Sharkfin Syndicate

"So he's dead. Let's kill the girl and continue on."
"No." The deep voice of Rabel Bosk's second gave everyone in the room pause. "She will lead when she is older. She has already begun the training."
A short, ugly laugh. "We'll see old man. We'll see how well you stand up to all of us."
The only thing betraying Arjas Krishnan's mood was the tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "All?" He said, the tone of his voice chilling the heat that had been in the room a few moments before. "We shall see."
Five men moved forward cautiously, eyes darting this way and that, looking for a way to neutralize the man who had helped keep Rabel Bosk in power for all these years. In a heartbeat, throwing knives had left sightless eyes in two of them. Two men half rose behind the old man, and he waved his hand in a way that implied he wouldn't need their assistance. Two more heartbeats, and two men fell with heavy, serrated, double-bladed knives in their chests. They were gasping and begging, but it was clear that removing the knives would only hasten their demise. The look on the old man's face made it clear that mercy was not in the cards for any of these men.
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a filament of thin wire. "Come on then," he said, "no more knives. This should be easy for you, young lion."
And so the eternal dance between young and old lions began, with the young slashing and stabbing at the elder. The elder dodged easily, and let the young man wear himself out. In time, loops of wire started making their way toward the young man. In a little more time, the old man barely perspiring, he caught the young man around the neck. A few seconds of pressure, and crimson painted the ceiling, walls, and the old Lion.
Kicking the head out of the way, the Major-Domo of the Sharkfin Syndicate demonstrated again why the Bosk family still ran the Sharkfin Syndicate, despite the fact that the last three Bosk family leaders had died untimely deaths. As long as Arjas Krishnan breathed and Bosk had heirs, Bosk would rule the Sharkfin.

Structure

Leader Major-Domo Lieutenants Soldiers

Public Agenda

To amass wealth by any means necessary

Assets

The Sharkfin Syndicate is the largest criminal enterprise on the Mid-Continent. As such, they leverage control over corrupted government officials, corrupt policing forces, and some trade. They do engage in piracy on the high seas as weather allows. So far as ready cash goes, they always seem to have enough. Enough to hire more strongmen, enough to buy another ship, enough to do whatever it is they want. They own several compounds throughout the Mid-Continent. The Sharkfin are also involved in legitimate business enterprises.

History

Three hundred years ago, the Sharkfin broke from the previous and infamous Shark Clan, who at the time were noted for their cruelty and piracy. Ibn Bosk had enough of needless killing on the high seas, and realized that more money could be made by investing in both legitimate and illegitimate ventures. Breaking away was easy, finishing the job was harder. All in all, it may have been significantly simpler for Ibn Bosk to take over the Shark Clan. Instead, he managed to subvert most of the soldiers, and eventually most of the leaders were killed or self-exiled. Ibn built a criminal empire but eschewed the underground slave trade. Unfortunately, his descendents weren't so discriminating.

"It's always good to smell a little blood in the water."

Type

Illicit, Gang

Alternative Names

Sharkfin