Organized Crime in the Verse

The Triads: The Triads are collectively the most significant criminal organizations in the 'Verse. They are a group of culturally Chinese-dominated syndicates, loosely connected to one another. If unified, they would easily overpower all of the other criminal groups in the 'Verse – fortunately for their rivals, the Triads are internally divided. Triad gangs generally control all prostitution, gambling, and extortion in their regions. Freelance criminal operations are often allowed, but the Triad will demand a usurious cut of any freelance operations in their turf. They frequently dominate legitimate businesses as well, especially entertainment, construction, labor pools, and equipment rental. Street gangs in Triad turf generally must turn over a share of their booty to avoid interference. Triad soldiers, often called 49’ers, are usually well equipped, but often affect a standard look - sunglasses, black coats, and hatchets or axes. The Triads into five major "societies" and countless minor clans, who have a hierarchy of status among them.

• The largest Triad society is the "Red Dragon Society", based on the core world of Sihnon (White Sun). The Red Dragon “Shan Chu” (leader) is generally accepted as the senior leader by other Triads, as they are strong enough to maintain distance and peace with the Syndicates. Strongly interested in maintaining the status quo, the Red Dragon Society has many connections within the Alliance Parliament and the megacorps.

• The "Jade Fist Society" is the most belligerent Triad, having come into conflict with the other Triads in recent years. The leaders and members of the Jade Fist are traditional rivals of the Sihnonese gangs. They are expected to push for the top seat within a few years.The Jade Fist Society is based on Santo (White Sun).

• The "Righteous Brotherhood of Enterprise" Society has a better reputation with law enforcement and the media as a more “moderate” organization catering to the upper crust of the Alliance. They are generally considered lower profile and less homicidal than the other gangs, but they have large enough numbers to maintain healthy respect from the other societies. The Righteous Brotherhood is most active on Osiris and Bellepheron. (White Sun)

• The embattled "Fire Lotus Society" formerly dominated much of the Rim. Recent years have been hard for the society, as collective encroachment by rival syndicates and internal strife have whittled the organization down. They lost control of many territories during the Unification War. This loss of turf has ironically meant that their remaining holdings are now more secure than in the past, and the new leadership cadre is ready to begin retaking past losses. They are currently based on Boros (Georgia).

• Finally, the "Black Cat Brotherhood" is spread throughout the Blue Sun. Originally a part of the Fire Lotus, the Black Cats split off during the Unification War in a fight that was eventually settled by mediators from Sihnon. They are the smallest major Triad Society, and the most desperate for recruits. They remain independent largely because nobody really wants to control their turf badly enough to risk the fighting.The Reaver-plagued world of Lilac (Blue Sun) is now a Black Cat stronghold, which actually makes life a bit easier for the residents.

The Hesperia Club: Considered by most people to be mythical, the “Hesperia Club” is a traditional mafia-style crime organization with roots going back to North American crime syndicates on Old Earth. To this day, the trappings and culture within the organization are inspired by Old American history and culture. The Hesperia Club is possibly the single most powerful crime syndicate in the Core, though it has diverse interests on many worlds. The Hesperia Club maintains a much lower profile than the other groups, as well as cordial relations with the Red Dragon Triads. They are not as heavily invested in the street action, preferring to focus their energies on the corporations, the government, and industry. As a result, the Hesperia Club has subtle tentacles involved in much of the Alliance. It expends a great deal of effort and energy remaining invisible, a stark contract to several of the flashier crime organizations. Many industrial centers and other focuses of money and power are all Club-dominated, often without anyone being aware of it. The Hesperia Club's "franchises" in the outer systems retain loose ties to the mother organization on Ariel (White Sun), which coordinates to ensure that they do not work at cross purposes.

Family Businesses

Tsvangirai Clan: The most infamous non-Triad syndicate in the 'Verse is the Tsvangirai Clan (pronounced "chang-girr-igh"), a huge extended family ruled by “Big Daddy Tsvangirai”, the patriarch of the the clan. Big Daddy is rumored to be a voodoo priest – though never confirmed, he enjoys the fearsome mystique this provides. In reality, Tsvangirai is well connected among both the corporate and political worlds. Clan operations are usually controlled by one of Big Daddy's many sons and daughters; these men and women are rotated and replaced fairly frequently, and posts are awarded largely on merit. Big Daddy Tsvangirai's elite troops, the "Leopards of Judah", are feared even by the Triads. They are recruited from poor cities in the Core and trained to elite standards by former Alliance military instructors. The Tvangirai Clan has diverse interests scattered throughout the 'Verse, though the family maintains its headquarters on Paquin (Red Sun)

House Lytton-Chavez: House Lytton-Chavez was affiliated with the dueling culture of Persephone and are known as dashing swordsmen. After being involved in a serious scandal in the 2400's, the family relocated to estates on Harvest (Red Sun). The Lytton-Chavez have turf scattered around the Rim Worlds, where they compete and conflict with Triads. They operate most of the various vice operations in their turf, and supply the other syndicates with small amounts of natural drug ingredients. Their other primary asset is smuggling connections and routes. They are able to move vast amounts of materiel and people around the 'Verse through a fleet of freighters and transports. As a result, they have a constant source of revenue and reinforcements. Legitimate Lytton-Chavez assets include investments in a number of Border World businesses, and some ties to Core-based Megacorps. After years of internal strife, the House Lytton-Chavez finally appears to have acquired strong leadership under the now-matured Lord Antony Lytton-Chavez, who learned painful lessons from his earlier campaigns.