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Engel Family
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Human Trafficking ♦ Drug trafficking

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Branch: protection services

 

[Trignome]

Xuan Wu
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(Black Warrior Syndicate)
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Small fortune depends on luck; a great one on diligence.
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The Black Warrior (Xuan Wu) is one of the oldest crime syndicates in China. It's an organization of modest notoriety and strong relations within the People’s Republic of China. Created from the union of the Golden Dragon and Viper groups, the Black Warrior has rapidly extended its influences outside of Asia within the past few centuries. While the head families of Tortoise (Golden Dragon) and Snake (Viper) oversee their respective criminal fields, the head family of the Black Warrior handles the public relations and sociopolitical involvement of the entire syndicate. Because of the heavy distinction between the original two groups, the Black Warrior became the unifying family which remains impartial in its decisions for the syndicate.


History

• Han dynasty, worship of animal deities
  
• Legends of Xuan Wu, lit. "Dark/Black Warrior", Northern Emperor
  
  Control of elements, revered by martial artists and North/West provinces
  

• Sacrifices to the Black Warrior (unity of two generals: Tortoise and Snake)
  
• (Li) Tang dynasty emperors
  
• (Zhao) Song dynasty emperors
  
• Zhao city ---> Shan Xi province, Northern China
  
• Northern/Southern Song, Mongol invasion
  
• Development during Opium Wars, subsequent open trade policies
  
• War of China's Republican/Communist parties
  
• migration to America
  

Factions


The Black Warrior syndicate is separated into three factions:

• Tortoise: members predominantly under the Zhao family.
  
  
  Current head: Faith Zhao
  
• Three branches: Australia, India, Africa
  
  Human organ/tissue market
  
• Exotic artifact and animal smuggling
  

[*]Snake: members predominantly under the Li family.

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  Current head: Adrian Li
  
• Three branches: South America, Mediterranean, Middle East
  
  Loan sharking/embezzlement
  
• Illegal gambling
  

[*]Black Warrior: members without secondary faction, only serves head family.

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  Previous head: GuiLing Zhao, assistant head: Mei Li
  
• Current head:  Joyce Zhao, assistant head: XiZhen Li
  
• One branch: Central Asia
  
  figurehead/administration
  
• sociopolitical management
  

Head Family


There is a head family for each of the three factions, as well as a head family for each branch of the two secondary factions. Excluding the syndicate’s head family, there is a total of 9 subordinate families (4 Tortoise, 5 Snake), each lead by a family that represents the interests of their respective faction or branch.


The head family of the Black Warrior faction, effectively the family that leads the administrative force for the Black Warrior syndicate, is carefully chosen for the position by the retiring head. To maintain the unity of the syndicate, a member is selected from one of the secondary factions (Tortoise or Snake) to become the head of the Black Warrior. The nomination is based on the candidate’s general abilities, but also on what the retiring head believes are the qualities necessary for an effective, impartial leader.


Whomever is nominated as head, in turn, chooses the assistant head. Traditionally, the nominee picks a member of the opposite faction, so there is fair representation of the secondary factions within the syndicate’s head family. If the member accepts the position, the new head and assistant head will solidify their partnership through a ceremonial exchange of wine, to acknowledge the other as an equal and a comrade. Both members’ immediate families (spouses/children) officially become part of the Black Warrior family, though they can still remain within their respective factions if they wish. The head and assistant head, however, relinquish their allegiance to their secondary factions, and cannot return to their original positions even after retiring from the head family.


Oftentimes, due to the relative youth of the nominated head, he or she picks a partner for both a professional and domestic relationship. In such cases, if the other party accepts, the couple must first perform the ceremonial exchange a minimum of one year before their wedding. This is to demonstrate both their fidelity to each other, as well as the prioritization of the syndicate’s prosperity over their own.


Any offspring in the Black Warrior are raised with open relations to members of the secondary factions and are encouraged to leave the Black Warrior faction when they turn 18. This is to ensure that, should the head family choose to nominate one of their or an associate’s children to be the next head, the new nominee has developed loyalties to a secondary faction and is truly capable of sacrificing their personal biases to become an effective leader.


While the head and assistant head are of equal standing in their administrative duties, only the head of the Black Warrior faction can nominate a successor. The assistant head’s position will be filled by whomever the nominee chooses. Also, in the case where the assistant head dies before retiring their position, the next highest member in the Black Warrior faction replaces them until the retirement of the head. If the head dies, however, the Black Warrior family’s advisory council, consisting of the men and women working directly under the head family, as well as any living predecessors to the deceased, will nominate a new head. The assistant head, who can participate in this council, only carries the same vote as a direct subordinate, and their administrative duties are relinquished once they become a part of the council.


The head’s nomination of a successor is absolute, and can only be overturned by the council if one of four conditions is met.


An appeal is made from either the Black Warrior’s council or the head family of one of the secondary factions. If the 9 subordinate family heads support the appeal at least 6:3, then the head’s nomination is overturned.


There can be no more than 3 consecutive generations of heads nominated from a faction. If a head nominates a member from his/her original faction (Tortoise or Snake) and the two heads immediately before the current were of the same faction, then the nomination is automatically considered void.


If the nominee, between their nomination and acceptance of the position, jeopardizes the syndicate (either by inciting conflict between the secondary factions, or by public misconduct), their nomination can be postponed or entirely revoked depending on the severity of their actions.


A child is born with the Divinity of Xuan Wu, supernatural abilities resulting from the match of recessive gene mutation from their parents. He or she automatically becomes the successor to the Black Warrior’s head.


It is believed that a child with divinity is chosen by the Black Warrior himself to lead the syndicate and to protect the syndicate with powers beyond a mortal human’s. Because of the rarity of the genetic mutation, children who show signs of having divinity are taken in and raised by the Black Warrior faction to maintain their steadfast loyalty to the Black Warrior faction and ensure the future prosperity of the entire syndicate.