will be soon to come with the soon to be proposed character, it wouldn't be as if anyone in Surna would have heard of the Ardath Syndicate anyway due to the demeanor of their actions. . It would be more likely that people would know the front business that they run through. Traik isn't just a common drug, it's a fairly pricey designer drug that wouldn't circulate in such vast loads and I would assume not have as much attention drawn to it.

This is actually the opposite of how notoriety works; something rare, expensive, valuable, and otherwise hard to acquire attracts attention. If you'll permit a realistic example, common and or easy to produce illegal substances are often overlooked. The best example of this is Moonshine. It is illegal in pretty much the entirety of the United States, yet, I've talked to several people whom have it (and I've seen it personally) in their fridges. It's rarely talked about, and though its still hounded, it's not nearly as hounded as those harder to produce, which also make it far easier to fight; one reason why Marijuana isn't legalized is that it's so easy to grow, and unlike tobacco which is harder to grow, almost any person in all fifty states could begin growing it and escape any taxation. So, returning to the original point I wished to make; the more ritzy, rare, expensive, desirable, and harder to acquire the drug/item is, the more its valued, and the more it can be fought publicly.

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The Syndicate are not major players in the underground, they prefer to balance the family name with their criminal dealings. For example, their Herbal shops serve the community, but some of the inventory goes into creating the drug and paying the informants/members for their services.

Those informants, members, drug creators, pushers, and transporters, as well as anyone whom may know about this, is an accessory and effectively active in the underground thereof. If not for their own desires, simply because they are breaking the law, and are subject to dealings from other rogues for good or ill.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

Well, then I'm in between a rock and a hard place. Any suggestions on how I can get it to work? If not then it's a deny from me and I would ask an admin to remove the application.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Tue Apr 16, 2013 3:28 am

Skelasoldier wrote:: Well, then I'm in between a rock and a hard place. Any suggestions on how I can get it to work? If not then it's a deny from me and I would ask an admin to remove the application.

I don't want to totally kill your idea, I just want to make it work well and function as it should. Give me a little bit to look things over, and I'll see about what can be done to get it as close to what you want as possible.

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:04 am

For only manufacturing one drug and going off the occasional black mail isn't really going to support a multiregional business. You'd need many facilities to produce this drug to support the whole of Aeria addicted to this. All the while you'd have to be under constant watch and harassment from larger organizations such as the Wargs, Imperial Trade, and House Ross... who are all now working together..

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:38 am

BooM wrote:: the Wargs, Imperial Trade, and House Ross... who are all now working together..

It's an interesting relationship. Everyone employs the Wargs to do things they need done. Best Service in Aeria since 2012.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

Quote :: I don't want to totally kill your idea, I just want to make it work well and function as it should. Give me a little bit to look things over, and I'll see about what can be done to get it as close to what you want as possible.

Would appreciate it, I'm not too worried about changing certain aspects to balance it out, I'm just not as acquainted with the knowledge to balance it out. My idea was just producing a designer drug out of the masquerade of a legal Herb shop, but I suppose it would make more sense to expand it into the production of a broader type of drug?

Subject: Re: The Ardath Syndicate Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:34 am

It would make sense to produce more varieties of drugs. In case one fails, you still have the others that are making profits rather than relying on the profit of one drug that could be shut down.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

Updated with revised and specific lore pertaining to the origins.

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

I think we should put this on hold for now. Not deny it, just put it on hold for the moment. Way too many sprawling, rich, influential crime organizations at the moment as it is.

Scrublet Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-04

Sounds good. In the meantime I'll make adjustments depending on the feedback I get from this application.

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

Skelasoldier wrote:: Sounds good. In the meantime I'll make adjustments depending on the feedback I get from this application.

Thanks for understanding. When circumstances have changed, I'll be glad to give this a proper look.