ardent

Mafia



Basileus

Loner

age
7 Years
gender
Male
gems
0
size
Extra large
build
Light
posts
70
player
01-10-2016, 08:12 PM (This post was last modified: 07-27-2016, 06:33 PM by Basileus.)

Cosa Nostra

TODAY IN PERSON, TOMORROW IN A GRAVE



Ah, the mafia. Who doesn't like an organization built on intimidation and the busting of kneecaps? Have I got your attention because I'd like to make you an offer you can't refuse.

Interested? Read on...


What is Cosa Nostra?
Literally "our thing" Cosa Nostra is a loosely connected network of criminal organizations built around racketeering, extortion and espionage. This particular take on it also dabbles in slave trade, the arbitration of disputes between Cosca groups, kidnapping for ransom and contract killing, although they're opportunistic criminals so the limits are few.

What is a Cosca?
In a nutshell a Cosca ("clan") is a band of wolves who claim authority over several packs and their territories. More often than not the wolves in a Cosca are also members of the packs whose land they claim. Their roots in these packs are often extensive and powerful, and because of this even if a pack wanted to rid itself of its Cosca it would find it very difficult to do so without collapsing its own infrastructure. Membership isn't hereditary but it isn't uncommon for members to also be relatives.

What is a Mafioso?
A mafioso is a "made man" that is, a wolf who has been tested and accepted into the ranks of a Cosca. The word itself is a name given to the members of a Cosca by outsiders and not the Cosca itself. The mafiosi prefer to call themselves "men of honor" or "men of respect" and rarely - if ever - use the term mafioso to describe themselves. When referring to one another they are more likely to call their companions "paesano" if they're talking to an equal or "padrino" if they're addressing a superior.

What is the code of conduct?
The mafiosi follow a strict code of conduct. A Cosca's power is connected to its reputation and for this reason adherence to the code of conduct is crucial. Each made man is expected to uphold the values put forth by the Capofamiglia ("Boss") and disobedience and/or unbecoming behavior is something that isn't taken lightly. In the Cosca warnings alone are something to be feared. Honor and reputation are tied directly to a man's power and willfully overstepping your bounds is a fantastic way to stunt not only your career but your life expectancy. The rules are simple:

  • At all costs avoid introducing oneself to another man of honor
  • Always be available for Cosca work
  • Do not touch the women of other men of honor
  • Do not steal from other men of honor
  • Do not kill other men of honor unless the order comes down
  • Avoid speaking to outsiders about the Cosca
  • Avoid quarreling with other men of honor
  • Wives must be treated with respect
  • Do not break Omertà; the price is death
  • Pentiti (oath breakers) are to be killed on sight

Of course, those are the spoken rules. It's understood that on top of following those rules mafiosi should handle themselves in a way befitting a man of respect. There is a certain amount of chivalry among these criminals and they pride themselves on being above the common thug in both appearance and presentation. Forget sagging pants and bandannas, these baddies are of the suit and tie variety. They say "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am" and hold the door open for sweet little old ladies while on their way to whack someone. To an extent this is probably a facade; get a mafioso behind closed doors and he just might be someone else entirely.

What is Omertà?
Omertà is the oath of silence and secrecy that each and every mafioso must take to become a made man. It forbids the mafiosi from betraying their fellows to outsiders. To take it one must commit murder. There is no greater sin than breaking Omertà and the penalty for doing so is always, without exception, death. So severe is the penalty that it is common practice to murder not only the oathbreaker, but his immediate family. To break Omertà is to forfeit not only your life, but the lives of your mate and children.

RECENT EVENTS
There once was a man named Enrico who, for reasons that have yet to be determined, betrayed his Cosca. Once his betrayal was found out the order came down that he needed to be removed. The task of knocking off Enrico was given to Basileus and after Enrico caught wind of the scheme and fled, Basileus followed. Unbeknownst to Basileus all hell broke loose days after he left. The information given by Enrico to one of the Cosca's rivals brought it to its knees and its members were forced to flee or risk falling with their slain brethren. For reasons up to the adopter, some members found their way to Alacritia.

HIERARCHY

  • Capofamiglia - the Boss. Also informally called Padrino ("godfather")
  • Capo bastone - the Underboss. Think Vice President. Speaks directly to the capofamiglia.
  • Consigliere - the Advisers (literally "counselor"). Each Consigliere leads a decina which is made up of ten or so Soldati. They are impartial advisors and supervisors who report to the Capofamiglia and Capo bastone.
  • Capodecina - the capodecina is the lead soldato in a decina. He reports directly to his consigliere and has limited contact with the other consiglieres, the capo bastone and the capofamiglia, but interacts regularly with other capodecina and soldati
  • Soldato - the Coscas soldiers. They do all the dirty work. Soldati have very limited contact with all higher ranking members except their own capodecina and consigliere.
  • Associate - these guys aren't true mafiosi and because of this they have no contact with any mafiosi except the one (sometimes two) soldato who gives them their orders. These wolves are expendable. They're usually yearlings who want to join but haven't yet proven their worth. Occasionally they're older, corrupt businessmen.

FREQUENTLY USED WORDS
And their meanings if Laz can find them

  • Borgata - A cosca's territory. Overlaps several packs.
  • Cosca - means "clan". The plural is "cosche". Refers to a group of men in Cosa Nostra who control a group of packs and their territories.
  • Decina - literally a grouping of ten somethings, in this case men. A decina doesn't absolutely have to have ten in each, it's just the name for the units.
  • Famiglia - means "family" and refers to a mafioso's blood relatives as opposed to their cosca
  • i Fratelli Rossi - means "the red brothers". This is the name of Basileus' cosca. It was founded forever and ever ago by a man by the name of Romero and his friends, none of which had any amount of red on them. The "red" in their name refers to the line of work they are well known for, which is contract killing.
  • Operaio - Means "worker". This term is interchangeable with soldato although soldato is preferred in most cases. Plural is "operai"
  • Padrino - means "godfather" and usually refers to the capofamiglia but can also be used when talking about the mafioso who recruited you.
  • Paesano - basically "homie". A paesano is a comrade and/or a friend. Plural is "paesani" and feminine is "paesana".
  • Picciotto - refers to a young mafioso. Plural is "picciotti"
  • Mafioso - anyone in Cosa Nostra. Plural is mafiosi. Possibly means "swagger"

Who can I adopt?

Any soldato or associate you can come up with. I don't care about name or family or any of that jazz. That's up to you. You can also try out for a capodecina, but I'll be very picky with those because there aren't many of them left. Everyone else, the capofamiglia, the capo bastone, the consiglieres and almost all of capodecina are now D-E-A-D stone cold, never to rise again DEAD, okay? But Laz, you ask, if all the important people are dead why should I want to adopt from you? Because the most interesting, most lively, most active people are in the lower ranks. They are the movers and the doers, the feet on the ground. They're the most fun, I swear. They are the guys that break the kneecaps. Fun, see? They do all the dirty work while the higher ranks grow fat and.

There are no serious guidelines for the appearance of Cosca members as they come from all over. Any eye color, coat color and pattern is acceptable although you should keep in mind that wolves with earthy or muted colors would do much better (and probably be preferred) than gaudy, brightly colored wolves since a lot of what they do requires them to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Couple things worth noting. One, as some of the above suggests, the presence of women in Cosa Nostra is almost unheard of. I might consider a woman but she'd have to be undeniably special. Understand that, exceptional or not, she's probably be pretty heavily discriminated against in the past and is probably just an associate. And two, homosexuality is probably frowned upon in this society and people who fall on the LBGTQ spectrum and are open about it would also probably get the same kind of treatment as a woman in the cosca. You can apply with whoever you want, I'll consider all apps, I just want you to be aware. If you want to buck the system, be my guest! It has to start somewhere, right?


Code:
MAFIOSO
<b>Name:</b> Must be italian
<b>Gender:</b> Male -squints-
<b>Age: Must be 1+</b>
<b>Rank:</b> Capdecina, soldato or associate?
<b>Alignment:</b>
<b>Personality:</b> Site minimum, please
<b>Appearance:</b> Site minimum, please
<b>History:</b> 100+ words
<b>Plans:</b>

The Scarlatti

NOT currently accepting apps for Scarlatti who are also in the Cosca. Also up for adoption are members of the Scarlatti family. These are Basileus' relatives and as their name suggests the color red is very common in their family. Any eye color is acceptable and muted coat colors are preferred. No complicated patterns, please. These wolves can also be part of i Fratelli Rossi. Because they are part of Basil's family I will be very picky with these guys!

Code:
SCARLATTI
<b>Name:</b> Preferably Italian. Might accept Greek names similar to Basil's
<b>Gender:</b>
<b>Age: </b>
<b>Rank:</b> if applicable; capodecina, soldato or associate?
<b>Relation to Basil:</b>
<b>Alignment:</b>
<b>Personality:</b> Site minimum, please
<b>Appearance:</b> Site minimum, please
<b>History:</b> 100+ words
<b>Plans:</b>


I reserve the right to reject applications and reclaim characters who are placed inactive or who haven't been posted with for 1 OOC month or more. Incomplete apps that sit for two weeks or more will be deleted.