Enyo Typhos
Control
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a supporting organisation aligned with Enyo.
Image Credit: Here. Flag from Europa Universalis.
Role: Mafia.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: N/A
Links: Wookiees.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name: Black Horn Buccaneers.
Classification: Criminal organisation.
Affiliation: Ser Grrowh, Secretly: Enyo Typhos, Archangel Research and Design, Typhos Clone Family,
Organization Symbol: Chain linked with a pair of blades over the top.
Description: The Black Horn Buccaneers are a criminal organisation. Most unusually, they are led by a Wookiee, who calls himself Ser Grrowh. Once a warrior of his people, he was exiled from Kashyyyk for his lack of honour. Concluding that his people lacked vision, he used his tactical acumen, business skills and general lack of morality to build up a criminal enterprise, using the Wookiees that accompanied him as a vanguard. The Buccaneers started legbreakers who did the dirty work of more established syndicates and raided remote settlements to procure slaves, but have since transformed themselves into an independent mafia that has acquired a significant amount of wealth.
The Buccaneers have their fingers in many pies. One of their primary vocations is the slave trade. Though he has turned his back on his people's honour code, believing it to be archaic, Ser Grrowh is still a bit of a Wookiee nationalist, so he refuses to enslave his people. He does not have many scruples about enslaving others though. Slaves on offer range from those used for labour to personal slaves for the rich and powerful. Of course, slavery is prohibited on many worlds and sentient trafficking often attracts the attention of law enforcement agencies, Jedi and abolitionists.
In order to keep unwanted attention away, the Buccaneers obfuscate their practices. A common method is to claim they are merely providing wealthy individuals with 'domestic servants', often through the use of front agencies. They also market themselves as 'bridal contractors'. In addition, the gangsters deceive refugees and poor people from impoverished worlds into thinking that they will help them start a new life. War, poverty and lack of educational and economic opportunities on their homeworld can lead people to migrate and then be sold into servitude or pushed into drug trafficking.
Other activities include smuggling, money laundering, chop shops, piracy, dealing in arms and narcotics, protection rackets, extortion and stealing medical supplies to sell them to people in need for exorbitant prices. Grrowh has a network of informants that keep him abreast of developments in his bailiwick. The group is also heavily involved in racing. Everyone loves racing, and fixing races is a good side business. Plus it allows them to bring in 'spectators' and 'staff', who love it so much that they never want to leave. Grrowh likes to think of himself as a respectable businessman and so he tries to preserve a veneer of respectability. This irks some old guard members, who prefer the days of raiding and piracy.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Cademimu V.
Domain: No planetary domains per se, though it exerts influence on a number of fringe worlds. Among other worlds, it operates on Cademimu V, including in the Quarantine Zone. However, it is far from the only or dominant group. They also have a presence on Station RS-32, a shadowport controlled by Enyo.
Notable Assets: The Buccaneers own a number of gambling dens, chop shops, warehouses, safehouses, sweatshops, racing tracks, private landing pads and hangars.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: Like with many organisations, one can imagine it as a pyramid. Ser Grrowh stands at the top and makes the big decisions. He has professional legbreakers, mercenaries and thugs to do his bidding. Much of the day-to-day affairs are handled by a Seneshal. The holder of this somewhat archaic title has duties that resemble those of a Hutt's Majordomo. The Seneshal has to be canny and adept at reading his master's moods. Grrowh is quite sensitive to people stealing from him, so the Seneshal must take care to appear trustworthy. Also of note is the position of Battlemaster. The holder of this rather pompous title is always a Wookiee, who commands professional killers with fighting skills above that of the typical street thug. Growh used to lead operations in person, but has the Buccaneers have evolved, he is focusing more on the business side and strategic management than direct action.
Grrowh maintains power through a combination of fear, reputation and charm, with the occasional cruel punishment thrown in to remind everyone who's boss and what the consequences of disappointing him are. His background has given him skills as a tactical leader on the battlefield. His main weaknesses are his avarice and vanity. He is a very greedy man, which can have a negative effect on his judgement.
Beyond that, there are a variety of underbosses who manage the gangs and districts that are under the sway of the Wookiee. There are also a number of private contractors who are kept on retainer. One position of note is that of an HRD 'adviser'. When she saved Grrowh from his own folly on Tygara, Enyo Typhos 'convinced' him to bend the knee to her. In the spirit of cooperation, she assigned one of her HRDs to serve as a 'consultant' and ensure that both groups 'coordinated their efforts'. Grrowh is rather disgruntled about her meddling in his criminal empire, but has so far been unable to cut the puppet strings. Enyo, who regards slavery as inefficient, has 'recommended' phasing out forced organic labour in favour of droids.
Membership: The hard core is composed of Wookiees who left Kashyyky together with Grrowh. Most other members are mercenaries and street thugs. Aside from the criminal element, Grrowh employs a few lawyers, accountants and financiers to handle the 'legitimate' aspects of the business, finances and legal affairs. Finally, there are the poor unfortunate souls who have been enslaved. This includes slaves captured on raids, but also debt slaves.
Climate: They are criminals, and there is little honour among thieves. Their purpoise is the accumulation of wealth, power, and influence. This means backstabbing and corruption are issues. There is more loyalty among the Wookiee members, who cultivate a form of xeno-nationalism. They represent the hard core of the group and often look down on non-Wookiees. The group has both legitimate and criminal branches.
On paper, the group is governed by a strict code of conduct, but this has broken down to a significant degree. The oaths the Buccaneers have to swear say, in a nutshell, 'don't mess with us, or you will die a brutal death'. Grrowh seeks to project an aura of class and sophistication, but other Buccaneers revel in grim notoriety. In the end, the Buccaneers are in it for the money, not the pursuit of ideological agendas, though the idealistic or hypocritical may claim that they are doing a service to the Wookiee community. There is a strong culture of violence.
Growh presents himself as a respectable, somewhat eccentric gentlebeing who has assimilated into 'civilised' galactic culture. He dresses in well-tailored suits, often wearing a monocle and a top hat, as he regards walking around with his fur exposed as 'uncivilised'. However, Grrowh is pretty self-centred and greedy, so his wealth sometimes comes at the expense of the size and quality of his minions. Enyo has taken notice of this and finds his materialism distasteful. Hence why she has dispatched a 'consultant' to keep an eye on things - and put herself in a position to dispose of him if need be. The Cyborg and the Wookiee crime boss may come to blows in the future. In that case, Enyo would seek to remove him and assimilate the Buccaneers into her organisation, after conducting a thorough purge. For the time being, they are more useful to each other as allies than overt enemies.
Reputation: Hated by most Wookiees for turning their back on the honour code of their species and breaking many taboos. After all, the Buccaneers are a bunch of gangsters. Enyo considers them useful enough to keep around and outsources some missions to them. She also takes a cut of their profits. However, she views Ser Grrowh with disdain.
Curios: Trinkets with crossed swords imagery.
Rules: As they are criminals, the Buccaneers do not really have a refined ideology. They ae in it for the money, not for the pursuit of ideological agendas. Grrowh believes that the Wookiees who scorned him are fools blind to the reality of the universe. Power and freedom belong to the strong, honour codes are nothing but leashes holding you back. Thus he strives to increase his personal power. Ideally he would also like to cut the puppet strings, since his arrangement with Enyo seems like a life debt to him and he hates the very idea of life debts.
Though he would deny it, Ser Grrwoh does derive some enjoyment from putting human or near-human beings in chains and forcing them into chattel slavery, as offworlders have so often done to his kind. While he has cut all his ties with his tribe and not returned to Kashyyyk for many years, he retains some vestiges of attachment to his people. For one, he refuses to enslave them and has sometimes made an attempt to free Wookiee slaves, though these efforts have become a rarity these days. He also feels some regret when the ignorance of his fellow Wookiees forces him to resort to violence against them. He would prefer it if they saw the light, so to speak, and learned from his example. Sadly, they are not making it easy for him. He blames it on centuries of cultural indoctrination and ignorance.
The Buccaneers themselves do not have many laws, beyond common sense rules such as not ratting out members to law enforcement, not consorting with Jedi, and not betraying the group. The 'legitimate' members of the group are expected to keep their hands clean, because otherwise they would not be effective minions. The Buccaneers refuse to hire Trandoshans because Grrowh has a grudge against them due to the historical animosity between his people and theirs.
Goals: Expansion, money, power and so on and so forth.
MEMBERS
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The history of the group is closely tied to that of Ser Grrowh. Thus it shall be recapitulated in abbreviated form. Ser Grrowh was born in the final century of the Four Hundred Year Darkness that had been ushered in by the outbreak of the Gulag Virus. The tribe he was born in happened to be rather conservative. Having once been stalwart supporters of the Galactic Alliance, his tribespeople had since reconsidered their chance. While not averse to trade with foreigners and resolute in their determination to honour the old tradition of Wookiee hospitality, they stressed the primacy of the old values. Too many times had offworlders descended upon Kashyyyk with malicious intent - especially to force Wookiees e them into chattel slavery. They were equally averse to campaigns of conquest. They greatly valued honour and loyalty.
Grrowh's parents were respected amongst his tribe, but he soon concluded that he was different from his peers. He came to chafe under how 'backwards' their culture was. Especially their insistence on honour, when the world around them evidently was not honourable. His perception was shaped by the slave raids that plagued his world. Indeed, some dishonourable Wookiees made common cause with the hereditary enemy. His people were great at tech, but did less with it than they could!
Grrowh did not show much desire to become a hunter. Instead, he took a keen interest in foreign technology and could often be found among the few foreign merchants allowed in the midst of his tribe's village. He displayed skills as a businessman and a negotiator, refusing to be awed by the trinkets they offered in the belief that a 'walking carpet' could be easily deceived. He also began studying military tactics, becoming a voracious reader.
When raiders assailed the settlement, he introduced 'innovations' such as the use of land mines and barbed wire. During an assault on a slaver outpost, he put his cunning to good use by leading a commando that removed enemy fortifications through the use of bulldozers, bangalores and baradium charges. In doing so he was able to clear a path for his fellows by demolishing fortifications that had been pinning them down. This helped his tribe achieve victory, though the arrogant Grrowh felt that his deeds were not being honoured sufficiently. Some of the warriors accused him of acting dishonourably, as he had shirked physical combat during the melee, for he preferred to pick off his enemies at range.
Using his connections, Grrowh was able to bribe a gang of human smugglers to loan him their ships and piloting abilities. Then he assembled a crew for a retaliatory raid on Trandosha. His goal was simple: The Trandoshans made a sport out of hunting and enslaving Wookiees, so he would do the same to them. To fund his enterprise, he made a deal with foreign slavers who had use for Trandoshan labour. It was time for the lizardmen to experience the consequences of their actions and suffer the same fate as their victims. At first everything went well. The commando landed undetected and infiltrated a Trandoshan village, ambushing the seemingly surprised lizardmen. All that pent-up anger and rage was unleashed in a shower of violence. Lizardmen were slain or bound and collared. Only a few managed to escape into the jungle. Loaded with booty, Grrowh returned to his ship.
However, upon his return to Kashyyyk, he found that most of his tribe were horrified by his actions, for he had sunk to the level of the Trandoshans by taking slaves and making deals with slavers. One of the most accusatory was his own father, who was ashamed by his son's lack of honour. Enraged, Grrowh defend himself with an impassioned speech. However, worse was yet to come, for the Trandoshans had tracked his movements and soon descended upon the Wookiee settlement in great force. As it turned out, the same slaver he'd made deals with had been playing both sides. The trial was interrupted and the Wookiees had to defend themselves.
Grrowh threw himself into battle and fought ferociously, but ended up being beaten by Trandoshan warriors in a vicious melee. He was saved from death or enslavement by the intervention of one of the smugglers he'd worked with. Eventually, the Trandoshans withdrew, after setting fire to a good portion of the village. In the aftermath of the battle, Grrowh learned that his father had perished. Needless to say his tribe was most unhappy with him. Moreover, the Chieftain declared that Grrowh owed the offworlder who'd saved him a life debt.
Grrowh had tried to repay the debt by simply paying the smuggler. This behaviour was considered most inappropriate. A furious Grrowh refused to honour his obligations, declaring it to be archaic and close to slavery. Declaring that the elders lacked vision, he said that he would rather go into exile and be considered honourless. So he was banished and left Kashyyyk, using his foreign connections to secure transport. A small number of his followers decided to join him. While deeply embittered by his exile, he eventually came to consider it a liberation.
Archaic traditions would no longer control him. He spent the next few years educating himself about the broader Galaxy and sought gainful employment in the private sector. Perhaps inevitably given the sort of people he associated with, his path led him to the underworld. He became a private contractor, working for a variety of bosses. Over time he also became a slaver, realising how lucratice the business was. Some of his fellows balked at this and left him. One of his Wookiee lieutenants protested a bit too loudly and was executed after setting a group of captives free. Grrowh explained to his remaining minions that the honour code of their homeworld had no meaning. They would be loyal to each other and no one else. The weak were nothing but fodder. Besides, they would not enslave Wookiees. From his point of view, he was repaying the debt the rest of the Galaxy owed Kashyyyk. However, as time passed his attachment to his people diminished and it simply became a way to fund his increasingly extravagant life style.
Grrowh began to wear clothes and instructed his closest lieutenants to do the same, for it was the civilised thing to do. For a while he served as the henchman of a Black Sun bigwig, before he disposed of his boss and stole his resources to found the Black Horn Buccaneers. At first their activities focused on slave raids, but as they grew in power and wealth, they branched out. Grrowoh was an unscrupulous war dog who enjoyed his work and had no qualms about profiting from the various conflicts in the Galaxy or preying on displaced persons who had lost their homes and livelihood to this or that war. Things took a profound turn when he heard about a primitive world called Tygara. According to one of his sources, there was a race of wood elves called the Vashyada, who lived in forests and lacked modern technology. Believing that they would be easy prey, Grrowh decided to lead a raid in person.
Perhaps if Ser Grrowh had studied the defeat of Palpatine's 'finest legion' at the hands of the Ewoks centuries ago - or simply the battles his own people had fought against technologically superior aggressors who lacked their experience in the jungle - he would have been less certain of victory. However, he did not. Perhaps he'd removed himself from his origins too much. Success had made him complacent. Using guerilla tactics, the Vashyada were able to rout his forces and when he and his men fled, their ships were harassed by Eldorai starfighters. However, he was unexpectedly saved by Enyo Typhos, who had heeded his distress call and showed up with a Phrik corvette. This put Grrowh in the deeply uncomfortable position of being indebted to someone, though his new overlord was smart enough to avoid the word life debt when she laid down the law.
Since then the Buccaneers have been vassals of Enyo's organisation. Grrowh continues to be the leader of the cartel, focusing on the business side and strategic management rather than field operations. Grrowh hopes to one day reclaim his independence, but for the time being the arrangement with the enigmatic Cyborg is beneficial to him. Enyo has access to resources that far surpass his own, which has been helpful in the perennial conflicts with other criminal organisations. The group has also been moving from slave raids to 'safer' forms of sentient trafficking. Their headquarters is located in a speeder racing track on Nar Shaddaa.
Enyo is a bit awkward to work with for Grrowh because due to being a machine she lacks most of the vices of the typical dictator, corporate magnate or crime boss, so bribes do not work. He supplies her group with resources and information about the criminal underworld in exchange for protection. Enyo considers slavery to be self-defeating, and prefers to process prisoners into machines instead. Alexia Zarides, one of Enyo's clone siblings, has advocated purging the Buccaneers and putting them under the control of someone more 'reliable' - herself. Enyo has not indulged her thus far, preferring to keep her options open.
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