Once a prestigious order formed to protect Ladroa from its enemies, the Grey Stripes have long been little more than a fading criminal gang. Now, at the precipice of their destruction, a new dawn beckons the Grey Stripes to the path of honour once more...
THE RISE of the STRIPES
A century ago, in the tumult following the Great Reclamation of Iagos, the Order of the Grey Stripes was formed as a local militia for the civil defense of Ladroa. Important figures in the Puetro district - merchants, craftsmen, shipbuilders, mariners, former soldiers, and godly patriots - met regularly, pooled resources, patrolled the docks and coastal waters, negotiated mutual benefit pacts, and generally took it upon themselves to enforce order in post-war Ladroa.
Once upon a time, the informal livery of the Grey Stripes (brown with grey stripes) was considered a badge of honour in the city, but over time, their image became tarnished by their involvement in graft scandals, mercenary actions, protection rackets, extortion, smuggling, and other illegal activities. What had begun as a noble undertaking soon transformed into a criminal association operating under a thin veil of legitimacy and bygone honour.
THE DE CINZA FAMILY
During the Great Reclamation, the Caballero Don Carlo De Cinza was accorded a minor noble title, and a token patch of land. Although his holdings were small, the spoils of war after the Reclamation allowed the Caballero to swiftly build up his family's position in Ladroa's busy port scene. Before long, the De Cinzas owned a mercantile concession and shipping depots in the Puerto. They constructed an elegant manor, the Casa Cinzento (aka, the Grey Lodge), in the heart of the Los Armacentes warehouse district.
THE FALL
In recent months, escalating tensions became evident within the Grey Stripes camp, erupting occasionally into internecine violence. A power struggle occurred between the old guard of the Stripes, and an internal faction of younger members who had become corrupted by the cult of the Reborn in Darkness. A coup unseated the sitting leader, Don Rafael De Cinza, and in the resulting purge, half the gang was killed or sent into hiding. The Reborn in Darkness then began more aggressively policing their territory to reinforce their hold over the Grey Stripes turf.
THE ADVENT of the REBORN IN DARKNESS
It was soon discovered that the Reborn in Darkness cult was an offshoot of the ancient, outlawed Chaos religion devoted to Scavra, the Vagary of Darkness. This cult promoted a nihilistic, hedonistic philosophy, predicated on an end to the age of human enlightenment, and a return to a natural state of 'blindness' to laws and morality, serving only the basest impulses.
The influence of Chaos entered the Grey Stripes gang by way of the man named Cortazaro (“the Cutter"). As an up-and-coming enforcer who managed his turf well, he entered the inner circle of the Stripes accompanied by his entourage. The Grey Stripes had no imposed religious affiliations, and in a city as wild as Ladroa, none questioned Cortazaro's apparent connections with some obscure old anarchist religion. Through guile, threats, and sheer force of personality, Cortazaro's clique within the Stripes grew in influence, and the anti-doctrine of Scavra spread with it.
DON RAFAEL DE CINZA (deceased)
Although his family name still carried weight, Don Rafael De Cinza had grown complacent and accepting of the dwindling status of the Grey Stripes. He left much of the gang's assets to the stewardship of sub-lieutenants. Presented with an ambitious and charismatic figure like Cortazaro, Don Rafael elected to turn a blind eye to the serpent at his bosom. He paid the the price for his inaction when he was dragged from his bed in the dead of night, and had his eyes cut out their sockets by Cortazaro. He then was forced to listen to the screams of his two sons as they were beaten to death by frenzied members of his own gang, before finally being executed himself.
CAPITAN JORGE BALLENERO (presumed deceased)
When tensions escalated, Ballenero mounted the strongest resistance to the Reborn cult's influence over the gang. According to Ballenero's journals, he was suspicious of Cortazaro early on. As the threat grew, he became ever more frustrated with Don Rafael's inaction. Ballenero attempted to rally loyalists against the Reborn coup, and for a short while, he managed to stay one step ahead. In the end, it is said that he was betrayed and stabbed to death in a backstreet ambush. Without his guiding hand, the remaining Grey Stripes loyalists went into hiding or skipped town, rather than sharing the same fate.
BELASCA DE CINZA
Don Rafael's two sons perished quickly after Cortazaro's coup. Fortunately, his youngest child, 13-year-old Belasca, was spared this fate by the intervention of Jorge Ballenero, who arranged for her to be taken out of the city before violence erupted. Now, with Cortazaro and his cultists eliminated, she has returned to Ladroa, and taken up leadership of the weakened Grey Stripes loyalists. She has vowed to rebuild not only the organization, but also the prestige and honour of the order as a benign, altruistic presence in the Puerto.
In a remarkably short period of time, she has managed to gather both financial resources and public goodwill around her idealistic cause. It remains to be seen whether she can truly leave the stigma of her family's past behind them. In Ladroa, virtue is usually either fleeting... or false.
GREY STRIPES HOLDINGS in LADROA
Although their grip had been weakening for generations, the Grey Stripes still retain some influence in the Puerto and Armacentes districts. Although Cortazaro's Reborn in Darkness cultists aggressively stepped up their interests in smuggling, drugs, prostitution, and protection rackets, word has now gotten around that the Reborn are gone, and the new Grey Stripes are looking to change their ways. This has emboldened some of their competitors, and the Stripes are now in the position of trying to protect their former marks from the predatory impulses of rival gangs. For the moment, the Stripes are too diminished and too few to put up much resistance.
Besides the Grey Lodge, a couple of legitimately-owned storehouses, and a mouldering dock where the Escarlata Lanza III moors, the Grey Stripes have little else to their name in the Puerto. However, they retain an interest in two other sites...
THE GREY SHELTER (Formerly the Talumari Earring)
At their peak, the Grey Stripes controlled most of the Puerto district of Ladroa. Their fortunes had begun to dwindle by the time of the Clarion Regicide and the establishment of the new Kasparian Imperial authority in Iagos 10 years ago. At that time, the incoming Count-Prefect of Ladroa revoked any official mandates still held by the Order of the Grey Stripes, and their descent into organized crime became complete. A vague pretense to past glory was all that remained to separate the Grey Stripes from any other gang in Ladroa.
THE DE CINZA FAMILY
During the Great Reclamation, the Caballero Don Carlo De Cinza was accorded a minor noble title, and a token patch of land. Although his holdings were small, the spoils of war after the Reclamation allowed the Caballero to swiftly build up his family's position in Ladroa's busy port scene. Before long, the De Cinzas owned a mercantile concession and shipping depots in the Puerto. They constructed an elegant manor, the Casa Cinzento (aka, the Grey Lodge), in the heart of the Los Armacentes warehouse district.
Around this time, the De Cinzas were instrumental in the formation of the Order of the Grey Stripes. As one of the few founding families of the Grey Stripes to hold a hereditary noble rank, the De Cinzas have served as the traditional heads of the order. To this day, the Casa Cinzento serves as the headquarters of the order.
THE FALL
In recent months, escalating tensions became evident within the Grey Stripes camp, erupting occasionally into internecine violence. A power struggle occurred between the old guard of the Stripes, and an internal faction of younger members who had become corrupted by the cult of the Reborn in Darkness. A coup unseated the sitting leader, Don Rafael De Cinza, and in the resulting purge, half the gang was killed or sent into hiding. The Reborn in Darkness then began more aggressively policing their territory to reinforce their hold over the Grey Stripes turf.
THE ADVENT of the REBORN IN DARKNESS
It was soon discovered that the Reborn in Darkness cult was an offshoot of the ancient, outlawed Chaos religion devoted to Scavra, the Vagary of Darkness. This cult promoted a nihilistic, hedonistic philosophy, predicated on an end to the age of human enlightenment, and a return to a natural state of 'blindness' to laws and morality, serving only the basest impulses.
The influence of Chaos entered the Grey Stripes gang by way of the man named Cortazaro (“the Cutter"). As an up-and-coming enforcer who managed his turf well, he entered the inner circle of the Stripes accompanied by his entourage. The Grey Stripes had no imposed religious affiliations, and in a city as wild as Ladroa, none questioned Cortazaro's apparent connections with some obscure old anarchist religion. Through guile, threats, and sheer force of personality, Cortazaro's clique within the Stripes grew in influence, and the anti-doctrine of Scavra spread with it.
DON RAFAEL DE CINZA (deceased)
 |
| Don Rafael de Cinza |
CAPITAN JORGE BALLENERO (presumed deceased)
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| Capitan Jorge Ballenero |
The Balleneros were originally whalers who were among the founding families of the Order of the Grey Stripes. Traditionally, an iteration of the first Ballenero ship, the Escarlata Lanza, serves as the Stripes' flagship. Capitan Jorge Ballenero was the last of this line, a retired sea captain who served as the order's chief fixer, and as Don Rafael's trusted advisor.
When tensions escalated, Ballenero mounted the strongest resistance to the Reborn cult's influence over the gang. According to Ballenero's journals, he was suspicious of Cortazaro early on. As the threat grew, he became ever more frustrated with Don Rafael's inaction. Ballenero attempted to rally loyalists against the Reborn coup, and for a short while, he managed to stay one step ahead. In the end, it is said that he was betrayed and stabbed to death in a backstreet ambush. Without his guiding hand, the remaining Grey Stripes loyalists went into hiding or skipped town, rather than sharing the same fate.
Don Rafael's two sons perished quickly after Cortazaro's coup. Fortunately, his youngest child, 13-year-old Belasca, was spared this fate by the intervention of Jorge Ballenero, who arranged for her to be taken out of the city before violence erupted. Now, with Cortazaro and his cultists eliminated, she has returned to Ladroa, and taken up leadership of the weakened Grey Stripes loyalists. She has vowed to rebuild not only the organization, but also the prestige and honour of the order as a benign, altruistic presence in the Puerto.
In a remarkably short period of time, she has managed to gather both financial resources and public goodwill around her idealistic cause. It remains to be seen whether she can truly leave the stigma of her family's past behind them. In Ladroa, virtue is usually either fleeting... or false.
GREY STRIPES HOLDINGS in LADROA
Although their grip had been weakening for generations, the Grey Stripes still retain some influence in the Puerto and Armacentes districts. Although Cortazaro's Reborn in Darkness cultists aggressively stepped up their interests in smuggling, drugs, prostitution, and protection rackets, word has now gotten around that the Reborn are gone, and the new Grey Stripes are looking to change their ways. This has emboldened some of their competitors, and the Stripes are now in the position of trying to protect their former marks from the predatory impulses of rival gangs. For the moment, the Stripes are too diminished and too few to put up much resistance.
Besides the Grey Lodge, a couple of legitimately-owned storehouses, and a mouldering dock where the Escarlata Lanza III moors, the Grey Stripes have little else to their name in the Puerto. However, they retain an interest in two other sites...
THE GREY SHELTER (Formerly the Talumari Earring)
A tawdry dockside brothel once renowned as one of the cheapest in Ladroa, has recently gotten a scrub-down and a fresh coat of whitewash. By Belasca De Cinza's order, it has now been converted into an orphanage for the many children who live on the hard streets of Ladroa. Despite attempts to rebrand, many simply call it “The Grey Shelter." At the moment, they are having difficulty finding people to operate it.
THE LEONERA
THE LEONERA
A fighting pit once controlled by the Stripes. A shabby structure built over the dank remains of defunct reservoirs, the Leonera provides a venue to bet on bloodsports. Most of the action here is bare-knuckle brawling and bear-baiting, but a couple of times per week they offer higher-stakes fare like weapon matches or exotic animal bouts.
The manager of the arena is a man named Lucha, aided by a small entourage of muscle. Jack Tyrson has recently reasserted the Greys Stripes' claim to the Leonera, and Lucha has acquiesced after assurances that the Colegio district crimelord Nino Arriaga would no longer be leaning on them.
IMPORTANT GREY STRIPES MEMBERS and ALLIES
The Grey Stripes are much reduced in number. Some are old-guard loyalists to the De Cinzas. Others are new blood, who stand at the side of Lady Belasca De Cinza in her time of need. These are the key players in the organization for the time being, but new faces may emerge soon enough...
CAPITAN JUANICO
Former first mate on Jorge Ballenero's ship the Escarlata Lanza - now its captain. A loyal Grey Stripes man, a seasoned sailor, and usually the loudest man in any room.
JUAN-GERALDO
The oldest remaining lieutenant of the Grey Stripes, and a contemporary of Don Rafael. After Ballenero's death he went into hiding. He was a key player in the hire of the assassin the Shoe-Monger against the Reborn In Darkness cultists. When Belasca De Cinza revealed she had returned to Ladroa, he quickly rallied the remaining men around her, but likely never expected her to take full leadership of the Order, nor to reform it so completely. She is much changed from the quiet girl he knew.
JAN ZIZHKA
A young huntsman from Phinsk, he came to Ladroa as De Cinza's bodyguard. As it is a matter of his family's personal honour, this is a role he takes very seriously. Few threats escape his keen eyes, or the whirling fury of his axes.
It has been revealed to the Tyrson Company and to Belasca herself that Jan is in reality one of the Baron Cordiva's personal bodyguards who has been placed within the organization under a false identity.
TZEYNA
An Eastern Phinska woman who acts as the second of De Cinza's two bodyguards. Gruff and taciturn, she sticks close to Belasca at all times. Although she plays the role of the maidservant, she is as vigilant as Jan, and can be quick to unsheath the two curved knives she keeps tucked into her sash. Her exact connection to Captain Ballenero is unknown.
The manager of the arena is a man named Lucha, aided by a small entourage of muscle. Jack Tyrson has recently reasserted the Greys Stripes' claim to the Leonera, and Lucha has acquiesced after assurances that the Colegio district crimelord Nino Arriaga would no longer be leaning on them.
IMPORTANT GREY STRIPES MEMBERS and ALLIES
The Grey Stripes are much reduced in number. Some are old-guard loyalists to the De Cinzas. Others are new blood, who stand at the side of Lady Belasca De Cinza in her time of need. These are the key players in the organization for the time being, but new faces may emerge soon enough...
CAPITAN JUANICO
Former first mate on Jorge Ballenero's ship the Escarlata Lanza - now its captain. A loyal Grey Stripes man, a seasoned sailor, and usually the loudest man in any room.
JUAN-GERALDO
The oldest remaining lieutenant of the Grey Stripes, and a contemporary of Don Rafael. After Ballenero's death he went into hiding. He was a key player in the hire of the assassin the Shoe-Monger against the Reborn In Darkness cultists. When Belasca De Cinza revealed she had returned to Ladroa, he quickly rallied the remaining men around her, but likely never expected her to take full leadership of the Order, nor to reform it so completely. She is much changed from the quiet girl he knew.
JAN ZIZHKA
A young huntsman from Phinsk, he came to Ladroa as De Cinza's bodyguard. As it is a matter of his family's personal honour, this is a role he takes very seriously. Few threats escape his keen eyes, or the whirling fury of his axes.
It has been revealed to the Tyrson Company and to Belasca herself that Jan is in reality one of the Baron Cordiva's personal bodyguards who has been placed within the organization under a false identity.
TZEYNA
An Eastern Phinska woman who acts as the second of De Cinza's two bodyguards. Gruff and taciturn, she sticks close to Belasca at all times. Although she plays the role of the maidservant, she is as vigilant as Jan, and can be quick to unsheath the two curved knives she keeps tucked into her sash. Her exact connection to Captain Ballenero is unknown.
It has been revealed to the Tyrson Company and Belasca that Tzeyna's true loyalties are to the Baron Cordiva. She has been placed within the Grey Stripes, though her true motives are unclear.
LOS MENDIGOS
The elders of Los Mendigos were represented by their leader, a man named Salvador. The young frontline members of the gang were loosely organized under the common leadership of Salvador's youthful protege, Riyad.
LOS MENDIGOS
The elders of Los Mendigos were represented by their leader, a man named Salvador. The young frontline members of the gang were loosely organized under the common leadership of Salvador's youthful protege, Riyad.
The largest beggar gang in Ladroa's Bosque district, Los Mendigos owe a debt to the Grey Stripes that goes back two hundred years. When members of Ballenero's loyalists went into hiding, many of them found shelter among the Mendigos by invoking this old bond. Later, Belasca De Cinza would appeal to this history in her attempts to build a permanent alliance with Los Mendigos.
Although she swayed the younger members of the clan and tradition dictated that the oath to the Grey Stripes be respected, Salvador secretly conspired with the crime boss Arriaga to assassinate De Cinza. The plot was foiled, and Salvador's part was revealed to the other Mendigos. Confronted with his treachery, Salvador was cast out of the clan.
Riyad and the captains of Los Mendigos have now renewed their pledge of friendship with the Grey Stripes, though it remains to be seen how far the Mendigos can be trusted as allies.
Riyad and the captains of Los Mendigos have now renewed their pledge of friendship with the Grey Stripes, though it remains to be seen how far the Mendigos can be trusted as allies.
