Hazefall
In Dimension 960 (world with Gareth and Bryony), the organization known as Hazefall runs the city of Cathaion. Cathaion is an important political city, but it's so far off and ringed by so many rivers and stuck so deep in the jungle, that regular travel there is difficult; and so it is left mostly to its own devices - or in this case, left to the mafia-style cartel called Hazefall.
Hazefall has its hands in a lot of different operations, from drugs and illegal medicines, prostitute houses, slave trade, real estate scams (good land is a precious commodity in a place where the jungle will claim anything in a matter of days), and protection rackets, to their biggest and most profitable enterprise: the manufacture and distribution of magical weapons.
Hazefall was founded 130 years before any meaningful resistance was started, and originally was created with more give and take for the people. Due to what essentially amounted to abandonment by the government and nearby factions, Cathaion and the small surrounding cities needed both funds and men to help combat not only the jungle, but also the groups of guerrillas who were trying to take Cathaion and start planning a country-wide coup from there (difficult access meant that official troops were less in control, meaning that many guerrilla-type rebel groups would try and gain a foothold in the jungle before making serious attempts on more important cities). The rich family of Haez - which also had many children skilled in creating Thaen Mists - offered a solution. They'd help protect Cathaion with their own personal guards, as well as training a militia, and Cathaion would pay them in money and services rendered.
The original Haez family knew that they were much more likely to last if they mostly kept the status quo and didn't dabble in matters outside of Cathaion. The rest of the country would barely notice - or care if they did. So they had no designs on any sort of rebellions or political moves. And if outsiders did notice or care, well, they wouldn't want to mess with such an important weapons dealer. Those weapons kept the entire country of Choltirtan protected, after all.
The current Haez family and leaders of Hazefall still keep to those ideas, protecting their own in a city that has given them more than they have ever given back to, the only politics they deal in revolving around Cathaion. It is their own little empire that they maintain, keeping it running smoothly and securely. School systems, education, clean streets that are well paved, marketplaces with the best that the world has to offer (careful curated, of course, but for decent prices), thriving trade, safety from any jungle beasts or guerillas, and more.
What matter is it that dissenters fall from power or disappear? Does it matter that the children of... noisy... families could potentially end up on the slave market or motels in the red district? Or that anyone trying to expand or move must pay fees beyond their means? Or that every neighborhood has to pay high taxes for the clearly very kind militia that continuously patrol their streets? Or that no one can leave the city? Or that "no" is no longer a word permissible for the lower class to use - at least not towards their superiors? Or that, sometimes, you might have to put in earplugs just to make extra sure that you never heard any screams?
After all, isn't it better to be safe and comfortable than to be free?
Type
Illicit, Cartel
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