Gleipnir: Gangs, Governments, and Other Social Groups

ICF Gleipnir houses billions, some who recall the reason for their imprisonment, and others who have long forgotten and long been forgotten. Gangs, pseudo-governments, strange religious groups, and social conglomerates all exist in Gleipnir's labyrinth, some dangerous and violent and others peaceful, seeking to do what they can to improve life in incarceration.

## The Coatl

One of Gleipnir’s oldest and most notorious gangs, the Coatl are known to wander and hang out in the long halls between cell blocks, factories, and other, larger social spaces. Said to have been born from a large and ancient Reticulum family imprisoned before the Scream, the Coatl have accrued a significant amount of wealth and clout over the centuries, and purchase a signature leather jacket for each new member from Gleipnir Convenience. Each jacket bears the emblem of a flaming, flying snake, and each member of the gang is required to get the same emblem tattooed on their inner right arm. Additions to the tattoo, including more flames and other details, represent rank within the gang.

The Coatl have survived by being smart. They make deals to absorb smaller gangs to keep their membership high, deny responsibility for actions of individual members, and manipulate the existing systems of Gleipnir’s society, using violence only as a last resort. They also maintain a close relationship with the guards, feeding information that can help keep them in good graces.

### **Structure:**

Some centuries ago, the Coatl warred for many years across Gleipnir with the Tocinero, or “Butchers.” With many of their members dead or bloodied in violent attacks and the guards considering action, the leaders of both gangs chose to meet and negotiate a merger. The end result was that the gang would be called the “Coatl,” and one of their titles retained, but that the leader would be the “Tocinero,” and all other titles would be taken from the Tocinero gang.

* Tocinero - Alternatively “Big Bacon,” or “The Butcher King.” The Tocinero is the leader of the Coatl, chosen upon defeating the previous Tocinero through an agreed upon dueling method. The current leader of the Coatl won their seat through a duel of “Jäger and Jaegergems,” which involved downing a large amount of herbal liqueur before attempting to win three consecutive games of Jaegergems.
* Mohmōlēhua - Alternatively “Sneaky Pig.” Though technically to the side of the Coatl hierarchy, Mohmōlēhua are crucial spies and observers, collecting information for the Coatl and feeding it back to the main gang.
* Apiztli - Alternatively “Head Nosh.” Apiztli are the generals or overseers of the Coatl, the hands and mouths of the Tocinero when they cannot be present or the work is beneath them. Apiztli are so named because they are hungry and gluttonous for power, always fighting amongst each other in attempts to grow their own power or challenge the Tocinero.
* Nexhua - Alternatively “Yopico Snake.” Most members of the Coatl are Nexhua, a title given to those who have learned enough or survived long enough to no longer be Cuīnoh but have not shown the cunning of Mohmōlēhua or earned the respect of Apiztli.
* Cuīnoh - Alternatively “Soft Piggy.” Cuīnoh are the lowliest and newest of the Coatl, the butt of many a joke and the hand of many an unsightly deed that the gang would rather blame on a fool.

## The Vind-ǫld

Also called “The Age of Storm,” and “Thunder’s Council,” The Vind-ǫld is not a gang in the traditional sense, but a pseudo-nation-state established within the confines and strict environments of ICF Gleipnir. Said to have grown up during the Scream as a method of self-organizing in a time where the prison guards were spread thin, The Vind-ǫld is largely amiable to both the Warden and whatever personnel are stationed on Gleipnir at the time.

The purpose of the Vind-ǫld’s leadership is explicitly to provide guidance when none comes from the prison guards or the Warden and its systems. This has led to the common misconception that the group’s structure is oligarchic, but it is in fact more akin to an adhocracy when the role of the prison guards is left out of consideration. Councils and groups of those with specialized knowledge work in tandem, overlapping with each other, and often dissolve, regroup, or interweave in frequent but naturally necessary ways to achieve the Vind-ǫld’s goals. Age is highly respected, the wisdom of the elderly being an almost sacred consideration, and supporting the weak and ill is paramount to the Vind-ǫld’s work.

The Vind-ǫld is largely present in the Jotun Torretin Block, and has negotiated successfully for its survival with nearly every House that has managed Gleipnir on behalf of the Empire. In the end, the prison guards understand that the millions within the block would be nearly unmanageable without the Vind-ǫld’s assistance.

### **Structure:**

* Councillor: All those who serve within the Vind-ǫld’s leadership are called Councillor to reduce any particular station or group being perceived as more or less important than another.
* Scribe: The bookkeepers of the Vind-ǫld, who keep records of the leadership’s meetings to disseminate to the masses.
* Messenger: As the name suggests, messengers relay information between groups of the Vind-ǫld that are too far apart to easily be in contact with one another.

## The New Dawn

In 2959, Aquilan Lieutenant General Elionor Ginard was tried and sentenced to ICF Gleipnir for treason and war crimes during the reign of the Blood Eagle and the Second Imperial Civil War. Her crimes were deemed heinous enough that her immediate family and the next two generations of her line were also to be imprisoned, though rumor suggests some members of her family alive at the time managed to escape justice through unknown means. Elionor was also excommunicated at the request of House Crux before her imprisonment as a symbol to remind those who had been pardoned what betrayal could lead to for them.

Weaker souls would have perhaps vanished into Gleipnir’s masses, forgotten amongst the billions as just another inmate. But even imprisoned, even with her nobility stripped from her, Elionor Ginard proved a powerful force.

One of Gleipnir’s most notorious gangs, the New Dawn emerged in 2961, a mere two years after Elionor’s arrival. Named by Elionor after the operation that led to her own imprisonment, the New Dawn quickly became a common name in cases of prison violence. Guards questioned and isolated Elionor on numerous occasions as the suspected leader, but evidence was sparse and difficult to piece together. Elionor was also careful never to commit violence herself, delegating such tasks to other prisoners.

The New Dawn spilled blood across Gleipnir for years before Elionor fell to her death in The Pit, an “accident” that was never solved. But if another gang or the prison guards themselves had hoped to see the New Dawn end there, they would soon discover they had failed.

Elionor’s line continued, leadership passing to her son, and then his daughter, and her son after that. The current leader of the New Dawn, The Kestrel Sabina Amarantos, led several bloody riots during the War Against the Artificials and the STO War, exploiting the advantages of an understaffed prison. Since the Chain Agency’s arrival and House Crux’s subsequent return, however, she has kept quiet. Rumor suggests that Sabina made a deal with House Crux upon their return to help “manage” unruly prisoners, likely in the form of kicking the shit out of them.

Though Elionor herself barely espoused the politics and philosophies of the Blood Eagle Alejandra Ari in public, those who have followed in her footsteps clearly fed off Elionor’s more private conversations. The New Dawn publically follows the High Church, but numerous members have been investigated and punished for errant beliefs or anti-Imperial rhetoric over the years. Claims that no Emperox since Alejandra has been a legitimate Messiah or that God has abandoned the Empire are amongst such false ideas.

While many who are swayed to join the New Dawn view Alejandra Ari as an inspiring figure to be learned from, others let their admiration grow too deeply, worshipping the memory of the Blood Eagle and her prophet, Elionor. Those who make this mistake often face punishment or even death if they replace God with Alejandra, and as such the New Dawn often works to correct the errant minds of its own members, lest the High Church see fit to eliminate the New Dawn altogether. Those careful enough to hold Alejandra as a Messiah of God are less likely to receive retribution.

At times, those beaten or killed by the New Dawn may be targeted for speaking against the Blood Eagle’s memory, but this has often been difficult to prove. Members of the Les Oubliés have specifically been targeted, most notably in the bloody riots during the War Against the Artificials.

### **Structure:**

The New Dawn is organized under its leader into a number of primary groups by purpose and ability. The leader of the gang always chooses their own title, as Sabina chose The Kestrel when she took power.

* Scholai: The thinkers and elderly of the New Dawn, tasked with assisting in the raising and education of children beyond what ICF Gleipnir normally provides.
* Exboubitoi: The guardians of the New Dawn, who are tasked with defending important and less capable members of the gang.
* Arithmos: Scouts and accountants, the Arithmos both keep an eye out for threats against the New Dawn and keep a tally of the gang’s collective funds.
* Hikanatoi: The swords and fists of the New Dawn, who strike out against other gangs or individuals as requested by the gang.
* Athanatoi: Those who have served the New Dawn well may earn the title of Athanatoi as a reward.

## Les Oubliés (The Forgotten)

Les Oubliés is not a single gang, but rather a population and ideological grouping of a number of smaller gangs spread across ICF Gleipnir. During the Blood Eagle’s reign, many of her enemies and dissenters were sent to Gleipnir for punishment. While a number would eventually be pardoned by later Emperox, many remained imprisoned, their descendants and comrades carrying forward a strong hatred of the Blood Eagle, her policies, and those supportive of her. Some of these prisoners would come in contact with each other, forming alliances together, but many would only know of others in passing, separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles of Gleipnir’s labyrinth.

In the present day, these groups are often too small to have titles or much internal organization, but they have been known to band together to stand against larger threats such as the New Dawn. The gangs of Les Oubliés that do use titles for their members often incorporate Aquilan titles and structuring from before the Flavian Reforms.

Because of the violence and prevalence of the New Dawn over the centuries in Gleipnir’s gang structure, Les Oubliés has to some extent been forced to perpetuate the Second Imperial Civil War for their own survival, a conflict of those that admire the Blood Eagle (the New Dawn) and those that opposed her and in some ways still do (Les Oubliés). Unlike the New Dawn, Les Oubliés tends to prefer less direct tactics, tending to work more like small special forces units. This has in part evolved from the nature of Gleipnir, where open violence against the New Dawn or against Les Oubliés is not differentiated by many of the prison guards, leading to equal punishments to whoever the perpetrator may be.

### **Structure:**

As mentioned above, Les Oubliés is more akin to a population or ideological group, and its people are often organized into smaller gangs or groups that may not even use titles for each other. The entries below are just some of the various gangs and groups that are considered to be part of Les Oubliés.

* Jin Chan: Named for an ancient charm of prosperity, the Jin Chan originated in a small group sentenced from Hong Lu, including several stationed Aquilans and Hong Lu natives. The Jin Chan have grown wealthy over the years, carefully stockpiling and protecting their wages for use in purchasing goods and trading them to others on Gleipnir. While attempts have been made to stop the Jin Chan’s business in the past, it has most often been seen as too mundane a practice to bother interfering with, especially since the gang is quite small and reaches a very limited portion of Gleipnir’s greater population. Secretly, the Jin Chan also use their funds to procure smuggled goods from corrupt prison guards, keeping a small arsenal of tricks and minor weapons to protect their wealth and fuel strikes against those who support the Blood Eagle.
* Palatina: Originating from a small group of Aquilans sentenced on Diomikato, the Palatina are a small group of devout High Church faithful, less a gang and more a religious group. The Palatina denounce the ways of the New Dawn and others who support or admire the Blood Eagle, but they almost never engage in violence themselves. It is thought the original members of the Palatina were largely landholding Nobles who were known supporters of the High Church, sentenced to Gleipnir for their faith.
* The Visigoths: Descended from a small number of Crucian dissenters to the Blood Eagle’s rule, the Visigoths are by no means large, but are perhaps one of the most physically opposed to the New Dawn historically, as the two groups have existed in neighboring cell blocks for centuries. Exemplifying the more tactical approach of Les Oubliés, Visigoths have stolen property of the New Dawn and swayed members to the Visigothic side repeatedly over the years, much to the anger of the New Dawn. When the Visigoths do engage in conflict, it is often to strike a single opponent cut off from their group or to attempt pushing the New Dawn into actions that could result in heavier punishments for them from the guards and the Warden.
* Miztli: “The Mountain Lion” is thought to be the merger of several, older gangs of Gleipnir with a number of gangs or families started by those sentenced to the prison planet under the Blood Eagle. Records of the Miztli extend back to at least the Scream, but over the centuries they have evolved to strongly despise those who have any love or appreciation for the Blood Eagle and her regime. The Miztli are too far away from the territories of the New Dawn to frequently engage them, but the two groups have for many years been in a sort of cold war, watching each other closely but only rarely starting violence when they do meet. The Miztli were one of the primary targets of the New Dawn during the War Against the Artificials, as movement between cell blocks became easier with a reduced guard presence, but the Mountain Lion was able to hold back The Kestrel Sabina and her followers until the Warden at last intervened.

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