The Black Hand

(Disclaimer: None of the information posted here is known IC by any character unless directly told by a member of The Black Hand who has this knowledge.)

The Black Hand is a mercenary organization operating within Greyfell. The primary objective of The Black Hand is to protect Greyfell's citizens. Under the leadership of Raziel Lucas, the guild has been in Greyfell for nearly a year, playing key roles in battles within the town, as well as tipped the power scale after gaining momentum and members.

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### History

Originally, the Black Hand consisted of four members. Three of which came from the F.L.O.R., which will be explained in depth later within this article. The three who came from this organization were Raziel himself, Isaac Smith, a rifleman and friend of Raziel's, and Arnold Black. The fourth member is Alex Roxbend, a gunslinger and dealer who was indebted to the Black Hand after they saved his life. They arrived in Greyfell in January, 2335. After arrival, the small group was cautious to enter any conflict with the town. Within several months, however, their membership expanded from four to over ten.

### Members

**Raziel Lucas-** Current leader of the Black hand, human medic. Raziel had abandoned the F.L.O.R. after the raiding of his outpost, Saint's Tower.

**Big John-** Current Second in Command. Pre-War biomech that was specifically designed to protect and establish relations with Southern areas.

**C.O.B.B. (M.I.A.)-** Previous Second in Command, Command Operative and Battle Bot. Post-War biomech who taught Raziel a thing or two.

**Isaac Smith-** Rifleman and childhood friend of Raziel, also a member of the F.L.O.R. Probably the best shot out of the group. Usually keeps his mouth shut.

**Arnold Black-** Scout from the F.L.O.R., poor shot but a decent melee fighter. Arnold has known Raziel for many years. Hasn't said much since the incident.

**Samuel Sureshot-** Not that great of a shot, despite his name. Swift and good with combat, Samuel has quickly become a close friend of Raziel. They have chased many enemies together. First mutant within the Black Hand.

**Zach (M.I.A.)-** Gunslinger, former member of The Brotherhood under Wyvern. Not much is known about him.

**Ronin (M.I.A.)-** Former member of The Renegade, left the group to voluntarily turn himself into a ghoul. Stayed with The Black Hand for a few months before disappearing, never to return.

**Clank-** A friendly engineer, enjoys wielding the big weapons. Total edge lord on the outside, happy helper on the inside.

**Rachet-** Yet another engineer. Kind of an oddball. Came into The Black Hand unannounced, and has stayed with them faithfully.

**Stryder-** Long-time resident of Greyfell, a trusted advisor in The Black Hand

**Arsyn-** No one knows why she's even here

### The F.L.O.R.

In the year 2297, El Perdido rose in the glades of Florida as the predominant military force after the shelter Vector 208 was abandoned several decades prior. El Perdido originated as a military encampment for the group F.L.O.R. (Florida Lowland Outlaw Resistance) and soon expanded to welcome civilian citizenship. With an increasing population, El Perdido transformed into an expansionary power, spreading to encompass most of the Glades and even past them.

El Perdido (The Lost) became a very racist human based city. During expansion, mutant residences were torn down and the inhabitants banished from the city. Mutants are not welcomed in the city, and ghouls are shot on sight. Because of this hostility, El Perdido faces lots of opposition, which is why the city is surrounded by military outposts, such as the one Raziel and his friends had left on their voyage. Each outpost had enough space to comfortably house all of the F.L.O.R. members stationed there as well as their families.

### Raziel's Abandonment

In the year 2334, the F.L.O.R. Faced its first major loss of territory when the outpost Saint's Tower was ambushed by a mutant raiding party. The concrete walls were obliterated by homemade explosives and a smuggled missile launcher. With the main force on a perimeter sweep, there was no defense for the civilians and few troops left within. Molotov Cocktails and dirty bombs were used to flush out and kill the humans within, and the survivors were cut down. Whoever managed to hide inside was stalked and killed by ghouls, who swept in quickly at the golden opportunity of an unprotected village.

Raziel Lucas, Corporal, 112th Expeditionary Regiment, was one of the soldiers who returned to the destroyed village, shocked and anguished at the sight before him. They walked through the ruins, most of the buildings still burning at the time. Raziel had just found his mother, who was slit at the throat and burned from her shoulder down by a falling piece of debris, her entire arm charred, when the awaiting ghouls stormed into the ruins and attacked.

Unable to hold them off, the F.L.O.R. Members began to fall, rapidly. Raziel spotted his childhood friends who had enlisted with him, Arnold and Isaac, and led them in a dead sprint towards the ATVs they had parked outside for scouting. Gunning the engine, Raziel took off, knowing there was nothing left for him here. After being forced into service, he would do anything to stay out of the F.L.O.R.'s reach.