Almata

Almata (アルマータ) is a mafia organisation operating in Calvard. They serve as the main antagonists of .
== Background ==
Almata was once an unremarkable, mid-sized mafia based in Calvard's Eastern Quarter. However, Almata's prominence in the region's underworld would rise under the leadership of Enrique, a former arms dealer who launched a successful drug smuggling business for the mafia. This precipitated a bloody turf war between Almata and an older and more well-established local crime syndicate led by a man named Won. This turf war remained in a stalemate for over a decade, and the violence took a toll on both Almata and Won's syndicate. As such, the two rival factions would occasionally resolve their disputes using less violent means, such as gambling matches.
During one of these matches, the legendary gambler King and his protege Jack Trevor both gambled with their lives on the line. Enrique however blackmailed King to throw the match after he poisoned his daughter Hal Coleman with the antidote only being guaranteed if he lost. After this, King lost his life and Jack was declared the winner. Hal thought that her father originally died of an illness before overhearing about how he actually does from people in a bar. Because of this, she swore revenge against Jack after believing he killed her father.
A few years after this match, Hal tracked Jack down and challenged him in a game of poker and attempted to point an orbal gun at him. After telling him that he killed her father, Hal left and Jack later got an invitation to another gambling match between Almata and Won's syndicate regarding a territorial dispute. This time, Jack would be on Won's side of the match with Hal as his opponent representing Almata with her life on the line.
During the majority of the match, Jack didn't say anything until he started to tell Hal a story about him and King. He stated that King taught him everything and that he cared greatly for Hal. However, he also reveals the truth behind their gambling match and how Enrique blackmailed King with his daughter's life. Hal and Won realized that Enrique caused King's death as Jack used the same technique that King used to forfeit their match to win the one against Hal. Due to Jack's cheating being unable to be proven, he saves Hal's life as his prize as the match ends. After this incident, Hal stopped working with Almata and tracked Jack down to challenge him to another match, but with lower stakes and on more friendly terms than before. Enrique's reputation meanwhile had become worse after he was revealed to have caused King's death by forcing him to lose his match.
This all changed once Gerard Dantes had risen through the ranks of Almata - eventually killing Enrique and taking control of the mafia himself. Dingo Brad was involved in the death of Enrique. Enrique had a negative public image while Gerard Dantes had presented himself as reasonable and more amicable. Because of this, Dingo willingly supplied Gerard with the information he would need to kill Enrique and usurp his position. Dantes went on to overhaul Almata's internal structure and greatly expand the scope and scale of their operations, breaking numerous rules set by Heiyue to maintain order in Calvard's underworld. He quickly bolstered Almata's manpower by recruiting jaeger dropouts, assassins, and other hardened criminals into their ranks. He attracted sponsors from wealthy individuals who backed causes such as ending immigration or promoting racism, playing on their prejudice. Dantes also collaborated with Garden, forming a contract and receiving aid from Wardens from the Organization.
This surge in activity caught the attention of the CID and Bracer Guild, who attempted to send insiders to investigate Almata. However, many of these insiders disappeared without a trace, further cementing Almata's image as a highly dangerous and formidable criminal organization.
Almata was primarily based in the city of Messeldam until Gerard largely abandoned his operation there. Almata typically operate under dummy or shell companies with name such as 'Messeldam Trading' or 'Tharbard Transport'. Almata rank and file members or hired groups hold a deep fear of their superiors, refusing to betray them or give information under fear of torment and death. This fear persisted long after the organization's demise. Almata members make use of drugs to bolster their combat strength.
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In , in September of S. 1207, Bracer Elaine Auclair, while searching for two missing children kidnapped by a low-level organized crime syndicate, was able to track down the syndicate. After defeating and subduing most of their members, the leader of Almata, Gerard Dantes, appeared. (Almata was only referred to by A in this scene and Dantes name was never given.) Dantes came to clean up after the syndicate, which Almata had considered as a potential subcontractor, due to him being disappointed with them for being outwitted and discovered by the CID. Capable of hiding his presence to prevent Elaine from seeing his face, Dantes executed all of the syndicate's members effortlessly, though he spared the kidnapped children and informed Elaine of where she would find them unharmed. He claimed to be pursuing the "ultimate fear", and called fear the driving force beyond existence, before escaping.
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Almata continue to rise rapidly through the ranks in the underworld, crushing and absorbing other organizations to bolster thier strength and reputation. This includes the Doole Family, who formerly held a top position in the underworld, as well as the organisation Viola belonged to before being absorbed. Unlike Heiyue who held a moderating influence on other, weaker organizations, and maintained a firm red line on substances and acceptable levels of conflict, Almata had no such imposed restrictions and threatened to tip the balance of the underworld. Their policy of rapid killings, chaotic motives and terrorist activity drew the attention of several parties, both official and underworld alike who sought to curb Almata's escalating threat.
Ouroboros under Ellroy Harwood dispatched enforcers to take out Almata due to the presence of Garden operatives, an organisation formed from two they had previously crushed. Organizations such as the CID and Bracer Guild targeted them for the threat to public safety they posed, other such as the Doole Family or jaeger groups targeted them for reasons such as revenge or simple being hired to stop them.
At the same time, Almata gained the cooperation of several influential individuals and organizations through use of threats or promising to deliver results that would fuel their ambitions. Edmond Auclair and Dartier of ETWS, who funded anti-immigration groups were used as sponsors, whereas David Callaghan was promised resources to achieve his ambition of creating a reactor weapon and Gaspar Dillon was simply threatened.
in , Almata first appear to be seeking the Oct-Genesis devices, with rank and file members pursuing and killing Giacomo Conte for his part in withholding information. One of the three commanders of Almata, Melchior, also experiments with a Genesis unit in Creil, using it on a unit of Eisenschild to transform them into ghouls after massacring them all with help from Arioch and Olympia. This act earns the ire of other Eisenschild units and the Khurga Warriors Clan who sought revenge. Melchior also made note of Criel's demographics as being perfect for a future plan.
Almata were further active with the Genesis units in cities across Calvard, with Viola and Alexandre conspiring with Gien Lu in Langport whilst threatening a major underworld war between themselves and Heiyue, using mass hysteria influenced by drugs in Tharbad to disrupt the Tharbard Film Festival and take Sherid Asverl hostage, and working behind the scenes to help Callaghan develop an extremely powerful reactor weapon by turning him into an artificial intelligence. In each case they pushed the potential of the Genesis units but ultimately did not care about whether they retained possession of them, with Gerard believing they were destined to end up in the hands of their rightful owner.
Despite the calculations for the reactor weapon being incomplete, the mysterious properties of Gerard's hereditary artifact Apeiron let him produce a operational version which he demonstrates in Creil before threatening Oración. A large number of groups with business concerning Almata converge on the city intending to take them down but Gerard unveils the reactor wepaon with detonate and wipe everyone in the city out unless they partake in a Carnival against one another, enforced by a surveillance system managed by another Genesis unit. With no choice but to accept these conditions, the various groups take each otehr out until only Van Arkride's Arkride Solutions Office is left to challenge Gerard. Over the course of the Carnival, all of Almata's leadership structure is killed or imprisoned, with Van facing off against Gerard in the Vashtar Palace ruins. After a battle, Gerard is killed and only Melchior is left standing. He detonates the bombs around the palace and escapes, destroying the corpse of his boss.
The true aim of Gerard's plot is revealed when Melchior uses a seventh Genesis on Revolution Day to unleash Pandemonium on Edith and summons Genesis Tower. Almata's key members are resurrected. Gerard reveals he didn't really care about Almata and his true aim was to bring about the state of absolute fear that Pandemonium created. With his defeat and all surviving members imprisoned or killed, Almata's threat is truly ended after the battle is concluded. Their backers still remain at large however.
== Members ==
=== Leader ===
* Gerard Dantes
* Enrique (formerly, deceased)
=== Managers ===
* Melchior
* Viola
* Alexandre
=== Associates ===
* Arioch
* Olympia
=== Lower-Ranking Members ===
* Robin Glasgow
== Gallery ==
Almata airship concept art (Kuro).png|Almata's airship
== Trivia ==
*During the final chapter of Trails through Daybreak, Melchior mentions that Almata was backed and funded by another party. The backer in question currently remains unknown.
*Almata and its former boss Enrique were first mentioned in the book series Gambler Jack introduced in . During the story however, Almata itself is never named.
== References ==
Category:Mafia Groups
Category:Calvard Organisations