Five Shades Association

The Five Shades Association isn't a single organization. Rather, it is a loose coalition of different criminal gangs, all gathered into one of five clans. The heads of these clans - many of whom include Dragon-Blooded - work together on a very informal basis, generally just sufficient to stay out of one anothers' way and aid one another against threats to the Five Shades as a whole.

The Five Shades Associations are also unified by their tradition of Terrestrial martial arts. Though the Dragon-Blooded clan members are the distinct masters of these arts, the Association maintains alliances with a variety of small gods and elementals, many of whom are willing to use divine arts to enlighten the Essence of those the clan decides are worthy of the honor.

Honor

Though they have a well-deserved reputation as bloodthirsty brutes, they do possess their own distinct sense of honor. Some of the traits of this sense of honor include:

• Those who are protected by Five Shades protection rackets are genuinely protected; any criminals attempting to rob or further extort such clients will face violent retribution from the Five Shades.
• No Five Shades thug will harm or kill a priest or monk while he is in his temple or cloister.
• Once the Five Shades have failed to kill someone three times, that person is considered immune from any further attempts.

Clans

The individual clans that make up the Five Shades are each distinctive. A gang that belongs to the Five Shades Association has sworn fealty to one of these five clans. Each clan focuses on particular undertakings, and while it is expected that local gangs affiliated with different clans will scuffle amongst themselves some, they must avoid damaging business for the Association as a whole, and absolutely must join forces with all other Five Shades gangs against non-Association gangs or law enforcement. These clans are as follows.

The Clan Hidden in Mist

The Clan Hidden in Mist stalk foggy streets in silence and strike from surprise. They sometimes use sewers and storm drains to aid in their stealth, and are extremely skilled with urban guerilla tactics and setting ambushes in civilized areas.

• Associated Element: Water
• Preferred Operations: Assassination (Poisoning and Accidental Deaths), Drugs, Mugging
• Preferred Weapons: Dagger
• Tattoo Designs: The Mist-Hidden gangsters invariably have extensive tattooing featuring blue and grey water scenes, with impressive iconography such as tsunamis, whirlpools and the like. Somewhere among the imagery will be a stylistic grey eel, the sign by which Mist-Hidden know one another.

The Mountain Clan

The Mountain Clan works most often from behind a facade of legitimate businesses and landholdings, but they ensure profitability through less than savory methods. Their leg-breakers are almost legendary in their effectiveness.

• Associated Element: Earth
• Preferred Operations: Bribery, Blackmail, Gambling, Extortion Rackets
• Preferred Weapons: Baton or Cudgel
• Tattoo Designs: The Mountain-Clan gangsters have tattooing of mountain ranges amid thunderstorms and volcanic eruptions. Somewhere in the imagery will be a stylistic black serpent, the sign by which Mountain-Clan know one another.

The Midnight Smoke Syndicate

The Midnight Smoke Syndicate specializes in property destruction to accomplish its goals - where Mountain Clan breaks knees in their extortion rackets, those who don't pay Midnight Smoke fees find their homes and businesses go up in flame. They also specialize in shop invasions, with a handful of gangsters wearing demon masks come streaming in a shop door, knocking things over and stealing in broad daylight, occasionally even bruising or hurting customers, before fleeing just as suddenly as they came.

• Associated Element: Fire
• Preferred Operations: Arson, Extortion Rackets, Prostitution, Sabotage
• Preferred Weapons: Short Sword (occasionally firedust weapons)
• Tattoo Designs: Smoke-Syndicate gangsters include tattoos of hellish scenes, featuring impressive infernos, demons and scenes of torture. Somewhere in the imagery can be found a stylistic salamander-like lizard that has only two front legs.

The Guild of the Ever-Shifting Breeze

Burglars, breakers-in, spies and double agents, the Guild of the Ever-Shifting Breeze is known for being among the most secretive of the Five Shade clans. Their gangsters usually wear scarves covering the lower half of their faces when they are together as a gang, and can quickly break away and fade into crowds at a moment's notice.

• Associated Element: Air
• Preferred Operations: Burglary, Con Games, Espionage, Undercover Work
• Preferred Weapons: Shuriken
• Tattoo Designs: Ever-Shifting Breeze gangsters sport tattoo art showing lightning-torn thunderstorms, typhoons and tornadoes. Somewhere in the imagery, there is always a stylized deep blue feathered flying serpent.

The Clan Best Forgotten

The Clan Best Forgotten prefers to work in rural areas, recruiting bandit gangs and similar sorts to their association. They often prey on caravans, and are master poisoners.

• Associated Element: Wood
• Preferred Operations: Assassination (Poison), Banditry
• Preferred Weapons: Tonfa
• Tattoo Designs: The Best-Forgotten gangsters all have tattoos of woodland scenes or heavy foliage, in which can be found a stylized open-hooded cobra.