Dark Chicago      Iron Crosses

Tier I - W
A dwindling Lithuanian gang clinging to scraps of turf in West Englewood, the Iron Crosses survive through ancestral rituals, rust-wrought relics, and sheer ghost-fueled paranoia. A handful of Irish members joined after their own crew was wiped out by the Crown Sons, adding anger to the mix of fear and faith.

“Iron binds. Ash remembers. And ghosts don’t flinch.”

The Funeral Boys, Crossmarked

Iron Crosses

Npcs

Matas “No-Eyes” Paulius (leader) – Shaved head, rosary scar burns, half-blind but sees what others don’t. Listens more than he speaks. Knows when death is coming.
Eamon “Spool” McCaffrey (lieutenant) – Young Irish bruiser with a stitched lip and broken knuckles. Doesn’t believe in spirits—until they talk to him.

The Cross Patch

Turf

St. Bartholomew’s Social Hall (HQ) – An abandoned Lithuanian hall repurposed as a clubhouse, shrine, and bunker. The air always smells faintly of iron and old incense.
Switchyard Tunnel Mouth – A defunct rail tunnel used for meetings, drug drops, and Veil rites. Rumors say time flows wrong here.
Sister Vika’s Basement – A healing den, witch-hole, and Veil ward space kept alive by a 90-year-old woman the Crosses treat like a living relic.

Notable Assets

A Veil-bound reliquary box from a church fire in 1929—requires regular “feeding.”
Control of an alleyway network between 61st and 65th that’s considered Veil-sensitive.
A secret rite that lets them “feel” incoming death (sometimes too late).

Quirks

Every member wears an iron ring etched with a burnt sigil, passed down or made in ritual.
Some claim their dead still fight with them—especially in turf wars.
Whisper prayers are painted beneath all their graffiti tags.
Hold “Iron Nights,” silent ritual vigils where no one speaks until dawn.

Situation

The Iron Crosses are holding on by threads and hexes. Surrounded by bigger, louder, and more brutal gangs, they’ve become a myth as much as a threat—”the boys who bring the funeral with ‘em.” The Crown Sons keep pushing closer, seeing them as relics to be swept aside, but the Crosses know things the Sons don’t. And when the Veil gets involved, being underestimated is a weapon all its own.
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