Whitehall - Take #2

[Zarquon]

Whitehall

Spoiler:

Purpose & Composition

In a nutshell, Whitehall is a crime guild.
Publically led by Samuel Grayshaw (Sam, in-game)***, the organisation's primary objective is the acquisition of wealth and power, and they don't mind getting their hands dirty to attain it. That said, they do mind being harangued by the authorities. They keep their activities either far from the law, or discreetly below its nose. Their code is firmly enforced, but it exists to protect the membership, not punish or restrict it. Despite the often less-than-savoury activities going on, they strive to form a strong sense of solidarity between the employees.

Rules

IC infractions will almost always be dealt with IC, likewise for OOC infractions.

[size=5]In Character

Obey your superiors. If you have a problem with one of 'em, take it to Sam.

Murder is not the most lucrative enterprise, believe it or not. Try to avoid it. Particularly internal murder.

Do not steal from Whitehall or any of its auxiliaries. Skimming off the top does count as theft.

Exercise discretion in all illicit activities. If you are caught in the act, any act, deny involvement with the organisation.

Out of Character

Follow server rules.[/size]

Hierarchy

There are only five ranks, and they are quite simple!

• Head: The public Head of Whitehall.
  
• Executive: Skilled Agents who have shown initiative, intelligence, and the capacity to lead. Privy to the workings of the organisation.
  
• Agent: Trusted with a higher understanding of Whitehall, and assigned moderately complex tasks. These make up the main body of the guild.
  
• Hand: Fresh initiates. Once they've proven they're at least moderately competent and useful to Whitehall, they'll advance to the next rank.
  
• Property: Occasionally, less-than-willing persons might come into our care.
  

Recruitment

Show interest. You will be found, rest assured.

***A coup has left Craer Naharev in charge of the organisation.

Addendums!

Due to RL commitments, Delta had decided to pass over Guild Leadership to me. Whether it is a temporary or permanent arrangement remains unknown, but these are some of the Addendums made - the creation of the new thread was advised to allow me to edit the OP myself.

Whitehall - IC Rules and Conduct

Preamble
Whitehall is a criminal syndicate with a thematic focus revolving around that of the Italian Mafia, or Cosa Nostra. These organizations for all their illicit dealings actually practice a certain form of etiquette and carry themselves with a code of conduct - the term for instituted members are 'made-men' or men of honor, or gentlemen. From their local provinces, they are oftentimes seen as protectors or guardians by the populace and hold a level of status and respect that they must live up to. As such, in keeping with this theme, Whitehall too will be instituting a basic IC code of conduct to represent this;

The Ten Commandments of Whitehall

ONE. Omertà, the Code of Silence, is absolute. No members of Whitehall should under any circumstances deal with the authorities except to mislead or to misdirect to an enemy. Any who 'squeals' or rats on a fellow member, even a rival, will be dealt with severely - under pain of death.

TWO. No one should present himself directly to a member whom he does not already know. A third member must do so, and vouches for the identity and trustworthiness of the party introduced. Members to be recruited must be known to another member beforehand and obtain his vouch. 

THREE. A dead debtor pays no debt, but a dead man doesn't rat. Killing is strongly frowned upon unless absolutely necessary - capture or persuasion or entrapment is preferred. On the other hand, traitors always dies.

FOUR. Wives and women of other members must always be respected - to disrespect them is to disrespect the member, and to mar both's honor. Failure to do so can result in lethal consequences, and Light help any who dare steal another's.

FIVE. Appointments must absolutely be respected. Life and death often hang by a tread, and failing to meet appointments on time can lead to the death of others. OOC: A rule that in all fairness is more IC than OOC-ly practical.

SIX. Always defend members of Whitehall or Whitehall against outsiders; the integrity of the family must always be concrete and unity demonstrated in the face of adversary. Any and all private rivalries should be settled exactly that way - privately. Never steal from Whitehall, or one might find himself in concrete shoes.

SEVEN. When asked for information between members of Whitehall, only silence or truth is acceptable. Any lies to one's family will indelible shatter his reputation, and when discovered, lead to grave ramifications.

EIGHT. People who can't be part of Whitehall: anyone who has a close relative in the, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and fails to carry himself publicly with the proper conduct.

NINE. Inebriation is frowned upon; secrecy and conduct is upheld, and drunkards blurt misconstrued words. Alcohol is not prohibited, but becoming overtly drunk is strongly discouraged, for it might lead to the breaking of the other rules, and thus lead to further consequences.

TEN. And remember - Respect is Everything. In the mob, one's skills, abilities, wealth and disposition means respect; the instituted hierarchy is often dependent on that, and thus a modicum of respect is expected of between each members.

These are IC rules that are generally taken more as a form of tradition and code of conduct, enforced sternly by others of the syndicate. Many of them tend to be slightly more lax, but a few of them are often taken to extremes. The rule of thumb is that anything that might do harm to Whitehall will oftentimes result in fatal reactions, while that which do not becomes less enforced. For example, failing to keep an appointment with another member for dinner will not result in dire consequences; while failing to keep an appointment for a heist and jeopardizing the operation could lead to severe punishments.

All such rules are enforced entirely IC-ly, along with the breaking, discovery and enactment of them. OOC-ly, however, do note that a character warning might be issued for the act of breaking certain codes.

An elaboration of rule TWO is best taken from this RL quote:

A mafioso is not supposed to introduce himself to another mafioso he does not personally know, even if both mafiosi know of each other through reputation. If he wants to establish a relationship, he must ask a third mafioso that they both personally know to introduce them to each other in a face-to-face meeting. This intermediary can vouch that neither of the two is an impostor, thus preventing outsiders or undercover policemen from infiltrating the Mafia. This tradition is upheld very scrupulously, often to the detriment of efficient operation. For instance, when the mafioso Indelicato Amedeo returned to Sicily following his initiation in America in the 1950s, he could not introduce himself to his own mafioso father, but had to wait for a mafioso from America who knew of his induction to come to Sicily.

Looking For!

The Executive
The Executive should be an active player dedicated to such a concept, acting as the lieutenant to ensure the smooth functioning of the Guild. The second-in-command, the Executive speaks with the voice of the Head in his absence, and arbitrages most disputes and disagreements within Whitehall unless the matter was personally looked into by the Head. He is also in charge of recruitment, either in arranging the meeting or in introducing prospective members.

The Enforcer
The Enforcer is the character that ensures that the code of conduct is adhered to and enacts punishments on behalf of the Executive should it not be so. All such actions are IC and carries with them IC ramifications.

Problems?

If you have any queries or suggestions, you may send me a PM, whisper 'Craer', or simply add me, ZarquonZ, in Skype. Thank you!

[Dareksar]

Interresting... I have just the guy here, and he has a lot of experience of crime having led the Brotherhood of Thieves.