The Crimson Lily
A generational crime cartel spearheaded by a noble family that has private ties to one of the highest ranked public figures at the Dannamore.
Structure
Nearly as old as the city itself, the Crimson Lily has a strict hierarchy that have been followed for hundreds of years across entire generations of members. The eldest member of Redding heritage, by birth not marriage, and is willing and able to oversee the organization is in charge. Mimicking the governing political structure of Allegran cities there is a single leader called the 'Afiadio' - which derives it's roots from the same source language as 'Mansa' but whereas 'Mansa' means soft or calm, 'Afiadio' means sharp and harsh.
Aside from the Afiadio there are only a couple of other titles within the syndicate which hold specific responsibilities or weight;
Afiadio:
Kingpin of the organization and always the eldest member of the Redding bloodline, the Afiadio is responsible for managing hundreds of secret deals, trading knowledge, and manipulating the city of Etude from behind the scenes. They are only talked about by title, never directly by name, and only family or those with extremely close ties to the family know the identity of the Afiadio.
The Usurer:
The person responsible for issuing and maintaining all ongoing contracts or debts. They usually work closely with the Afiadio as they do not personally make 'business' decisions without their leaders' approval. They are sometimes also known as the bookkeeper or accountant, although these are more broad references used by the wider criminal community and not specific to the Crimson Lily.
Iabbo:
Less of an official title and more of a designation, these are low-level miscreants and untested wannabes who come to the Crimson Lilies through street connections. Before anybody of authority in the Crimson Lilies learns your name, you're called 'iabbo'. For example, a boss might delegate a task to his subordinate and say; 'Take an iabbo with you to monitor the shop'. This is a colloquial term used within the cartel to identify someone who is expendable or has not earned the trust of the family without outright saying it to their face.
Assets
Among their primary assets are a multiple private residences throughout various districts of Etude, including Redding Manor, the generational home owned for centuries by the family. In mundane terms, the family and those close to them are some of the wealthiest folk in Etude.
With official currency currently impossible to replicate, their ties to the Dannamore have yielded a rough approximation of the formula used to create lats, kots, and rounds. The process has not been completely successful but they still have contacts within the Ivory Tower and their own less sophisticated means of research is ongoing. This knowledge is closely guarded, even from the contacts at the Dannamore who are not fully informed of the context in which their leaks are being used - some have been told they are secretly employed by the Allegran government to keep tabs on the Dannamore, and others simply sell information as it becomes available to them. Both the formula and the network of informants are are powerful assets in and of themselves.
Founding Date
1125 NC
Type
Illicit, Cartel
Alternative Names
LIly Reds, Red Thugs
Leader
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments