Dark Elven mafia

The Dark Elven mafia is a Mafia-type organized crime syndicate originating in the Dark Elven territories, but mainly operating in other countries where Dark Elven diaspora is present as a minority. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct. The basic group is known as a "family" or "clan". They recruit exclusively among Dark Elves - outsiders of other races can only become associated at best.

The Dark Elven mafia mainly operates in various big cities in the Occident (Grandfolk, Yanus, Gabyr, Copperport), although their hands can reach much further, if need be.

Activities
The Dark Elven mafia's prime criminal activities are racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion of protection-money, drug trafficking, slave trafficking, operation of illicit brothels (prostitution is legal in most countries, but requires a license or permit - which the Dark Elves usually don't bother to make the effort of formally acquiring), operation of illicit printing presses (circumventing censorship, publishing banned material) and contract killing (although they tend to outsource the actual killings to the Brotherhood of the Dark Moon and other similar organizations).

Not all of their activities are criminal in nature - for example, Pirothea Nelvarryl and many other Dark Elven mafiosi have invested a lot of money into perfectly legitimate businesses.

In Grandfolk
0 Dark Elves live in Grandfolk, making up % of the city's population. The Dark Elven mafia in Grandfolk is infamous for its influence within the city, effectively ruling over the Shanty Town. In areas where they are present, organized crime - organized by them - maybe rampant, but inorganized crime (petty theft, murder, sexual assault, etc.) nearly vanishes, as the mafia acts as an unofficial police force in their own territory - albeit with their own flexible set of rules that are definitely not congruent with the kingdom's official laws.

Their rise coincided with a wave of Dark Elven migration into the city during the late 7th century - initially, the Dark Elven migrants were welcomed as wonder-workers who would increase economical prosperity. And while, to a certain extent, they did increase economic prosperity, they also brought crime, sexual deviancies, drugs and violent clan rivalries. One of the most prominent figures of the Dark Elven mafia during the early 8th century was Pirothea Nelvarryl, who used her position within the mafia to smuggle supplies and information to the loyalists during the Etrandish Succession War of 718, winning the favour of the victors. This saw the beginning of the complicated relationship between the Dark Elven mafia and the city's government. King Bryant I of Etrand gave Pirothea a seat on the city council, which led to some other not-so-savory Dark Elven figures gaining influence and papers to prove it. Bryant's successor briefly attempted to suppress the mafia and go tough on crime, but this only caused more harm than good, deterring a lot of Dark Elven mafiosi who were following Nelvarryl's example and in the process of going legit.

Nevertheless, during the reign of King Cairbré, the influence of the Dark Elven mafia declined, only to be revived again during the turn of the century.

In Yanus
0 Dark Elves live in Yanus, making up % of the city's population. The Dark Elven mafia has never been as big in Yanus as in Grandfolk, always having been dwarfed in its size, influence, fame and ruthlessness by their Grandfolki counterpart. However, what they lacked in size, influence, fame and ruthlessness, they made up for in shrewd slyness, careful manipulation skills and stability.

The existence of the Dark Elven mafia in Yanus is often (wrongfully) credited to Pirothea Nelvarryl, who moved to a countryside estate near Yanus in 757, and immediately began working on covertly helping the expansion of the Dark Elven mafia in Froturn. In truth, the Dark Elven underground crime scene has existed in Yanus even before that, but it was extremely insignificant, to the point that the law enforcement was unaware of their very existence and mistook their criminal activities for the activities of petty criminals.

After 757, they gradually built up their crime empires, albeit much more carefully than their Grandfolki counterparts, investing much of their income into legitimate businesses. While their Grandfolki counterparts were known for being corrupt crooks who constantly paid off the law enforcement, the Dark Elven mob of Yanus invested a lot into their public relations campaign and cultivated an image of honest, reliable businesspeople.

After Pirothea Nelvarryl left Froturn to move back to Grandfolk, Etrand in 815, the Dark Elven mafia began to decline in Yanus.

In Gabyr
0 live in Gabyr, making up % of the city-state's population.

One would think that the Dark Elven mafia and Gabyr - the pirate principality - would be a match made in heaven, but they couldn't be more wrong. Sure, the Gabyrians tolerate piracy, prostitution, sexual deviancy, gambling and many more things, but the Dark Elven mafia is not a unified faction: rivalries between families often turn violent, and these gang wars are not tolerated by the Gabyrian authorities. The fact that Dark Elven mafia also has a tendency to blatantly disregard the law earns them little favour.