04-29-2015, 03:19 PM
I posted this over on my Tumblr and got some positive feedback in a very short period of time. I thought I might post it again here to see if I might get a bit more feedback before I start polishing it up.
(This LS) would be particularly geared towards characters in the neutral (self-serving) to evil (self-serving to the point of exploiting others) spectrum.
I wrote up some things about Kotori a couple months ago in her wiki page on the RPC. Since we didn’t have much information in regards to Au Ra I kept it as vague as I could. There are some things I intend to change– mostly, removing the pseudo-spirituality aspect from the character and the made up clan she hails from. I’ll be very straight-forward and say that the idea is very much based off an intentionally twisted concept of Yakuza groups in Japan.
So this is the group once based in Othard– While there will be some similarities in the newer Aldenard version, much of their method will be changed based on their status as refugees in a foreign country.
*I’m not trying to imply or force the idea that any of what is below (or above) should be considered canonically accurate. I’m only working off the very vague outlines we have so far and a take on modern and historic ‘yakuza’ adapted to fit the setting. Please don't think I'm trying to make anyone believe that criminal organizations like this were a big deal in Othard. Please don't think I'm trying to dictate lore that doesn't exist. I am very much aware that there is really nothing to support this and am mostly using the other reflections of Japanese culture/history/etc. that have also been altered somewhat that do appear in game based around Doma. This is less about a traditional, authentic Yakuza group and very much more a themed crime organization.
Past:
Unlike the sort of glorified summary of the group given above, Karasu’s founding members were actually looked down upon by their original clans. The first were from a Xaela clan, who were not only unconcerned about their lineage (divine as it may be) and disenchanted with the perpetual migration of their original family, but also could not contribute much on behalf of their kin in physically vying against other, rival groups of Xaela. They were scorned for their weakness and suspected cowardice, and exiled in shame from the territories.Â
Though they survived for a time in a small pack, remaining anywhere on the Western Steppes in such a limited number was not an option for the exiles. Rather than lingering for the sake of familiarity at the risk of death, they elected one leader among the dozen of them, who proposed the group take to the more populated areas where other races intermingled as far from their ‘homes’ as possible.
They made the trip towards Doma where other Au Ra (likely the more peaceful Raen) were rumored to be, in the hopes of eking out a new life for themselves. As the weakest warriors from their clan, they depended on the few of them who had mastered rudimentary aetheric principles in the form of spiritual magicks and shamanism to perform for them, hawking their native medicines and salves to the locals. While this was a partially successful endeavor, their small group (too few to resist and too many to remain ‘under the radar’) was quickly noticed by one particular collective of aggressive Hyur who, like some, made their living by exploiting the naivety of outsiders and extorting them.Â
In time, when their situation grew desperate, their leader concocted a new plan: glamour themselves to resemble these Hyur, infiltrate their growing organization while their recruitment was high, and systematically eliminate them before they could grow out of control, the whole process requiring a number of years to complete. Given the primary cause of their original exile (physical weakness), they succeeded through assassination concentrating on poisoning their hosts. Once they had rooted themselves firmly in the midst of this organization and no threats remained, they continued the very same work as their predecessors; focusing their attentions on harassing travelers or citizens too weak to protect themselves. Over time, they expanded their activities to blackmailing members of other groups including warriors, merchants, farmers, and made themselves a grand nuisance to key leaders of rival gangs. Their base knowledge of magical manipulation and herbal remedies were compounded upon with fervor, much of their initial ‘earnings’ sunk into gathering the materials and knowledge necessary to master their arts. The glamour broaches, a more stable and long-lived alternative to temporary glamours, were either invented or purchased and researched around this time.
Eventually, once they had found a stable style of survival, emissaries of a sort were sent back to the Western Steppes with hired muscle to assure their safe travel. They visited as many as they felt safe to speak with, inviting any Xaela who was dissatisfied with their harsh, traditional way of living to return to Doma with them. While the vast majority refused outright, they did recruit a number of members this way; most of their ‘family’, however, composed of lower-ranked individuals of other races who were never privy to their true origins or the natures of their magic. Even the very occasional Raen discovered in or around Doma was readily recruited.
They adopted the traditions of tattooing and internal punishment, turned to researching drugs as well as toxins, and focused largely on gathering intelligence to sell to other groups or employ as self-protection, while continuing with more small-time criminal activities (extortion, loans, gambling circles, etc.)
Currently:
 When Doma became a vassal to the Garlean Empire, their criminal activity was forced to adapt to accommodate the shift in power. While they worked tentatively with their new superiors, selling their information on other groups in exchange for relative safety, they were compelled to lessen their aggressive recruitment along with all strains of their ‘business practices’. While, for the most part, they did not participate in the recent rebellion, the Karasu were punished along with the rest of their neighbors in the subsequent razing of their home. A few survived the ordeal and escaped with other refugees, though many were separated, losing touch in the process. Karasu, for all intents and purposes, is now only a name with no real value outside its surviving members. The previous clan leader is now assumed dead.
Kotori spent nearly the entirety of her life within this group from her childhood with her sister, Rinyè. Her natural proficiency and interest in aetheric manipulation served her well in the ranks of the organization, unlocking a great deal of more sensitive information for her to access. All of this has been retained in their forced migration to Aldenard where it was discovered, to her relief, similar organizations exist in, at least, Ul’dah. Armed with this knowledge, she intends to adapt the principles of their dissolved clan to the Ul’dahn way of life, in the hopes of making a better life for those she holds dear, even (or exclusively) at the price of others’ happiness and livelihoods.
—
So, this LS will retain some aspects of the original (made up) group, many but not all of which as follows:
-Marking dedicated members with a modified form of ritualistic tattooing (irezumi, done with aetherically infused inks).
-Punishing disapproved acts or disloyalty of members. (Acts of atonement include yubitsume;removing fingers)
-High levels of interest in alchemical concoctions with a particular focus on enhancement drugs (usually to secure wins in the Bloodsands).
-Investing in professional fighters (in the Bloodsands).
-Extorting vulnerable individuals, beginning with other refugees but extending to citizens.Â
-Loaning with outrageous interest.
-Investment and extortion of downtrodden inventors, alchemists, engineers, weaponsmiths, and merchants.
-Peddling illegal or questionable-quality weapons, explosives, and poisons.
-Stealing shipments in transit from lesser trading companies.
And lesser interests in other varieties of criminal activities.
They’ll recruit/enlist:
-Runners (individuals expected to deliver items to buyers).
-Middlemen (individuals employed to negotiate all sales)
-Merchants (unlike Middlemen work full time selling other items with the group’s merchandise kept on hand)
-Sellswords (as well as mercenaries, for protection and extortion)
-Crafters (individuals who lack funds for their research or production in a variety of fields)
-Thieves/pick-pockets (as a steady if minimal stream of income)
-Grifters/Cons/Cardsharks (any sort of cheat or fraud-artist)
-Professional Fighters (gladiators in the Blood Sands or otherwise people who profit off fighting others)
-Informants (individuals in trading companies, mercantile companies, or other groups of interest or with valuable merchandise to organize theft)
They will try to establish a good name for themselves on the surface and be very open to allying with or funding other groups (criminal or honest). They may hold functions and charities on behalf of other groups and make large donations to a plethora of causes. They will also very likely invest in any fighting rings, small-time gambling circles, and so on. The point is to look like a respectable loaning organization who cares about refugees on the outside.
Anyway, that’s the rough draft. If anyone has a critique or anything to contribute, feel free. I’m still working on it so I’m more than happy to add or remove things that make more or less sense respectively.
(This LS) would be particularly geared towards characters in the neutral (self-serving) to evil (self-serving to the point of exploiting others) spectrum.
I wrote up some things about Kotori a couple months ago in her wiki page on the RPC. Since we didn’t have much information in regards to Au Ra I kept it as vague as I could. There are some things I intend to change– mostly, removing the pseudo-spirituality aspect from the character and the made up clan she hails from. I’ll be very straight-forward and say that the idea is very much based off an intentionally twisted concept of Yakuza groups in Japan.
Show Content
Optional ReadIn truth, she hails from a clan of Au Ra in Othard who have spent, some say, centuries masquerading as Hyur in order to infiltrate their communities. This began well before Kotori was born, when the first of her new clan assassinated the leader of a then up-and-coming group of miscreants. All members of this order were killed and replaced by others of the leader’s broken community, through the employment of unrefined glamours. Over the years, the group which referred to themselves as ‘Karasu’ or 'Karasu-Kai’ (Crow/Crow Clan, Gang, or Family) became notorious for their affiliation with criminals and killers. They were, and yet may still be among certain circles, renown for their mysterious natures and strikingly similar appearances; all known members whether male or female seemed remarkably young and androgynous, closely resembling the porcelain dolls popular with noble girls in the age. Likewise, their names were synonymous with acts of cruelty, peddling information, infiltration, and subterfuge. The mark of the crow was a notorious symbol left as a sort of calling card outside sites of mysteriously burned businesses. In at least a portion of Doma, rumors were once abound with the story of these children of youkai who wandered the streets only at night, preying on the men who would prey on them. The mistreatment of children in that area remained at an all time low throughout their existence.
So this is the group once based in Othard– While there will be some similarities in the newer Aldenard version, much of their method will be changed based on their status as refugees in a foreign country.
*I’m not trying to imply or force the idea that any of what is below (or above) should be considered canonically accurate. I’m only working off the very vague outlines we have so far and a take on modern and historic ‘yakuza’ adapted to fit the setting. Please don't think I'm trying to make anyone believe that criminal organizations like this were a big deal in Othard. Please don't think I'm trying to dictate lore that doesn't exist. I am very much aware that there is really nothing to support this and am mostly using the other reflections of Japanese culture/history/etc. that have also been altered somewhat that do appear in game based around Doma. This is less about a traditional, authentic Yakuza group and very much more a themed crime organization.
Past:
Unlike the sort of glorified summary of the group given above, Karasu’s founding members were actually looked down upon by their original clans. The first were from a Xaela clan, who were not only unconcerned about their lineage (divine as it may be) and disenchanted with the perpetual migration of their original family, but also could not contribute much on behalf of their kin in physically vying against other, rival groups of Xaela. They were scorned for their weakness and suspected cowardice, and exiled in shame from the territories.Â
Though they survived for a time in a small pack, remaining anywhere on the Western Steppes in such a limited number was not an option for the exiles. Rather than lingering for the sake of familiarity at the risk of death, they elected one leader among the dozen of them, who proposed the group take to the more populated areas where other races intermingled as far from their ‘homes’ as possible.
They made the trip towards Doma where other Au Ra (likely the more peaceful Raen) were rumored to be, in the hopes of eking out a new life for themselves. As the weakest warriors from their clan, they depended on the few of them who had mastered rudimentary aetheric principles in the form of spiritual magicks and shamanism to perform for them, hawking their native medicines and salves to the locals. While this was a partially successful endeavor, their small group (too few to resist and too many to remain ‘under the radar’) was quickly noticed by one particular collective of aggressive Hyur who, like some, made their living by exploiting the naivety of outsiders and extorting them.Â
In time, when their situation grew desperate, their leader concocted a new plan: glamour themselves to resemble these Hyur, infiltrate their growing organization while their recruitment was high, and systematically eliminate them before they could grow out of control, the whole process requiring a number of years to complete. Given the primary cause of their original exile (physical weakness), they succeeded through assassination concentrating on poisoning their hosts. Once they had rooted themselves firmly in the midst of this organization and no threats remained, they continued the very same work as their predecessors; focusing their attentions on harassing travelers or citizens too weak to protect themselves. Over time, they expanded their activities to blackmailing members of other groups including warriors, merchants, farmers, and made themselves a grand nuisance to key leaders of rival gangs. Their base knowledge of magical manipulation and herbal remedies were compounded upon with fervor, much of their initial ‘earnings’ sunk into gathering the materials and knowledge necessary to master their arts. The glamour broaches, a more stable and long-lived alternative to temporary glamours, were either invented or purchased and researched around this time.
Eventually, once they had found a stable style of survival, emissaries of a sort were sent back to the Western Steppes with hired muscle to assure their safe travel. They visited as many as they felt safe to speak with, inviting any Xaela who was dissatisfied with their harsh, traditional way of living to return to Doma with them. While the vast majority refused outright, they did recruit a number of members this way; most of their ‘family’, however, composed of lower-ranked individuals of other races who were never privy to their true origins or the natures of their magic. Even the very occasional Raen discovered in or around Doma was readily recruited.
They adopted the traditions of tattooing and internal punishment, turned to researching drugs as well as toxins, and focused largely on gathering intelligence to sell to other groups or employ as self-protection, while continuing with more small-time criminal activities (extortion, loans, gambling circles, etc.)
Currently:
 When Doma became a vassal to the Garlean Empire, their criminal activity was forced to adapt to accommodate the shift in power. While they worked tentatively with their new superiors, selling their information on other groups in exchange for relative safety, they were compelled to lessen their aggressive recruitment along with all strains of their ‘business practices’. While, for the most part, they did not participate in the recent rebellion, the Karasu were punished along with the rest of their neighbors in the subsequent razing of their home. A few survived the ordeal and escaped with other refugees, though many were separated, losing touch in the process. Karasu, for all intents and purposes, is now only a name with no real value outside its surviving members. The previous clan leader is now assumed dead.
Kotori spent nearly the entirety of her life within this group from her childhood with her sister, Rinyè. Her natural proficiency and interest in aetheric manipulation served her well in the ranks of the organization, unlocking a great deal of more sensitive information for her to access. All of this has been retained in their forced migration to Aldenard where it was discovered, to her relief, similar organizations exist in, at least, Ul’dah. Armed with this knowledge, she intends to adapt the principles of their dissolved clan to the Ul’dahn way of life, in the hopes of making a better life for those she holds dear, even (or exclusively) at the price of others’ happiness and livelihoods.
—
So, this LS will retain some aspects of the original (made up) group, many but not all of which as follows:
-Marking dedicated members with a modified form of ritualistic tattooing (irezumi, done with aetherically infused inks).
-Punishing disapproved acts or disloyalty of members. (Acts of atonement include yubitsume;removing fingers)
-High levels of interest in alchemical concoctions with a particular focus on enhancement drugs (usually to secure wins in the Bloodsands).
-Investing in professional fighters (in the Bloodsands).
-Extorting vulnerable individuals, beginning with other refugees but extending to citizens.Â
-Loaning with outrageous interest.
-Investment and extortion of downtrodden inventors, alchemists, engineers, weaponsmiths, and merchants.
-Peddling illegal or questionable-quality weapons, explosives, and poisons.
-Stealing shipments in transit from lesser trading companies.
And lesser interests in other varieties of criminal activities.
They’ll recruit/enlist:
-Runners (individuals expected to deliver items to buyers).
-Middlemen (individuals employed to negotiate all sales)
-Merchants (unlike Middlemen work full time selling other items with the group’s merchandise kept on hand)
-Sellswords (as well as mercenaries, for protection and extortion)
-Crafters (individuals who lack funds for their research or production in a variety of fields)
-Thieves/pick-pockets (as a steady if minimal stream of income)
-Grifters/Cons/Cardsharks (any sort of cheat or fraud-artist)
-Professional Fighters (gladiators in the Blood Sands or otherwise people who profit off fighting others)
-Informants (individuals in trading companies, mercantile companies, or other groups of interest or with valuable merchandise to organize theft)
They will try to establish a good name for themselves on the surface and be very open to allying with or funding other groups (criminal or honest). They may hold functions and charities on behalf of other groups and make large donations to a plethora of causes. They will also very likely invest in any fighting rings, small-time gambling circles, and so on. The point is to look like a respectable loaning organization who cares about refugees on the outside.
Anyway, that’s the rough draft. If anyone has a critique or anything to contribute, feel free. I’m still working on it so I’m more than happy to add or remove things that make more or less sense respectively.