Dive Gangs

## Description:

The term "Dive Gang" refers to a specific form of small-scale organized crime group, one which is found almost solely within New Orleans and its surrounding regions. Dive Gangs as they are known today formed in the late 2040's, when they evolved from salvage companies to pirates and extortionists. There are dozens of Dive Gangs that call New Orleans and Miami home, and all operate according to a unified code of conduct; this code does not stop them from coming into conflict with one another.

Dive Gangs are generally respectful of one another's territory and businesses, although conflicts do happen. Dive Gangs hate the Barrenderos and Brigadiry, however, and fight against them often.

### Organization:

All Dive Gangs are organized in a similar manner. A Dive Gang is led by a Boss, often referred to as a "Dive Boss" or "Crew Boss," who oversees the organization of the Gang and manages its activities; the Dive Boss's primary job is to find work for his Divers, or members of the Gang, and see that they all make money. Divers give a percentage of their profit to their Boss, who keeps some and uses the rest to find more jobs and provide support for their Divers. Below the Boss sit the specialized roles within each Dive Gang that handle specific tasks, including: Boatswain, who is in charge of the Divers' discipline and leading jobs, the Seneschal, who serves as accountant and money counter, the Carpenter, who maintains the boats and equipment for the Gang, and the Crow, who is tasked with finding lucrative jobs for Divers. Diver Gang hierarchy is heavily influenced by nautical traditions and roles commonly found aboard traditional pirate ships, with many honorary titles and ranks focused on that influence.

Dive Gangs recruit in a number of ways, but always from similar sources: disillusioned youth of New Orleans who live atop the floating Supercity, disgruntled workers who live on the oil rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico, and/or sailors. These sources provide a surplus of hardy, grizzled men looking to make more money than what their Megacorporate overlords let them; as a result, Dive Gangs are overwhelmingly male in their membership, and some of the oldest Dive Gangs outright refuse to accept female members. There are no rules against the membership of women, however, and some Gangs are led by or recruit *only* women. Recruitment tests and traditions include a presentation of a "resume," a diving/boating test (depending on the Diver's intended role within the Gang), and often a ceremony or introductory task involving the drawing of blood for the gang - either the initiate's blood, or someone else's. Often, prospective Gang members are tasked with scarring or cutting themselves with shark teeth, being stung by a stingray or other venomous sea creature or killing a rival of the Gang. Dive Gang recruitment rituals are designed to allow entrance for only the most brutal, tough, and determined individuals; Divers who show cowardice or fear in the face of combat or death are considered risks and are often removed with violence. Dive Gangs recruit relatively rarely, and most Gangs never exceed 100 members; their strict entrance requirements and career-specific recruitment interests limit their pool of new members.

Dive Gangs can participate in a wide range of criminal activities, ranging from extortion, blackmail, smuggling and drug dealing, arms distribution, theft, piracy, breaking and entering, robbery, and even assassination; unusually, Dive Gangs are also known to partake in a number of legal activities, including bounty hunting, mercenary work, salvage operations, search and rescue operations, boat production/selling, and some serve as tour guides or charter boats. Dive Gangs are frequently considered some of the best sailors in the Gulf, and most are willing to sell their services or expertise for the right price. Dive Gangs operate solely within New Orleans, Miami, or the Gulf, with the largest and oldest expanding their influence into the Caribbean or Mexico.

#### Known Ranks:

1. Dive Boss
2. Seneschal
3. Boatswain/Bosun
4. Carpenter
5. Crow
6. Divers

#### Known Dive Gangs:

1. Shipwreck Salvage Company
2. Port Princes
3. Kingston Privateers
4. Queens of Wails
5. The Driftwoods

### Equipment:

Most Dive Gangs make excellent use of the cutting edge in naval technologies. Many pride themselves on their knowledge and application of the newest boating tech, diving equipment, and salvage techniques. When it comes to weapons, most Dive Gangs are up to date as well, but few make use of larger weapons or energy weapons so as to help keep a low profile. Few individuals can match a Dive Gang's boats or mechanical skills.

Unsurprisingly, Dive Gangs have ready access to a wide range of nautical vehicles, from speedboats and jet skis to submarines and tugboats. Dive Gangs are also known to make extensive use of Chrome and Organic Augmentations to help their members stay ahead of the competition and improve their effectiveness in jobs; some go as far as to become fully amphibious or equip themselves with gills. Dive Gangs rarely use the drugs they may make or sell, but almost all Gangs have access to potent narcotics or even combat drugs to further boost their performance.

#### Military:

Dive Gangs are known across North and Central America for their brutality. As pirates and gangsters, Divers will attack and kill without hesitation, often at random. Divers hold very strong identification with their particular Gang and will kill rivals on sight if necessary; Dive Gang wars are known to be long-term feuds with large body counts, even for the civilian populace. Dive Gangs are known for attacking boats and either raiding or confiscating them like pirates; smaller Gangs without the manpower to fully usurp control of entire cargo ships will often resort to sabotaging or sinking targeted vessels, attacking from beneath, before waiting for the cargo to sink to the bottom of the sea where the Divers can salvage the cargo and sell it later.

A Gang's Boatswain is usually the largest, toughest, or deadliest member. His job is to keep the other Divers in line, and represent the Gang in feuds and on jobs, leading from the front. Dive Gangs do not tolerate cowardice or treachery; disloyalty will result in execution, and Divers are not above attacking family members or mailing their parts to the traitorous member in boxes if necessary. Punishments are delivered by the Boatswain or Boss, and are usually violent; some Dive Gangs make sure that the consequences of a punishment are permanent, like scarring or maiming. The most common punishment is flogging, and the second most common is execution.

### Gang Culture:

Dive Gang culture is very insular, and worships no "gods" but does feature a spiritual element; similarly, Dive Gang cultures are very patriarchal with an inwards focus on attaining a good death and securing a healthy legacy. Dive Gangs are influenced by Caribbean religions and sailor superstitions, creating a melting pot culture that heavily emphasizes the role of rituals and spirits in day-to-day life; most Divers believe in "Poseidon," or "Neptune," or "Calypso," as spirits of the ocean, with "Davy Jones" as the Satanic figure. For Divers, divine interaction occurs when on the water and when dealing with spiritual matters.

Diver culture places a heavy emphasis on tattooing, which is used to illustrate a member's life experiences as well as their contributions and dedication to the Gang; special tattoos are given to represent a member's first job, first kill, greatest catch (either a literal fish or cargo), spouse/children, and many more. Many Dive Gangs have tattoo artists that cater specifically to that 1 Gang. The tattoos are also used to demonstrate veterancy within the Gang. Diver culture believes in a spirit world of sorts, often referred to as Davy Jones's Locker; this metaphysical plane is depicted as the bottom of the ocean, where most Divers believe their bodies will go should they die at sea; this feature demonstrates the fatalistic nature of Diver beliefs and illustrates the importance of a "good death" on the water. The Locker is not considered a nice place, unless you were a sailor who died with a long list of epic deeds to their name; if you lived without leaving legends or stories behind, then you will suffer in the Locker alone and despairing, but if you left behind a large family, epic tales, and lots of experiences on the sea, then Davy Jones will reward you with an eternity on the Underworld's waves. The supernatural exists in the form of spirits, some of whom are ancestors, others are mythical figures or dead members of legend, and others are Underworld messengers or agents of Davy Jones or Calypso. Holidays celebrate the solstices, fish mating seasons/migration patterns, ancestors of legend, and historical events.

#### Gang Values:

1. Sailing: Every Diver should be one with the waves, both above and below; no Diver should fear the ocean, but none should disrespect it.
2. Stoicism: Every Diver must weather the toughest storms and slay the mightiest beasts, endure life's challenges with a grin.
3. Loyalty: Respect for the Gang and loyalty to its members is held akin to family; blood is thicker than water.

#### Cultural Aspects:

Dive Gangs identify themselves with a "flag" or similar symbol which is tattooed on most members and painted on their boats and properties. Sacred colors include blue, black, and red for most Gangs.

Deadly sins among Dive Gangs is cowardice, treachery and disloyalty, and disrespect for dead members or the ocean. Virtues incluide courage, loyalty, comradery, and a respect for the ocean.

Associated art forms include tattoos, paintings, and sea shanties, which are sung both during and after jobs as a method of keeping time, passing the time, and remembering events/people memorialized in the songs.

Dive Gangs have a number of jargon, slang, and coded dialects that they use to communicate with one another. These include Morse Code, flag code for sailing, knot-talk, which relies on tying ropes in a specific manner to convey specific messages visually, and the jargon of sailors and divers. Some of these slang terms include: "rinsing," which refers to a method of execution by drowning, "salvage," which refers to any cargo or equipment the Gang stole or acquired whilst sailing, "Jetsam," which refers to any non-Gang member, and "Corpse" or "Corpses," an insulting slang term used for Megacorps.

Most Dive Gangs have an average recruitment of age of mid-20's. Recruitment rituals include scarification, tattooing, and the shedding blood for the Gang (either one's own blood or someone else's).

Marriage is highly encouraged within most Dive Gangs, as are the creation of a full family with children and pets. Despite the habit for Divers to leave for extended periods of time, loyalty to one's spouse is a well-respected virtue; similarly, Divers with large families create a larger legacy for themselves and more people to tell their stories int other future, ensuring a better time in the Locker when they die. Marriage rituals often include Christian elements combined with nautical symbols, seafood feasts, and a celebratory boat ride into the sunrise/sunset.

Death is a common and accepted aspect of Diver lifestyles. As a result, fatalism and a welcoming attitude towards death are incredibly common among the Gangs. Rituals include a burial at sea or a scattering of the ashes at sea; sea burials can include a Viking-esque send-off where the body is placed aboard a dinghy, sent out onto the water, and set on fire, but it can also include a sinking of the body to the bottom of the sea.

Cultural taboos include the taking of spirits' names in vain, disrespecting a person's ancestors or family, and adultery. Disrespecting a Diver's family is likely to get a person killed.

Divers have differing opinions on outsiders depending on the condition of their specific Gang, but most are ambivalent towards outsiders. Divers distrust outsiders when it comes to sailing, and are likely to start fights with someone who claims to know more than them about sailing.

## History:

Dive Gangs originated from the Gulf's history of salvage companies, who were paid by companies (and later Megacorps) to find and retrieve ships and cargo lost at sea. When New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane [REDACTED], many of these salvage companies were tasked with salvaging people's belongings from their homes, saving people and pets trapped by the storm, and providing or repairing boats for search and rescue operations. These loyal Gulf citizens saw how the Megacorps failed to help or save the people of New Orleans and the Caribbean, and many became angry; as a result, many of these smaller companies turned to criminality and rebellion to express their distaste with the Megacorps, assuming correctly that the Megacorps would only listen and care if someone hurt their profit margins. So piracy throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico began and continues to this day.

Divers became the supportive pillars of New Orleans' floating community, relied upon by the residents to represent them to the Megacorps, salvage or retrieve items lost in the flooding, and protect them from violent outsiders. Over time, these salvage companies evolved into the Gangs seen today, hardened by the worsening conditions and rampant violence in the region. Some Dive Gangs retain their anti-Megacorprate leaning, while others retained more of their entrepreneurial origins and continue to focus on their own businesses and profits; these business-minded Gangs tend to work alongside or at least not against Megacorporations.