The House of Cards

## Description:

The House of Cards refers to a highly secretive organization comprised primarily of four (4) parts, or Suits, each of which is named after one (1) of the suits in a deck of cards: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. The House operates anonymously, and rarely in the same place twice; the Suits never know who the others are or what they are doing, all to ensure secrecy, security, and anonymity for their employees and customers alike. The House of Cards markets solely to the criminal underworld, the paranormal world in particular, selling their services to anomalous individuals, unregistered Magic practitioners, Vampires and other monsters, etc. As such, the House violently opposes Magic-regulating organizations like the GOC, SCP Foundation, CBPA, MIS, and JPCU; oppositely, the House favors organizations like Marshall, Carter & Dark Ltd., with whom the House has a very close relationship.

The wider world is entirely unaware of the House's existence; knowledge of the organization within Magic-policing groups like the CBPA and GOC is rare due to the absolute secrecy with which the House operates. The House goes as far as operating within the Continent of Pilbo, and is known to buy and sell incredibly rare wares from the Continent's criminal underworld; additionally, the House's smuggling operations have been targeted by the JPCU on multiple occasions for illegally transporting people out of the Continent and into the wider world or into a Hinterland. The House is considered a moderate threat to the JPCU, and both organizations have engaged in acts of violence and espionage against one another over the years.

### Organization:

#### Headquarters: Sin City (Las Vegas)

The House of Cards follows a very unique hierarchy, organized according to the types of playing cards in a standard deck. The entire organization is led by an enigmatic individual who holds the title of "Joker"; the Joker's identity is one of the House's best-kept secrets, and some believe it may be some semi-divine entity of Luck or Gambling which leads the House rather than a mortal; additionally, inconsistencies within the organization indicate that there may be two (2) Jokers as opposed to one (1), but no confirmation of either theory has come to light. Beneath the Joker sit the Kings of each Suit who lead their branch of the organization and answer directly to the Joker. Beneath the Kings sit the Queens, who often manage logistics and acquisitions within their respective Suit. The Jacks sit under the Queens and act as the overseers for the lower subordinates. The numbered cards represent ranks of the nonspecialized members of the organization, and are applied to all non-unique employees. The Ace of each Suit is an exception to the system; the Ace is a secret weapon, a powerful champion who answers to the King and the Joker directly, often responsible for maintaining the Suit's secrecy and leading offensive measures against opponents. The organization's name, House of Cards, is commonly misunderstood as describing the organization's fragility and secrecy, but this is not the truth as it is explained by the organization itself; instead, the group's name is meant to illustrate the importance of individual members and the Suits within the whole, the idea that the House falls apart if even a single card is shifted slightly out of its intended place. The above terms are used when discussing ranks with members of other Suits, but are never used in the presence of non-House individuals to prevent outsiders from obtaining any information about the workings of their organization.

#### List of Suits (w/ Descriptions):

1. Clubs: Aka Casino;
#### List of Ranks and Jobs (by Suit):

##### Clubs:

4. Dealer/#9: